Fujifilm X-H2S & XH2 Settings | Wildlife Photography & Videography

[@juleshorse9056]

It goes down well! I agree: understand the settings, set the appropriate setting for the subject, know the standing/holding/breathing/rolling the shutter techniques, and practice. I just wish I had more time for practice in such wonderful locations.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Awww thanks!! Mission accomplished! It’s great you know and understand the settings and motions for using a bigger lens! And I hope you do get more time for yourself to practice, that would be lovely 🙂🙂

[@PaulRaker-n1m]

You are quite beautiful the way you talk about flying your drone is how I feel about when I fly mine, It’s like you wanna get that one beautiful picture or scenery video that just moves you.

[@Bumblebee0909]

Well done with hand held, the pictures were so clear. Fantastic shots Of the gannets 👍😀

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much! And the full long is on the way ☺️☺️

[@andreasalexander81]

Yup, excellent tips, especially the ones on focussing and subject detection! 👌

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Aw so glad it was useful! Just some things I have noticed whilst shooting away 🙂

[@dustywolff602]

Thanks for the video! I just brought the X-H2 as my first camera and the 150-600 as the only thing I pant to shoot I birds. This was quite helpful!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

That is ok and glad it could help! I hope you enjoy using the camera and lens together too 🙂

[@cameraman763]

Thank you! I use the same gear and do struggle at times to get focus right. I will try the tracking and sensitivity settings to see how that impacts my shooting. Again thank you and shave fun on your adventures and be safe!

[@trondwestby]

Great video. You have great and fresh way of communicating in your videos. Well done! Keep up your good work.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much and I really appreciate this feedback. I actually struggle a lot on KZbin (watching it I mean) and don't watch anything because of the communication side of things. So I do my best to convey what I am trying to say in a different way - one that my mind understands I guess. so your feedback does mean a lot! I hope that makes some sort of sense 😀

[@terryosborn]

Thanks Victoria, great to see how you set up your camera and lovely to see Erik giving you support, really enjoyed the video as always😊

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you for watching! I hope it was useful and Erik always has to make an appearance as he is my little dude ☺️

[@rdtstudios]

Finally the settings video ,Thanks so much Victoria. Very helpful info!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hehe it is finally here! And I hope it helps a lot 🙂✌🏻

[@jeffflint9086]

This lovely lady knows how to use her camera. Another great video with accompanying commentary. It's a thumbs up from me. Flying birds are not easy to capture.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Teehee aww thank you kindly! This is very lovely! and I have spent a lot of time with my camera and getting familiar with it, this definitely does help! and yes, birds are very difficult and so random in flight but I enjoyed the challenge 🙂

[@barryhiggott9458]

There’s a lot of great tips there even for a confirmed Pentax user, I did try out an XT3 but it wasn’t for me so I’m happy to stick with what I know. That said your a joy to watch and I’m very surprised Fujifilm haven’t snapped you up as an ambassador.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

This is so lovely! I think it’s great you know what camera set up suits your needs and definitely stick with what sings to you - but thank you so much for watching my videos about Fujifilm even though you shoot Pentax ☺️🙏🏻 Aw I hope when I reach 10K subscribers they might invite me to be one then - but this is me hoping! I would love to be an ambassador, I genuinely love their gear! 🙂

[@blamon01]

Thank you fr this video. I recently got the X-H2 and have been practicing with it. I want to do more video with it so a video on going between photo and video would be awesome. I can’t figure out how people do that. Thanks.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thanks for this! And yes I will think of a video I can do showing this set up, it is a good idea! I swap between photography and videoing using the custom dial set up which has been super handy! 🙂

[@simeonbennettphotography]

Excellent video Victoria 👍brilliant Gannet photos 👏

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you! The full vlog should go live next week ☺️🌊✌🏻

[@wanderingfool6312]

Just a some suggestions, I haven’t been able to go shooting for some time, but fortunately still remember some of the settings I used. Set your boost mode to performance, focusing 5m to infinity on the lens where appropriate and have a function button set for pre-shot, to capture takeoffs.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you! And yes I follow this set up when I know the bird is taking off or at a hide situation- i also use the back button too. But on this situation it was completely sporadic and unpredictable, so just have to go with what you get when you are there and these are the settings I followed and managed to get some flight stuff just fine 🙂✌🏻

[@wanderingfool6312]

@@wildandfreevictoria Yes your work if fab, has the new firmware improved the tracking?

