After 9-ish hours of painting, playing with Krita features, and listening to long horror related video essays, I have completed what I consider, my best piece to date Honestly I am just so fucking proud of this, I just felt like drawing my favorite 80s horror icons with some headcanon designs and then suddenly I was practicing a bunch of stuff I needed to like Shading, color variation, and backgrounds

Sony A7CII Thoughts After Two Months

PROS:

The A7C was already one of my favorite cameras of all time and this improves on it a lot more than I thought when just seeing the specs. The added front dial alone makes it many times easier to control than the older model, and lets me use my typical Sony setup that I’ve grown accustomed to (aperture on front dial, shutter speed on rear dial, and ISO on the scroll wheel). 

This is the quickest operating Sony camera I’ve owned. I think they kind of lulled me into forgetting how fast cameras can be going from off to on and taking photos. The A7RII was slow as heck with each subsequent model I’ve owned getting faster and faster (A7III to A7C to A7RIV). This new Sony is at a level of speed that makes it hard to go back to using the A7RIV which I still own (for now). 

The autofocus is superb. I still haven’t really put it through its paces since I got the camera in the winter and the lack of light plus uncooperative weather has made it tricky to go out and shoot, but from what I have shot it’s nearly flawless. It’s way better than any camera I’ve owned before. It also has some really neat autofocusing modes, like the ability to focus on the eyes of birds. I’m not really around birds close up all that often but it worked really well at an exotic bird place in Jersey I went to recently. 

The camera is 33 megapixels, which is a nice compromise between feeling like it’s sometimes too much (61) or too little (24). 

The in-body image stabilization is really good. It’s certainly the best I’ve used in any camera so far…although to be fair I’ve never used a Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Olympus body with IBIS, only Ricoh (GRIII), Panasonic (GX7 and GX85), and Sony. 

It can lower the shutter when switching lenses so dust doesn’t get in there. Not gonna lie it seems kind of dangerous and something that could potentially damage the shutter, but so far it’s kept the dust out. 

CONS:

The viewfinder isn’t great. I’ve never really been an EVF snob since I’ve been shooting on mirrorless EVFs for over a decade now (I had a V1 back in 2013), but going from the A7RIV to this makes it kind of stick out. I also recently handled an A7RV, which really blows it out the water. With autofocus lenses it’s no problem, but using manual focus lenses is more difficult. On the plus side, it automatically goes into peaking mode when you manually focus, even when using adapted lenses or lenses without electrical contacts. 

The camera only has one card slot. Not a huge dealbreaker considering every other camera I own aside from my A7RIV is the same in that regard. A second slot even if it was a micro would have been great though. A nice thing about the A7RIV is that I’ve never left home without a memory card because even if I forget one there’s always another in there. 

No joystick. Again, not completely necessary but it’s nice to have. Most of my subjects aren’t humans (or animals, or other things that the camera can instinctively detect) so there are plenty of times I want to position the focus point myself. 

Slow flash sync and shutter speed. This camera is like the A7C before it in that it only flash syncs up to 1/160. It also only shoots up to 1/4000.

Still don't love the flip screen because it makes quick waist-level shooting a pain in the ass. I wish they went with the A7RV style screen.

Speaking of, all the new perks on this camera make me want to use it a ton more than my A7RIV, but it also makes me want to get an A7RV. Maybe I'll sell my X100V since the prices are nuts right now...

SAMPLE PHOTOS:

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO: 250, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/160 sec

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO 5000, f/1.8, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2, 1/160 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 12800, f/2, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/640 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 32mm | ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/20 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/500 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 37mm | ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM w/ K&F Concept Black Diffusion 1/4 Filter | ISO 8000, f/1.4, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/1.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/2, 1/125 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8  @ 20mm | ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM | ISO 8000, f/1.6, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/320 sec

Full-Frame Showdown: Canon R5, Panasonic S1H, and Sony a7 IIICanon, Panasonic, and Sony.

Japanese camera makers that have played a huge part in major advances in video production over the last 20 years. While they have lost some ground at the top end to innovators like RED, and to market leaders like ARRI, they are massively dominant in the budget range most of us can afford. And for the first time in a long, long time they have relatively comparable cameras in their lineup. The reason why it's the first time in a long time goes back to the beginning of the DSLR/mirrorless revolution. Each company really targeted different markets. Sony was ahead of the game in moving towards full-frame mirrorless back in 2014 with its Alpha line. At the same time, Canon was still pushing hard on DSLR cameras with an internal mirror system that could adapt to PL mount, and Panasonic was out with the very popular, but smaller sensor GH line of cameras. Not only was Sony out early with full-frame mirrorless, they then came out with the  a7S II which was a huge hit among filmmakers for its high resolution and great low light performance. For nearly a decade, the three giants were competing in different spaces. Panasonic was up against Olympus and Fujifilm for the MFT market, Canon was up against Nikon for the DSLR market, and Sony had full-frame all to itself. That almost changed two years ago with the release of the RF line from Canon, a series of full-frame mirrorless cameras built around a brand new lens mount. But the resolution wasn't exciting. It was a 4K crop, and it just didn't sing to filmmakers. In 2019, Panasonic generated a ton of buzz with the LUMIX DC-S1H, a very filmmaker-focused full-frame mirrorless offering that shot 6K video, could do RAW over HDMI, 4K up to 60fps, and created very pleasing images. Combined with the same color science and log format as the very popular VariCam line of cameras made this an especially appealing choice for filmmakers who frequently rented or even owned that larger cinema platform. If you were on a VariCam show, you could feel comfortable using the  S1H as a C camera or for crash setups. Now Canon is catching up with the EOS R5, which is targeted towards filmmakers with a completely new sensor that is able to shoot 8K internal RAW footage. Now all the big players have options that are broadly in competition with each other. The Canon  R5 does 8K RAW internally. You can shoot 6K on the  S1H, but to get RAW you need an external recorder. For Sony, the current "filmmaker" camera is the  a7 III, which tops out at 4K. In truth, though, we don't care about the resolution number as an end in itself. The key is not the resolution of the file that is created, but the actual measurable perceivable resolution of the final image. If when projected on a movie screen you can't see any resolution difference between the 6K and 8K, then does it really matter? Canon currently is ahead based on the 8K number, but we're going to wait for real-world side-by-side testing with the cameras to see what actually passes the most information along. 8K also requires lenses to actually resolve 8K, which might not even matter if you are shooting with a vintage cinema lens. If you are picking this camera and hoping to shoot with a set of old Super Speed primes or the even older and softer Cooke Speed Panchros, you may not see any difference in resolution at the camera level. Canon has Dual Pixel Autofocus II on the EOS R5 that uses "deep learning" to identifying subjects. Autofocus development is likely going to be one of the key battlegrounds between the cameras. This is vital since Sony has gotten a major lead going in autofocus with some truly impressive results. Autofocus that actually feels like a tool filmmakers might really appreciate makes the a7 III very appealing. Panasonic has a whole host of lenses custom-built for the S1H but hasn't pushed its autofocus hard. While this shouldn't be the main reason a filmmaker chooses a camera, it can be a lifesaver in an interview setup with a subject who keeps leaning forward and back, for instance. If autofocus is a key decider for you, you should focus your attention on who's really ahead of the pack: Canon and Sony. Panasonic S1H As a reminder, in the end, you can make most cameras look like anything. As Steve Yedlin points out, there is so much power in post-processing that a lot of what we talk about when we discuss camera color science is just "wine language." However, color science does matter somewhat on smaller jobs when you won't have much time in post. If you are shooting something where you won't be invited to post, or where it will be online the next day, or even later that night, you want pleasing color straight out of the camera. This category, to me, leans towards Panasonic and Canon. Sony has traditionally had the strangest color science choices, with greens looking a bit off and skin tones a bit shifted towards the orange as well. It's improved over the years, but footage from the FX9 still looks a bit too saturated in the greens for me, and the a7 III fits in that space as well. The first Sony camera to really look good in this area was VENICE. Compare that to Panasonic, who has done an amazing job rolling down the VariCam look into an affordable package. For that alone, Panasonic wins the color competition. While Canon looks quite nice out of the gate, its look is the "look of YouTube," and while it's pleasing, it's very associated with vlogging and the DIY space. Based on footage seen so far, the S1H is the winner here to me. It was also the first  Netflix approved mirrorless camera, despite Sony having had 4K cameras available for several years prior. Panasonic felt like a real contender with its 4K 60fps, but the Canon R5 stomps it with a 4K 120fps shooting mode. If you are doing sports, action, or even a certain kind of narrative filmmaking, that 120fps is going to be killer. Sony is carrying the rear here with only 30fps in 4K mode from the a7 III. But that will most likely change with the up-coming a7S III. Canon uses the proprietary RF mount. Sony uses the proprietary E mount. Panasonic uses the open format L mount, part of the L-mount alliance with Leica and Sigma. While that isn't the biggest industry group, I tend to prefer open formats to closed formats, and that has some appeal. However, the E mount has a more robust lens offering at the moment than either RF or L. If you need to shoot today, and you need a lot of lens choices, E mount is the way to go. But then again, most lenses can be adapted. h96 max x3The only reasonable conclusion I can make is that it's a good time to be a filmmaker looking for a camera around $4,000. There are three very strong choices that are going to give you amazing images no matter what. If you already shoot a lot of VariCam, the S1H is the obvious choice. But the R5 deserves a lot of attention and testing for its new autofocus, IBIS, and 8K RAW, which is a real game-changer at this price point. Sony isn't out of the game by any means with its arsenal of lens choices and famous low light quality. It will come down to what your personal expectations and preferences are in a camera. h96 max tv boxSo which one makes the most sense for you?

