Fuji X-H2

[iiiNelson]

Mine has a serial number starting with 98, so I'm really worried

I was a Leica shooter for some time so I know all about front focusing

Here are some example which I think show no evidence of front focusing.

The first was taken with the 8-16/2.8 which so far has completely exceeded my expectations. Just goes to show you shouldn't read/watch reviews. Even though I was clearly taking a photograph this young lady decided she had to stand right in front of my lens so I moved the focus point and snapped her, instead. 8mm iso200 f8 1/80

This is a 100% crop. Looks sharp to me and no sign of front focusing. Shot at f8 which is my usual working aperture (that or f5.6).

I also bought the 80/2.8 to take architectural detail shots (and also because I like macro lenses). This is one of the war memorials (there are several) in Victoria station. 80mm iso200 f8 1/60

This is a 100% crop, again if there is front focusing it is not showing up with the lens stopped down (f8)

Front focusing is most evident when the lens is wide open, as you know. Even so, with a maximum aperture of f2.8 on these lenses (I also have the 16-55/2.8, 10-24/4, 18-55/2.8-4 and the 55-200/3.5-4.8) it may not manifest itself. If I ever get something like the 16/1.4 or 23/1.4 (more likely) then I might notice it wide open.

LouisB

Well it’s a “problem” with the internet in becoming more informed consumers and the search for “perfection” in that we are trained to look for the flaws in a product because we don’t want the equipment to be the weak part of the image making chain. Paired with that the financial investment involved in buying into any system.

I somewhat feel bad for mentioning my issues which prevented me from buying the camera 15 months ago (give or take). In this case I’d say the images look perfectly fine and sometimes a camera will just miss focus on a subject. In your case, ignorance is/was bliss but it’s also why I say they likely ironed out the cause of the production issues. Enjoy your camera and worry about issues if/when they arise for you.

 

[biglouis]

Well it’s a “problem” with the internet in becoming more informed consumers and the search for “perfection” in that we are trained to look for the flaws in a product because we don’t want the equipment to be the weak part of the image making chain. Paired with that the financial investment involved in buying into any system.

I somewhat feel bad for mentioning my issues which prevented me from buying the camera 15 months ago (give or take). In this case I’d say the images look perfectly fine and sometimes a camera will just miss focus on a subject. In your case, ignorance is/was bliss but it’s also why I say they likely ironed out the cause of the production issues. Enjoy your camera and worry about issues if/when they arise for you.

No problem. While I do watch one or two internet pundits discuss the equipment I own I prefer to make up my own mind. I have returned stuff which after buying turns out to be flawed but so far I can't find fault with the X-H1. Fujifilm also give a 2-year warranty if you register your product here in the UK which is comforting.

LouisB

 

[iiiNelson]

No problem. While I do watch one or two internet pundits discuss the equipment I own I prefer to make up my own mind. I have returned stuff which after buying turns out to be flawed but so far I can't find fault with the X-H1. Fujifilm also give a 2-year warranty if you register your product here in the UK which is comforting.

LouisB

Yeah if I didn’t read about so many bodies having the issues they had AND seeing a brand new camera literally brick right in front of me I wouldn’t have been so wary myself.

 

[Sapphie]

Louis

Actually my latest body's serial number began with '82', which I assume is a 2nd quarter 2018 model, so not sure what my other number was.

Anyway, my issue is severe front-focusing - totally out of focus - so if it's not an issue for you then great. 3 bodies for me though and there is a thread on DPR regarding the same for other people.

Anyways, my XT-3 is superb!

Best wishes
Lee

 

[biglouis]

Louis

Actually my latest body's serial number began with '82', which I assume is a 2nd quarter 2018 model, so not sure what my other number was.

Anyway, my issue is severe front-focusing - totally out of focus - so if it's not an issue for you then great. 3 bodies for me though and there is a thread on DPR regarding the same for other people.

Anyways, my XT-3 is superb!

Best wishes
Lee

Likewise. The X-T3 is a great camera. If/when they create an X-H1 with the X-T3 innards you'd have the best of both world. great ergonomics and great AF.

According to Fuji Rumours that isn't likely to ever happen, so who knows?

LouisB

 

[fotoism]

Is this in any way an indication of an up-coming X-H2 (or an improved version of X-H1 over its existing kinks)? Just curious.

https://www.fujirumors.com/fujifilm...if-bundled-with-lens-best-seller-at-amazonus/

Mods: Please remove if link is inappropriate.

