Fujifilm X-H3/S Design Concept: The Manual Dial Film Camera?

guest post by Francisco

Hey Patrick,

Fujis video capabilities are getting better and better. And since Fuji is the “manual-Dial brand”, I think Fuji should try a dedicated video-body with manual dials. We see the hybrid bodies getting the PASM Dial, which is fine, because it is usable for stills and videos. But a videocentric could be cool, and having no dials (like the Sony FX3, Nikon ZR or Canon C50) would just not be Fujis DNA.

Maybe there are videographers who like to adjust some settings on haptic dials. Something special, that only some nerds would appreciate. Not the ones that do professional video work, but the ones that like to get into video. I don’t have Photoshop anymore, but I wanted to create something to help visualize the Idea. I took the X-H1 as a starting point and adjusted the dials how i would imagine it. The X-H1 has a display, many manual dials and great ergonomics. Since this was only done with Paint and GIMP, it has his flaws and the Idea has some issues, but let me present it and tell you what I changed:

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Up to $500 Off X-H2/S Bundles, XF 8mmF3.5 Rebate Increased to $300, Last Hours for X half Deal

BHphoto is now offering an up to $500 rebate on the Fujifilm X-H2/S bundles:

Also, BHphoto increased the rebate on the XF8mmF3.5 to $300 (previously $250 off).

These are just some of the BHphoto exclusive Fujifilm, which are not part of the official Fujifilm deals.

Also, the $200 discount on Fujifilm X half will end today!

Unofficial XF Lens Deals – unknown ending date

Official XF Lens Deals – end January 18

Official X Camera Deals – end January 18

Official GFX Gear Deals – end January 18

* freebies at BHphoto include a free CFexpress Type B Card and a camera bag

Fujifilm 2026 Predictions by PetaPixel: All Reasonable… Except One!

PetaPixel shared their predictions for 2026. Regarding Fujifilm they say:

  • PetaPixel says that is not a bold prediction, because they strongly believe it is going to happen: X-TransVI and new processor on X-Pro4 in early 2026
  • Hope: keep X-Trans VI at 40MP but make it faster
  • Fujifilm has too many camera lines, which are more based on design changes rather than hardware changes, so they did hold off on X-Peo4 for so long because they need to make a big hardware change to it
  • Fujifilm could merge X-H2 and X-H2s into one line featuring a faster 40MP sensor
  • X-H3 will come after the X-Pro4
  • Fujifilm will make a digital panorama camera stacking 2 APS-C sensors next to each other. It would sell absolute crazy

Thoughts:

There is a lot of talk these days about the DGO sensors:

I think staying in the 40MP range but using a faster sensor readout is a prediction that makes sense. Although I have no info about X-Trans VI so I have no insight to confirm that or not.

The idea of merging the X-H/S lines into one single X-H3 is something we discussed here. There are Pros but also important Cons to consider with such a move, so make sure to read this article.

As far as X-Pro4 goes, the X-Pro is certainly the one camera most in need for a refresh, so it’s understandable that they think it will be next.

So far all PetaPixel predictions seem reasonable.

All but one!

PetaPixel predicts the Fujifilm TX-3 panorama camera in 2026. To my knowledge, if Fujifilm will make one, then it would come in 2028, because 2028 marks the 30th anniversary of the Fujifilm TX-1. But at this point I don’t know if Fujifilm has decided to really make it or not.

What we know for certain will come in 2026 are the Fujifilm X-T6 in the second half and a compact camera with 1″ sensor.

But let us know your predictions in the comments below.

Coca-Cola Risked Everything on a Cheap Fujifilm X-T3 — The “Disaster” Is Stunning

When Coca-Cola started scouting for a photographer for a major global campaign — one that required flying him around the world — they came across the name Frederik Trovatten, a guy with 18 years of digital-marketing experience.

