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X-H2S

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I wonder why so far nobody is talking about this highly anticipated camera from Fujifilm that was introduced at the X Summit OMIYA 2022 yesterday.

IMO this is a VERY capable camera (system) now and absolutely on par with lot of other offerings - even FF.

 
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biglouis

Well-known member
Yeah, surprising lack of interest.

I'm interested. I may even put in a pre-order. I'm mainly only interested in it for wildlife/birding so I'd also get the new 150-600.

My ideal wildlife camera would probably be the EOS R3 plus the 100-500 but when you do all the math (a) 26px is more than enough, (b) the cropped reach of the 150-600 is only really comparable to something like the Oly 150-400 and that is a ridiculously priced optic which is as rare as hens teeth and (c) I'm so deep in the Fuji camp I don't think switching systems is viable and in fact the cost of the X-H2s+150-600 is about £2-3K cheaper than the R3+100-500. And I honestly think that at the end of the day the differences would be minimal in real world use. So, financially, sticking with Fuji makes senses (given the 10 other Fuji lenses I own).

Unlike nearly everyone else - thank goodness for a proper PASM dial - I can only tell you it has been a total pain working with the X-T3 and X-T4 for wildlife photography without one - so, yay for that. I do not need 40fps, in fact it irritates the heck out of me when reviewers bang on about it. 20, 30 or even 40fps of crap is still just crap. But I won't turn it down. It is not the main feature for me.

The main features are (a) bird detection AF if it works, (b) better handling and ergonomics, (c) stacked sensor. I don't do video so that is of no interest.

One thing that may surprise people, as an owner of the X-T3 and X-T4, I think I will trade in the X-T4 against the X-H2s. I've never really like the body. I admire the IBIS which is fantastic but the shooting experience is very 'meh'. Unlike the X-T3 which is such a great little camera body - with a very nice feel to it. I always preferred the X-H1 body to both of them, so I'll probably say bye bye to the X-T4 and have a good main camera and good backup (X-T3).

Likewise, if I get the 150-600 it will be goodbye to my 100-400 which is a good lens capable of good results but never a great or excellent lens. It definitely has a flawed OIS which seems to work backwards at high shutter speeds, e.g. introduces shake rather than reduces it.

So, all things being equal I will probably be an owner at some time in the future.

BTW, I may have to say goodbye to the XF200f2. It is a drop dead fantastic lens but I am getting too old to lug around with me and it is also too short in most situations. That said 100% crops are crystal clear and I may just find it too difficult to part with it. Since owning it I have hardly ever used my 50-140 which is a shame because the lens I own is a cracker. So, if I get rid of the XF200f2 I may go back to relying on the 50-140 which would not be a big change. And on top of that for portraits - which is often the realm of a tradition 70-200 type lens, the XF80/2.8 just cannot be beat, imho.

That's my two cents

LouisB
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
I’m definitely interested in it and need to see what the AF can do. I really enjoyed the Fuji X system and still think it has one of the best price/performance ratios out there….I used an X-E3 and 56 1.2 extensively in the first year after we had our first child but then he started running and the AF couldn’t keep up.

ive been using the Nikon Z9 and lenses lately, which has been great, but can be large and bulky….esp with the 50 1.2. Would love to pick up a smaller system at some point and this one could fit the bill. Excited about the 56 1.2 II as well.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Being an M43 user, this is not on my list, but I'm making an observation here:
This adds to a group of extremely good cameras with excellent photo features as well as very advanced video offering 20-something MP and with a price between $2,000 and 2,500. There's the Canon R6, the Nikon Z6 II, the Olympus OM-1, the Panasonic GH6 and now the Fuji X-H2S. One needs to have some rather advanced needs, like ultra high resolution and/or 8K video, to need to spend $3,000 more on a camera body. If I were starting out today, it would be more or less a toss-up between the cameras above. If I were forced to make a choice though, I do think that the X-H2S looks like the strongest alternative for an allround camera (and a Pro3 for street use).

It's a bit like back in the seventies, when everybody I knew had the OM-1, the Canon FTb or a Nikkormat (except for some weirdo down the road who used a Pentax). Luckily my G9 holds up well compared to any camera within my price range (except for the fact that I prefer the GX8 for most of what I do), so my interest in new cameras is at a very low level at the moment, but if all of my gear gets stolen...
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Yeah, surprising lack of interest.

I'm interested. I may even put in a pre-order. I'm mainly only interested in it for wildlife/birding so I'd also get the new 150-600.

