For the last performance of Into The Woods, I shot with my Fuji X-E2. I was shooting with the electronic shutter mode, so it was utterly silent. I also learned from earlier tests that I needed to shoot below 1/100 with this stage lighting to avoid blurring the image.

The spotlight is tricky lighting, but I could tweak the image before I shot it. I was seeing the results I would be getting and in theater the lighting changes so much that this is a blessing to shoot with the mirrorless Fuji X-E2.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/4.2, 1/100

I dialed in the best white balance using the Kelvin settings. I knew from a past custom white balance that the Kelvin was around 2900º K, so I just set the camera to it.

I had confirmation because I could see the results before shooting in the viewfinder.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

Silence Your Phones & No Texting

During theater productions, texting will light up your face to everyone around you. So to avoid this problem with the camera’s LCD, I turned that off, just used the EVF, and had it set only to work when my eye was at the viewfinder.

Since I had done the latest firmware upgrade for the Fuji X-E2, I now had the electronic shutter, which allowed for to shoot in total silence.

I also put a small piece of gaffer tape over the light showing the files written on the SD card.

I wanted to not draw any attention to me shooting the performance.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

I am convinced that I can shoot this setup in any theater and also due to fully silent use this on movie sets in the future. So there is no need to use a Blimp to put your DSLR in to remain silent.

The Fuji X-E2 is my go-to camera for live theater.