Fujifilm’s Sony-Level Autofocus Is Already Here — Hidden in Pre-Shot Mode, Waiting to Be Unlocked

December 13, 2025
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Here We Are Again

When Fujifilm broke autofocus with last year’s firmware updates, Edvard was one of the YouTubers who delivered the most detailed, methodical, and technically grounded coverage of the issue.

Some people don’t like his tone. Others dislike the sarcasm or the way he presents his findings. That’s fine. None of that matters.

What matters is that his findings were legitimate.

And because they were legitimate, we shared several of his videos here on FujiRumors. And so we will do again today.

It’s a long video, which I will sum up below for you – a short version and a more detailed version.

Certain YouTubers Ignore Reality ;)

But before we get into the test results, I need to address something.

Sometimes, you hear accusations that “FujiRumors is a Fujifilm propaganda machine.”

I mention this now because in Edvard’s video, there’s a YouTuber who was “featured” and who, last year, claimed I deliberately don’t report on Fujifilm AF problems—that I only push propaganda.

There’s just one problem with that narrative.

Beyond the fact that when large YouTubers discredit FujiRumors it obviously hurts the blog’s reputation (you then see angry comments towards me), the real issue is something else:

At the time the YouTuber made those claims, I had already shared on FujiRumors his very own video in which he rants against Fujifilm autofocus—along with many other critical videos and several articles on the same topic.

That’s a textbook example of cognitive bias: ignoring observable facts, blanking out reality, and repeating a story that fits one’s pre-existing beliefs rather than what actually happened.

Facts, however, don’t care about narratives.
And FujiRumors will continue to report both the good and the bad—regardless of who finds that inconvenient.

FujiRumors exists for Fujifilm camera users, not for Fujifilm as a corporation. And that’s why, once again, we have to talk about autofocus.

The Findings in Short

NOTE: extensive summary of the 34+ minutes video below

Edvard noticed that in pre-shot mode – when you half press the shutter button and the camera starts saving images on the camera – the camera has a terrific autofocus.

Focus transitions from far to near (and back) are smooth and confident. Subject tracking is excellent. You can actually hear the lens making constant micro-adjustments, a clear sign that the camera is performing many AF calculations per second. There is no hesitation, no stalling halfway through a focus pull—just continuous, fluid, sold, sticky AF behavior.

In fact, it’s so smooth and fast that at minute 4:52 he literally says:

This is Sony-like autfocus, guys!

And that’s where the real problem emerges.

The moment you fully press the shutter, autofocus behavior changes. The camera appears to perform fewer AF calculations, the lens moves in larger steps, and the result is visible hunting—especially when transitioning between near and far subjects.

Interestingly, fast burst modes help. On his X-T3, shooting at 30fps with a 1/100s, Edvard reports “the smoothest tracking I have ever seen on a Fujifilm camera.”

Which leads to an unavoidable conclusion:

The autofocus performance is already there.

Fujifilm just needs to bring the Pre-Shot AF behavior to all shooting modes.

Conclusions

Rather than seeing Edvard’s video as an attack on Fujifilm, it should be seen as good news: the performance photographers are asking for already exists inside the camera. It just needs to be unlocked more consistently.

If Fujifilm manages to bring that Pre-Shot autofocus behavior to all shooting modes, then this discussion ends overnight—and Fujifilm autofocus suddenly becomes a non-issue for everyone.

And that’s exactly why it’s important to talk about these things.

The Test in Depth

The Pre Shot

pre-shot has Sony like tracking
in pre-shot you can hear the lens making more micro-movements, indicating more AF calculations per second
but in single AF mode and slow bursts, you can hear the lens motor moving with fewer steps per second, indicating that the AF calculations are lower
the 20 images stored in pre-shot mode are very well tracked
once shutter button is pressed, the tracking gets worst
“the buffer somehow makes the AF calculations sink with it. If the camera can’t write more than 2 pictures per second, the autofocus also can’t do more than 2 calculations per second“
the cameras start skipping autofocus calculations once the shutter button is pressed
also, if you choose a smaller file size (not “Fine+RAW”, but something lower), the camera tracks better again
boost mode does not give any benefit over economy or normal mode