Little did they know that Frederik would shoot the entire campaign using Fujifilm APS-C gear… which, as we all obviously “know,” has a 0.1% autofocus hit rate on well-lit static subjects and a dynamic range inferior to a cheap Amazon toy camera.

Too late. The flights were booked. The campaign was shot.

And the results, are exactly what we could expect. You can see them in the video above and on his website trovatten.com – Instagram: @trovatten

Advertising Campaign

  • Coca Cola flew him from Denmark to Mexico to do commercial 30 days of street photography
  • the project resulted in outdoor advertisements (exhibited at Oslo train station), television commercials, and even a painted mural
  • the campaign was also shortlisted at Cannes Lions Advertising Festival
  • the theme: tacos + Coca-Cola — in Mexico and anywhere else tacos exist
  • the creative concept: using a “Where’s Waldo?”-style approach, subtly placing Coca-Cola bottles/logos into vibrant, authentic street scenes around Mexico City’s taco stands instead of making the product the loud focal point

His behind-the-scenes video walks you through his days capturing the raw, energetic life of taco vendors, and it’s absolutely worth watching.

The Gear (Brace Yourself…)

For stills, he used the humble Fujifilm X-T3.

For video, the Fujifilm X-H2S.

Plus an Aputure MC Pro light and a Rode lavalier mic.

He says:

there’s no reason to get these expensive cameras when you can do big campaigns, commercials with cameras that cost $1,200

The results?
Massive prints that Coca-Cola proudly displays around.

Of course, according to countless forum experts — whose combined portfolio consists mostly of long, bitter comment histories — this shouldn’t be possible. Surely Coca-Cola would tear down every poster if they discovered they were shot on a “cheap” Fujifilm X-T3. Maybe even issue a global apology.

Or… maybe not.

Maybe Coca-Cola is actually quite proud this time — certainly more proud than of the 100% AI-generated Christmas ad they released this year. ;)

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

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

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

After 20 Years Shooting Full-Frame Flagships, He Took Fujifilm APS-C to Patagonia – And This is His Brutally Honest Review

Mattia Campos is shooting top-tier flagship cameras and lenses from all possible brands for sports and wildlife photography for 20 years now.

But for this trip to Patagonia he decided to try something completely new: the Fujifilm APS-C system.

So he got himself a Fujifilm X-H2S and XF500mmF5.6 and started his journey.

He documented his experience in a lengthy and brutally honest article, in which he shares truths that Full-Frame fanboys might not want to hear, along with fair critiques that Fujifilm should take seriously.

Was it a good experience?

In short: he was blown away by the Fujifilm APS-C system.

The best JPEG files and colors he has ever seen on any system (clearly superior even to Canon), ultra-flexible RAW files that did not make him miss his flagship full frame cameras and all this is a compact and affordable package you can only dream of in the Full Frame world.

In fact, he goes so far to say that the Fujifilm APS-C system could become a serious threat for all the high-end full frame competitors… if only one last thing gets fixed: autofocus!

To be clear: the autofocus is really good, but not yet on par with the top tier models from competitors. And he’ll explain what exactly did not work super-well in his article (and we sum up below for you).

I invite you to read the full article (written in Italian) and see all the images at the Italian website/forum juzaphoto.

The Article in Short

Preparing for Patagonia: Why He Chose Fujifilm

While planning his wildlife-focused trip to Patagonia, he spent months debating which gear would best meet his needs. In the end, he chose a setup he had never used before: the Fujifilm X-H2S paired with the XF500mmF5.6. Coming from years of shooting with flagship bodies and high-end lenses, the X-H2S felt like the natural choice within the Fujifilm ecosystem.

The trip included long and demanding hikes, but carrying the Fujifilm combo was never an issue. Its light weight and compact size—especially compared to full-frame flagship alternatives—made travel far easier.

First Impressions

His experience with Fujifilm was, in a word, fun.
He adapted quickly to the new system, though he did spend time learning menus and fine-tuning settings for different situations.

