The second episode of the Fujifilm X-H1 development story is now online. Just as the first episode, it is still focused on the X-H1 frame, more precisely on heat dissipation and on how Fujifilm minimized shutter shock. They also talk a bit about IBIS, but they say they will publish a more in depth article in future episodes.
Amongst the others we discover that:
“Realizing the first IBIS to be installed on the X Mount was a big challenge on its own, but our top priority is image quality, so we aimed for the highest standard from the get-go. This was not only a challenge for the IBIS development team, but also for the exterior design team.
[…] The sensor unit are not grounded to a surface, so it becomes more sensitive to shocks. Higher levels of shock countermeasures are required.
In short, the transmittance of shocks should be canceled to overcome the problem, but the shutter unit is right in front of the sensor. How could it possibly be done?
Spring was our answer. The shutter unit is suspended with five springs so they act as a shock absorber when the shutter is pressed. With this, vibration is not transmitted to other devices inside the camera The tension of each of these five springs is different because the impact on each of the 5 points is different when the shutter is pressed. The effect of this countermeasure is astounding.
[…] The X-H1 has a larger heat sink to efficiently dissipate the heat generated by the processor to the outside. And by transferring the heat absorbed by the heat sink to the front and back of the camera and by securing more surface area, the heat is released to the outside of the camera in much quicker time.”
TheCameraStoreTV had a fantastic live stream with Fuji Guy Billy today, and of course it’s all about the Fujifilm X-H1. Make sure to check it out here.
I was lucky enough to attend the live stream and make my questions, but Jordan anticipated me on the first big question I wanted to make to Billy: back in 2016 Fujifilm said X mount is not compatible with IBIS. What did Fuji do on the Fujifilm X-H1 to make it compatible? Here is Billy’s answer:
“We understand how IBIS works with pretty much all brands. We thought it was a very strong feature to incorporate.
At that time when we said that statement, the technology for us wasn’t there yet. Because, when we develop our cameras, image quality is number 1 for us. And we know that with IBIS, there is always some sort of loss in that, so we needed to develop a system that still mantains that high strict image quality. That really was successful with the X-H1.
We had to make the IBIS system a little bit larger in order to do so. That’s why the X-H1 itself is slightly bigger to accommodate that.
It’s the only IBIS system that has a dual processor that can make 10,000 calculations and that corrects instantly for any movement.”
How I understand this, is that Fujifilm studied other brands’ IBIS systems, they saw that those solutions won’t work on Fuji cameras, they needed time to develop a technology specific for their cameras, and their solution ended up requiring the whole camera to become bigger compared to other systems.
Heard that, I asked Billy if this means that IBIS won’t come to smaller Fujifilm cameras in future. Billy answered:
“currently the IBIS system is quite large and that’s why this camera itself is large. We really want to maintain image quality. Now it’s very important for us to develop the system. I think as we learn to grow and develop, who knows where that technology will go.”
This makes hope that one day we will see IBIS also on smaller cameras. But currently, it’s not possible. Related to this, I remind you that we rumored the Fujifilm X-T3 has no IBIS.
Now just a few more highlights of a long and very interesting live chat…. oh, and do NOT miss the Wooden Niccolls movie shot entirely on X-H1.
Jordan says Fujifilm has quickly gone from “nothing” to “very amazing” in the video market
Nobody buys a GH5 or A7sII to do professional stills and video. They are video cameras that have stills option. The X-H1, though, is a fantastic stills camera that happens to do excellent video.
Fujifilm will offer the LUT file for ETERNA. Eterna great skin tones. ETERNA on X-T2 is very possible in future (as we rumored here, it will come)
X-H1 has Jordans’ favorite APS-C shutter since the Pentax K3II. Super quiet.
10bit: X-H1 sensor and processor don’t have the speed yet to support the incredible data 10bit has.
there is some rolling shutter, but pretty well controlled, especially with some lenses and IBIS
Firmware updates are costly, but Fujifilm is committed to them
X-H1 has much larger heat sink, and processor can run much higher
Video Autofocus: Canon is on top, but Fuji and Sony are following.
15 minutes limit in 4K is due to sensor heat
The little things Fuji cares: they made the EVF sticking out, to avoid the nose to touch the screen, they improved the mechanism of the 3-way tilt screen and more
With manual focus lenses only, you only have 3 axis stabilization, because in oder to know shift, you need to know subject distance.
In the video above you can see how much the X-H1 sensor wobbles, going behind the front plate. That’s impressive.