 

[jsf]

I now have 3 Fujis. An XT1, an XT2 and the XH1. When the XH2 comes out I have already made the decision to purchase it. I am starting to sell some of my Nikon gear, choosing to use the d800e in the studio and upon occasion outside. I am transitioning from the Nikon because outside the studio the Fuji is just that good.
I make 16x20's and 20x30 inch exhibition prints.Up-rezzing the Fuji to a 20x20 is an pleasurable experience.The Nikon has more information but the Fuji appears sharper.
The XH1 not only has really good ergonomics but I have found that by keeping the shutter speed at least1/1000th of a second for long lenses and around 1/400th-1/1000th of a second for short lenses the IBIS is so good that it is as good as a sturdy tripod. What the Fuji software appears to do in raw is tweak the edge definition. The lenses are as good as any of my Nikon pro lenses.
To say that this is a photographer's camera is just a bit weak in my opinion. It is seriously the best designed camera I have ever had and I have been a serious photographer for 60 years.
My particular favorite lens combinations with the XH 1 is the 14mm and especially the 27mm lenses. But my go to lens is the 55-200mm lens. I doubt that I could be more enthusiastic about a camera than I am about this one.
In my life I have not particularly been enthusiastic over a camera, it was after all a tool that I could make money with and as long as it did the job I was indifferent if I liked the camera or not. I have been a long time Nikon user and when I went digital 10 years ago I bought a d700 and used my old manual focus lenses on it.
My money making cameras were either large format or medium format and I can't say I ever liked any of them as such. They did the job, I have good lenses and my clients were satisfied.
The XH1 is a different beast however. I do few jobs anymore. I do show a lot however. My show next month will be my 102nd exhibition. I recently went abroad for a month and really wrung the Fuji out. What I have found is that I can nail just about every exposure with the camera with little effort. The images are with very few exceptions focused right where I want them to be. Camera shake is non existent with almost no exceptions. I took 7000 exposures and only 2 were blown exposures, and one the focus wandered out of 7000 images, I can live with that easily.

 

[neilss]

I know it may seem crazy what with the new releases coming out and the XT-3 out there but I just bought an XH-1 with grip. At that price how can you not. I've had an XPro-2 for a year and now have the three 'crons. I've been using and still do full size FF Nikon "D" cameras since the mid 2000's. Xh with grip doesn't put me off at all. Comparing the AF and Hi ISO vs a Nikon D4S I've done. Nikon wins but i love the Pro and now the XH. Different cameras.

I've had the XH a couple of days and I really like using it and the shortcomings of the Pro are now apparent to me. I had no other EVF camera to compare it to. The XH EVF is excellent as you know. You can honestly accurately manual focus the XH. The Pro was my first EVF other than trying etc Nikon Z finders which are superb. Flipping screen!!! Love that. A real AF ON button. YAY!

I bought the Pro as a former user of M rangefinders for decades. Turns out I use the EVF 95% of the time so the OVF rarely gets used. Since the Nikon is still the main system I'm strongly considering selling the Pro and keeping the XH. Of course then I may want a Pro3.

Can an XH owner chime in on XT-3 AF vs XH performance? I understand the even the newest and latest may not match a FF DSLR but I wouldn't mind being closer and my only only doubt about the XH vs an XT-3 isn't the 26 vs 24 sensor but AF. I am SO spoiled by the Nikon

Thanks for all the Fuji knowledge.

Neil

 

[bensonga]

Like Louis, a few days ago I took advantage of the great deal Fuji has been offering on a X-H1 with the booster grip and 3 batteries ($999 here in the US). I hope they are also offering to extend the warranty an extra year in the US.

I really prefer the size and ergonomics of the X-H1 over my XT-3. I haven’t noticed any focus problems yet.

I just checked the firmware version on my camera and it is the latest v2.0. Has anyone here with a X-H1 upgraded to 2.0 and noticed any improvements? My serial number starts with “93”, so perhaps that is the 3rd quarter of 2019.

I certainly hope Fuji continues the XH line with a second generation model incorporating enhancements from the X-T3. It is nice to have the IBIS of the X-H1 when shooting with the non-OIS Fuji lenses, such as the wonderful 90mm f2.

Gary

 

[iiiNelson]

I too hope Fuji continues with the XH line but I fear that the commercial lack of success may hurt its future. Many reviewers were harsh on the larger body, Fuji probably needed a bit more time to work all of the bugs out with the software, the IBIS, and the technical manufacturing issues that they had... then the Sony A7III launch a few weeks after the XH1 and that literally killed a lot of the interest in all non-full frame cameras as people literally couldn’t believe Sony would offer so much in their “entry level” body.