[@FellowEnginerd]

Thank You. I love your videos, I love your perspective on the technicals. Amazing.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Aw thank youuu! I am so glad it was well received and you liked the technical side ☺️✌🏻

[@diba4645]

Hi Victoria, love your videos. Such a good mood.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

I appreciate it a lot, thank you ☺️

[@paulcomptonpdphotography]

Wow you nailed it... great advice great video

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Aw wow thank you for this! I appreciate it a lot ☺️✌🏻⭐️

[@Trish12303]

Great tips Victoria!! Thanks very much! 😊

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you and you are very welcome! 🙂

[@chrisdeblank]

very informative, thank you

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jameskurzynski2386]

"I'm going to try your top on spot focusing with multiple subjects. I have run into some issues with "Bird mode" and many birds in the frame. Thanks for tip! :)

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Yes I think if you have multiple birds (or subjects) the camera bounces between them all - which makes sense as it doesn’t know which one to focus on. So I just use spot focus and manual place the focus area on the subject I want 🙂

[@msturi2002]

Beautiful video!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you! 🙂

[@olafm.1967]

What a great Video!!! Thx a lot Victoria 😊

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you for watching and I appreciate the support! 🙃

[@olafm.1967]

@@wildandfreevictoria it's a pleasure 🤗

[@Ramaprabhu]

excellent video indeed. I want to know if you see improvement in new firmware update especially on birds in flight, on fuji xh2 and fuji xh2S please ? thank you in anticipation.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much! I’ll be honest, I haven’t updated any of my cameras in a long time so I cannot comment on this. Once I am back from my trip abroad I will update it and see how it goes but I am cautious to do this before I go away - I want to make sure it all operates fine for my trip 🙂

[@cyb]

I am so happy to still getting xh2s tips a few years later 😢

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hehe it's ok, I am still learning stuff everyday! As they say, everyday is a school day and it's never to late to learn anything 🙃🙃

[@joncothranphotography9375]

Great stuff! Thanks so very much!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you very much ☺️🙏🏻

[@markroberts1324]

Well done Victoria, a great educational video. Do you still have your XT-3 as I presume the settings will be different? I have a XT-4 so will have a go. Ohh Isle of Mull was brilliant, saw puffins, yeeesss.🥳👍

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you very much! I do still havw my XT3 - never would get rid of it! But I don’t use it for this level of filming or photography anymore. I think because I am so used to the dial setups on the XH2 cameras that it would be hard for me to swap back! I do remember some of the settings being the same like the AF-C custom buttons etc. And that is so great you saw puffins on Mull! I hope you got to snap some shots of them 🙂🙂

[@feejsf]

Hi! Really enjoying the beautiful videos! How have you had any issues with autofocus? I've been considering the same fuji setup as you for some time, but recent reports of AF troubles are scaring me a bit!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much! and I haven't noticed any issues with AF but I also haven't updated my cameras in a long time so cannot say for the new updates

[@feejsf]

@@wildandfreevictoria thanks!

[@chunhangtang]

Thanks for the effort in making the video, which is a really difficult topic for Fujifilm users. However one hopefully constructive criticism is that sometimes not really clear what your recommended settings are. For example at 6:52 I think verbally you would prefer the 'locked on' (e.g., tracking sensitivity = 4) for the video AF, however in your screen you moved the settings left and right. And also to be clear do you use 4, or 3 etc. As an aside, I have read e.g. from mirrorlessons that sometimes disabling the bird detect AF, and just using zone (5x5 or 7x7) and pointing the zone at a bird works better. If one can put the bird in the zone I agree it sometimes works better than bird detect AF.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed it! and yes, that was just showing the example of what happens when you change the sensitivity, I put in the writing at the bottom of the screen that I used +3 and default for the other setting for that particular scenario :) But as I also mentioned, I change my AF customer settings all the time, there isn't one size that fits all it is a matter of changing it for each subject. Yes this is also something I mentioned, I turn off and use spot focus or the wide/tracking option, but it is usually spot focus which is my first go to. Hope that helps :)

[@cyb]

Hi victoria, I did experience it too with the video showing for your high speed settings I had to read the subtitle because setting shown in the video is 10x slower FHD but I realized and rewatched and learned you said 5x slower 4k 120p. Thank you for this! May I ask what lens you used for the bts?