Digital twins offer "a very powerful way of developing our cities" say experts

Digital twins are starting to transform the way that cities are designed and managed, according to experts.

The technology, which involves creating a digital clone of a real-world object or system, is revolutionising the fields of healthcare, manufacturing and logistics. It is now having a profound impact on architecture and urbanism too.

"I see it as being a very powerful way of developing, evolving and designing our cities," said Mansoor Kazerouni, global director of buildings for Canadian architecture, engineering and planning firm IBI Group.

"The ability to create a digital representation of a building, a neighbourhood or an infrastructure network is powerful because it can inform decision-making throughout the lifecycle of that thing, starting with the design phase," he told Dezeen. "Simulating data in a digital twin allows us to optimise our design."

Chinese company 51World has created a digital twin of Shanghai which covers 1,448 square miles

A digital twin can be used to monitor the status of its physical counterpart and predict how it will behave in the future.

The technology has advanced so far that it's now possible to clone entire cities, for example, Chinese company 51World has created digital twins of Shanghai and Singapore. Architects and designers believe this will revolutionise the design and operation of buildings, transport systems, streetscapes and more.

What sets a digital twin apart from a standard 3D model is that it is linked to a live stream of data, which allows it to evolve in tandem with its real-world sibling.

This means it can offer an accurate analysis of what is happening in the real version, but also to test future performance and assess possible risks. This creates opportunities to improve efficiency, mitigate environmental impact and reduce costs.

"There's the opportunity for the computer to effectively play out hypothetical scenarios," said Adam Davies, partner at Foster + Partners. "That becomes really interesting in understanding and projecting how a building might perform."

Market to reach $48.2 billion by 2026

The use of digital twins is expected to grow extensively in the coming years. A recent study predicts the market will grow from $3.1 billion in 2020 to $48.2 billion by 2026.

This fast-growing trend can be attributed to the increasing availability of data, fuelled by a demand for the knowledge it can provide.

With the rise of the internet of things, sensor technology is increasingly being installed in our homes and workplaces, as well as the physical infrastructure that surrounds us. Meanwhile, cloud computing makes it easier than ever for data to be shared across different devices and networks.

As a result, businesses and other organisations have been able to build up huge volumes of data. Not all of this is private either – online sources such as the London Datastore are making live data readily available to anyone who wants to use it.

The world's first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge is embedded with sensors that send data to a digital twin, to measure and analyse the structure's performance

A digital twin unlocks the potential of this data, allowing users to gain greater understanding and control over a business, system or environment.

"What everybody wants is more control, more knowledge, more data," said Gijs van der Velden of Amsterdam-based technology company MX3D, who together with The Alan Turing Institute has created a digital twin of the world's first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge, as a way of testing its performance.

"With more data you can more easily build these twins. And the more you have, the more people understand how valuable they are," he told Dezeen.

"It will be a movement; we cannot yet understand how fast that's going to go. We will see these kind of representations of everything around us, just like Google Earth."

Digital twins used across industry sectors

Up until now digital twins have been most widely used in the manufacturing industry, with aerospace and automotive leading the way.

NASA has long been building digital twins to test and monitor the performance of its space vehicles. In Formula One, McLaren and Red Bull are among teams using digital twins to create real-time models of race cars in action. Meanwhile companies including BMW, Google and Tesla have all integrated digital twins into vehicle development.

There are numerous examples of digital twins being used in logistics, for instance, courier service DHL is starting to map its warehouse and supply chains with virtual models, allowing it to optimise time and resources.

With the Living Heart Project, Dassault Systèmes showed how digital models of organs can be used to test different drugs and medical devices

In healthcare, digital twins offer opportunities to test out different forms of treatment, reducing the risk of harm to a patient.

A team at Dassault Systèmes created a virtual model of a human heart, which is used for designing new medical devices and analysing drug safety, while researchers at Linköping University Hospital have created digital twins of diseases including breast cancer and influenza, to improve diagnosis and treatment.

A digital twin of the Foster + Partners headquarters combines a 3D model with real-time and historical readings of occupancy, air quality and energy usage

However, the use of digital twins in architecture, construction and infrastructure has been steadily rising.

In Canada, IBI Group built a digital twin of Toronto's water distribution network, in order to reduce its energy use and reduce costs.

Meanwhile in London, Foster + Partners is using a robot dog to collect data for a digital twin of a building under construction in Battersea. The firm has also set up a system of sensors at its office campus to create an intelligent digital model of its own day-to-day operations.

Foster + Partners has created a digital twin of Battersea Roof Gardens, a project under construction in London, using data gathered by Boston Dynamics' robot dog

"At Foster + Partners, we have a vision of a more integrated approach in future buildings, where the deployment of sensor technology is considered in conjunction with more traditional architectural design moves," said Adam Davies, who is leading the company's digital twin programme.

"If we can demonstrate the potential of this technology to clients and collaborators, and help them understand the value, then we will be able to deploy it more broadly."

Advancement of digital twin software

The popularisation of digital twins is closely linked to the continued development of advanced software platforms.

Leading technology companies including GE Digital, Microsoft, Siemens and Dassault Systèmes have all created digital twin software. In a recent interview with Dezeen, Anne Asensio, vice president of design experience at Dassault Systèmes, described this technology as "a huge revolution for the future".

Innovators in this field include Chicago-based Cityzenith, which has launched a software program specifically for the built environment. SmartWorldPro is set up to facilitate the design and management of buildings and other forms of real estate.

Cityzenith's SmartWorldPro platform is designed specifically for the design and management of real-estate

Cityzenith's founder and CEO, Michael Jansen, told Dezeen his long-term ambition is to change the model from a closed software package to an open platform, so that it can be used by multiple users. The company is working with some of the developers behind Google Earth, with a view to developing a kind of digital-twin equivalent.

"It's now a platform that can scale, so why just scale it to just one customer?" said Jansen.

"We're starting to think about approaching and working directly with cities and their intermediaries, to give them SmartWorld for free and allow their commercial building owners to tap into it."

