MrSMW

You mean how did I previously do it? 🤪 Too lengthy to explain and would also divert this thread. I just did!

Well I was looking forward to shooting a combo of: XT3 on sticks pure video XT4 photo & video handheld X100v pure photo for my hybrid wedding coverage, but cancelled the order for the latter two, A. because I have no income now and B. no gigs to shoot and no idea what the future holds. Assuming the industry gets back on some kind of track, but without as much money taken or to spend, I’m back to my previous conundrum of XT3 vs XH1. Specifically build, handling, shutter, IBIS vs 4K 60p video plus it’s a win for the XH1 on price. Still nothing else out there that really tempts me...

Here in Italy the new public enemy number 1 are people jogging outside, even if alone, even if in a mountain path, seen as the new plague spreaders, as if just by the fact of going out of a building you become magically infected by THE sickness: the virus will see you and will instantly put you into an intensive care unit. This is what concerns me here in France. We are not quite there yet, at least not officially. Yes, some could argue, "big deal, so you fitness freaks can't do your usual thing, get over it", but actually some restrictions are pretty stoopid. Solo running in the fresh area with no one around. Yup, that's going to make the situation worse. Not. Someone living in an apartment with a dog that needs to be walked can't be forced to shit on the kitchen floor? (That's the dog not the owner). They need to get out and providing they do so sensibly and not with other people... common sense needs to be applied. I'm lucky that my house is in one of the least most densely populated departements in France and our house is on 2.5 acres of land. We are surrounded by vineyards and agricultural land but our mayor just issued a directive that has now banned any/all activity on the green lane, a former railway line over 20 km long. People can go for their walk in the town but no, not on the green lane as unseen, they may gossip in groups and touch and... If people are going to do that, they are going to do that and they are stupid and ignorant, but wholesale smacking down on everyone supposedly for the greater good is too far. And then some folks are just nuts... I was walking the dog the other day when a woman drove past me and in usual French style, skimmed me by mere inches (sorry, but they do this, - can't ever cross that white line in the centre of the road unless it's passing every single vehicle in front of them before immediately turning at the next junction. Without indicating.)...wearing a face mask (in her own car, alone!)...with all the windows down! And that isn't even the most ridiculous part which is she actually leaned away from me in her seat and turned her head away as she passed me at about 50 kph! Just imagine if I'd coughed in her direction and my cough beat her 50 kph side draft and entered her vehicle through one of her 4 open windows... She'd have been dead within the week, no question so why take the risk. In fact she was very sensible. Re. the news. I think you can't avoid it. Moderation and not getting obsessed with it is the thing. I think it's important to be aware of any situation so you can either comply with directives (even if it's to keep off the green lane) or simply make your own common sense decisions. It's all a load of shit though. Weirdly, despite having zero income and fairly confident the industry is pretty fucked for the forseeable future, I am strangely calm about it and have been practising social distancing and self-isolating much of my life out of choice so no big hardship!

The one anomaly in the World figures that stand out for me are Germany: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ Third Reich 'Master Race' jokes aside, their death rate is incredibly low for some reason...and there has to be a reason. Lower age, better health, better healthcare, different handling...? Their number of cases is high but when you look at the mortality rate compared with say France, Spain, the UK or US, makes you want to apply for a German passport.

I think the general public also have a part to play and the younger they are, the more they tend to believe it won't affect them. That's going to change shortly. As a Brit, albeit one living in France, I think the UK (not going to comment on the US as that is too political!) did indeed act especially slowly as in has 'reacted' rather than 'acted' and by the time you are forced to react, you are pretty much on your back foot. Or knees. But just don't know it yet. If I was a religious man...and I am not in any way, shape or form, I'd be praying to see a peak in the Italian death rate and then a day upon day decrease, followed by other nations. Pretty much the only thing that gives me any kind of hope is the figures coming out of China. At the same time, with the benefit of hindsight, there is going to be a huge amount of hand-wringing (replacing hand-washing) that not enough was done, but that is the duty of the elected governments & leaders, - you are going to be damned whichever way you did it.

Ironically Andrew, you are stuck there whereas we are booked for 4 nights in an apartment about 800 metres from the cathedral. They won't give us a refund but will allow us to re-book a new date after this madness is over. If it ever does actually end... @p@a wanna buy a GFX100? Good price?! 🤑

Why does every thread at some point have to involve the current president of the USA? FFS! 😷

If it comes preinstalled on the XT4, I will cancel my cancelled preorder for a pair.

Also do not wish to jump on a negative bandwagon, but I fear...as in am quite sure, many industries will undergo long term, perhaps permanent change in response to this. Personal spending will change short and medium term at the very least. 'Our industry' was already being hit by over-saturation and decreasing rates. This will just compound that. The only positive I can see is that the fittest are most likely to survive, so we may see a weeding out of the dead weight. Time will tell. At the very least, I am expecting some big and long term changes to my industry, the wedding one.

What is that Netflix series where a virus kills off everyone older than a teenager? Seems prophetic... Levity aside, it isn't great is it? My own wedding season is supposed to start here in France in 8 weeks time. Unless this situation peaks soon and begins to improve rapidly, cancellations will begin to happen. Around 40% of my business/turnover is new bookings on a rolling monthly basis but that has now dried up to zero. It's not good for anyone or anything.

