Fuji X-T1 graphite silver: electronic shutter distortion

Fuji X-T1 graphite silver: electronic shutter distortion

 

I’ve had my graphite silver Fuji X-T1 for a few weeks now and the electronic shutter with speeds up to 1/32000 second is a very useful addition. One word of warning though, it should not be used for fast moving subjects, as you might experience rolling shutter distortion problems. These problems are due to the way an electronic shutter works: the sensor does not take a snapshot of the entire scene at a single instant of time, but instead scans the scene vertically. This process means not all of the image is captured at the same instant, and with fast moving subjects, this can lead to distortion effects like ‘Wobble’, ‘Skew’ and ‘Smear’.

This image is an example of the Skew distortion effect where the image is bent diagonally in one direction. I was testing the focus tracking, and yes I know the Fuji X-T1 graphite is focussing on the background, but the distortion is best visible in this shot at 1/6400 second.

Fuji X-T1 graphite electronic shutter distortion

The effect is most noticeable with fast motion, but It was at times visible due to camera movement too. Now I should stress that this was to be expected with an electronic rolling shutter mechanism (distortion can occur in all cameras using this system).

I thought it would be useful to know why some shots might turn out like this when you’re trying out your Fuji X-T1 graphite silver/December firmware update.

wim arys

Wim Arys is a photographer from Belgium Europe with a passion for mirrorless cameras.

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10 Responses

  1. yeiter says:

    I don’t get it…then what is the point of having an extremely fast shutter speed? Would not fast shutter speeds typically be utilized to stop fast motion?

    • wim arys says:

      Hi Yeiter, you’ll find this limitation stated in the Fujifilm X-T1 firmware upgrade documentation, so it’s not like Fuji is being dishonest about this. I wouldn’t say it’s unusable for fast action, just something to be aware of. The best use for the electronic shutter is shallow depth-of-field with fast lenses like the 56mm f/1.2 APD in bright daylight.

  2. Hakan says:

    I’d like to know how the electronic shutter handles artificial light, which is flickering at certain frequences. Have you noticed any weird effects?

  3. Hakan says:

    That’s good news, then! I’ve got an older X-T1 and am looking forward to the firmware update in December.

  4. Brian Milo says:

    I noticed this problem in mine and found your website through researching the problem. Mine happened twice in the first 200 shots during a engagement session, both times my subjects were not moving, I also noticed the branding problem. I have only had the camera for 3 days and I am trying to figure out if it’s a defective camera or this is normal. I have had the electronic shutter activated the whole time. It seems a bit useless to have branding at hi iso’s or this distortion problem coming and going every now and then. I was planning on using the electronic shutter to be discreet during wedding ceremonies and other parts of the day, if you can’t count on it to give you a useable image everytime then what is the point of having this electronic shutter? I have samples if you would like to take a look, please let me know if you think this is common or a defective camera. Many thanks, Brian Milo

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