X100V Setup and Use (lengthy)

[Erik Baumgartner]

Some folks were interested in how I set up and use my X100V. It would interesting to learn how others set up and use their cameras as well. With so many possibilities, I doubt that any two people have everything set up to shoot the same way.

Below is a fairly detailed list of my settings and how I typically use my X100V. I’m primarily a RAW shooter, I don’t mess with jpeg recipes etc., I don’t shoot video, I never use the OVF, and I never use the flash either - so sorry, no help on those fronts.

There are probably lots of potential points of confusion contained herein, just ask if you need clarification. This is pretty much what works for me with my other Fuji cameras as well (with some slight differences on the more versatile d-pad equipped X-T bodies). All of this probably won’t work for you, but there might be some ideas here that you can incorporate into your own setup.

CUSTOM BUTTON ASSIGNMENTS…

Fn1 (top front button) - Focus Check, magnification at the AF box (press and hold for a couple of seconds to cycle through AF Assist modes too) The rear dial will adjust magnification

Fn2 (front button) - ISO, for selecting the Auto-ISO presets - beyond annoying that the presets aren’t included in the ISO scroll available on the front dial (in ISO “C” mode, like with other models) and they make you waste a custom button on this.

T Fn - All off, not user friendly for left eye dominant photographers with noses.

AEL/AFL - AEL, locks the exposure - but is still fine-tuneable with exposure compensation on the front dial (great for crazy light situations or multiple shot panos etc.)

R-Dial - AF-ON, for Back Button Focus in “M” mode (actually remains active in all modes).

Selector (hold the front OVF lever for a couple seconds) - Electronic Level, enables a cool 3D level only available on a custom button, great with geometrically challenging ultra-wide lenses.

Q - Q

Some menu items that matter:

MENU, IQ…

Film Sim - Provia/Standard or ProNeg std.

WB -Auto

Dynamic Range - Always DR100

D-Range Priority - Off

Sharpness +2

NR -4

Color Space - sRGB

MENU, AF/MF Setting…

AF Mode - All (press AF joystick to select)

Store AF Mode by orientation - On

Pre-AF - Off

AF+MF - On (optional)

Face/Eye Detect - Off (always)

Focus Check - Off (I always have a dedicated button for that)

Interlock Spot AE and Focus Area - On

Instant AF Setting - AF-S

Release/Focus Priority - Focus for both

MENU, CAMERA…

Photometry - Multi (almost always)

Shutter Type - usually MS + ES, but ES-only over 1/500” or so (avoids Leaf Shutter bokeh distortion)

Flicker Reduction - Off

ND Filter - Off, always (it stinks)

MENU, WRENCH, SCREEN SETTING…

View Mode Setting - Eye Sensor

Playback - Eye Sensor

Image Disp - Off

Preview in Manual Mode - EXP/WB

Natural Live View - Off

DISPLAY CUSTOM SETTING - Checked…

Framing Guideline

Focus Frame

Live View Highlight Alert

Shooting Mode

Aperture/SS/ISO

Information Background

Expo. Comp. (Digit)

Focus Mode

Photometry

Shutter Type

Continuous Mode

White Balance

Film Simulation

Dynamic Range

Boost Mode

Frames Remaining

Image Size/Quality

Movie Mode & Rec. Time

Digital Tele-Conv.

Conversion Lens

Image Transfer Order

Mic Level

Guidance Message

Battery Level

Framing Outline (for low light composition)

BUTTON/DIAL SETTING…

Focus Lever Setting - On

Shutter AF - On (AF-C and AF-S)

Shutter AE - AF-S/MF - On, AF-C -Off

Focus Ring Operation - Linear

Control Ring Setting - Standard

AE/AF -Lock Mode - S (On/Off Switch)

Aperture Ring Setting (A) - Auto

Touch Screen Setting - Off

POWER MANAGEMENT…

Auto Power Off - 2 min

Performance - Boost (always)

EVF Performance - Brightness Priority

I mostly shoot using manual Aperture and Auto-ISO/Auto-SS (top ISO, SS dials on “A” - essentially Aperture Priority) using the 3 available customizable presets - typically using a min/max range of base ISO to ISO 12800 for all three presets and a different min. SS value for each (usually 1/80”, 1/160”, and 1/320”, 1/160” being my usual go-to). “ISO” is assigned to the front custom Fn button for quickly switching between these).

I always use the Highlight Warning Blinkies to determine optimal highlight exposure and manually fine tune the in-the-ballpark exposure the camera’s Multi-metering presents me with if necessary with exposure compensation set (always) to the front dial (“C” mode on the EC dial) which will effectively adjust either the SS or ISO depending on the amount of light available). This always guarantees the lowest possible ISO and highest SS within the pre-set parameters.