The Fast Bursts and Shutter Speeds

X-T3 in 30fps and 100 shutter speed: smoothest tracking he has ever seen a Fujifilm camera
when shutter speed is changed from 100 to 125, the tracking speed is slower, and it’s actually a very nice smooth video autofocus, and it does not pause in the middle of the transition. The downside is that it now can’t track well, because it’s too slow
increase shutter speed at 300/400 and some of the speed will come back
switching to 20fps at 100 shutter speed, autofocus is no longer as fast as with 30fps at 100 shutter speed or as 20fps with higher shutter speed
focus speed changed with shutter speed

Video

in video you can hear the X-T3 moving the lens elements more often than the X-H2S, resulting in smoother tracking

with pre-shot, X-T3 and X-H2S work much better (X-T3 even a bit better, but X-H2S has better face/eye tracking), and he wonders why we can’t have pre-shot AF tracking also in video
X-T3 makes more steps when searching focus and the X-H2S makes bigger steps
if X-T3 does not lose the face, it is smoother than X-H2S
older 1.03 X-H2S firmware is better than new firmware

The Older Firmware

the older X-T3 firmware 3.00 does not do the smooth pre-shot tracking like on firmware 5.00 (when you just half press the button)
but the older firmware 3.00 in pre-AF mode (when you don’t press the shutter), it is tracking very well. Only when you half press, it starts lagging
the X-H2S in pre-AF is not smooth like the older X-T3 firmware

Tip

sometimes it’s better to disable shutter AF, so half pressing the shutter will do nothing. The camera will track nicely and once you press the button you take the images
if he activates shutter AF and tracks something with half-pressed button, tracking is worst

Manual Focus

XF33mmF1.4 also makes steps in manual focus
in X-T3 in pre-shot mode, you can see the XF33mmF1.4 focusing very smoothly, so the hardware is capable of smooth transitions
the Viltrox 33mmF1.4 is manual focusing smoother, no steps
but in video they booth do the same steps
in pre-shot, both lenses focus very smooth

Multi-Focus

when the camera does not recognize a close subject, multi-AF refuses to focus on the subject
only X-T3 on firmware 5.00 and multi AF will actually focus on it
the X-T3 firmware 5.00 can even focus on smoke from a cigarette, but not with the smoothness of pre-shot

Final Words

if Fujifilm can make the cameras behave like in pre-shot mode or high bursts (lots of AF calculations per second, smooth in every mode, video, tracking, single, etc), 60% of Fujifilm AF problems are solved
last 40% of problems is simple programming:
– why can’t we have zone in video like we have in stills. Why are there custom zones in X-M5 and X100VI, but not on X-H2S, X-T5, X-H2
– add subject detection only within a zone, so the camera does not search for faces in the whole frame, but only in the zone you selected. It actually can do that, but only on a small box. He’d like the option to set the box size himself
– he wants a stills/video options “subject detected lens speed” to track you fast and smooth and then “subject lost speed” so that if the subject is lost, so if the camera does not recognize you anymore, you can make the settings slow so the camera does not jump to the background. He’d set subject detected speed to +5 and subject lost speed to -5.

Back to Study X-T3

X-T3 in pre-shot has the best smoothness in autofocus, as well as best multi. Combine what works so great on X-T3 to make it smoother and add AI subject detection. The X-T3 has the secrets for good autofocus

My Thoughts

Edvard is absolutely right to test cameras under challenging conditions.

But in real life, how often do we move the camera rapidly back and forth between near and far subjects? Personally, I don’t shoot that way—and neither do most of my subjects. They’re not constantly running toward and away from the camera.

For the way I shoot, autofocus currently works very well. I don’t experience major issues in my everyday photography.

In short: I take lots of nice sharp images of my kids and family :).

That said, if you truly want to understand how good an autofocus system is, you have to stress-test it. Otherwise, testing makes little sense. Pushing the system to its limits is the only way to reveal its weaknesses—and in that regard, Edvard’s approach is completely valid.

So if you are happy with your Fujifilm camera’s autofocus, it’s likely because your real-world shooting scenarios simply don’t resemble those test conditions. And that’s perfectly fine.

Both things can be true at the same time:

Autofocus can work well in everyday use.
And still fall short when pushed to its limits.