Gaming engines bring digital twins to life

Software like SmartWorldPro becomes even more powerful when used in combination with a gaming engine such as Unity Pro or Unreal Engine.

Typically used to develop video games, this type of software can be used to turn digital twins into immersive 3D simulations that users can freely explore, just as they would in a game like Fortnite.

"People are finding a need for gaming engines in the digital twin conversation because of this idea of contextualising data," explained David Weir-McCall of Epic Games, the company behind Unreal Engine.

"Data outside of the context of the building can sometimes be hard to understand or interpret," he said, "but gaming engines have the power to translate data into a real-time environment that can be understood by the end user. We're a viewpoint into that database."

Cognite's technology systems harness digital twins for managing industrial infrastructure 

Unreal Engine is already being used by a number of digital twin providers in the design and management of buildings and infrastructure.

For example, China's Tencent has built a digital twin of Shanghai's hospital network, which allows resources to be effectively allocated, while Norwegian company Cognite uses digital twins to manage the safety and efficiency of oil and gas infrastructure.

City twins offer huge potential

51World's twins of Shanghai and Singapore, which were also created using Unreal Engine, suggest how digital twins can become more multifunctional and multiuser.

Powered by data from satellites, drones and other sensors, these city twins are used for range of uses, from assessing risks of natural disasters like flooding, to testing the impact of new buildings.

New Zealand-based studio BuildMedia has built a similarly impressive model of the city of Wellington, which is being transformed into a digital twin using live data from the city council.

Initially, this twin will be used to better understand the city's transport capacity – covering everything from cycle sensor data and car park availability to air traffic – but BuildMedia also wants to expand its use into architecture.

BuildMedia's digital model of Wellington, New Zealand, is being used by the city council as a platform for decision making

Tim Johnson, BuildMedia's technical director, believes this kind of high-resolution digital twin can become an effective marketing tool for new developments.

"By visualising the data in an understandable format, you're creating a really good public interface tool," he told Dezeen. "You can take these very complex projects in architecture or urban planning and present them to the public in a way that is visually spectacular."

Creating a digital twin ecosystem

For those looking to investigate the potential of digital twins, a network of support is growing.

Organisations like the Digital Twin Consortium in the US, the Digital Twins Cities Centre in Sweden and the Centre for Digital Built Britain in the UK are all working to standardise how digital twins are defined and facilitate knowledge sharing.

The Centre for Digital Built Britain operates a government-supported National Digital Twin programme, with a vision for creating an ecosystem of connected digital twins across businesses and organisations.

Sarah Hayes, the outreach lead for the programme, believes the sharing of data is key to improving how the UK's infrastructure is "built, managed, operated and eventually decommissioned".

"We see digital twins as a way of improving decision making," Hayes told Dezeen.

"A city is effectively a system of systems – water, electricity, housing, schools, hospitals, prisons, natural environment – it all fits together," she said. "When you start to connect the datasets from these digital twins, you can build a bird's eye view of a city, which gives you better information about the consequences of your decisions."

Hayes urges those interested in this technology to sign up to Digital Twins Hub, an online community of digital twin users able to offer support and guidance.

The post Digital twins offer "a very powerful way of developing our cities" say experts appeared first on Dezeen.

University of Miami alumna brings autism clinic home to Kuwait

First-of-its-kind intervention clinic for children with autism in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 15: Every morning, the two-year-old arrived at autism clinic crying – for a harrowing 90 minutes. But after two weeks, he walked in dry-eyed and hugged his student therapist. Fajer Almenaie knew then that she finally had landed in the right place, reports news.miami.edu. “That was huge for me,” recalled Almenaie, who earned her Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from the University of Miami in December 2018. “It was the first time I thought I could make a difference.”

Fajer Almenaie

But Almenaie never imagined that, just two years after coming to the University at a crucial crossroads in her life, she would establish the Intensive Behavioral Intervention Services (IBIS) Clinic, the first-of-itskind intervention clinic for children with autism in Kuwait.

Today, Almenaie and the four technicians she trained are the only ABA-certified professionals in her Middle Eastern homeland offering what is scientifically regarded as the most effective therapy for curtailing disruptive behaviors and embedding basic functional skills in young children on the autism spectrum. Following ABA principles – which employ observation, measurement, analysis, and endless repetition to change specific behaviors – is intense, demanding, and tedious work.

Few people are cut out for it. But when Anibal Gutierrez, the founder and director of the University’s five-year-old IBIS Clinic, interviewed Almenaie for one of the 10 spots in the highly selective master’s program, he knew she had found her destiny. Almenaie was unfazed by Gutierrez’s warnings that she would practically live at the Department of Psychology clinic and would be responsible for one little human who would hit her, throw up on her, bite her, and, yes, sometimes cry without end. She made it abundantly clear that she was ready to meet the challenge.

“The beauty of the clinic is that we train future ABA therapists, so we have a ready pool of students who, supervised by four doctoral-level faculty experts, are eager to give kids intense one-on-one attention,” said Gutierrez, who is also associate director of the UM-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. “But some applicants really have no idea what we do,” he continued.

“They get that deer-in-the-headlights look. What they really want to do is behavioral forensics and work for the FBI. It was obvious from the onset that Fajer was knocking on the right door. She never flinched. She was particularly brave. She always volunteered for the toughest problem. I always had in mind that she would go back to Kuwait and offer something like this.” Located in a small office suite in the Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network’s Mental Health and Wellness Clinic in Kuwait City, Almenaie’s clinic is nearly identical to the IBIS Clinic, which during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to provide services and training online. The biggest difference: the intensive one-on-one therapy in Kuwait is offered in Arabic and English, instead of English and Spanish. With the support of the network, she has practically cloned the IBIS Clinic nearly 12,000 miles away, with the cheerful wall decorations and toy filled shelves to the multiple-skills stations and the policy that children can be enrolled without a formal autism diagnosis.

“I loved that IBIS provided therapy without a diagnosis, and I follow the same protocol here,” said Almenaie, who started the clinic from scratch last August, after passing the board-certified Behavior Analyst exam. “A lot of parents notice differences in their children, but they’re not ready for a diagnosis. They’re too overwhelmed and distraught. So, if we can ease the parents into this and provide the therapy that will improve behaviors before a diagnosis, we’re giving them a reason to look forward. As I always say, ‘I am not in the service of diagnosing. I am in the service of treating.’ ”

Almenaie was in her own dark place when Gutierrez interviewed her for the ABA master’s program in 2017. She knew from volunteering at the Fawzia Sultan clinic before heading to college that she wanted to work with children on the spectrum. But there was no direct route to that path in Kuwait, where the government pays the education costs for such professions as speech therapy.

So, Almenaie pursued a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Temple University, with the goal of becoming a speech therapist. But an onslaught of rejections derailed her plan. Fifty master’s degree programs in speech therapy turned her down. “I was desperate. At my 50th rejection I was at my breaking point,” Almenaie recalled. “I told my mom, ‘I can’t take this anymore.’ She reminded me I always was a planner and asked for my Plan B. I said I wanted to be an ABA therapist. She had no idea what that was, but she told me to go for it.”

This time, Almenaie applied to only one master’s program, the only one in South Florida that operates an oncampus clinic that would provide her the clinical hours that, in addition to her coursework, she needed to qualify for the ABA exam. “Honestly I really didn’t know what I was in for,” she said. “I wasn’t going in blind, but all I knew was that I had the interest and motivation and was willing to do anything to succeed.” After a brief but rough transition, she began to realize she was exactly where she belonged. It was a realization born from the small triumphs that accompany the big challenges – from the little boy who now knows how to communicate without crying to his mother who could not contain her joy the first time he called her “momma.” “IBIS was the home of so many of my own mini successes,” Almenaie said. “It was really special to see kids who started with minimal communication graduate and go into normal preschool. I am so grateful I am able to bring those small triumphs, which I now know are actually glimmers of hope, to parents in Kuwait.”

