Review: Testing the X-T2 and XF100-400mm at International Rugby

Scotland's Captain John Barclay is tackled by Welsh Fly Half Dan Biggar
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO2000 (zoom 400mm)

For the past month I have photographed three top flight rugby matches to put the Fujifilm X-T2 and the Fujinon XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 through their paces.  After shooting at the Scotland v Ireland international (4th February) and Sale Sharks v Wasps Aviva Premiership matches (19 February), the final test was last Saturday (25th February) when I was on the touchline for the Scotland v Wales RBS 6 Nations international at Murrayfield.

Shooting in a stadium environment, even in daylight, provides some unique challenges on the lighting front.  Even with the floodlights switched on, the challenge for any photographer is to keep the shutter speed high enough to capture the action while keeping the ISO as low as possible to minimise the sensor noise.  

Can the X-T2 and the XF100-400mm shoot fast action sports in a  stadium environment?  Yes it can.  Is it as good as the current crop of pro DSLRs and fast telephoto primes - no it isn't, but it is damn close! 

Scottish forward Jonny Grey is tackled by Wales' Jake Ball 
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/2500mm @ f5.4 ISO1600 (zoom 335mm)

The X-T2 is excellent with it's fast, consistent AF, fast processor and X-Trans III sensor, the limiting factor at the present time is the 100-400mm lens.  Don't get me wrong, the quality of the 100-400mm is fantastic, it is as sharp as a tack, but the slow f5.6 maximum aperture limits its use for stadium sports. 

The ideal shutter speed is 1/1000 second to freeze the action and if this is the minimum shutter speed the aperture is usually left wide open.  

Now at Murrayfield with a mixture of daylight and floodlights and an f5.6 maximum aperture means I am shooting at 1600 to 3200 ISO.  The guys next to me with their Canon 400mm f2.8s are shooting at the same shutter speed but are at 400 to 800 ISO for the same shutter speed.  

'Well the XF100-400mm has a 5 stop Optical Image Stabiliser' I hear some of you saying.  OIS is great for keeping things steady at slower shutter speeds but it does nothing for freezing a fast moving object.  For that you need a fast shutter speed and if your aperture is small then the ISO has to go up to compensate.  That's just the way it is!  The X-T2 handles high ISO noise very well but it is still no substitute for a faster aperture. 

Scottish Winger Tommy Seymour and Welsh Full Back Leigh Halfpenny jump for the ball
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1000mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

The other advantage of a fast f2.8 aperture is the subject to background separation. With a f5.6 aperture on a crop sensor the background is not going to be as out of focus as an f2.8 on a full frame sensor.  Once again that's the laws of physics and that's something we all have to accept.  

When shooting very close to your subject with the 100-400mm, less than 5 metres away, the background does look very nice - see the shot below taken during the anthems at the start of the match - but shoot further away during the game and the background is not separated as much.

Richie Gray singing the Scottish National Anthem 'Flower of Scotland' before the game
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

This week Fujifilm added a fast telephoto prime lens to the 2017/18 roadmap and for me, and many other sports / wildlife photographers, this lens cannot come quickly enough.  We have the camera, we just need this lens to close the gap currently held by the Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

What about the XF50-140mm f2.8?  Well this lens is not long enough for international rugby.  I did shoot with this lens fitted with a 1.4x converter on a second X-T2 on Saturday but this makes the lens a 300mm f4 equivalent and is only useful when the action comes inside the 22 metre line at Murrayfield. 

One solution is to use the camera and 100-400mm like you would at a race circuit, using a slower shutter speed and panning the camera.  With the shutter speed set to 1/125th second I was able to drop the ISO back to around 400 but the hit rate of usable images also dropped sharply.  Unlike a race car, which moves in a predictable direction, rugby players move erratically and this didn't make it easy for shooting.  When it did work, the effect was quite dramatic, as illustrated below, but for every shot like this twenty were deleted.

A SLOW SHUTTER SPEED PAN SHOT - Scotland's Full Back Stuart Hogg runs through
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/125mm @ f5.6 ISO640 (zoom 400mm)

As I have said many times before on this blog, the X-T2 autofocus system is excellent.  I can follow the action while shooting at 11fps and it doesn't get confused when a player or the referee runs between me and the subject. The EVF is also a huge plus point because I see the exposure before I press the shutter release and can adjust it accordingly.

So we have the camera, we just need the faster lens.  In the meantime I will continue to shoot different sports with XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6, including stadium sports, but with the knowledge that Fujifilm have a solution on the horizon that should make a huge difference.

Back to Saturday's game and a brilliant game of rugby finished with Scotland beating Wales for the first time in 10 years with a 29-13 margin.  The next round of matches will take place on the 10th and 11th March with Scotland traveling to Twickenham on the 11th to take on the might of England for the Calcutta Cup showdown.

For more information on the 2017 RBS 6 Nations CLICK HERE and for more on Scottish Rugby CLICK HERE

Welsh Captain Alun Wyn Jones (right) leads his team in singing the Welsh National Anthem before the game
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1000mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

Scotland's Centre Huw Jones charges the Welsh line
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1250mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 335mm)

Scotland's Prop Forward Zander Fagerson charges through
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

fans celebrate the first  try of the match for Wales
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 320mm)

J K Rowling - literary royalty in the Royal Box at Murrayfield
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/500mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

Welsh Captain Alun Wyn Jones takes the ball in the line out for Wales
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

Scotland's Scrum Half Ali Price looks for an opening to pass the ball
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

A SLOW SHUTTER SPEED PAN SHOT - Scotland's Full Back Stuart Hogg runs through
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/125mm @ f5.6 ISO640 (zoom 400mm)

Welsh Full Back Leigh Halfpenny picks up the ball
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1000mm @ f5.6 ISO3200 (zoom 400mm)

Scotland's winger Finn Russell is crunched by two Welsh forwards
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

Scotland's winger Tommy Seymour scores the first Scottish try fending off the tackle by Scott Williams
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5 ISO2000 (zoom 155mm)

Scotland's Winger Tim Visser leaps for the ball against Wales' George North and Dan Biggar
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1000mm @ f5.6 ISO2500 (zoom 400mm)

Scotland's Fly Half Finn Russell converts a Scottish try
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1250mm @ f5.6 ISO3200 (zoom 270mm)

Scotland's winger Tim Visser runs in to score Scotland's second try
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/500mm @ f5.6 ISO2000 (zoom 400mm)

Welsh Winger Liam Williams is tackled by Scotland's winger Tommy Seymour
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO3200 (zoom 185mm)

Welsh Scrum Half Rhys Webb passes the ball
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/800mm @ f5.6 ISO3200 (zoom 400mm)

Ali Price, Huw Jones and Alex Dunbar take the applause from the crowd at the end of the match
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/200mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 400mm)

Ryan Wilson acknowledges the crowd on the lap of honour at the end of the match
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/200mm @ f5.6 ISO1600 (zoom 180mm)

One of the Scottish super fans
Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/640mm @ f5 ISO5000 (zoom 160mm)

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Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016.  You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE

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