The X-H2S feels solid, handles beautifully, and offers a superb EVF. The XF500mmF5.6 delivers excellent image quality.

After 20 years photographing wildlife and sports with top-tier gear from multiple brands, he came to a surprising conclusion: for advanced and demanding enthusiasts, a high-quality Fujifilm APS-C system is the best pick in terms of overall balance of performance, weight, size, and price.

Why Fujifilm APS-C Makes Sense

With Fujifilm, you can build a truly capable system for less cost, size, and weight than equivalent full-frame kits. In many real-world situations, the image quality difference is not noticeable. Full-frame often means heavier, bulkier, more expensive gear, without a proportional gain in results.

Recently he has moved more toward shooting JPEGs for practical reasons: less time editing and less storage needed. Fujifilm’s color science is probably best on the market, followed by Olympus/OM System.

Image Quality: His Biggest Surprise

Throughout his Patagonia trip, he was genuinely impressed by the image quality.
X-H2S files are true-to-life, natural, neutral, and free of color casts, with exceptional color and detail. High ISO performance exceeded expectations, dynamic range is excellent, and the files are very flexible in post.

He has used many APS-C cameras from other brands, but none match the X-H2S in build quality, image quality, and lens ecosystem.

Compared to the Canon EOS R7, he found the X-H2S clearly superior in JPEGs, RAW files, high ISO, shadow recovery, lens selection, build quality, and EVF performance.

The XF500mmF5.6 is extremely sharp even wide open, with very pleasant bokeh.

Going Deeper into the Fujifilm System

His excellent experience with the X-H2S convinced him to dive deeper into the Fuji system, so he bought an X-S20 with the XF90mmF2. The X-H2S offers better autofocus thanks to its stacked sensor, but the X-S20 is still a remarkably capable little camera. Its joystick and lack of D-Pad annoyed him, but image quality—including dynamic range and ISO—may actually be slightly better.

Both cameras perform very well in difficult lighting while maintaining impeccable color and high detail.

The Weak Point: Autofocus

The only real downside he found is autofocus.
Switching from near to far subjects (or vice versa) can be slow, costing him a few shots every now and then—especially when photographing unpredictable wildlife. Continuous AF feels a bit rigid and less responsive in low light. Subject and eye detection work, but the menu system is unnecessarily complex.

Overall, the AF is actually good, but not at the same level of the top flagship systems he is used to.

If Fujifilm can overhaul autofocus responsiveness in the Fujifilm X-H2S II, it would spell serious trouble for all the competitors.

Why Fujifilm Could Become the First Choice

Given that Fujifilm APS-C gear costs significantly less, weighs significantly less, and still delivers image fantastic image quality, combined with industry-leading JPEGs, the Fujifilm system has all the potential to become a top choice for both amateurs and professionals alike, if they also catch up in terms of autofocus.

X Cameras

X Lenses

10 Fujifilm Cameras Meet for Thanksgiving Dinner and This is What Happened Next

Thanksgiving is here, and while most families argue over who burned the stuffing, we in the Fujifilm community know the real drama happens when our cameras show up to dinner. If each Fujifilm camera were a guest, here’s what they’d bring to the table — literally.

X-T5
Arrives with a fully homemade meal, proudly reminding everyone that every single step was done manually — even the gravy. Keeps adjusting the dinner table “for composition”.

GFX100S II
Brings a turkey so gigantic the table collapses. Says it’s “just a casual medium-format bird”. Everyone pretends they’re not intimidated.

X-Pro3
Brings a gourmet dish but serves it face-down, so nobody can actually see it. “Stop chimping through the dishes. Focus on the Thanksgiving experience first, not the results” it insists, refusing to flip the plate over. Spends the whole evening fully present and savoring every moment.

X-S20
Shows up quietly with store-bought mashed potatoes, super humble, not bragging about anything. Yet all the other cameras side-eye it because it secretly carries features no one else has — like that fully automatic subject-detection mode that does all the work while pretending it’s “nothing special.”