My ideal wildlife camera would probably be the EOS R3 plus the 100-500 but when you do all the math (a) 26px is more than enough, (b) the cropped reach of the 150-600 is only really comparable to something like the Oly 150-400 and that is a ridiculously priced optic which is as rare as hens teeth and (c) I'm so deep in the Fuji camp I don't think switching systems is viable and in fact the cost of the X-H2s+150-600 is about £2-3K cheaper than the R3+100-500. And I honestly think that at the end of the day the differences would be minimal in real world use. So, financially, sticking with Fuji makes senses (given the 10 other Fuji lenses I own).

Unlike nearly everyone else - thank goodness for a proper PASM dial - I can only tell you it has been a total pain working with the X-T3 and X-T4 for wildlife photography without one - so, yay for that. I do not need 40fps, in fact it irritates the heck out of me when reviewers bang on about it. 20, 30 or even 40fps of crap is still just crap. But I won't turn it down. It is not the main feature for me.

The main features are (a) bird detection AF if it works, (b) better handling and ergonomics, (c) stacked sensor. I don't do video so that is of no interest.

One thing that may surprise people, as an owner of the X-T3 and X-T4, I think I will trade in the X-T4 against the X-H2s. I've never really like the body. I admire the IBIS which is fantastic but the shooting experience is very 'meh'. Unlike the X-T3 which is such a great little camera body - with a very nice feel to it. I always preferred the X-H1 body to both of them, so I'll probably say bye bye to the X-T4 and have a good main camera and good backup (X-T3).

Likewise, if I get the 150-600 it will be goodbye to my 100-400 which is a good lens capable of good results but never a great or excellent lens. It definitely has a flawed OIS which seems to work backwards at high shutter speeds, e.g. introduces shake rather than reduces it.

So, all things being equal I will probably be an owner at some time in the future.

BTW, I may have to say goodbye to the XF200f2. It is a drop dead fantastic lens but I am getting too old to lug around with me and it is also too short in most situations. That said 100% crops are crystal clear and I may just find it too difficult to part with it. Since owning it I have hardly ever used my 50-140 which is a shame because the lens I own is a cracker. So, if I get rid of the XF200f2 I may go back to relying on the 50-140 which would not be a big change. And on top of that for portraits - which is often the realm of a tradition 70-200 type lens, the XF80/2.8 just cannot be beat, imho.

That's my two cents

LouisB
Hi Louis,

I totally get where you are coming from!

I even think the X-H2S is superior to the FF R3 as this is "only" 24MP and from some tests I have seen the X-H2S seems to have an even better, more accurate and stickier AF - although this is already very much nitpicking. I always preferred the ergonomics of the X-H1 to those of the X-T series cameras, but seem to have been pretty alone with that amongst all the immersed Fuji users who mainly buy their Fujis because of nostalgia of dials. For me the speed would be pretty irrelevant, I could already live with what the X-T4 could offer, but today you obviously get all this in one package. I must say though I would have preferred a bit more resolution (say 30MP) just for cropping, but hey the X-H2 will solve that issue with ist 40MP non stacked sensor :)

I turns out that while m43 still guarantees the most compact systems, APSC systems are almost as compact AND offer better ways to increase resolution as we have seen in the last months.. The m43 sensor size seems to be a real obstacle when it comes to higher resolution. Well you always can argue there are high-res modes, but hey, for real time photography just forget them all, even the Olympus handheld high res mode of the new OM-1. When comparing to FF (say my Nikon Z7II) the FF systems get bigger and heavier very fast and although you get exceptional IQ you need this very seldom. I think more and more that Fuji APSC is the sweet spot today and this will even be more relevant with that new 40MP X-H2.

I like very much the general direction Fuji is taking with their X system, especially when looking at all the new lenses like the new 1.4 primes but also that wonderful 150-600 which shall sell for a price around €2200.- this is a bargain compared to that ridiculously expensive Olympus 150-400. A m43 system with similar reach would be the OM-1 with the 150-400 (around €9500.- in Europe) where the X-H2S combined with the 150-600 (around €4500.- in Europe) is less than half of that price and only a bit more expensive than the Nikkor Z 100-400 alone without any camera.

I also completely understand that you felt kind of trapped with that wonderful 2.0/200 - I had the same feelings with my 4/300 Pro Oly lens, which I almost never used because of lack of flexibility. For telephoto and wildlife I am definitely NOT a prime shooter I learned! And with the excellent high ISO capabilities of the modern cameras (sensors and processors) lighter and not so fast telephoto zooms like that 150-600 are absolutely no more a problem.

