
Quick Start Guide FUJIFILM X-E4
Contents
Features Common to All X Series Cameras
The MENU OK button is used to access deeper levels of camera functionality beyond what is offered by function buttons, dials, and switches.
Named menu tabs are what you use to change capture settings. Press left on the Focus Lever to scroll by tab (so you don’t have to scroll through every function to get to the next page), and press right on the lever to access the desired feature, then MENU OK or press in on the lever to select.
The wrench icon indicates SET UP and features settings including Power Management, Button/Dial Setting, and Screen Set-Up. Choose DISP. CUSTOM SETTING from the SCREEN SET-UP menu to select what information shows on the EVF/LCD.
The DRIVE SETTING button gives you access to burst mode, bracketing, single frame, Advanced Filters, and more.
The photometry/metering setting determines how the camera meters exposure. On X-E4, select it from SHOOTING SETTING menu, or assign it to a button or touch screen function if it’s something you’ll access frequently.
The AEL/AFL button allows you to lock either the exposure or autofocus in a specific part of the scene, allowing you to recompose while maintaining that exposure or focus area. You can assign the AEL/AFL button to AE LOCK ONLY, AF LOCK ONLY, or AE/AF LOCK, depending on your preferences. These can be turned on/off when the button is pressed, then pressed again, or set to activate only while the button is pressed down. The functionality is changed from within the SET UP > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING menu.
The white balance setting allows you to select WB options that match your light source. Press the Q button to enter the Q Menu, then find the WHITE BALANCE option and use the front command dial to cycle through options such as DAYLIGHT, SHADE, or INCANDESCENT. You can also create your own shade of white or select a specific kelvin value, which is a measure of the color temperature of light. If you prefer, white balance can also be set from the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu, or assigned to a function button or touch screen for fast access.
To change the view mode, where you can decide how the electronic viewfinder and LCD respond in both shooting and playback, find the VIEW MODE SETTING option under SET UP > SCREEN SET-UP. For instance, you can change view from LCD to viewfinder only or EYE SENSOR + LCD IMAGE DISPLAY (for using both), which senses your eye at the viewfinder and instantly switches from LCD to EVF.
Personalizing Your Camera
Many aspects of X-E4 can be customized to suit your preferences, such as controls, displays, and shooting modes.
Controls, Swipes, and Dials
Customize the behavior of the camera’s controls and touchscreen swipe gestures.
- Press and hold the DISP BACK button to go straight to the FUNCTION (Fn) SETTING customization screen.
- Using the Focus Lever, scroll through the various options, pressing right to change the default behavior of each button or swipe, and picking a new one from the list.
Customizing EVF and LCD Information
The information you see when you compose a scene can be changed so that only the data you need is shown.
- Press MENU OK and scroll down using the Focus Lever to find the SET UP menu tab.
- Choose SCREEN SET-UP setting and scroll to DISP. CUSTOM SETTING.
- Scroll through and choose the items you’d like to see in the viewfinder and on the camera’s screen by pressing the Focus Lever in.
Customizing the Q Menu
The Q Menu gives you information at a glance and quick access to camera settings. You can also change what’s on the Q Menu screen to suit your way of working.
- Hold down the Q button for a couple of seconds, until the customization screen appears.
- Using the Focus Lever, choose the menu item location you want to customize and press MENU OK.
- Find the function you’d like to appear in this menu location and press MENU OK.
- Repeat the above steps for each menu location you want to change. Press DISP BACK to finish.
New to the X-E4 is the option to access 4, 8, 12 or 16 slots in the Q Menu so only the functions you desire are easily accessed.
Customizing Film Simulation Modes
You’ve probably discovered your camera’s Film Simulation modes by now, but did you know that you can customize these to suit your own tastes?
- Press the Q button to display the Q Menu.
- Adjust highlights, shadows, and color saturation with the H Tone, S Tone, and Color options*.
*These may need to be added to the Q Menu using the method described above. Alternatively, you can set them via the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu. Press DISP BACK to finish.
You can save these new settings as a custom preset for instant recall.
- Press MENU OK, navigate to the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu, and choose EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING.
- Select one of the CREATE NEW options and scroll right.