I use the top dials only when I want to override either the Auto ISO - typically turning the ISO dial to base ISO or a specific fixed value when using a tripod, or overriding Auto-SS by turning the SS dial to a fixed value (or “T”, which allows you to manually control SS with the rear dial in mostly 1/3 stop increments - up to 15 minutes). This is an exceptionally quick, simple, and accurate exposure methodology IMO, but one that still allows for full creative control at all times with the ability to quickly look down and manually override any auto-parameters with fixed values when it’s desirable to do so.

The nice thing about this approach is that I can shoot continuously while walking from a dark cave and into blazing sunshine, maintaining perfect exposure the whole time with only a quick tweak of my front dial for fine exposure tuning if necessary. I almost never have to dive into a menu for anything, and can tell how my camera is set up to shoot just by glancing down at the dials, typically without even having to turn it on. This might not work for everyone, but it works great for me.

There are plenty of folks who prefer going the old-school full manual route, which also works fine - it’s just slower, more complicated, and much easier to screw up, IMO. Fuji cameras (the “classic” ones, anyway) work great for either approach (or anywhere in between).

For focusing, I most often use AF-S single point with a pre-positioned AF box and a full-press of the shutter button, but also use manual focusing with peaking quite often for landscapes - great for precisely positioning the areas of optimal focus where they need to be. For people photography in close quarters, Wide Tracking in AF-C mode can work great when you need to work fast - just half-press and hold the shutter button with the AF box on your target and it will follow them around pretty well, much stickier than with the older cameras.

So, as with all Fujis (that still sport a handy MCS AF switch), with the settings above, and without doing anything else except moving that little switch, I get…

M mode - either Manual Focus at maximum aperture (regardless of where the ring is set), or single point Back Button Focus (BBF) - with focus actuation being automatically decoupled from the shutter button in M mode. The rear command dial button was set to AF On for this purpose and is great for instant focus (where the AF box is positioned) which can then be fine-tuned manually. Pressing the top front Fn button (Fn 1) will magnify the view where the AF box is (Focus Check). You can adjust the degree of magnification with the rear dial. Also, pressing and holding that top front Fn button for a couple of seconds will allow you to repeatedly press again to cycle through the Focus Assist modes (Peaking, Standard, etc.). I usually like Peaking (Blue, Low) for full-screen manual focus and Standard (no Peaking) for magnified details.

I find the Eye/Face detect AF to still be unreliable and I hate that it overrides my chosen exposure mode. I never use it.

C mode - fast, accurate focus for moving subjects with a full-press of the shutter button (usually in continuous shooting mode), or continuous tracking with a half-press (which can also work especially well in some situations if you switch to Wide Tracking AF-C).

S mode - full button press if the focus box is on the subject, or half-press and recompose if it isn’t. With the AF-MF option enabled, a half-press of the shutter button while turning the focus ring will get you instant MF at shooting aperture (unlike in “M” mode), and only with native lenses). If you want focus peaking on, you will need to enable it first in “M” mode (or by some other means) …Lots of genuinely useful focusing options with the flick of a single switch.

Oh, and my Q menu…

 

[GreatOceanSoftware]

Thanks Erik. We agree on most body-common settings. The only major difference is I set my 3 Auto ISO modes to base to 800, base to 3200, and base to 12800, and tend to live in base to 3200.

Appreciate the details. And go ahead with the Q menu!

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

Thanks Erik. We agree on most body-common settings. The only major difference is I set my 3 Auto ISO modes to base to 800, base to 3200, and base to 12800, and tend to live in base to 3200.

Appreciate the details. And go ahead with the Q menu!

Hmm, not sure why that Q menu photo didn’t post, it was there.



On the subject of Auto-ISO presets, I’m not sure why anyone would want to limit the ISO on either end (some folks tend to do both). A lower ISO is always better if it can go there and still satisfy the other preset parameters. Limiting how high the ISO can go runs the very real risk of the camera overriding your minimum SS setting - I’ll take a noisy shot over a blurry one any day. I don’t want to shoot at ISO 12800, but if it has to go that high to maintain my minimum SS while not clipping any highlights, I usually let it.

 

[BombayBaker]

Thank you, Erik. I have learnt a lot from many of your posts and this one should be particularly useful for many members of this community.

 

[GreatOceanSoftware]

Thanks Erik. We agree on most body-common settings. The only major difference is I set my 3 Auto ISO modes to base to 800, base to 3200, and base to 12800, and tend to live in base to 3200.

