FUJIFILM X-T4 and SIRUI 50mm Anamorphic Lens – Handheld Sample Footage

by Johnnie BehiriMarch 27^th, 2020

Guys, taking into consideration the situation we are all in, I hope my post finds you well. Indeed challenging times ahead! Tokyo is still not under lockdown so I took the initiative to go out and produce a short video featuring my neighborhood and the closer surroundings. It was a perfect occasion to do what so many of you asked me before right after sharing “Arisa”, the short documentary I’ve published when the X-T4 was announced. You wanted to know if and how the new IBIS in the camera functions when a manual lens is attached to the camera body. So I’m happy to report back and say, it works very well. 

Last week I finished to film a short documentary with the new Canon 1D X Mark III (amazing VDSLR camera), and while (not so) patiently waiting for Apple to finally deliver my newly ordered MacBook Pro 16 inch so I can edit the RAW footage I took, I’ve decided to exercise freedom while it lasts and went out to enjoy the colors of spring and the very relaxed atmosphere in my neighborhood and its surroundings.

FUJIFILM X-T4 (Pre Production Model)

I think there is no real need to repeat what I’ve written and described in my previously released camera hands-on review. Instead, please allow me to share again my conclusion:

The FUJIFILM X-T4 is currently the best APS-C camera that can shoot video in the market (and in all honesty, with its functionality and picture quality it can easily challenge many of the more expensive full-frame mirrorless cameras out there). This camera can be deployed in a large variety of productions, but if you are like me – a documentary filmmaker who travels a lot and has equipment weight and luggage size in mind – this camera might prove to be very useful to you. On top, having IBIS on board (and a really good one), opens the door for much more handheld work which was less possible before, with the X-T3. Even using FUJIFILM’s own MKX lenses seems to be much more attractive now.

What I can now add is a little tip. If you are attempting to use the camera with a single focal length manual lens make sure to get your “Mount Adapter Settings” correctly, which is found inside the I.Q camera menu. In my case when working with the SIRUI 50mm anamorphic lens, I set it up on “50mm”. This setting, together with the camera settings on “IS Mode-IBIS/OIS” and “IS mode Boost-on”, gave me very satisfactory results.

One thing to remember when working with an anamorphic lens on any of the FUJIFILM cameras is that there is no way to de-squeeze the footage internally and get the correct aspect ratio. Limiting as it is from the perspective of making compositions, it is absolutely doable to film like this…

SIRUI 50mm Anamorphic lens (Pre Production Model)

Both, Nino my colleague and I were testing and reviewing this lens before. Nino’s footage can be found here and my article review can be found by clicking here. And if I have to summerise our impression of the lens I’ll quote Nino. Here is what we wrote:

It’s a remarkable achievement not only for the price. The lens is very sharp, even when shooting wide open at f/1.8, which was totally unexpected for me. It’s well built from metal, and I can see this show up on a lot of low-budget anamorphic productions everywhere. Right now it’s a shame that there isn’t another focal length available, I would love to see a full set of these out now, but we are hoping that they will come.

So yes, a stronger squeeze and more “anamorphic lens identity” would have been nice to have, but for the price, this lens does a very decent job.

FUJIFILM X-T4 & SIRUI 50mm Anamorphic Lens – Final Thoughts

When filming, I was not really chasing flairs (OK, maybe once…), so this short article and video were really aiming to check how well the IBIS in the FUJIFILM X-T4 handles manual lenses, and I can safely say that it worked perfectly together with the SIRUI 50mm anamorphic lens.

Now, the camera should be available towards the end of April (only in black for now), and from the information I got, it is planned to be manufactured in China only. The SIRUI lens should be shipping by now, but acknowledging the challenges some Chinese manufacturers are currently having I won’t be surprised if it is a bit delayed.

Camera settings for the above video: 4K/25p, H265, All Intra (but one shot at 60p Long-GOP), F-Log. All was shot handheld. Grading using FUJIFILM’s own ETERNA film simulation LUT

Music courtesy of MusicVine.com – Get 25% off any Pay-Per-Use license with code C5D25 (valid for one use per customer).

What do you think about the new  FUJIFILM X-T4 in combination with the SIRUI 50mm anamorphic lens? Would you consider this duo for your professional work? Share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.