The post University of Miami alumna brings autism clinic home to Kuwait appeared first on ARAB TIMES - KUWAIT NEWS.

#kuwait Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=11968&feed_id=10115

AKB48 49th Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo: Post-Mortem

Depending on who you ask, last night was either the best Sousenkyo in 48G history, or the worst, or in my case, a little bit of both. Starting from the atrocious beachside weather, down to the final speech in that concert hall in Okinawa, the events of the past 48 hours were so polarizing, that it made Dai Sokaku Matsuri 2014 look like a birthday party. This is the first time a 48G event has left me with so many more questions than answers. As much as I try to make sense of the numbers, I am still left in this state of confusion. But let’s try to see if we can find the order in this chaos.

1. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

Look, you’ve proved your god damn point. Enough is enough. Stop kicking us when we’re already down.

The glaring futility of this battle was obvious from the very start. Admittedly, I came into this year’s Sousenkyo carrying the same hesitation I had after last year’s results. I already knew it was going to turn out this way, yet for some reason, there was this tiny glimmer of hope that maybe, maybe things could still be a little different this year. Just maybe, we would somehow be able to overcome the almost-10,000-vote lead Sashihara had on Mayu?

Of course, though, as with all lofty ambitions and unrealistic goals, this dream came crashing down around Mayu and her fans, after which the ruins caught fire and burned away into the ashes of oblivion.

Maybe I’m just projecting here, but you could see it in her eyes, even before she got up from her seat. The disappointment, the frustration, the exhaustion, and worst of all, the realization that no matter what she did, there was no way she would ever experience victory ever again as long as the immovable object that was Sashihara Rino existed.

And that’s when it came. I’ve seen my fair share of graduation announcements before, but this is the first time where I truly felt a sense of anguish behind it. Again, maybe I’m just projecting, but when the words came out of Mayu’s mouth, they felt… heavy. It felt like she was finally giving up, her spirit battered and broken after years of fighting this godforsaken battle.

Of course, we should also take a step back and look at what this means in the grander scheme of things. With Mayu now making her intentions known, the challenges that lie ahead for AKB48 are clear. Team B’s manpower crunch is a priority issue that needs to be settled quickly; the solutions are there already in the form of our Draft picks and Kenkyuuseis, they just need to be executed in a timely, efficient manner.

2. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over… oh

Speaking of insanity, we can’t forget the one moment that’s currently blowing up the Japanese Twittersphere. An idol? Getting married? While still in the group? Talk about absolute madness!

I’m personally of the opinion that there’s no true right or wrong way to deal with a scandal, but this one really takes the cake in terms of its potential fallout. Sutou Ririka really made one hell of a gamble last night. #20 UG position be damned; she had bigger things to worry about. Bunshun was loaded and ready to fire, but no way was she going to let them pull the trigger. Before the S-bomb could even be dropped, she detonated it prematurely, going nuclear with a shock announcement during her speech that threw the audience of members into absolute chaos. Admittedly, she left us more questions than answers, with a chain reaction across the group that left members, staff and fans bewildered, and even a few visibly pissed off seniors. No doubt NMB48 is currently locked-down in full damage control mode right now. We’re expecting a press conference within the next 24 to 48 hours to fully explain the situation, but until then, someone needs to go and prepare the popcorn machine.

3. Flight of the Ibis: The Rise of NGT48

Now for the more macroscopic phenomena. The entry of an entire legion of junior members from Niigata brought with it an interesting break from tradition: NGT48, despite this being only their second Sousenkyo, would end up securing just as many spots as their seniors in NMB48, and even securing a Kami7 position extremely early on in their lifespan.  Their overall rank share sports an impressive improvement of 11.25%, from 1 to 10, taking away positions from all the other sister groups in almost-equal proportions. That aside, though, the rest of the rank shares hold steady from before – AKB48 maintains plurality thanks to new entrants and promising juniors from Team 8 and their team of Kenkyuuseis, while both SKE48 and NMB48 focused their efforts more on pushing their existing rank-ins into higher positions across the board.

Back to NGT48, though; A shake-up in their hierarchy may very well be on the cards, considering how differently the management-back pushes performed in comparison to their peers. While Takakura and Nakai managed decent positions in the Undergirls tier, Kato fell way behind, only just managing to hold her position in the Upcoming Girls tier. In comparison, we have Row-2s like Ogino Yuka and Honma Hinata breaking into Senbatsu with vote leads numbering in the tens of thousands. One can’t help but wonder where this will leave the three frontliners in the months ahead.

4. AKB48’s Senbatsu Problem

For AKB48, however, despite securing a majority in overall rank share, their performance at the Senbatsu level leaves something to be desired. With only 4 native members in Senbatsu, being surpassed by SKE48’s 5, this is AKB48’s worst Senbatsu rank share of all time. The exit of several high-profile members from Sousenkyo this year (Kashiwagi, Shimazaki, Muto, Kojima H.) meant that we would be losing a huge share of votes in lieu of pushing in junior members at the lower tiers. Making matters worse, Mukaichi lost a whopping 12,000 votes to crash out into the Undergirls tier; while it’s still a Center position, some might wonder if this is an ominous sign for her career in the near future.

So what does this mean for AKB48? I had foreseen about two to three years ago that this would eventually become an issue sooner or later, so my personal opinion is that AKB48 should just ride it out. Juniors like Mukaichi, Okada, Takahashi J., Kato and Kawamoto have shown promise; they just need time to build up their fanbases to match those of their sister group seniors and peers. Maybe next year we’ll start to see more results on that front, but until then, resources still have to be invested into expanding their respective individual profiles.

5. The Sousenkyo Arms Race: Compressing the Curve

 Black bars denote drops in vote-for-rank, and white bars indicate increases.

With the year-on-year trend of voter swings towards the lower tiers, we see a further definition of pre-existing voting patterns this year. Votes-for-rank at the Next, Future and Upcoming Girls tiers continue to climb steadily, with correspondingly-significant increases in the vote requirements for those tiers. On the other hand, votes-for-rank at the Senbatsu and Undergirls tiers continue to drop significantly, reflective not only of the shift towards voting for junior members, but also the exit of all the big names at the top driving voters away from those tiers.

The overall result is a compression of the curve; it is becoming increasingly difficult to rank in in the first place, but for those who are already in the game, making your way up the ranks is becoming significantly easier given the decreasing vote-for-rank requirements at the higher tiers. Members and fans would do well to take note of this ongoing trend, should they wish to take advantage of it, or at least to be able to plan their voting strategies accordingly.

What now?

So, was this the best Sousenkyo in 48G history, or the worst, or even a little bit of both? You decide. The results seem to point towards a mixed picture: 48G’s juniors are certainly proving their worth and living up to their promises, but one can’t help but be worried at the direction we’re heading, especially when we consider the complicated situation our higher-tier members must face in the year ahead. Things will undoubtedly be difficult for 48G and its leaders. It is up to the members and Management to reassess their chances, and to do what is necessary to weather the storms ahead. The bad weather at Okinawa was merely the start of their problems.

As for me? I think I need a break. Starting tomorrow, 19 June 2017, I am placing this blog on indefinite hiatus. Between the exhausting, hectic work schedule of a house officer, I find that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do what I usually do on this blog. I’ll come back every few weeks to say hi, maybe make a post or two, and answer any asks that may come my way, but I doubt I’ll be able to put up lengthy essays like this anymore in the near future. No point continuing, since it seems like I’m talking to a wall everytime I do so anyway.

I deeply apologize to all my followers, old and new, (especially the few that joined over the past few days). I will keep this blog online, my ask box will remain open, and every post that I have ever put up will still be searchable via the appropriate tags. I just cannot guarantee that any new posts on this blog will be as in-depth or as content-driven as before.

