Bypass Fujifilm X-T4’s 30-minute recording limit for $150

The Fujifilm X-T4 is a popular mirrorless camera that has won the hearts of many photographers and videographers. However, one of the limitations of this camera is its 30-minute recording limit. This restriction can be frustrating for content creators who need to record longer videos, such as interviews, events, or documentaries. Fortunately, there are ways to bypass this limit and unlock the full potential of the Fujifilm X-T4. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the methods you can use to overcome the 30-minute recording limit and capture high-quality footage without any interruptions. Whether you’re a professional filmmaker or a hobbyist videographer, these tips will help you get the most out of your Fujifilm X-T4 and create stunning videos that leave a lasting impression. So, let’s dive in!

The most notable, yet pricey method to bypassing this limit is with an Atomos Ninja-V. ($499 USD)

This is an external monitor that doubles as an external recorder, which allows you to record directly on the monitor rather than to your SD card in the X-T4. If you have the money to spend, this is a great accessory and by far the easiest way to bypass the recording limit set by Fujifilm.

Now, I’m just a hobbyist that doesn’t want to spend $499 on unlocking a recording limit, so I set forth looking for alternative methods to bypass it. As I kept thinking, I realized that the way the Atomos Ninja V works is by simply recording the HDMI output video from the camera. Why couldn’t we just do this same procedure, but with a much less expensive device?

In comes the Radxa Rock 5 Model B. For $150, you get a single board computer that runs a Rockchip RK3588 processor, with support for PCIe 3.0 x4. What makes this board so special? Well, it comes with an HDMI Input, which means we can send video feed into the single board computer, and capture the output from there. I managed to snag one of these SBCs when they were on preorder for $50 off, but these boards are now released and the deal no longer exists.

To make things simple, if you’ve got your hands on a Rock 5 Model B, you’ll also need a microHDMI to microHDMI Cable, or microHDMI to HDMI (female) + HDMI (male) to microHDMI. This is because both the X-T4’s output and the Rock 5B’s input are microHDMI.

You will also need an NVMe drive, which can be picked up for fairly cheap. I have a Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB NVMe drive that I will be using.

To set up your Rock 5B, you will need to first flash the bootloader to ensure you can boot off NVMe. Or if you’re savvy enough, you can just run the OS off a microSD card and partition an NVMe drive afterward. You can also simply run the OS and record everything to a microSD card, but I don’t recommend it.

Once you’ve flashed the bootloader, follow this guide to install Debian to your NVMe drive. Pop the NVMe drive into the back of the Rock 5B, and boot it up.

Once you’re in the operating system, you first want to make sure everything is up to date $ sudo apt update -y and $ sudo apt upgrade -y. Next, plug in one end of the microHDMI cable to the input on the Rock 5B, and the other end to the output on the Fujifilm X-T4.

On your X-T4, you need to turn on the camera, head into video mode, and change a couple of settings. First, change 4K MOVIE OUTPUT to output 4K over HDMI ONLY! Do NOT set this to record to the SD card at all, otherwise, the 30-minute limit cannot be bypassed. Once set, head over to 4K HDMI STANDBY QUALITY and make sure that’s set to 4K. Lastly, head to Power management -> Auto Power OFF -> OFF. This is to ensure the camera doesn’t shut off while recording.

Now you’re ready to begin recording! On the Rock 5B, open up the terminal (or SSH), and paste the following command,

gst-launch-1.0 -e v4l2src device=/dev/video0 ! 'video/x-raw,format=NV16,width=3840,height=2160' ! tee name=t t. ! mpph265enc ! h265parse ! matroskamux name=mux ! filesink location="xt4_$(date +"%Y%m%d_%H%M%S").mkv" sync=false alsasrc device=hw:4,0 ! audio/x-raw,channels=2 ! audioconvert ! opusenc ! mux. t. ! queue leaky=1

This will immediately begin recording into the Rock 5B. At any time you want to stop the recording, just hit ctrl + c. The file will then be saved into your local directory, beginning with “xt4-”. You can then transfer the file out of the Rock 5B into your ingest station.

Lots of improvements are to be made. Now, you might’ve noticed that there are some issues with this method. The first is the lack of mobility, as your power source for the Rock 5B requires you to be tethered. Now, this is a pretty big issue, as you can’t move the camera around further than what your cable length permits you. An easy way to bypass this is to install a battery into the Rock 5B, but I’ve not been given a chance to test this.

Another issue with this method is transferring files off the Rock 5B. This could be quite tedious, but you can set up some sort of network share that lets you grab the files of the Rock 5B at any time.

The last issue is quite obvious, the ease of use (or lack thereof). Nothing about this is easy, and I’m sure most people who are reading this that aren’t quite tech-savvy, have already left. You need to either have the Rock 5B hooked up to a keyboard and monitor, or run an SSH service off of it. Not convenient at all. One way to mitigate this particular problem is by creating a GUI app, along with a cheap Aliexpress LCD that allows you to just click a button to start recording. Slap all of that into a 3D-printed enclosure, and you’ve got yourself a nice little external recorder. But the initial setup of it all is quite daunting. Setting up the Rock 5B to boot off NVMe is already a challenge for most. I haven’t really gotten further than I’ve explained in this article, but my goal is to eventually add an LCD and battery, and simplify the installation so that this solution is viable for most people.

With that said, for most people, the Atomos Ninja V is the easiest method. It’s pricey, but the convenience is there + you get an external monitor to use. As for me, I’ll stick to this hacky method, and hope to continue this project with better techniques that’ll streamline the entire process.

Anyways, I hope that this blog post was a good read. It was the first post I’ve written, and I hope that the information I shared is valuable and that people can further their projects with this newfound information.