[@wildandfreevictoria]

@cyb for the high speed setting I said and wrote that I used burst in 10x. I was showing the different options for the Mechanical and Electronic Shutter. And yes, I was showing the different options for High Speed Rec which is multiple options (10x slower or 5x slower - or different for the XH2) but as I said in the video, I used 5x slower in 24p making 120p in 4K, which I finish with in the video. Hope that helps! and I used both the Fujinon 33mm f/1.4 and Fujinon 23mm for my vlogging and extra b-roll footage :)

[@cyb]

@@wildandfreevictoria thank you my queen!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hehe you are welcome 🤗

[@PegasusVDK]

Dearest Victoria, I am a designer and photographer, I have been following you for a long time and I fell in love with your spontaneous way of describing your passion for photography - immersing yourself in nature - sharing all the nuances of beauty that surround you. Who knows if one day I will be able to meet a girl like you; maybe, you would be the perfect girlfriend... haha ​​(dreaming costs nothing;) PS: give your dog lots of cuddles from me; with his very sweet look and his tenderness I am sure he is the best travel companion in the world! Wishing you all the best and positive energy, I dedicate the "Good Light" to you, always, on your creative path* A hug, Nicolò 🦢

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hehe this is a very sweet comment, thank you ☺️ it’s all an honest way of being, I do really love the natural world, being creative and combining the two with photography/videography. It is my muse and my peace. As they say, be what you wish to seek and I’m sure you will meet who you need. Life has a beautiful and funny way of guiding us to the things that our meant for us. So trust your path - it’s what I keep in my mind anyway 🙂 Thank you, yes Erik is a very gentle and sensitive soul. I wouldn’t be who I am without him, he keeps my heart soft and open. Thank you again, this is a very lovely and touching comment ☺️🙏🏻🌳

[@gaelanubis]

I never put my camera on "cheeta mode" 🤔 Next time i will, thanks for the advice😉 For photographing birds it's primordial i think.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Haha well that’s not the technical name but it is AF-C custom mode set 2 - but cheetah is easier! 🙂

[@gaelanubis]

@@wildandfreevictoria Yeah it's more professionnal to say that like this 😅

[@Anh-Áo-Nâu]

Thank you very much. I still missed sharpness in flying eagles. Which should i choose Spot, zone or wild track? I appreciate your help

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you for watching! Well it depends on the situation, it’s also mot just about the shooting mode, as mentioned make sure you are adjusting your AF-C custom setup to the situation. I haven’t shot flying eagles so I could recommend specifically what to do but make sure you aperture is fast enough for their movement (and yours if handheld). I would try subject tracking to begin with and test what works best in the situation from there. Thanks 🙂

[@AmNeuberg]

Danke, für das interessante Video 👍 & gerne mehr davon ✅🙋🇦🇹

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Aw danke!! I will try and think of some more videos to make 🙂✌🏻

[@ismaellopez9425]

Hi! excelent shoots and tips, i have and xh2s too and i thinking on taking more bird photograpy. Have you tried the tamron 150-500? I have read excelents reviews and vs the 150-600 fuji improves the aperture.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much! It is a fantastic camera for sure! I haven’t actually tried any of the Tamron range but people do keep mentioning it to me, it sounds good! Maybe one day i’ll try it out 🙂

[@justinreeders2541]

Hello Victoria, I'm new to your channel. Love your energy and your work. I am currently considering investing into an XH2 or XH2S and I have to say I find your work very inspiring. Yes I would love to see more videos like this. I would also love to see a video on how you go about editing your images to get those beautiful and natural colours. I'm curious in this video you used the XH2S for stills over the XH2 with higher resolution. Is there any particular reason for this? Many thanks, keep up the great work.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hello and welcome to my channel! This is so kind and thank you. Both cameras are fantastic and powerhouses! That is a great idea, I will definitely have a look at this for the future. I am getting together some nice ideas from people’s comments which is great! So it was just what I had edited at the time, the full vlog will show the stills from XH2 as well - i use both a lot. My main go to is the XH2s though as (from my youtube) I do a lot of videography and love being able to filme in 5x slower whilst still in 4K. So that is why I pick up that camera a bit more - so if I want to film something whilst on a walk, I know I can do and still get good shots. The XH2 has been fantastic for photography as well though and I do use it a lot. So I hope that helps 🙂🙂

[@justinreeders2541]

@@wildandfreevictoria Many thanks for your reply. Look forward to seeing the next video.