I am seriously considering to get back into Fuji when that X-H2 arrives together with the 150-600 and a few of these fast new primes. Could add a X-Pro4 later for street shooting with some of their really beautiful and small 2.0 primes and call it a day. In my age where I see more and more lust to minimise things as far as somehow possible this system brings a huge benefit and would make lots of sense for me.

But I still have some more months to decide, before that X-H2 and also the 150-600 really become available (I guess not before end of 2022) and meanwhile hopefully I can see if the X-H2S with the 150-600 meets your expectations.

Take care,

Peter
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Being an M43 user, this is not on my list, but I'm making an observation here:
This adds to a group of extremely good cameras with excellent photo features as well as very advanced video offering 20-something MP and with a price between $2,000 and 2,500. There's the Canon R6, the Nikon Z6 II, the Olympus OM-1, the Panasonic GH6 and now the Fuji X-H2S. One needs to have some rather advanced needs, like ultra high resolution and/or 8K video, to need to spend $3,000 more on a camera body. If I were starting out today, it would be more or less a toss-up between the cameras above. If I were forced to make a choice though, I do think that the X-H2S looks like the strongest alternative for an allround camera (and a Pro3 for street use).

It's a bit like back in the seventies, when everybody I knew had the OM-1, the Canon FTb or a Nikkormat (except for some weirdo down the road who used a Pentax). Luckily my G9 holds up well compared to any camera within my price range (except for the fact that I prefer the GX8 for most of what I do), so my interest in new cameras is at a very low level at the moment, but if all of my gear gets stolen...
Hi Jorgen,

fully agree - once you are in a system for the major part it is pretty hard to think of a change - same for me. I think that m43 became a very mature, flexible and generally "cheap" system with the exception of some exotic lenses like that Olympus 150-400 - which is a stellar lens, but costs a fortune and is too expensive for me.

I meanwhile view photography tools only in systems - and such a system must make sense for me and meet my needs. In that way I am pretty happy with what I have from Nikon today but (and here comes that big BUT) - it is FF and it makes that system overall heavier and bulkier. Well this is not something new I know, but it makes you recognise this every time you use the system and as I am getting older I feel more and more that my love for smaller systems is increasing.

Viewed from this angle the X-H2S (and even more so the upcoming X-H2 with 40MP) and lenses like the 150-600 make very much sense. And if you compare the price for a OM-1 and 150-400 with the price for a X-H2S and 150-600, the Fuji combo is more than half of the Olympus combo - which is a very important argument for me nowadays.

So I am watching that Fuji road very interested and hope they continue that way, because I think it is a good way.

Best regards

Peter
 

Willieboy

New member
The big question is whether the AutoFocus us up to all the other claimed improvements.
So far Fuji has missed the mark on AF performance. Good but not great when compared to other makers.
 

jeffreybehr

Member
I have just sold my GFX-100S system but for a few lenses because I just can't handle its weight and bulk any longer.. I've 'reverted' to my X-T4, Viltrox 13mm and Fugi 16-80 and 55-200.. I'll be skipping the X-H2S and preordering the X-H2R when available.
 
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ptomsu

Workshop Member
I have just sold my GFW-100S system but for a few lenses because I just can't handle its weight and bulk any longer.. I've 'reverted' to my X-T4, Viltox 13mm and Fugi 16-80 and 55-200.. I'll be skipping the X-H2S and preordering the X-H2R when available.
I can fully understand that weight issue ;)

I can imagine that you will be pleased by that upcoming X-H2R
 

biglouis

Well-known member
I have just sold my GFW-100S system but for a few lenses because I just can't handle its weight and bulk any longer.. I've 'reverted' to my X-T4, Viltox 13mm and Fugi 16-80 and 55-200.. I'll be skipping the X-H2S and preordering the X-H2R when available.
I did the same about a year ago. At the pixel level the GFX system is absolutely drop dead fantastic. Definitely the best digital camera system I have ever owned. However, from a practical point of view not much use to me on the various projects I am and have been involved in since 2019 for two reasons. Firstly, imho the 50S/50R AF was too slow for the reportage work I have been doing so I had to use my Fuji APS-C bodies and in fact invest in more XF glass at the expense of not having funds to invest further in GF glass. Secondly, there is no real UWA solution available (which incidentally has always been the Achilles heel of all MF cameras both film and digital). As the sensor size or film size increases laws of physics make wide angle lenses difficult to create or just so enormous they are not practical. In an attempt to conquer the lack of WA lenses I tried both the GF 23/4 and the Laowa 17mm. The 23/4 is just not quite wide enough and quite frustrating from that point of view and the 17mm while appearing wide enough required stopping down to at least f11-f16 to sharpen the corners and while a good effort just was not up to the standard of a Fuji lens.

