Fujifilm has released new firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-H2, Fujifilm X-H2s and the Vertical File Transmitter Grip FT-XH.
You can find all details and download links down below.
Mathieu Gasquet has tested the Fujifilm X-H2s and Fujifilm X-H2 for bird photography.
He compares rolling shutter, drive speed and other aspects between X-H2 and X-H2s. So definitely check out their full video above.
For the purpose of this article we will focus on one aspect only: bird autofocus tracking accuracy.
The Fujifilm X-H2s gives a total of 82% perfectly sharp images, whereas the X-H2 tops at 78%.
Here comes the “shocking” part.
In his test, the Fujifilm X-H2s with old firmware 1.03 performed better than the X-H2s with the new firmware 3.00.
This is very surprising and goes against many other tests we have seen so far, for example here and here.
But I do respect and trust Mathieu’s work and hence I share it here on FujiRumors.
And I also say to Fujifilm: go back to work and make it better with the next firmware!
Fujifilm has announced that it will add native Adobe Frame.io also to the Fujifilm X-H2 (in addition to the already announced support for the Fujifilm X-H2S).
Both cameras will get a firmware update in Spring 2023.
In order to work, you’ll need to have the Fujifilm FT-XH File Transmitter grip.
Previous Coverage
Trusted Reviews raves about the latest Fujifilm cameras, the Fujifilm X-H2 and the Fujifilm X-H2s.
And while both are excellent, only one of them gets a 5 star rating: the Fujifilm X-H2.
Our one five-star review for this week goes to Fujifilm for its ground-breaking APC-S camera. It’s well-constructed, weatherproof and lightweight, with a fantastic articulated screen, and a large and bright OLED viewfinder plus a control layout that few will have problems getting to grips with. This is one of the best cameras around.
Score: 5/5
The Fujifilm X-H2S is a versatile camera with a speedy burst mode, updated subject detection algorithm and support for 6K video. However, it’s not as high-resolution as the X-H2 nor as visually appealing as the Fujifilm X-T5, both of which can be found for less money.
Score: 4.5/5
So that’s the thing with PSAM dial cameras. They tend to get more attention by huge review sites than more niche retro styled cameras. And good press never hurts.
Also CineD declared the Fujifilm X-H2 the best camera launched in 2022 for video work. As working professional videographers, their opinion matters and debunks the myth that the X-H2s is the video centric cameras and the X-H2 the stills centric one. As we always told you, both are perfect hybrid machines, and the difference is not video vs stills, but speed vs resolution.
And and yet keep in mind that Fujifilm still offers more Retro styled camera lines than PSAM camera lines. So in my humble opinion there is little to complain for retro lovers like me and probably many of you if we look at the 2022 best sellers on FujiRumors, where the X-T5 demolished all sales records.
You can check out the Trusted Reviews article here.
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Rumors and Discussions
Watch out Sony and Canon, as it really looks like Fujifilm is now right up there with you in terms of autofocus tracking… but with one potential advantage left for Fujifilm.
While Canon, Sony and Nikon’s very best cameras can’t shoot more than 20/30 fps (full RAW), the Fujifilm X-H2s can go up to 40fps. So, if accuracy is also increased at the highest 40fps frame rate, then the Fujifilm X-H2s could give significantly more sharp images per second than any other brand, which for some photographers might be a big deal.
And let’s just skip the fact that in order to get comparabable AF performance in full frame you have to spend at least two or three time as much as for the X-H2s (one can buy lots of nice lenses with the money saved)
So why this intro? What happened?
Let’s go with order.
Fujifilm has very recently released a major firmware update for the Fujifilm X-H2s, which promises to drastically improve the autofocus performance.
First tests we have shared here show that indeed the Fujifilm X-H2s is now getting to a point, where you can call it at least on the same level of the other top performing stacked sensor cameras (all of which cost massively more than the X-H2s).
Now we have a few more tests.
You can see all the videos below as well as read a summary in case you are in a hurry.
Test 1 – Birds
Fujifilm has just released a bunch of firmware updates, including a rather substantial one for the Fujifilm X-H2s.
It promises to drastically improved autofocus tracking in a variety of situations as well as additional subject trackings. You can read all the details and download the firmware in this article.
Well, the first tests of this firmware are out. You can find them down below.
If you own the X-H2s, feel free to share your impressions in the comments, but it seems to be on the level of the very best you can find from other brands out there (and that cost several thousands of dollars more than the X-H2s.).
Especially the first video linked below shows the X-H2s performing brilliantly in backlight, with far away subjects and other very challenging conditions.
We remind you that Fujifilm also announced the next Fujifilm X Summit for April 2023.
I see myself in need to share this follow up article to our previous follow up article to this original article.
If you missed the previous episodes, here is an ultra compressed summary:
So let’s get nerdy ;)
I posted an X-H2s autofocus test made by a German guy specialised in Wildlife photography, and translated it for you here.
The particular thing about his test: he set up a dedicated “bird tracking test track“, which basically allows him to compare the various cameras for bird tracking under comparable conditions.
On his test track, he got the following results for the Fujifilm X-H2s.
Some people were disappointed by those numbers, especially when compared to the 85-90% hit rate of stacked Sony cameras.
But percentage alone is not the whole story. You have to factor in the frames per second into the equation.
So let’s do just that (taking the worst results he got with X-H2s – 61%)
Conclusion:
In his test, when every camera is shot at its maximum burst, the X-H2s will give you more sharp images than any other camera, except for the Sony A1.
If you want to get 3 additional sharp images per second (27 instead of 24), then you have to spend $4,000 more and get the very expensive Sony A1.
My take:
I want Fujifilm to beat any other brand in terms of sharp images per second. So I am not happy with the result of the X-H2s. I want a hit rate of 80%+ at 40fps.
And I also want an even smarter autofocus and the camera to match in terms of AF smartness in this case is the new Sony A7rV.
That’s why I am not completely satisfied and I want firmware, Fujifilm… more firmware in 2023!
The German Youtube channel AmazingNature Alpha (who shoots a lot with Sony cameras), tested the Fujifilm X-H2s autofocus with the XF200mmF2 and the XF150-600mmF5.6-8.
Now, there are lots of autofocus tests for wildlife out there. But what sets this one apart from all the others? Well, I’ll tell you below.
Before we dive into it, here are few considerations he makes.
NOTE: it’s in German, so you get it “Patrick-translated” below.
Gear Used
General Considerations:
Let’s catch up with a piece of gear that I can’t remember I have ever talked about: the Sirui 1.25x Anamorphic Adapter.
As far as I can see it is available at Amazon since October 2022, but the Japanese guys at Mapcamera, who have now shared a test of the adapter on a Fujifilm X-H2 with XF33mmF1.4 lens, say that it will be available only this month.
Anyways, it’s something I have not talked about so far, so here is how it works.