The camera will ask you to choose OK to confirm changes. Press DISP BACK to finish.
Focusing Modes
Focus Point Place and Size
The size of the active focusing area used by your X-E4 can be changed in size and moved around the frame. Push the Focus Lever on the rear of the camera up, down, left, or right to begin.
- Use the front command dial to change the size of the focusing area.
- You can cycle through ALL AF modes by choosing ALL, in AF/MF Menu, then, scrolling on the front command dial, easily switch between Single Point (highly selective), Zone (for erratically moving subjects), and Wide (uses the whole frame), simply by changing the size of your frame..
- Move the Focus Lever to shift the focus point/area up, down, left, or right.
- To finish, press the Focus Lever in, press MENU OK, or half-press the shutter release button.
Did you know that pressing the DISP BACK button while you’re adjusting the position of the focus point moves it back to the center of the frame?
Custom AF-C Modes
Your X-E4 tracks and focuses on moving objects differently, depending on the kind of focusing behavior specified in its Continuous AF (AF-C) mode.
- Via the Q Menu, put the camera in AF-C mode. Now press DISP BACK, then MENU OK and navigate to the AF/MF SETTING menu. You can also change the AF mode using this menu.
- Choose AF-C CUSTOM SETTINGS, then choose a preset from 1 to 5 based on the action you’re shooting.
- You can also construct your own custom focusing mode, but choosing preset 6 and adjusting the TRACKING SENSITIVITY, SPEED TRACKING SENSITIVITY, and ZONE AREA SWITCHING options as necessary.
Making the Most of Manual Focus
When you’re focusing manually, your X-E4 offers all kinds of aids to help you nail critical focus.
- Press MENU OK and navigate to the AF/MF SETTING menu, then select manual focus (MF) mode.
- Scroll down to MF ASSIST, scroll right, and choose from DIGITAL SPLIT IMAGE, DIGITAL MICROPRISM, or FOCUS PEAK HIGHLIGHT. There are sub-menus to customize the look of these features to your own taste.
- Switch on FOCUS CHECK from the AF/MF SETTING menu and the camera will enlarge a central portion of the scene when you begin to focus manually.
Switch on AF+MF from the AF/MF SETTING menu and you’ll be able to focus manually just by turning the lens focus barrel – no change of focus mode necessary.
High-Speed Shooting
Your X-E4 can shoot at high frame rates and very quietly. With its electronic shutter turned on, you’ll be able to capture at up to 20fps, or up to 30fps with a small 1.25x crop to the frame. All this is done in complete silence and at shutter speeds of up to 1/32,000 sec.
To Select Electronic Shutter
- Press MENU OK and navigate to the SHOOTING SETTING menu.
- Select SHUTTER TYPE and choose ES ELECTRONIC SHUTTER from the list.
With electronic shutter activated, you can select frame rates up to 30fps. Do it by pressing the DRIVE button, scrolling down to CH HIGH SPEED BURST, and left or right to select the frame rate that you’d like.
Get Creative With Image Effects
As well as its range of Film Simulation modes, your X-E4 has further options for customizing the color and style of your pictures. Press MENU OK and navigate to the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu.
- Select GRAIN EFFECT and you’ll be able to set the Roughness and Size of added grain to give a classic fast film look.
- Select COLOR CHROME EFFECT and choose between OFF, WEAK, and STRONG to increase the tonal gradation of highly saturated red, green, and yellow colors in the frame. This mode is very useful for brightly colored scenes and floral images.
- Select COLOR CHROME FX BLUE and choose between OFF, WEAK, and STRONG to increase the tonal gradation of highly saturated blue subjects, such as clear skies and water.
If you’ve chosen one of the black & white Film Simulation modes, for example ACROS or MONOCHROME, then you can also add a tint using the MONOCHROMATIC COLOR setting. Access this mode and use the touchscreen or Focus Lever to select between a warm/cool and magenta/green color shift.
Remember, once you’ve created an image recipe you like, save it using EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING, as described above.
Shooting Video
Picking the Right Settings
The first thing to decide is which resolution and frame rate settings to use. You’ll find these options in the MOVIE SETTING > MOVIE MODE menu. To get the full range of options, press the DRIVE button and scroll down to MOVIE.
