‘‘When you can’t find it on the market you can only build it yourself ’.

This is the summary of the evolution of this camera – one should say film making eco system by now. Without a doubt, the Cine X One (featuring the FUJIFILM X-H2s in its core) is one of the most capable hybrid cameras on the market these days. Especially on the video-side of things. Feel free to jump back to Chapter 2. The only downside in an actual production or on a film set was the rigging of the camera and mounting of all the various accessories like different types side handles, microphones and audio recording systems, (follow-) focus systems etc. Maybe even my Number 1 headache factor was the (missing) robustness of the rig itself. Cine lenses are quickly large and heavy. The X-mount of the FUJIFILM cameras is designed for APS-C photo lenses that are rarely heavier than 1kg. All longer Tele-Photo lenses come with a lens support bracket which makes it easy and safe to mount the combo on a tripod or to hold the camera-lens combo at the lens and not the camera itself.

PL-mount cine optics can easily weigh two to four kg or more. The first design consideration was therefore to free the camera (mount) from any mechanical stress by connecting both the camera in its cage and the PL-mount adapter to a solid base plate. Three screws provide a strong connection (one for the DZOfilm Octopus Adapter and two for the cage to bottom plate connection). The top plate is also attached to the cage with two screws. A dedicated rear end panel with integrated V-mount plate as well as two side panels close ‘the box’. All around there are 1/4-20” and 3/8-16” threaded holes, offering endless possibilities when it comes to different rig-builds. The flip-out LCD-screen of the camera is nicely sitting in its dedicated opening in the left side panel, protecting it and allowing fast and easy control of all camera settings during shooting. Side note: Especially in this configuration the touchscreen functionality comes in very handy.

So, let’s have a closer look at the Pro edition - Bringing together a FUJIFILM X-H2(s) and the Cine Expansion Kit: The Cine X One Pro .

The main idea was to build a cine expansion kit, resulting in a film making / cine camera that would be familiar to camera assistants and cinematographers right away. High end productions require additional accessories like monitors, FIZ motors, wireless video transmitters, audio recorders etc. The Cine Expansion Kit has power distribution to energize everything, and the ability to use run/stop functionality, which is a must for any serious film maker. Every single inch of the housing is made from solid metal panels, allowing for countless mounting options.

Various setups for different filming scenarios will be presented here from now on. All components used in this build are listed down at the end of this article. Due to the exact same size of both the FUJIFILM X-H2 and X-H2s , the user can choose between two different ‘sensors for their cine camera’ by simply choosing one or the other camera to be installed. Higher resolution (8k in the X-H2) or 6,2k Open Gate, stacked sensor and 120p in 4k (with the X-H2s). That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?