And you will remember, how Fujifilm said that X-mount is not compatible with IBIS, right?
So people wonder, how did Fujifilm manage to make it compatible and to make IBIS work on X-cameras without introducing to heavy vignetting?
Good question.
What we know, is that newer X-series cameras have a newly designed front plate. Just check out my old X-T1 with sharp 90° angle compared to my new X-E3 with a much more rounded angle. UPDATE: Older X-T2’s and X-Pro2’s have a very angled mount, while newer ones more rounded. Check it out, it’s documented also on dpreview ;) .
However, I heared another fascinating theory, that I want to share here on FujiRumors,.
The rounded angle could allow the light to filter better in the corners, and hence reach the sensor even better, when it goes behind the mount.
Wait… I hear you say… the X-E3 has no IBIS!
But, so the theory, since Fujifilm had to redesign the mount to accomodate IBIS on X-H1 anyway, it just hugly simplifies and speeds up the production line, if you use one front plate design for all cameras, instead of manufacturing 2 different ones.
However, this theory does not convince me fully, since the front plate on the X-H1 seems to be more similar to the one of my old X-T1 than the one of my X-H1.
The live blogging is still running, but time to dig deeper into the more technical and also practical aspect of IBIS in a dedicated post.
We start with a Fujifilm video that shows how IBIS is made and how it is tested by Fujifilm, we continue by telling you how IBIS and OIS work together, how efficient it is with each lens, and we end with a hands on experience of shooting 11 seconds handheld still image… will it work?
Back in October, I told you that “currently” the OIS and IBIS on the Fujifilm X-H1 do not work together.
However, I also told you that this could be related only to the current firmware and that maybe Fujifilm might be able to implement this feature in future.
And here is today’s good rumor:
I hear that Fujifilm worked on it and that OIS and IBIS now work together. Just in time for the official Fujifilm X-H1 announcement on February 15.
Now, I have no idea about the detailed way it works and if there are still some limitations of some kind. For this, we will have to wait February 15, when the Fujifilm X-H1 will be announced and we will know everything in detail.
But it’s good to know that you will be able to use both, OIS and IBIS, together.
I have my live blogging kit ready… make sure to join us on FujiRumors for the big live blogging on February 15.
On this front I have not heard anything new, so I guess that at launch it won’t have this feature. But also in this case, maybe Fujifilm will figure it out right in time.
The Fujifilm X-T3 will be announced around photokina 2018 (probably a bit earlier) and have a new X-Trans sensor with less than 30 Megapixel and a new processor – this and more details in this article.
IBIS, Good or Bad… or Both? We have written comprehensively about it here.
Stay tuned on FujiRumors via Facebook, RSS-feed and Twitter to follow the Fujifilm X-T3 rumor novel.
There is a poll that has been requested by quite some FR-readers, such as Balbo42 on Twitter here: do you want IBIS on the Fujifilm X-T3?
Now, it’s quite difficult to launch a poll, because some might want IBIS only if it does not add size to the camera, others might want it only if it does not increase the price of the camera too much and many other criteria that I can not list here.
At the end I decided to keep the survey simple: IBIS on X-T3, yes, no or I don’t know!
You can then elaborate in the comments why you made a certain choice.
It might be of interest to read our latest “IBIS” article here, which goes more in depth regarding the Pros and Cons of IBIS.
POLL
The Fujifilm X-T3 will be announced around photokina 2018 (probably a bit earlier) and have a new X-Trans sensor with less than 30 Megapixel and a new processor – this and more details in this article.
I thought to put some of the questions and speculations I could read in the comments and that I got via email in this article, and maybe add some thoughts to it.
The fact that Fujifilm decided to change name, and hence to create a new line of Fujifilm X series cameras, could be quite relevant.
It’s safe to assume that a new line of cameras means that this line will have some peculiarities that sets them apart from all other Fujifilm cameras.
No IBIS on Fujifilm X-T3?
What could be the features that set the Fujifilm X-H1 apart from any other Fujifilm X series camera, including the Fujifilm X-T3?
I am investigating this, but you guys already started to make speculations in the comments.
The most widly spread of your speculation in the comments is that IBIS will be a feature reserved for the Fujifilm X-H1, which means the Fujifilm X-T3 will not have IBIS.
If your speculations are right, then Fujifilm did well to change the name from X-T2S to X-H1. Two different camera lines, with some more or less significant differences, such as IBIS… but there are more of them.
Fujifilm X-H1 for Video and Fujifilm X-T3 for Stills
Let’s assume the speculations of many FR-readers are correct, and the Fujifilm X-T3 will not have IBIS.