Our civilization encourages a dude to be a bigger man, but doesn't deign to dress him very well.

The situation in apparel for what the industry calls "big and tall" men stands in stark contrast to women's plus. A surge in feminist empowerment (spurred most recently by the #metoo movement) and the democratic nature of social media have given voice to stylish influencerswho display confident images of themselves, call out brands refusing to cater to them and hail those that successfully do.

For plus-size female consumers, a dearth of fashion options in a neglected niche has morphed into a plethora of new and legacy retailers not only getting into the segment, but also offering an inclusive size range available to all, or at least many more, women. It's become easier for those who don't fit into what is known as "straight" sizes to not only find apparel, but also see themselves in marketing and on the runway.

It's been a long road, and men, by and large, are still not on it.

"Big men are ignored," says Kat Eves, a Los Angeles-based stylist at Style Ethic, who calls herself "an ethical and inclusive wardrobe stylist, fashion designer, writer, and blogger." A shopping trip for a friend helped spark her career, and she hasn't seen much progress in the industry segment since, she told Retail Dive in an interview. "I had a big and tall friend in college who wanted to impress a girl and had one t-shirt and one pair of pants to his name. I love fashion for myself and I'm also plus size and have always been, and I think that was part of it for him, I think he trusted me — so I took him shopping. But there really weren't many options."

"They blame the customer. The excuse I’ve seen brands make over the decades is that they tried to do plus size and the sales just weren’t there — but I know that the marketing wasn’t there either."

Kat Eves

Stylist, Style Ethic

This part of the retail landscape only has a handful of well-known players. J.C. Penney recently ended its Big & Tall subscription box. There's DXL, formerly known as Destination XL. The Winston Box and Maximus Box (both offer sizes up to 6XL) have been in business for a couple of years, Bonobos​ offers extended sizes, and Stitch Fix recently expanded sizes for men — but they're strictly e-commerce. Brands like Gap, Old Navy, Ralph Lauren, Asos and Lacoste have options, but mostly, if not only, online. Others, including higher-end brands, sell through specialists like DXL and not mainstream retailers like department stores.

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Furthermore, brands that do sell a greater range of sizes for men don't market that much, according to Tara Drury, retail analyst at fashion analytics firm Edited. "Despite a larger selection of retailers investing in plus-size clothing, promotion of this is minimal," she told Retail Dive in an email.

Eves calls that a missed opportunity. "They blame the customer," she said. "The excuse I've seen brands make over the decades is that they tried to do plus size and the sales just weren't there — but I know that the marketing wasn't there either. Bonobos stepped up and actually invested ad money — that's a huge game changer from where we were. Most people don't know that Lucky jeans makes clothes for big and tall sizes. It's almost like they don't want it to work — they're even quiet about where they carry their big and tall products."

Few shoppers have a stylist like Eves to help them find the goods, and, in all, the number of possibilities pales compared to those for women, according to experts. Still, Ray Hartjen, marketing director of store analytics firm RetailNext, calls it an interesting market with "a huge upside potential in North America and Europe for retailers willing to 'get it right.'"

"[T]here's not a lot of options out there, and the opportunity exists to carve out a real competitive advantage. It's tempting to compare men's plus apparel to that of women's, and companies that clearly do it right, like ModCloth. I think it's a bit more complicated than that though," Hartjen said in an email to Retail Dive.

The size of the market

What complicates the men's market in part is the disparity in apparel sales more generally between men and women: Menswear, though still a smaller segment, has grown more than women's in recent years, Hartjen notes.

"That's driven largely by streetwear. At its roots, streetwear might lend itself to plus sizes, but the lines typically don't include professional looks and fashions for a night out on the town," he said.

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Dustin Hutton-Alcorn — who works at a tech company in Vancouver, Canada, wears double XL and has a subscription to GQ — has noticed that. He was first mortified to be shut out of teen trends as a kid and has struggled to fill his closet since, though he does see some improvement of late. "They tend to be more of an urban or streetwear style rather than business casual or formal, so it doesn't really work for office wear," he told Retail Dive in an interview. "So it's a tricky space to navigate. I'm 6 feet and 350 pounds. I'm not built like a football player who's modeling for Reebok or a brand of that nature. The same way women are fighting for larger models, how often do you see GQ with a larger model?"

People who don't fit into "straight" sizes are also missing out on the current activism around more sustainably produced apparel, according to Eves. "My personal focus is ethical fashion — which is also having a huge growing movement — and I would say plus-size women have very few options in the ethical world and men have virtually none. It's a highly exclusive, white, very Gwyneth Paltrow, very blonde movement that is ignoring that a majority of the population is plus size."

Hartjen says that some brands, especially in luxury, are starting to produce wider size ranges geared to younger men, but it remains difficult to assess the value of the market. "While men's apparel is growing at a faster rate than women's, it's important to note that men's apparel is only about two-thirds of women's apparel in total size," he said. "So, where does a brand invest? A segment of the faster growing, but smaller, men's market? Or, the slower growing, bigger market?"

Additionally, there isn't much number-crunching for the big and tall market. Many of the same research firms that track the market in women's plus and inclusive sizing didn't have similar numbers to share regarding men's. One study, from IBIS World, found that the plus-size men's clothing industry grew by 0.2% over five years to $1 billion in revenue in 2018, while the number of businesses has risen 1.6%.

The huge diversity

Some companies, especially newer online upstarts, have discovered demand on their own. When Stitch Fix launched a big-and-tall offer for size XL, for example, it garnered a waitlist of 25,000 men, according to an email from the company to Retail Dive.

"Some men are bigger than others. Some men are taller than others. We all have different bodies and that should definitely be taken into consideration when certain brands walk into the big & tall market."

Kavah King

Big-and-tall model, fashion blogger at The Gentlemen's Curb

The service's data also revealed a need for a diversity of fits, including for men who find sleeve and shirt lengths to be too long. Kavah King, a big-and-tall model and fashion blogger at The Gentlemen's Curb, told Retail Dive in an email that's something more brands need to do.

"Some brands [are] extremely quick to offer 'extended sizes,' but haven't done enough research and appeal to only one body type," he said. "Some men are bigger than others. Some men are taller than others. We all have different bodies and that should definitely be taken into consideration when certain brands walk into the big & tall market."

While many styles available now simply accommodate girth, men like Hutton-Alcorn would like other fits to choose from, like slim-cut jeans. "I continue to find clothes definitely geared toward older gentleman, not so much to those who have fashion aspirations. Being a young person, I would love to be able to purchase a pair of branded jeans, from Lucky brand, maybe, just a nice pair of dark denim," he said (unwittingly possibly proving Eves' point about that brand's marketing efforts). "In flipping through these magazines or even just watching TV and seeing ads, these brands carry options for bigger men but don't carry them in store. Or they carry them for women but not for men."

Entering the market, though, does invite complications. The design and manufacture of extended sizes require extra attention and work with suppliers. Production takes pattern grading and knowledge about neck size, sleeve size, shoulder span, waist and all-around fit. "I've worked on the inside of a brand that's inclusive and know how difficult it is to accommodate every body type," Eves said. "If a brand that has traditionally done straight sizing, when they expand into plus sizes, and they should, they really are starting from scratch if they're doing it right."

The big problem in stores

Shopping for apparel can be especially daunting when a guy runs into customer service at the store level that, like the clothes, wasn't designed for him.

"I think there's a sense in the retail space that it's a world-class experience for anyone who is coming in, say at a Nordstrom or a Calvin Klein, but it can be difficult when you walk in and you get ignored because the people working there know you're not going to be purchasing," Hutton-Alcorn said. "Even if they don't have the items for the plus-size customers — maybe it isn't today, but it's a matter of making sure that you're treating any customer as though we are customer number one."