[@cmwoody]

Guppy, cheetah mode, three musketeers ✅😂 love it

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hahhaa and that is a snapshot into my mind 😄✌🏻🌈

[@cliffVDH]

Great. I see we have the same approach in terms of settings. But, do you have any suggestion on the shutter type (mechanical, electronic,...) Wich one are you using and any reason why? By the way many thanks for these nice images of the gannets ;-)

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you for watching and it’s great you have the same approach! Now this is such a great question and my answer will sound weird but hear me out 😄 so: 1) for high shooting burst modes between 10-20fps you can use the MS and then above that it is the ES. 2) the electronic shutter is perfect for wildlife photography where you need to be quiet as it is silent, so when I did bear photography it was amazing! 3) the only challenge is with the ES you cannot hear it so in some ways you are wondering if you took a picture or not 4) This is the weird one, I like MS firstly because I like to actually hear my camera, it’s nostalgic for me and I know I have taken the picture. But also, I have noticed (could be wrong) that my images are clearer when shooting with the MS, I don’t know what it is but I find the clarity is better - I am only talking a small amount here but I have just noticed a difference in certain situations. So for all these reasons I usually stick with MS and the swap to ES if I am out somewhere and need to be quiet. I hope that helps and thank you for your kind words! 🙂

[@cliffVDH]

@@wildandfreevictoria wow... that's an answer. I mainly use Electronic front curtain shutter that is for me best compromise between the 2 worlds. Thanks again for your answer. 👍

[@AlexVisualMoments96]

where in north berwick can u see the gannets and from the beach harbour how close r u to bass rock would a 600 pyrime lens be ok or a 100-500 on crop sensor also what terrain

[@charlie_z]

Have you had any issues with the ibis impacting your pan as you follow the subject? Im using the 70-300 lens on the XH2s and there seems to be this lag where the camera is trying to catch up with the scene every few seconds

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Great question and no I haven’t noticed this but I shoot in high speed recording for wildlife. I noticed a bit of a lag when I shot in normal frame rate on my xH2 but not noticed this with my XH2s. What framerate are you shooting in?

[@charlie_z]

@@wildandfreevictoria oh interesting. I've mostly been trying to shoot at 4K60 with high speed off. I'll dig a bit into high speed recording (thanks). Although I feel like 4k60P should still resolve in a smooth pan.

[@chrisburgess9919]

Very informative thankyou, if you don't mind, what sd cards do you use?

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you so much! and no problem, off the top of my head I use a mixture of the Sans Disk Extreme Pro SD Card, the Lexar Professional SD cards, and the Lexar CF Express Professional Silver Type B. Thanks!

[@juliette-mansour]

Hi Victoria, such lovely videos as usual but this one especially caught my eye. We both share the 5'3" challenge by the way! Regarding the settings, I am following almost everything you mentioned apart from two things: Manual focus for larger animals and aperture priority for birds in flight or any birds, really. Auto ISO also, of course. The other thing is just the lens. I wanted to buy the 150-600 but because of plane travel which is mostly what I do, I needed something more compact. I ended up with the Tamron 150-500 5.6-6.7 and although using it has created bigger biceps for me (wow, it's heavy!) the quality does not disappoint. I use the 70-300mm when I have less distance. Either way, everything else you mention is good basic advice! Cheers!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Hello and thank you! Ahhh hehe welcome to the 5’3” club! 😅 That is so funny we do the same thing, I too for larger mammals (depending on how fast) will also use MF. I find putting the Aperture into Auto especially for the 150-600 just makes sense as I never get to put the aperture about f/8 (never needed it as the shutter or ISO comes first) but by having it in auto when I reduce the focal length to 150 from 600mm the camera will automatically put the aperture to 5.6 which is really handy as most of the time i’m too busy in the moment to remember the aperture. The 150-600 is a bit of a beast to take on planes but I have managed to with hand luggage with my Lowepro tactic bag. And I have never tried the Tamron but if it works that is great! And even better if it is a bicep workout too! Thanks for watching and sharing your settings/setup! ☺️✌🏻

[@juliette-mansour]

@@wildandfreevictoria oh, that's right. I forgot about f/8 on the 150-600. Then aperture is a non-issue and this makes total sense! I think Fuji knew what they were doing with this lens for sure. I look forward to your next video!

