You miss 50% or more of your shots because you aren't familiar with your camera.

Learning the right techniques goes beyond just understanding how to adjust the Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO. While these are the basics, they won't make you efficient and responsive in real-world shooting situations.

In this article, I want to share my personal guide on setting up your Fujifilm camera (but the general principles work for any camera manufacturer), for greater confidence and ease when shooting outdoors.

No more wasting time staring at the camera display, trying to find hidden functions.

Instead, you'll be able to work quickly and get more successful shots while having fun.

Having led numerous landscape photography workshops, I've noticed a common issue among participants: they often struggle and miss great shots because they lack a deep understanding of their camera's capabilities.

more confidence with the camera
quick access to settings
improve the muscle memory
less time wasted and more successful shots
more enjoyable photographic experience

In the following sections, I'll guide you through the process of configuring my Fujifilm X-T4 photography settings for landscape photography.

I'll not only explain the 'what' and 'how,' but also the 'why' behind selecting specific function layouts to achieve super-efficiency in mastering the camera.

Except for a few differences based on the camera layout, most of my settings are the same for other X-Series camera bodies.

Since I use my Fuji X-T4 for both stills and video, the buttons and dials are arranged in a very personalized manner.

However, it's essential to remember that our goal is to grasp the underlying principles that apply to any camera you have. With that in mind, what I do might not perfectly suit your needs, so feel free to take what is most relevant for you.

Main Dials and Shutter Button Configuration

Let’s start by going through all the dials and buttons:

On the top of the camera, the ISO dial is always set to 'C' so I can adjust the sensitivity directly with the front command dial. Under the wrench icon, go to Button/Dial Setting → Command Dial Setting → and you'll find that the default settings are already correctly configured.
The Shutter Dial is set to ‘T’ so I’m able to change the shutter speed super easily with the Rear command dial.
To change the aperture I much prefer to use the Aperture ring of the lens, it’s very convenient, especially in cold weather when I wear gloves.
As for the Drive dial, I primarily use three settings: the 'S' setting for single shots, the 'CL' when I need to capture a sequence of shots—for instance, to have more options when there are moving elements in the frame (like waves, branches moving in the wind, etc.). The 'CH' mode is too fast for my needs, and I'm very mindful of the number of shots I take; I want to spend as little time as possible in Lightroom during the selection process.
Exposure Compensation Dial, if I use the Aperture or Shutter priority mode (not very often).
The Shutter Button, I've left it at the default settings, so when I halfway press it, the focus is locked, and when I fully press it, the camera takes the shot. I don't like to decouple the focus and the shutter
AE-L Button is completely remapped to control the Internal/External Mic Level when I record videos
AF-ON Button, to select the Full HD High-Speed Recording when I’m in Movie mode, for slo-mo footage capture.
R-Dial - Focus Check, it’s set up for the magnification. The magnifier tool helps check whether or not the current focus is spot-on. Simply press the rear command dial (either in AF-S/Single Point AF or in MF mode) to magnify everything that is covered by the active focus frame.
You can change the magnification level by turning the rear command dial.
By selecting AF/MF SETTING > FOCUS CHECK > ON, the magnifier tool is automatically activated when you turn the manual focus ring of a lens in MF mode. You can immediately cancel any automatic focus check by half-pressing the shutter button.
Q Button, I just keep it as Q menu by default

Function Buttons Configuration

Okay, now I'm going to show you how I customized each function custom button. There are two ways to access the customization. The first way is by navigating the main menu:

Set Up → Button/Dial Setting → Function (Fn) Setting → and here you have the list of all the buttons customizable. Or a handy shortcut to access the same menu is by holding down the DISP/BACK button for a couple of seconds

As I said, since I use the X-T4 both for stills and videos, I arranged everything accordingly.