His experience at a Tom Ford location in Las Vegas is seared in his mind. "I was given a phenomenal experience by their team members," he said. "So I don't necessarily purchase Tom Ford clothing, but I'm purchasing Tom Fordoptical and Tom Ford fragrances, and the way I've been treated, I am a promoter of their brand. If and when he were to announce a line of plus-size apparel, I would be among the first to purchase it."

DXL, as did women's specialty retailers like Lane Bryant years ago, is filling a void, and the retailer appreciates its unique position. "At DXL, we are focused solely on a guest who often can't find anything in his size in other stores. In contrast, we offer one-stop-shopping for this underserved guest," DXL COO and Executive Vice President Brian Reaves told Retail Dive in an email. "Big and tall is all we do, but uniquely different than other stores, our fit is spec-ed by size and garment and for each size. We don't just scale up product from a regular fit like most other retailers. [O]ur associates uniquely understand the big and tall shopper."

As Reaves notes, the retailer carries labels like Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, and Levi's each season, as well as developing designs for DXL's own labels, like Harbor Bay, Oak Hill and True Nation.

And yet, men also want to be able to shop at other retailers — a desire that has helped propel the swift acceleration in recent years of more inclusive sizing for women at retailers like Nordstrom, J. Crew, Target and others that previously didn't offer plus at all, or relegated it to a corner of their stores.

"I would love for those retailers and brands that cater to big & tall men to receive the accolades and a return of investment," King said. "But, I would love for the generation after to not feel weird that they only have to shop at certain places. I know that feeling all too well. As a child when a brand doesn't cater to you, it definitely affects your confidence when all of your peers shop at that store."

Will bigger get better?

When it comes to advancements in apparel sizing, women have paved the way, and men's brands seem destined to follow suit.

In fact, the recent rapid change in women's inclusive sizing is likely accelerating efforts because fashion brands these days can hardly afford to ignore any slice of the market, according to Hartjen. "Women are leading the charge, and one thing that success breeds is imitation, so the expectation is that the men's market will be a fast-follower," he said.

"DXL will continue to grow its footprint. Parallel to that are the product brands themselves. DTC brands will continue to push the market, primarily online, and that's going to lead to deals similar to Walmart's acquisition of ModCloth," he said. "Merchants like Target will be looking to source more and more brands to build out their offerings, and department stores will begin to expand their product line offerings. And, I think, all of that is going to happen fairly quickly."

Eves and King do testify to progress in recent years. "A few years ago the selections were hooded sweatshirts, Oxford shirts, khakis, and polo shirts," King said. "So there are a lot of changes and more opportunities for brands so that there is some diversity in the field. There are different designs and patterns. A few retailers even offer some patterns that previously were exclusive only to custom pieces. I think that it's a beautiful time! I want to commend and show respect to the women that have been on the front lines, pushing size inclusion until it was forced to be recognized."

The Evolution Of The Mirrorless Hybrid Camera With The Fujifilm X-T4

The new Fujifilm X-T4 Mirrorless Hybrid is the latest offering from Fujifilm.

As you’ve seen if you’re tapped into camera/production social media and it’s resulting blogosphere, Fujifilm recently announced the successor to the Fujifilm X-T3, one of the most popular cameras it has ever produced. We shot a project for a Los Angeles NPR station two years ago and had a chance to use our client’s Fujifilm X-T2 as a gimbal and B camera, gathering various moving b-roll footage around the station as we shot interviews with our A camera in their on-air studio. Overall, I found the X-T2, despite some glaring video omissions, to be a pleasant camera to use with some nice results.

The Fujifilm X-H1 Mirrorless Hybrid had more video-driven features and IBIS but was larger than the X-T series bodies and it still lacked some video features.

I then covered the launch of the Fujifilm X-H1, a more video-centric model with in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and a few more video features. After using the X-H1 a bit and speaking with the engineering team that was over from Japan at Fujifilm’s offices in Los Angeles, I knew that Fujifilm was close to introducing a camera that, while primarily a still camera, would have enough solid video features to be useful for me.

The Panasonic Lumix GH4 was our first 4K-capable mirrorless hybrid. It had some great video features but some fatal flaws, as well, for our needs.

My Mirrorless Hybrid History

A bit of background: I owned the Panasonic GH4, it was our first 4K camera, but I found that the Micro Four Thirds imager seemed to be too noisy for my shooting style, and I found the skin tones lacking, with a pastel quality that had to do with the noise reduction the GH4 applied. I also had experience shooting with my producing partner’s Sony A7 II on a few shoots and while I found its high ISO ability to be useful for low-light shooting (we shot some footage in a dark nightclub for a documentary where we couldn’t light the shots), I found its constant overheating when shooting 4K and its color science to not be appealing to me.

I have a DSLR, the Canon EOS 80D, that wasn’t a bad video camera, but it only shot 1080 and I found the footage to be marginal when any kind of grading or even mild color correction was applied. As we were heading into production for a docu-series that we wanted to produce in 4K, I was on the hunt for a 4K-capable mirrorless hybrid. I really liked the Panasonic GH5; it was a big improvement over the GH4, but its autofocus wasn’t very good even though the rest of its features were very appealing for video shooting.  

Full-frame mirrorless hybrids like this A7 II allowed Sony to capture a huge portion of the mirrorless market, but the A7 line has languished as competitors have moved ahead with specifications and capability.

I was planning on using whichever mirrorless hybrid we ended up with primarily on a gimbal and as a handheld, in a cage mount for shooting in cars, on small boats in the ocean or in other locations where bringing in our A cameras, the Canon C300 MKII and the C200, fully rigged, would be too conspicuous.

The Fujifilm X-T3 has been a resounding success for Fujifilm simply because it was a great camera at a very good price with amazing capabilities as both a still and video camera.

Enter The X-T3

When Fujifilm introduced the X-T3 in late 2018, I knew that it could be a good contender to serve as the gimbal and B camera for our docu-series. It seemed that Fujifilm had improved on the X-T2 and X-H1 video capabilities with the exception that the X-T3 lacked IBIS. But it had improved autofocus, the ability to use the AF while shooting 4K, great color science, a very detailed and good looking sensor called the X-Trans 4 and not only a way to shoot Flog, Fujifilm’s log format, but also the ability to shoot using Fujifilm simulation presets.

I knew that Flog would generally yield the most dynamic range, but I had seen some YouTube clips shot using the X-T3’s film presets that I thought looked very good too. With the X-T3, Fujifilm introduced a new film simulation called Eterna that looked to be a great starting spot for light grading and color correction. The other intriguing thing was that the X-T3 shot 10-bit H.265. 10-bit, which has gone from being considered an exotic high bit rate to what’s now considered standard fare in mirrorless camera video, but at the time of the X-T3’s introduction, 10-bit 4K wasn’t common. The ability to shoot at up to 400 Mbps made other competing camera’s 4K data rates (100 Mbps on all Sony A7 variants!) look weak and inadequate for post-production.

The Fujifilm X-T3: Likes

Small Size, Lightweight – These are important when operating on a gimbal all day.

Cost/Value Equation – With some of the competition coming in at close to $4,000, $1,299 on sale was appealing.

Color Science – The X-T3 colors are very appealing to me. Flog is Fujifilm’s log profile; it’s mildly flat but easy to expose for. The film simulations are also interesting and fun to work with for certain projects.

Specs – 4K DCI and UHD at up to 60p, data rates up to 400 Mbps, 10-bit 4:2:0 H.265 8-bit H.264 recording options and up to 120 fps in FHD. These place the Fujifilm X-T3 side by side or better than almost every other mirrorless hybrid available.

Construction/Tactile/Ergonomics – The X-T3 has a personality. It’s not a computer-with-a-lens feeling camera like some of its competition. It also has dedicated old-school rotating knobs and dials for selecting the most commonly changed parameters. The construction is robust with lots of metal used instead of plastic.