In that case, unless you work on a rig/gimbal (where IBIS can actually become a problem, as we have shown here), the Fujifilm X-H1 will be the better video camera if you shoot handheld, not only because of IBIS, but also because the ergonomics, controls and features are more build around the needs of videographers.
The bigger camera and deeper grip of the Fujifilm X-H1 will definitely help overall stability and balance while filming, especially if you use the X-H1 with long Cine Lenses like the Fujinon MK 18-55 and MK 50-135.
I also doubt any videographer would really use the exposure compensation dial to adjust brightness while filming, since it would introduce lots of camera shakes. This is why Fujifilm got rid of it on the X-H1. You will control exposure compensation via command dial and check your value on a top LCD panel.
The bigger body might also allow better heat dissipation, allowing maybe longer (or even unlimited?) 4K video recording time.
The Fujifilm X-T line would remain mainly a stills camera, with a smaller body and more analog controls (exposure compensation dial).
And if the Fujifilm X-T3 really has no IBIS as you guys speculated, then, from a mere image quality point of view, this might have some advantages, too, since IBIS can introduce more vignetting and it can create issues with heat dissipation that lead to worst high ISO performance, as Panasonic ambassador and GH5S beta tester told us here. On the other hand, I can think of many other situations where IBIS is useful also for stills.
But I have written a detailed IBIS Pros and Cons article (also compared to OIS). Feel free to check it out.
Should Fujifilm Have Merged X-T3 and X-H1 into One Camera?
Should Fujifilm have merged the X-T3 and X-H1 into one camera?
And what’s the advantage of creating a new X-H Line?
I don’t know… but I’ll throw in some thoughts…
Making the X-T3 more “video friendly” would have ment changing the classic X-T controls and design by adding, for example, a deeper grip and overall size to the camera. And given how much loved the current design is amongst Fujifilm X-T shooters, I am not sure if such changes would have been appreciated.
By creating a new line with the Fujifilm X-H1, Fujifilm has much more freedom to make more radical ergonomic changes oriented towards the needs of videographers. And as you can see in our leaked X-H1 sketches, the X-H1 has some significant differences compared to the X-T2.
But the big question remains: will IBIS really be reserved to the X-H line? I will try to answer this question as soon as possible.
In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Facebook, RSS-feed and Twitter, and to click on the little bell icon on the bottom right of your browser, to get instant notification, as soon as I can answer this question.
Panasonic has always been on the forefront, when it comes to the IBIS technology. Along with Olympus, they offer the best IBIS on the market, superior to the one of Sony.
But all that glitters is not gold.
IBIS has its downsides too, and at the recent launch of the Panasonic GH5S, they explained us why they decided to leave out IBIS from their new low light video monster.
Let’s start with an interview given by a Panasonic manager to Cinema 5D here:
“The Panasonic GH5s is a high-sensitivity camera, and such a camera is used more with a tripod rather than handheld. This is one of the reasons for there being no dual IS.
However, when shooting without a tripod, since our lenses are internally stabilised, we think it will be enough. When used handheld under low light conditions, a gimbal will be used by many customers. So we think there is no problem if no body IS is provided.”
Also, cameralabs explains here that the sensor of the GH5S is actually a bit bigger than conventional M43 sensors [because of multi aspect ration] so that the IBIS mechanism does not really fit into the GH5S.
Another important downside is mentioned by official Panasonic ambassador Tyler, who said at the TCSTV GH5S live stream here:
“Where in the cinema world do you see in body image stabilization? It’s just not a thing.
The reason is heat dissipation. […]
Panasonic did a poll with the shooters they have designed the GH5S for, and they said “look, we are going to put this on a rig, we are going to put this on a stabilizer, we don’t need IBIS. It’s going to affect our image.”
Having internal IBIS is going to increase the noise because of the heat. It’s just one more way to reduce noise in this camera.”
Less heat means less noise, and I’m sure many of us have already experienced this, when we shoot astrophotography out on a cold night, that ISO performance improves, due to the cold temperatures.
Just Turn IBIS Off?
If you don’t like the IBIS side effects, just turn it off, right?
It’s still not an optimal solution.
DPreivew writes in their GH5S first impressions here:
“From a photographic perspective it may seem odd to remove image stabilization from the camera but for high-end video shooting, it makes sense.