Fn1 - on the top of the X-T4 I set that to F-Log View Assist, a newly added function that makes shooting F-Log easier. Video is converted equivalent to BT.709 for the display to make it easier to get the correct exposure in video recording.
Fn2 - Drive Setting to adjust all the settings when you’re in the BKT mode, it provides easy access to the number of frames I want to capture as well as the step for the exposure. Usually, I’ll keep it at 2 stops, and a number of frames of 3. For critical dynamic range scenes, I’ll bring the setting up to 5 or 7 exposures.
- Continuous sequence (so the camera takes care of capturing the entire bracketing sequence)
Sequence setting, I prefer to start the sequence from the darkest to the brightest exposure. With the standard setting and a larger number of frames than 3, the thumbnail strip in Lightroom tends to become messy.
Fn3 - IS Mode Boost, this one is to activate or deactivate the IS Boost when I’m recording videos, that’s designed for handheld shooting without panning or tilting.
Fn4 - Zebra Setting, a super useful exposure warning tool that helps to check the overexposed areas in the frame or you can set it to check skin tones.
Fn5 - White Balance, even though I’m used to set that on Daylight, with videos I want to have quick access to set a custom white balance with the grey card before I start filming.
Fn6 - Self-Timer of 2 seconds. I used to use the remote shutter release but it’s quite helpful to have the self-timer directly to the D-Pad.

On the Touch Screen I have some swipe functions:

T-Fn1 (swipe up) - Face Detection On/Off, for videos and stills for environmental portraits
T-Fn2 (swipe left) - Electronic Level
T-Fn3 (swipe right) - AF Range Limit, which is a wonderful function to limit the range where the camera focuses, improving the focusing speed and reducing dramatically the chances to miss the focus.
T-Fn4 (swipe down) - IS Mode, to switch easily between the IS Shooting Only-mode and IS Continuous-mode.

Just by remapping your camera buttons and dials, your speed will dramatically increase. Each gesture has to be consistent and repeatable. I can’t emphasize enough how important is to improve and practice the muscle memory of your hands to speed up the capture process and get more successful shots.

You need to hone your mechanical memory!

Menu and Internal Settings

So, that's it for the buttons and dials. Now, let's move on to the menu. I'll walk you through the main Fuji XT4 internal settings that I consider to be essential.

Image quality: I always use the RAW format
RAW Recording: Lossless, which means “compressed file”

there’s no substantial difference in image quality compared with the uncompressed version, and you can save a lot of your hard drive memory space.

Film Simulation: It doesn't affect RAW photos, and I use the Pro Neg. Standard film simulation with customized settings to achieve a flatter image representation on the display. I generally set the Shadows and Highlights parameters to -2.

White Balance: I always use “Daylight” as a white balance setting

Since I always shoot in RAW format, I can adjust the temperature whenever I want. However, I prefer to maintain a consistent color sequence throughout the entire shooting, especially during sunrise and sunset sessions. Using the Auto white balance can be tricky in capturing the gradual changes and variations in global colors.

Dynamic Range: DR100

It’s just for JPEG photographers, the DR function is a genuine plus. The camera manages the dynamic compression and decompression of the data acquired by itself.
For RAW shooters, don’t mind. Leave it at the default setting DR100, without any alteration of the jpeg preview on the display. You have the opportunity to tackle the task yourself and manage the editing based on your specific preferences.

Long Exposure NR: I usually keep it turned OFF

For long exposures, the camera will take two photos: one of the actual scene and another with the shutter curtain closed, which is simply a 'dark frame.' Bear in mind that if you expose a shot for 3 minutes, you'll have to wait double the time, which means a total of 6 minutes, before you can review the image and start using your camera again for the next shot.

Color Space: AdobeRGB

Doesn’t affect RAW photos, but is a bit more accurate for histograms than sRGB.

Mount Adaptor Setting: 24mm or 35mm

I don’t use this function for my landscape photography, but for travel or portrait photography I do love to use vintage lenses that require a specific converter to be used with the Fuji cameras.

AF Mode:

I always prefer to use the Single Point mode as it provides me with the finest control for focusing in most cases.

Number of Focus points: 425 since it gives me the most control.
PRE-AF: OFF

With Pre-AF set to ON, the camera will always focus on whatever is covered by the active AF frame, even when the shutter button is not half-depressed.
Pre-AF burns plenty of power because the autofocus in the lens is always working. On the other hand, using it can potentially result in a quicker AF response. If you shoot a lot of action, Pre-AF may be helpful—but don’t forget to pack a few extra batteries. Normally, I set this option (AF/MF SETTING > PRE-AF) to OFF.

MF Assistant: PEAK (Red High)

Active when you’re in manual focus, the Focus Peak Highlight emphasizes the edges of objects when they are in focus. This is a very useful function to be very precise in focusing.

DEPTH-OF-FIELD Scale: Pixel

We should have a longer conversation about that, but for now, what we're interested in is to set it on PIXEL BASIS, which helps you assess the depth of field for pictures that will be viewed at high resolutions on computers or other electronic displays.