Good Lens Adaptability – We bought two Fujinon XF lenses, the XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 OIS and the XF 16mm f/1.4 WR, but we also bought the Fringer Pro X mount to EF adapter so we can use any of our dozen Canon EF S and EF lenses with the X-T3. Not all operate perfectly in AF, but most do.

Detail – I was impressed with the amount of detail that the X-T3 records to 4K with its almost 6K sensor. This detail lends a very precise look to the images without being cold and sterile.

The Micro HDMI video output on the Fujifilm X-T3 is one of the weakest features of an otherwise great camera.

The Fujifilm X-T3: Dislikes

Terrible Battery Life – The too small NP-W126S 1,260 mAh batteries run out after only about 20 to 25 minutes of shooting video. That problem can be solved with the addition of the Fujifilm X-T3 battery grip, but that added a few hundred dollars to the bottom line.

29:59 and 19:59 Recording Limits – Shooting documentary coverage, the recording time limits became a nuisance at times.

AF Challenges – When we bought the X-T3, with its initial 2.0 Firmware, the AF functions were usable. Not as good as our Canon C200, 80D, 300 MKII and not as good as the latest Sony A7 variants. But usable, better than the Panasonic GH5, if you kept an eye on it. We waited months for bug reports and user feedback to update the X-T3’s FW to 3.01, hearing no major negatives, but once we started shooting gimbal using the AF-C focus settings, we began to notice an AF pulsing. When you framed up an interview, for instance, the AF on the X-T3 would constantly micro-adjust itself, resulting in the subject seeming to mostly be in focus, but you’d notice a constant slight shifting in the background focus. 

XF Lens Issues When Shooting Video – We rented several different Fujinon XF lenses for various shoots and noticed that besides the AF pulsing described above, all of the Fujinon XF zooms also had focus delay where when you zoomed the lens, it would often take the camera an extra second or two to actually locate the subject and snap into focus. This focus delay, coupled with the exposure compensation that Fujifilm engineers into every zoom lens, makes using the X-T3 with XF zooms a not very pleasant experience with constant exposure shifts visible in your footage. Every time you shift the focal length of the zoom lens, the lens and body shift the exposure to compensate for there being less light at longer focal lengths, even if every setting on the camera is in manual mode.

Micro HDMI Video Output – I can’t say enough bad things about how terrible, fragile and unreliable the micro HDMI video output on the X-T3 is. Fujifilm used it to save space, but it has almost become a rite of passage for the X-T3 owner to have to ship their X-T3 back to Fujifilm repair to fix and/or replace the micro HDMI connection.

No Video Waveform – The X-T3 has a histogram, but no video waveform monitor. The histogram merely displays pixel brightness distribution from dark to light pixels. No marking, calibration or scale. Without a video waveform, it can be difficult to accurately judge exposure and lighting on skin tones.

The Fujifilm X-T4 adds the most requested feature from Fujifilm users—IBIS!

On To The X-T4  

Since I haven’t yet had a Fujifilm X-T4 made available to me for review, I can’t verify a few small details about the new X-T4, but looking at Fujifilm’s specifications, press photos, YouTube videos and the like, I can surmise what I believe the X-T4 to be. Cutting to the chase, in a nutshell, the X-T4 is basically an X-T3 with a slightly larger body, same exact sensor and video specs save for the fact that it can now shoot 240 fps in FHD versus 120 fps on the X-T3. Fujifilm added a new ETERNA Bleach Bypass film simulation, a flippy screen for Vloggers, a significantly larger battery and IBIS. There has been much consternation that the X-T4 also loses the 3.5mm headphone jack from the X-T3, which was replaced with a USB C dongle.

How Does The X-T4 Address Limitations For The Pro Video Shooter?

Here are the main points that I found lacking in the X-T3.

Terrible Battery Life – The X-T4 upgrades Li-ion battery NP-W235, at 2,350 mAh, nearly doubling the battery power of the X-T3 battery. It remains to be seen how much additional battery drain the IBIS function on the new X-T4 battery results in.

29:59 and 19:59 Recording Limits – The X-T4 doesn’t change or eliminate these limits.

AF Challenges – The X-T3 recently received a 3.20 FW update that tamed the focus pulsing other than when using Flog in low light. It appears the X-T4 utilizes basically the same technology with similar results.

XF Lens Issues When Shooting Video – Unfortunately, these issues are tied to the XF lenses themselves, not just the X series bodies, so they remain.

Micro HDMI Video Output – Fujifilm retained the fragile micro HDMI video output.

No Video Waveform – Fujifilm didn’t add a video waveform monitor, retaining the same histogram display as the X-T3.

I predict the Fujifilm X-T4 will be just as big of a hit as the X-T3 was, if not bigger. It adds user-requested features to the already excellent X-T3 and a slightly higher price with a slightly larger body to house the IBIS.

My Take On The Fujifilm X-T4

The headline feature of the X-T4 is IBIS. The X-H1 had IBIS but was a physically larger body than the X-T3 and not the X-T4. Fujifilm implemented magnetic IBIS which, according to preliminary tests, works pretty well. That said, most but not all pros utilize a gimbal, motion control slider or a Steadicam-like device to fluidly move the camera. IBIS seems to be more of a hobbyist feature, but it can be useful in certain situations, taming the micro jitter that’s painfully apparent when shooting 4K especially. I’ve tried shooting handheld with our X-T3 without the accompanying cage, monitor microphone and external battery system that all together add up to making our X-T3 handheld rig weigh about 6 to 7 pounds depending on the lens. Trying to shoot handheld with the X-T3, even with a wide-angle lens, results in a lot of micro jitters that the IBIS in the X-T4 will tame.     

A feature that has been used to hook a lot of still shooters coming into the world of mirrorless hybrids is the full-frame sensor. I debate even including this point, but all of the Fujifilm X series bodies use an S35 sensor. If you shoot a lot of low light and need high gain without as much grain, FF sensors are superior in low light. That said, the Fujifilm X-T3 does well up to about ISO 2,500, which is plenty of gain for all but the darkest situations. Since the X-T4 uses the same sensor, it’s fair to say the ISO performance is probably roughly the same as the X-T3. Most but not all video/digital cinema pros are able to light the majority of their scenes, but if you shoot weddings, events or constantly shoot in other situations where you want or need to shoot at ISO 12,500 or higher, do yourself a favor and buy an FF camera.

Moving on from sensor size, the X-T4 appears to be more of a good thing and one the most interesting mirrorless hybrids out there. The value equation is still excellent with the X-T4 body retailing for $1,699 in the United States. IBIS was easily the most requested feature at all of the Fujifilm Summits and from feedback from Fuji user groups. The second most requested feature was a flippy screen versus the tilt screen on the X-T3. The additional battery horsepower is much welcomed, although until we get a hands-on review unit, it’s hard to say what the recording times will be.

Overall, if you’re buying your first mirrorless hybrid, the X-T4 appears to be an across-the-board winner, with a great value equation and features for $1,699. If you’re obsessed with shooting in the dark, look elsewhere for a full-frame camera. If you own the X-T3, the real question is, is it money well spent to sell off your X-T3 and upgrade to the X-T4?

For us, the answer is no. We have tamed the short battery record times of the X-T3 with the external battery grip that adds two more batteries to the internal X-T3 battery. We power the X-T3 from the DC output of our gimbal, so short battery times aren’t a factor anymore. Same with IBIS, we have the Zhiyun Crane 2 gimbal, so we don’t really need IBIS. We don’t need the flippy screen because (thankfully) we don’t Vlog. Objectively, the X-T4 is an iterative upgrade, but it’s an upgrade of an already very good camera that probably edges into great territory for pro video/digital cinema shooters.

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Term 3 Reflection

For your comfort, here is a summary of the stuff I done did this term, and a bit of last term because I can’t remember when exactly Term 2 became Term 3.

