A Quick Fujifilm X-T4 Focus Tracking Test

Northbound, fully backlit, 80mph (129kpm) for a Focus Tracking test. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T4; 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 lens @ 95mm; 1/1000th sec. @ f/8; ISO 400

I had an opportunity to get out of the house this week.  The day was sunny, around 68 F (20 C) low humidity, a slight breeze from the northwest and a blue sky.  The weather was perfect, for me, at least.  This day was a good day to grab my Fujifilm X-T4 and lenses so I could better get to know this new camera's capabilities.

As many of you know, I like railroads, especially steam locomotives.  Testing the Fujifilm's Focus Tracking on a fast train coming directly at me (the hardest kind of focus tracking, I am told) would be a good test.  I drove to the CSX mainline railroad just south of Petersburg, Virginia.  There is a place where the CSX railroad and the Norfolk Southern Railroad cross.  Lots of trains.  Lots of opportunities to test focus tracking.

Over the couple of hours I was there, I photographed seven trains—five freight trains and two Amtrak passenger trains.  Their speeds ranged from about 25mph to 80mph (129kph).  Since the tracks run straight north/south, the real test was how well the X-T4 would track an 80mph train, fully backlit by the sun, with the headlights and ditch lights glaring at the camera.  I thought it would be quite a good test for this camera.

The camera was set to manual exposure, AF-C and Continuous High advance.  In all I made a total 158 images of the seven trains.  The focus locked on immediately, held focus, the focus tracking square moved in concert with the front of the locomotive.  One hundred percent of my images were in focus.  The image posted here is one of a sequence of 33 images of the Amtrak train, again fully backlit, coming directly at me at approximately 80mph.

I've never used Focus Tracking on any of my Fujifilm cameras in the past because I found, in my use, it just didn't do a good job.  That has all changed with the X-T4.  I was very pleased with how the camera performed.  

CLARIFICATION:  The focus was not set for Single nor Zone with C-AF but to the third mode—Focus Tracking.  There may be some confusion thinking I had set the camera to C-AF and just tracked the trains' movement as it approached.  I set the focusing to Focus Tracking, placed the square over the front of the train, engaged focus, then allowed the square to track the front of the train around the EVF as I held the camera still.

More testing coming.  My philosophy is I want to know and understand fully all of the capabilities of my cameras before I need them.  I don't want any nasty surprises thinking my camera can do something it can't successfully.

Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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