Touch Screen Mode: OFF

I don’t like to use the touch screen in the field, except for the basic gestures I discussed before.

Interval Timer Shooting:

For taking time-lapses. It lets you select the interval between shots and the total number of photos.

Photometry: MULTI

Which is the default metering mode, Matrix Metering or Evaluative Metering. It takes a series of readings in zones that cover the entire frame and then calculates the overall average exposure value. This is my favorite exposure metering mode.

IS Mode:

In SHOOTING SETTING > IS MODE, you can choose between two basic OIS modes:
OIS mode 1 (CONTINUOUS) is the default setting. It’s always stabilizing the image, even when you are just looking through the viewfinder before you press the shutter button.
OIS mode 2 (SHOOTING ONLY) only engages when you fully depress the shutter button to take an image.
I prefer to use the OIS in mode 2 (“shooting only”). Mode 1 is useful at very slow shutter speeds and when you are using very long focal lengths because the camera will also stabilize the live view image, making it easier to compose and focus a shot.
Make sure to turn off the OIS when you are working from a sturdy tripod or with shutter speeds that are slower than a second. You should also switch it off for panning shots.

User Setting:

My Menu Setting:

I like to create a custom menu where I can find some other handy functions
you can ADD, RANK, and REMOVE items

MY Menu:

I have some custom menu shortcuts, such as the intervalometer, drive setting, AF mode, and the preview exp/wb function, which needs to be deactivated when using off-camera flashes in low-light conditions or studio. Additionally, I use the Mount Adaptor Setting for manual focus lenses.

Sound Setup: I adjusted the volume levels of all my beeps...

AF BEE VOL.: 1
Self-Timer Beep Vol.: 0
Operating Vol.: OFF
Shutter Volume: 1
Shutter Sound: 1
Playback Volume: 10

Screen Set-Up:

EVF Brightness: +3

I prefer to have a fixed luminosity level for the EVF

LCD Brightness: +2 (so, I set a fixed value to avoid any fluctuations that I would have with the AUTO setting, which works in tandem with the ambient light intensity.)

Image Disp.: OFF

that chooses how long images are displayed after shooting, and I keep it OFF

Framing Guideline: HD

Framing guides are not shown at default settings but can be displayed using SCREEN SET-UP > DISP. CUSTOM SETTING
I prefer to use the HD Frame Option, this is good to visualize how much I will lose by cropping my image to 16:9. It is super handy for time-lapses and of course to shoot videos.

Autorotate PB: OFF

Choose ON to automatically rotate “tall” (portrait-orientation) pictures during playback.

Focus Scale Units: m

Choose the units used for the focus distance indicator.

Dual Display Setting:

Choose the content of the two windows in the dual display. I have to press the DISP/BACK button multiple times to go to the specific live view.
The right (small) window shows the entire frame, while the left (large) window shows a close-up of the focus area. It works only in MF mode.

Display Custom Setting:

Here you can select the elements you want to be displayed on the EVF and LCD, like the electronic level, histogram, highlight alert, and many others. Here you can see how my display looks in terms of display settings.

Power Management:

Auto Power Off: 5 min
Performance: Normal
EVF/LCD Boost Setting: fps

at the default setting

Save Data Setting:

Frame Number: Cont.
Save Org Image: Choose ON to save unprocessed copies of pictures taken using RED EYE REMOVAL. I don’t use it.
Edit File Name: to set up your custom file naming
Card Slot Setting: Sequential, Backup o Raw/Jpeg

I use the Backup setting. It’s very convenient to have an additional backup of the shots.

Select Folder: you can create/select different folders where to save your captures.
Copyright Info: where to put your info

Connection Setting: (it’s awful) I don't use the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection since the app, even after the most recent update, is still not very reliable.

Conclusion

Once you have your camera settings customized to your liking, try to memorize them by simulating actual use, creating a sort of mechanical memory. Repeat the same gestures and patterns for a certain amount of time, as they will stick in your mind and become natural and instinctive.

Think like a musician. Practice and rehearsal for musicians help build confidence and develop a strong relationship with their instruments. Practicing is not the actual performance.

So, practice, practice again, and repeat until you feel confident. Only then you'll be ready for the stage!

Your thoughts…?

I'm really interested in hearing about your experience. Do you tend to customize your camera settings, or are you generally okay with using the default configuration?

Let me know in the comments!

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Best Fujifilm Camera Settings for Landscape Photography