Appreciate the details. And go ahead with the Q menu!

Hmm, not sure why that Q menu photo didn’t post, it was there.



On the subject of Auto-ISO presets, I’m not sure why anyone would want to limit the ISO on either end (some folks tend to do both). A lower ISO is always better if it can go there and still satisfy the other preset parameters. Limiting how high the ISO can go runs the very real risk of the camera overriding your minimum SS setting - I’ll take a noisy shot over a blurry one any day. I don’t want to shoot at ISO 12800, but if it has to go that high to maintain my minimum SS while not clipping any highlights, I usually let it.

I set a break at 3200 because I know that I’m always willing to accept that level of noise, but be warned if it needs more than that. Then I can decide on how best to handle it. This is usually only the case in borderline situations, because if I know I need higher ISO, I’ll go ahead and choose Auto 3 (12800). The only time it bites me is when it’s a fleeting scene, so not very often. I’m usually taking my time and composing.

But your approach certainly relieves some stress and one more variable from the equation. I like it. And I agree that I’d rather have a noisy shot than a blurry one

Also curious if you think setting your screen brightness to +5 causes difficulty in judging exposure, before or after the shot?

--
Randy

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

Thanks Erik. We agree on most body-common settings. The only major difference is I set my 3 Auto ISO modes to base to 800, base to 3200, and base to 12800, and tend to live in base to 3200.

Appreciate the details. And go ahead with the Q menu!

Hmm, not sure why that Q menu photo didn’t post, it was there.



On the subject of Auto-ISO presets, I’m not sure why anyone would want to limit the ISO on either end (some folks tend to do both). A lower ISO is always better if it can go there and still satisfy the other preset parameters. Limiting how high the ISO can go runs the very real risk of the camera overriding your minimum SS setting - I’ll take a noisy shot over a blurry one any day. I don’t want to shoot at ISO 12800, but if it has to go that high to maintain my minimum SS while not clipping any highlights, I usually let it.

I set a break at 3200 because I know that I’m always willing to accept that level of noise, but be warned if it needs more than that. Then I can decide on how best to handle it. This is usually only the case in borderline situations, because if I know I need higher ISO, I’ll go ahead and choose Auto 3 (12800). The only time it bites me is when it’s a fleeting scene, so not very often. I’m usually taking my time and composing.

But your approach certainly relieves some stress and one more variable from the equation. I like it. And I agree that I’d rather have a noisy shot than a blurry one

Also curious if you think setting your screen brightness to +5 causes difficulty in judging exposure, before or after the shot?

I’ve been running the EVF on AUTO lately and the LCD screen I adjust as needed. The +5 was for outdoors in the sun (and still not bright enough).

 

[GreatOceanSoftware]

Thanks Erik. We agree on most body-common settings. The only major difference is I set my 3 Auto ISO modes to base to 800, base to 3200, and base to 12800, and tend to live in base to 3200.

Appreciate the details. And go ahead with the Q menu!

Hmm, not sure why that Q menu photo didn’t post, it was there.



On the subject of Auto-ISO presets, I’m not sure why anyone would want to limit the ISO on either end (some folks tend to do both). A lower ISO is always better if it can go there and still satisfy the other preset parameters. Limiting how high the ISO can go runs the very real risk of the camera overriding your minimum SS setting - I’ll take a noisy shot over a blurry one any day. I don’t want to shoot at ISO 12800, but if it has to go that high to maintain my minimum SS while not clipping any highlights, I usually let it.

I set a break at 3200 because I know that I’m always willing to accept that level of noise, but be warned if it needs more than that. Then I can decide on how best to handle it. This is usually only the case in borderline situations, because if I know I need higher ISO, I’ll go ahead and choose Auto 3 (12800). The only time it bites me is when it’s a fleeting scene, so not very often. I’m usually taking my time and composing.

But your approach certainly relieves some stress and one more variable from the equation. I like it. And I agree that I’d rather have a noisy shot than a blurry one

Also curious if you think setting your screen brightness to +5 causes difficulty in judging exposure, before or after the shot?

I’ve been running the EVF on AUTO lately and the LCD screen I adjust as needed. The +5 was for outdoors in the sun (and still not bright enough).

Yes, that’s one thing I liked about the Canon M6II screen. I could customize one of the D-pad buttons to instantaneously go to maximum brightness, and it was actually bright enough for full sun. But it did cause distortion in the rendering of highlights, shadows, and colors, and periodically caused me to miss the best exposure.

I haven’t owned a Fujifilm screen yet that is bright enough for full sun. But my guess is that the screens are capable, but they didn’t want to sacrifice battery life.

--
Randy