Yorkshire Tea. End of.

I actually do similar, - depends on the scenario but use the AF to get a lock and then flip it to manual. Especially during things like wedding ceremonies where some dick stands up to take a picture on their phone and the AF locks on to them...and then does not return to the original subject. Oh, FFS, more self-inflicted muppetry 🤪

Well so-called true pros use manual focus. Or so I've been told 😉 I don't think it makes much difference whether you do something for a living or not, - you either need or want AF or prefer MF, - it comes down to personal choice mostly. As above, I need AF some of the time to the point I use it all of the time. Or I'd forget. I have switched to manual before only to push the record button and wonder why everything is OOF only to realise moments later, it's the muppet behind the camera at fault 😂

Oh that's easy. There is a spray you can get that swimmers use for inside their goggles. Anyway, she's doing it wrong because she needs a canary in there. If the canary falls off it's perch, basically you are fucked.

I've never experienced this AF pulsing but believe for those who have it's an AFC thing rather than an AFS? Also, I tend to shoot only short, static sequences (1" sensor 'camcorder', full manual for anything longer, locked off on a tripod) so again, maybe why I have not experienced/seen it myself.

If I could bottle and sell it, I would at least consider it... Full video and full photography coverage at the same time. How? It's like that guy that at one point in his life couldn't juggle 2 oranges but one day could juggle chainsaws. How? Practise, practise and more practise. He started somewhere and over a period of time, persistence and not a small amount of frustration... For me, full-time wedding photographer for 20+ years and started introducing bits of video into the capture either for clients or for said practise purposes around 12 or so years ago and it grew from there. But no one just picks up a chainsaw or two and starts tossing them around saying, "how hard can it be?". It's just a process same as pretty much anything else. Some people in their right minds wouldn't even attempt it, but I have never been one to back down from a challenge. There's a lot of shit I have never been able to make work, - commercial photography or video for one thing. Don't know why, long since given up trying to fathom these things, - I'm more or less pegged at what relatively few things I can do and one of those few things happens to be hybrid wedding capture. The wedding bit seems to be the key part for me. I've been to 700+ of the things, - probably part of my why & how

What about an S and three one's? Or a G an H and a 6 for these are the letters and numbers of the grail?

Will it be the XH2 though?

I shoot weddings hybrid. Half of the time, my video orientated camera is either on a tripod or freestanding monopod doing it’s thing whilst I shoot stills. I could not do this without AF, so whilst no fan of 90% of the muppets on The Tube, it’s essential for me.

It’s all a conspiracy by Fuji. XT4 gets announced and folks across the interwebs start linking it with the Olympics for completely inexplicable reasons that even they don’t understand but because they read it ‘somewhere’, then yeah, it’s a thing. Fuji picks up on this and begin to suffer small willy syndrome in comparison with those 12” monster DSLR’s that Canon and Nikon keep insisting on making but no one including even Fro Knows buys anymore. Fuji release virus so Olympics will be cancelled. It’s pretty obvious when you consider all the facts. It’s going to backfire on them though because the way things are headed, my preorder for a pair is now not likely to be delivered (and therefore cancelled if this looks likely) in time for this years wedding season...if that itself even happens.

If HCB was still alive and kicking, he’d produce a sequel book for video and call it The Decisive Minute.

The bottom line with all small businesses is not so much about how good you are at your actual craft, but how good you are at making your business work. I know plenty of mostly photographers who are great at their craft, but not so interested/good at the business side. And they wonder why the phone isn’t ringing like it used to... There is no real ‘industry standard’ because the variables are too great. It boils down in the end to regular employment with benefits as perhaps the ‘safer’ option, or being self-employed where it is down to you 100%. I sometimes think I’d like the former option but the reality is I am better off on most levels, though perhaps not financially, ploughing the field myself.

It’s a real mixed bag out there right now regarding reviews, but keep in mind these are really pre-reviews on pre-production firmware. Same as it ever was. What this camera boils down to really are two factors; 1: What is your Fuji experience because if this is just the latest in a long line of X camera use, most of it is good. Very good indeed and Fuji being Fuji will have ironed out any initial kinks prior to or soon after availability. 2: What are you going to be using it for? Pure stills camera? Possibly better options out there for you depending on your needs. Pure video camera? Better options are out there. But as a genuine hybrid? This is where it will shine especially how I work.

Weddings get tougher when you have kids because suddenly that’s every Saturday gone and pretty wiped out Sunday’s. But I started 5-6 years before our daughter was born 15 years ago so it’s been the norm for us for a loooooong time.

Made in China or Japan I don't care, - zero build or other issues with either XT3 I used all last year and I had no idea where they were made until I just checked the one I have retained and found out China. Pre-ordered a pair of 'wherever they are assembled' XT4 bodies for this year's wedding season and looking forward to receiving them end of April/early May...or will need to buy a pair of XH1's to tide me over as by then, my season will have started and my sole XT3 won't cut it!