In contrast, the Fuji XF 10-24 which is an essential lens to me for external and internal architecture is just not a focal length currently available in the GF world.

If I could justify having a GFX system I'd have one like a shot again just for the sheer beauty of the sensor but from a purely practical point of view it is of little use to me. Which means when the merry go round of my current needs stops I may indeed invest in the system again just for the pure enjoyment.

And indeed, if you are reading this and contemplating a GFX system I can't recommend it enough as long as you are aware of its limitations.

Just my two cents

LouisB
 

pigtango

Active member
I'm in the same boat. I've had a 50s and r, and various lenses and a digital view camera setup for a while. It really is a fantastic system, the image quality leaves nothing to be desired and I can imagine the 100mp is even better. But the weight of carrying it around is just getting to be too much (plus getting older, and back problems).

I recently picked up an X-T4 and the 8-16mm on the quick for a job (as I knew I would be shooting very wide for some shots, and like Louis said, the GFX doesn't really have a great ultra-wide) and it's been fantastic. No it's not the same at the Medium format, but with a little uprez AI magic, some shots are hard to tell much difference depending on the scene. It's been a bit eye opening.

I'm very much looking forward to the Xh2 40mp version and seeing what it's capable of. In the meantime, even the X-t4 with a little computational help is working pretty great.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
The 8-16 is an awesome lens. I owned it for while and then made the mistake of trading it in for the GF 30/3.5. I wish I hadn't! Actually both the X-H2s and the 40mp X-H2 would be awesome for that lens. May have to find a way to justify owning it again.

LouisB
 

pigtango

Active member
It really is a fantastic performer. And compared to the FF equivalents, much more portable (even though for APSC it's a large lens). I haven't used the 10-24 though, and I'm afraid the ultra light weight of that lens might spoil me using the 8-16, so I've stayed away from it so far. I'm very hopeful and curious for the 40mp version. If I shot more video I'd probably be all over the X-H2s.
 

biglouis

Well-known member
The 10-24 is my most used working lens. I bought it second hand as an after-thought but was so impressed with the optical quality, stopped down to F5.6-f8 that I sold my other UWAs instead. You are right that its key feature is portability. For most of my work I used the 10-24, 18-55 and 55-200. Are they the best lens you can buy? No, the 8-16, 16-55 and the awesome 50-140 (the latter is the only one of the three which I own) are. But I've yet to have anyone, especially my current main client, complain about the image quality I submit with these three workhorses. I am continually surprised by the cheap 'n cheerful 18-55, although many recognise that it is not the typical 'kit' lens. I carry it around as it takes up very little space but more than once it has helped out of a hole, even wide open at the short end.

I often say that Fuji don't really know how to make a bad lens which is why I assume Leica used them for some of the R line of lenses back in the day.

LouisB
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Got to play around with a preproduction X-H2S briefly at the Capture Integration Fuji event this evening.

AF is definitely a step up from the X-T1 and X-E3 I’ve used in the past! Subject detection worked really well and the AF lock was pretty “sticky” [on the subject] for lack of a better word, which is a good thing. Body felt nice in the hand as well.

Only got to play around with it for a few minutes indoors but it seemed to work very very well. Looking forward to the production models (and the 56 1.2 II). Skin tones I saw in the high iso jpeg previews in the LCD were alsoreally nice.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I only can imagine how great this X-H2S is from all the YouTube videos and reviews/tests I have seen so far.

Seems definitely a big step upwards from the previous generations in both speed, accuracy, features etc.

I always loved the X-H1 body and highly preferred it above the X-T line and also the X-Pro line, although the X-Pro's definitely have something very nice and intriguing about them. So the X-H2 should be even better than the X-H1 was some 4 years ago.

Cannot wait to see that 40MP X-H2, that should become a real game changer in terms of everything - photography, videography, resolution (8K I am looking at you) as well as compactness for such a camera.
 
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ptomsu

Workshop Member
I wonder if anyone already got an X-H2s or at least tested one and could share a brief review?
 

Knorp

Well-known member
My vote also goes to the X-H2, Peter. Definitely for its ergonomics, something the X-T series seriously lack imo.
But who knows and the X-T5 may surprise us ... :)
 
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