[@christophergibbons8748]

Great video, have the same lens but with XT5

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Thank you! and the XT5 is a beautiful camera - a lot of these settings will work the same as well as all of the Fuji interface is very similar :)

[@JustSenix]

@@wildandfreevictoriais the x-t5 give the same quality?

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Photography wise, yes as it has the same sensor as the XH2 but it might lag behind a little for super fast paced photography just because of the buffer but if you shoot mindfully (especially in burst mode) you should be fine. Videography wise you can still shoot in FHD in 5x slower which still does lovely filming - not the same as the XH2s but still great! I have sample footage on my channel of the XT5 🙂

[@JustSenix]

@@wildandfreevictoria thank you for telling me and I’ll check it out

[@hozo101]

I was thinking of going with the x-t5 but is the animal eye af reliable? Sticky? Or better off with R6ii?

[@wildandfreevictoria]

I havent shot loads with the XT5 (i do have a review about it with wildlife photography though). I use the XH2 and which is very similar to the XT5 and it works great. The animal eye tracking has done really well, i think the only time i’ve noticed when it struggles is in shadows or with very small birds far away. Apart from that it is all good! I don’t know about the R6ii as i’ve never heard of it or used it 🙂✌🏻

[@RobiRB7]

Good photos 👍 and cute girl 😘! Greetings from Slovenia!!!

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Haha thanks! And Slovenia is beautiful!

[@frankinblackpool]

My camera has one feature which has saved my bacon many times however this feature has a massive user stupidity flaw. My camera has a pre burst mode. When you hold the shutter button half way, the buffer fills up with potential photos. And when you press the shutter fully, the camera writes the images captured a second before you fired the shutter and keeps on taking images till the buffer fills up or the blood drains from your finger. The user stupidity flaw is that you can rack up thousands of images in a very short space of time. I found a middle ground of pre bursting 20 images in the first second before pressing the shutter. I initially had this set to the max at 75 per second but got fed up very quick back at my computer going through hundreds of images all looking the same in the hope of that one keeper.

[@wellsyboy]

What do you mean by mushiness with filters?

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Like distorsion, but to be honest the biggest issue I face is down to heat haze

[@jmlec54]

Firmware update ver. 6.00 for X-H2S has made the autofocus less accurate (most noticeably in video mode). AI subject detection for birds is almost useless now (I use the 150-600 mm). What a let-down, considering it was trumpeted as a 'major' update.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

I havent updated my gear yet, I always wait until the feedback then I go for it. Let any update, laptop, phone, lightroom etc. I’m sure Fuji won’t leave it not functioning properly and will send an update round to fix the problems asap 🙂✌🏻

[@dccoletrain]

Did you end up getting the 600mm lens or borrowing it? I own it as you might remember. (Mr Creep around my apartment…) I just don’t get to use it as much as I should to justify the price.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

I sure did! I purchased it before I went to photograph the bears in Slovenia and have been loving it since! Well Mr Creep (🤣 this is too funny) I hope you get out with it soon and using it outside of your apartment 😂

[@dccoletrain]

@@wildandfreevictoria yeah the Eagle’s nest I attempt to shoot is on private property but I try but I’m far away. I need to just get closer and dare them to call the cops…. You look stunning as usual. Carry on

[@robertoambrosi9876]

❤

[@wildandfreevictoria]

🙂✌🏻

[@hozo101]

2 thumbs up

[@wildandfreevictoria]

Tehee double smile ✌🏻🙂🙂✌🏻

[@therealjimmy5411]

The 150-600 has been out of stock for five months.

[@wildandfreevictoria]

My video did too well! 😂😂 - only joking! I wonder why that is? 5 months is crazy!