- 4K 2160p resolutions offer the best quality on your X-E4.
- Full HD 1080p resolutions are a good compromise between quality and storage size.
- When it comes to frame rates, 24p, 25p, or 29.97p are fine for most normal applications. 24p is sometimes favored by creative filmmakers for its Hollywood look and feel.
- Footage shot at frame rates of 59.94p or 50p can capture motion more smoothly. Plus, when played back at normal speeds (30fps or 25fps) during editing, it delivers silky-smooth slow motion. When the resolution is set to 1080p, you can also access an ultra-slow motion 240p frame rate via MOVIE SETTING and FULL HD HIGH SPEED REC.
Did you know that 25p and 50p frame rates are best for European countries, while 29.97p and 59.94p are more suited to the US? This is because of the different frequencies of mains electricity in these territories, which can cause lights to flicker slightly at 50Hz or 60Hz, respectively.
Exposure Settings for Cinematic Video
Here’s a set of standard settings you can use in manual (M) shooting mode that will create great-looking cinematic style video.
- Choose a frame rate – 24fps is a standard used in the movie industry and has a very top-end look and feel.
- Select a shutter speed that is roughly half of the frame rate you’re using, so that each frame is exposed for 50% of the time. So, if you’re shooting at 24fps, pick a shutter speed of 1/48 sec or 1/50 sec.
- Select the aperture you need for the required depth-of-field.
- Adjust the camera’s ISO sensitivity to get the proper exposure.
Continuous Focusing with Video
With your X-E4’s DRIVE setting in MOVIE mode, press MENU OK, and locate the AF/MF SETTING menu. Set FOCUS MODE to AF-C and your X-E4 will adjust focusing as you film, tracking people around the frame and following their face if Face Detection is switched on. You can turn this on from the AF/MF SETTING > FACE/EYE DETECTION SETTING menu.
You can choose from two focus areas via the AF/MF SETTING > AF MODE menu: Multi, which uses the whole frame, and Area, which lets you be more selective. Only after selecting AREA or switching to manual focus will the FOCUS AREA setting in the AF/MF SETTING menu become active. Now you can move the focus area around using the Focus Lever, like in stills mode.
ETERNA and F-Log
To protect highlights and allow video to be color graded during editing, videographers often shoot very low-contrast footage, with muted colors. You can do this in two ways on your X-E4.
- Set ETERNA as the Film Simulation mode to recreate the look of this classic FUJIFILM emulsion, used widely in the film industry.
- Set F-Log RECORDING to ON (you’ll find this in the MOVIE SETTING menu). F-Log produces flat-looking footage straight from the camera, which can be color graded with very good results in post-production.
Connecting to Your Smart Device
Your X-E4 can communicate wirelessly with your smartphone or tablet computer via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so you can transfer pictures to your device, where they can be edited and shared with friends and followers online. You can also use your smart device to shoot remotely, controlling the camera and even looking at what the camera sees with remote live view.
Linking to the Camera for the First Time
- Install the free FUJIFILM Camera Remote app on your iOS or Android device.
- Turn on the camera, press MENU OK and navigate to the SET UP menu. Choose CONNECTION SETTING > Bluetooth SETTINGS > PAIRING REGISTRATION. The camera will begin searching for your device.
- In the FUJIFILM Camera Remote app, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process. You may need to tap the Camera List menu in the top left of the screen if you already have another camera paired.
Transferring Images to Your Device
- Press the PLAY button, then press the Fn button on the top of the camera.
- Scroll through your images, pressing MENU OK to tag any for transfer.
- When you’ve finished, hit DISP BACK. Image transfer will begin.
If your device is already connected to a Wi-Fi network, the app may ask to switch to the camera’s own Wi-Fi before transfer can begin.
Remote Shooting and Control
- Launch the FUJIFILM Camera Remote app from your smart device and tap the camera name to connect.
- Tap the Live view shooting option to begin controlling your X-E4.
To make things even easier, why not map WIRELESS COMMUNICATION to one of the camera’s Function buttons?
Don’t forget to make use of the instruction manual that came with your camera, too – you can find an online version of it here.