Frankly the A7III was probably the most important and most influential camera of this decade (though I could also make a legitimate case for the A9 from a technical perspective or the GH5 for people that primarily shoot video) similar to the Canon 5DmkII.

 

[ptomsu]

I too hope Fuji continues with the XH line but I fear that the commercial lack of success may hurt its future. Many reviewers were harsh on the larger body, Fuji probably needed a bit more time to work all of the bugs out with the software, the IBIS, and the technical manufacturing issues that they had... then the Sony A7III launch a few weeks after the XH1 and that literally killed a lot of the interest in all non-full frame cameras as people literally couldn’t believe Sony would offer so much in their “entry level” body.

Frankly the A7III was probably the most important and most influential camera of this decade (though I could also make a legitimate case for the A9 from a technical perspective or the GH5 for people that primarily shoot video) similar to the Canon 5DmkII.

I hear you and in my ranking the influential cameras would be

1) A9
2) X-H1
3) A73 (if it had a higher resolution EVF than it would be place 2)
4) Olympus Em1.2
5) GH5
6) Canon 5D2

I hope for N X-H2 - I REALLY DO!

 

[iiiNelson]

I hear you and in my ranking the influential cameras would be

1) A9
2) X-H1
3) A73 (if it had a higher resolution EVF than it would be place 2)
4) Olympus Em1.2
5) GH5
6) Canon 5D2

I hope for N X-H2 - I REALLY DO!

My ranking weren’t based on what o thought was “the best” camera but their individual impact on the market for what they were. The price yo performance that the A7III has was my reasoning for calling it one of the most influential cameras ever. The price was low enough that people could actually consider attaining one. I’m not as sensitive to EVF’s as some people are in that I don’t find that any of them in the last few years have got in the way of my real world shooting so I don’t have any strong complaints on that front though I acknowledge there are better units in other cameras. I just find myself no seeing as big of a difference in the EVF’s that people fish over. Are they better technically? Yes, will any of them change my life? Absolutely not. I’m not against better EVF’s but again I’m not as sensitive to them as many appear to be. I also think the A9 made some real huge strides in camera development... but it’s price puts it in a place where the average person won’t bother even handling it because they know they can’t afford it.

I could argue the A7RII as well because I think it was the first FF Mirrorless Camera with minimal compromises for most DSLR shooters. The AF was equal to or better than MOST DSLR’s. The resolution was there. The only real shortcomings were the single card slot (if that matters to you... I know some people decided they no longer mattered after Canon/Nikon introduces cameras with single slots) and shorter battery life (again if this matters to you).

 

[Lictor]

I know it may seem crazy what with the new releases coming out and the XT-3 out there but I just bought an XH-1 with grip. At that price how can you not. I've had an XPro-2 for a year and now have the three 'crons. I've been using and still do full size FF Nikon "D" cameras since the mid 2000's. Xh with grip doesn't put me off at all. Comparing the AF and Hi ISO vs a Nikon D4S I've done. Nikon wins but i love the Pro and now the XH. Different cameras.

I've had the XH a couple of days and I really like using it and the shortcomings of the Pro are now apparent to me. I had no other EVF camera to compare it to. The XH EVF is excellent as you know. You can honestly accurately manual focus the XH. The Pro was my first EVF other than trying etc Nikon Z finders which are superb. Flipping screen!!! Love that. A real AF ON button. YAY!

Neil

Hi, since I'm thinking about grabing that X-H1, and I've been a long time Nikon user, can you share how would you compare the Z EVF and X-H1?

I have nowhere to try X-H1 (just X-T2 from a colleague), but I've tried a Z6 and it was really life-like unlike previous EVFs that I've tried.

 

[neilss]

Hmmm, compare the Nikon Z finder to the X-H1. Well I'd have to get my friend over with his Z7. The Z6 was a rental. The day we did a Z7/6, D4S, Fuji shoot out I had the X-Pro2, not the X-H1. The X-H1 is by far the better Fuji EVF and the same as the X-T3 and almost the same as a new X-Pro3. I know the XH is @3.7 dots in the EVF, I'd have to look up the Nikon but the Nikon finder is very very good.

I know that doesn't help. My guess is the Nikon is 'BETTER"

NEIL

 

[neilss]

Oooops, I guessed wrong. They are both listed at 3.69 million dots. So on that level anyway they are the same

Neil