Sensor-shift IS systems operate by ‘floating’ the sensor using a series of electromagnets. Even when they’re ‘off’ they’re not locked in place, they’re simply set so that the electromagnets aren’t attempting to correct for movement. This has the side-effect that, which mounted on a professional stabilization rig, there’s a risk of the sensor being shaken around.
For high-end video work, Panasonic says its users would prefer to use dedicated gimbals and dollies, rather than internal stabilization, and that means physically locking the sensor in place to avoid unwanted interactions between these systems and a floating sensor.”
And indeed, if you watch the Swedish video I linked above at minute 3:15 (youtube link here), you will see here how the Panasonic GH5, even with IBIS switched off, keeps up moving mounted on a car, while the GH5S is perfectly stable.
What is Better, OIS Vs. IBIS
Canon & Nikonsay that OISis better than IBIS, because:
With OIS, each lens is optimally tuned to achieve reliable correction.
OIS allows faster and more accurate AF & exposure metering, because the image comes already stabilized to the camera sensor (an advantage you’ll notice especially in low light).
OIS is more effective with long telephoto lenses
And now we can also add two more Cons to IBIS
4. depending on the lens used, IBIS can introduce more or less vignetting
5. heat generated by IBIS introduces more grain to the images
But also IBIS has some strong PROs
if you often use slower non-stabilized lenses, IBIS is a very useful feature. I’m thinking especially at old glass users, like the X-shooters from the “old lenses for dummies” thread. They would suddenly have all their lenses stabilized.
You pay for IBIS just one time, while you have to pay the OIS for each lens you get
Allows you to use features like sensor shift to create high-resolution images (only if your subject is perfectly static)
Can be used in combination with OIS (if your camera manufacturer has the proper firmware to make them run together, which should not be the case of the X-H1… at least for the start)
Some say that IBIS also adds size, weight and costs to the camera body… but well, OIS adds this size, weight and costs to the lens.
These are just some Pros and Cons. A more in-depth comparison can be read at photographylife.
But if You want the Ultimate Image Quality…
At the end, OIS or IBIS, if you really want the ultimate and very best image quality possible, then any form of in camera or lens stabilisation has to be avoided whenever possible.
Personally, I have OIS switched off most of the time on my lenses, and only when I see it’s too dark and I don’t work on a tripod, and my lens is not fast enough, then I turn it on. But for as much as possible, I try to avoid it.
But don’t get me wrong… when I switch on OIS, I consider it a very useful feature, especially Fujifilm’s top notch OIS system.
Oh, and Remember…
And always keep in mind: both, OIS and IBIS, will only compensate the shakiness of your camera and NOT for the movements of your subject (leaves in the wind, persons, animals, cars etc).
To compensate for the “shakiness of the outside world“, in bad light, you simply need fast lenses, and luckily Fuji has many F1.4 and F1.2 lenses to offer
Do I want IBIS?
I confirm what I said back in 2015 here: Yes! Fujifilm should offer a camera with IBIS. And I’m glad Fujifilm will offer IBIS in the upcoming Fujifilm X-H1.
And I don’t care if CaNikon say OIS is superior, and I don’t even care if Panasonic says today that IBIS has some more downsides than the ones highlighted by CaNikon.
What I know is that it is still a useful feature in certain circumstances.
And last but not least, the market demands IBIS.
And if Fujifilm wants to survive in a market that is shrinking and where you fight for every single customer, then Fujifilm has to give photographers at least the option to get an IBIS camera… and luckily this option comes very soon with the Fujifilm X-H1.
Tony Northrup shared his camera gear predictions video, and it includes also the Fujifilm X-H1.
Now, much has been written here on FujiRumors about the Fujifilm X-H1, and we have a vast number of specs already leaked, including accurate sketches and renderings of the real Fujifilm X-H1 camera (last rumors here).
So in this article I would not like to focus on the X-H1, but on another suggestion that comes from Tony.
Tony is a big IBIS fan, and he can’t wait to see Fujifilm launching the X-H1.
IBIS is, in his opinion, one of the two big things still missing on Fujifilm cameras. He says Fujinon lenses are very good and sharp, but lenses without OIS need IBIS.
The second big lack, always according to Tony, are APS-C F1.8 zooms. He says:
“If you do that [F1.8 zooms] and give me a sensor stabilized camera, that would put you in the same league as Full Frame Canon, Nikon and Sony and we can see a lot of professional photographers switching over to your bodies.”
So what do you guys think? Now that Fujifilm will release the X-H1 with IBIS, is the lack of F1.8 zooms the last thing that is missing to make Pros switch to Fujifilm APS-C?
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