Learning Objective 1: Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth

Activity: Going to India for my Duke of Edinburgh award was such an eye opener into just how beneficial doing Bukit Shahbandar is for endurance. Although the altitude was definitely a bit of an obstacle, all those weeks of hiking up and down hills meant that I wasn’t sore after any section of the final expedition. Whilst my fitness was good and the trekking was fine, I noticed that strength is definitely not my strongest (haha, pun intended) asset. Lugging mud bricks to and from the greenhouse made me realise that I was getting tired more quickly than others; if I want to grow in this area, I’d need to start doing more physically straining activities in the future.

Service: I think that by putting in that little bit extra effort, I’ve shown that I am able to make Blackeye have more House spirit. Just by showing enthusiasm with the face paint and sliced oranges, or actually showing up to support the house can have a huge effect on morale, so I want to keep this up next term as I think I can improve it even more and hopefully get the girls in the house to feel a bit more closer to each other. 

Learning Objective 2: Undertaking new challenges

Creativity: Singing has definitely been my biggest challenge this year, and I think that I’ve tackled it head on. Grade 8, as the highest level, is naturally difficult, but I passed with merit whilst balancing my workload and other activities. Although I’m still not sure I could get up and sing solo in front of an audience just yet, doing Showcase put me on stage for the first time; at first I was getting anxious over singing one line for a mic-check but by the end of it I wasn’t nearly as bothered.

Activity: Endured an 18 hour bus ride with the same 30 people? Check. Travelled along the Rohtang Pass, one of the most dangerous roads in the world? Check. Adjusted to lower levels of Oxygen? Check. Trekked to the highest post office and beyond? Check. India was full of challenges, and I like to think that, given that I’m alive today, I overcame every single one. As I mentioned earlier, the altitude was the hardest thing to adjust to, as every single action required more effort. Nonetheless, once the initial headaches and queasiness passed, the high altitudes were just part and parcel of the whole expedition, and we just got on with it.

Service: Planning and executing the Shoebox drive had its challenges in organising the school. We relied on the houses to read our emails and follow our instructions, but inevitably there were some hiccups, and things didn’t go to plan. I had to go out and buy extra supplies which could be used to pad out boxes which were looking a bit sad, or the items were inappropriate. The challenge, essentially, was dealing with a large group of people, and we overcame it by using their contributions as a base point before adding our own items to fit the specifications.

As part of the upcoming House Council, it was also a bit of a challenge to step into the shoes of our predecessors - especially as they’re still at school to judge us. Fortunately the council was very supportive and gave us advice on how to be effective in running Blackeye; they agreed that we needed more House spirit, and so that was my challenge. As said in the bit above, I think I successfully achieved this given that it was the end of the year and everyone’s already pretty tired!

Learning Objective 3: Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Creativity: One of the best things about Showcase this year was that one of our songs was effectively directed by the girls. As it was inspired by Pitch Perfect, we did it acapella - although we had Miss Marieta there to play supplementary chords in rehearsals so that we could stay in tune. We wanted to make it as true to the original as possible which involved tediously rewinding videos on Youtube after every action and watching so many choreography tutorials. Eventually we figured that the original was too complicated and set about improvising; every girl paired up with another to produce a sound, and it actually turned out pretty good! We also had to choose costumes, being mindful of Brunei’s censorship laws, which was a challenge in itself because everybody needed to be able to bring something appropriate. The final performance did have some errors (like people holding their microphones upside down) but all in all I’m really proud of what we did.

Service: The shoebox drive was an amazing success that we organised ourselves. It was raised that the kids didn’t have basic toys, supplies or hygiene products, and we in the Penan Support group found a way to help alleviate the problem. Collecting over 200 boxes shows that what we did was well received by the school and involved a huge number of people - I definitely think this should be at least an annual if not regular thing that we can do.

Learning Objective 4: Collaborate with others

Creativity: Almost everything in music requires you to work with other people. For my exam, I have to be mindful of the piano, and to make sure that I’m not stepping out of time or pitch. For Showcase, I had to take on parts of songs that I wasn’t all that familiar with so that we produced a good sound when all the parts were put together. It’s not just singing, either - the orchestra, sound technicians and backstage people all work collaboratively to make Showcase such an amazing event.

Action: Duke of Edinburgh hits every single LO. For LO4, it happened on both the expedition and in the residential. In the expedition, it was us against altitude fatigue. I think everybody was empathetic towards anyone who was feeling a bit off, and so we were able to support them through copious amounts of panadol, rehydration salts, and snacks. At the residential, we all had a role to perform with the intention of constructing a greenhouse. The teamwork needed us to communicate with each other so that the work was evenly divided and everybody was comfortable with their job.

Service: The house council is a mix of lots of different people, and we need to be able to work together if we want anything to get done. It’s not just the Blackeye council either: we worked with Ibis for the Leadership training and every other House council to plan for Peace Day. 

Learning Objective 5: Shown perseverance and commitment

Creativity: The fact that I was staying at school until 7 on some nights doing Showcase rehearsals, or having extra lessons on weekends in preparation for my singing exam is a testament to the commitment needed for this activity. I think a lot of people assume that, providing you know the song, you can just walk on stage on the day of the performance or the exam and just sing, but there’s a lot more behind the scenes that isn’t appreciated. 

Action: The Duke of Edinburgh award requires you to do at least an hour of a Skill, Service and Activity every week; luckily this fits in quite nicely with CAS. I log my activities each week with a little paragraph detailing what I’ve done - this usually includes what I did, what I learnt, and what I’d do differently next week. 

Learning Objective 6: Global significance of activity

Action: Stepping out of Brunei and into a remote Himalayan village is already pretty global, as my action was not focused on the local. I also think that by participating in the Duke of Edinburgh international award I’ve been supporting a global cause to get kids outside and doing things that are beneficial to their own communities. 

Service: There are hundreds of tribes that are facing or have faced similar issues like the Penan: the Iban, the Ibequois, etc. All of these societies have been or are at risk of being eroded due to other civilisations encroaching onto their land. By being part of the Penan Support group, I would hope that I am showing that these tribes are not facing the struggle alone: there are people who care about their cultures. In the future, I think that we can make this support more public, possibly through the use of social media.

Learning Objective 7: Ethical implications of your actions

Creativity: The ethical implications of my creativity has stemmed from the local customs of Brunei. With fairly strict censorship laws and rules on how to dress and behave publicly, I had to be aware of how I was presenting myself when performing; how I dressed, what I said, how I behaved. In short, the ethical implications of performing were in cultural sensitivity, so as not to offend anybody watching.

Action: At first, I thought the ethical implications of going to Spiti Valley would be ensuring that I behaved appropriately and didn’t inadvertently offend the homestay hosts. Whilst this was true (and I made sure to familiarise myself with local customs, such as leaving some food on my plate to show I was full), there was also the ethics of actually going there. Tourism has had a bit of a negative impact on Spiti, as they cannot cope with the waste generated by tourists. We started to be part of this problem in the amount of bottled water we consumed daily - where do the empty bottles go? Thankfully, Ecosphere had a solution: Lifestraws!

Service: When dealing with the issues of the Penan, it becomes a bit paradoxical: we want to preserve their culture whilst at the same time we are introducing our own ways and products to do so. For the shoebox drive, we made the decision that any items donated should have minimal knock-on effects on the tribe: for example, giving spray deodorant would pollute their environment and mosquito spray would make them less resilient to the bugs.

Learning Objective 8: New or extended skills

Creativity: In doing my Grade 8 singing exam, I had to make my voice familiar with the technicalities. I had to increase my stamina and improve breathing techniques so that I could be strong on long notes, whilst also taking into consideration the general feel of the pieces. I have a tendency to be quite impassive about most things, so one thing I had to improve was the way in which I expressed the piece I was singing. I also think my pronunciation in German, Italian and French has improved.