X-E5
Arrives with a small, perfectly curated dish — nothing fancy, but stylish enough that everyone compliments it. Quietly slips into a seat, looking effortlessly cool without even trying.

X-M5
Shows up with a perfectly plated appetizer, but keeps looking around the table like it’s lost. No EVF to guide it, so it improvises — and somehow, every shot still turns out amazing anyway.

X70
Shows up quietly without being invited… mostly because everyone forgot it even existed. Brings a tiny but absolutely delicious dish that makes everyone wonder, “Wait, why did Fujifilm never make another one of you?” Then it slips away before anyone can ask for the recipe.

X-H2S
Arrives with a towering trifle that’s already collapsing, fruit spilling everywhere, and layers sliding off the plate. Immediately realizes it’s still running last year’s flawed firmware, apologizes to the group, and rushes off to the kitchen to install the update — promising to return once everything is perfectly stabilized — it’s still there, struggling to connect to the smartphone app to finally install the update.

X100VI
Was supposed to bring artisanal cranberry sauce, but got kidnapped by scalpers as soon as it left home. Never made it to the dinner, leaving everyone scrolling online, refreshing for a glimpse of it. It was later spotted on eBay, held hostage with a wildly overpriced ransom for release.

X-T6
And then, totally surprising to anyone, a guest from the future shows up of nowhere: the Fujifilm X-T6! It brings a futuristic dish nobody’s ever seen before, full of features and flavors that blow everyone’s mind. The other fellow cameras on the table are curious, asks questions. The Fujifilm X-T6 just whispers something about having a new heart and brain, about firmware improvements, about features no other camera has ever heard of before. It ends up saying “everything will change” and then vanishes before anyone can ask more questions. Only left a note behind: read FujiRumors.com, and you’ll know soon enough ;).

The End

That’s my way to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

And feel free to let more cameras join the dinner in the comments down below. Other brands are welcome too :).

BLACK FRIDAY PAGES

Gear I Own

Fujifilm Europe Drops Massive (and a Bit Confusing) X and GFX Deals

Fujifilm Europe has dropped massive X and GFX deals all over the continent. The deals start today and end January 14.

Depending on the country, some are cashback deals, some are instant rebates, and some are mixed rebates (instant + cashback). I will list details (+ link to pages to claim back money) below.

If you purchase at Amazon, make sure you buy directly from Amazon (not third party). I have seen Amazon listed as official retailer by Fujifilm Germany, Italy and UK. In France I did not see Amazon listed as qualified retailer.

Also, some deals are better at Amazon than other stores: for example, Amazon UK has the X-T5 for £1449 which is sold for £1,549 and WexUK and Co (that’s an instant rebate).

So, that’s the easy part.

The complicated part I will share it at the bottom.

But for now I’ll just say that given the complications and regional differences in Europe, I will list below only the deals for UK and Germany (the German deals as listed at Calumet.DE, because Fujifilm Germany has not put up the official deal page yet). But there are rebates also in France, Italy, Belgium, Austria and more.

NOTE: In Germany so far the X-T5/X-H2/S bodies are not listed as rebated, but other EU countries include X-T5, X-H2 etc in their cashback offer.

If you want to support FujiRumors, feel free to use any of the affiliate links below to access your store and make the purchase:

X Series Cameras

X Series Lens Deals

GFX Deals

The deals are confusing, mainly because Fujifilm Germany and Italy either do not report about the deals, or they contraddict themselves. So let’s see it country by country:

UNITED KINGDOM:

GERMANY

ITALY

  • the official flyer image says X deals are instant rebates and GFX cashback. Although once you click the X deals, they list all items and they show up as cashback, with a cashback claim-money-back page that is not clickable (unlike the GFX claim-back-money page.
  • Fujifilm ITA GFX Deals Clam-Back Money Page
  • Italian Deal Page here

FRANCE, BELGIUM and CO

  • Go to this page and then on the top right select your country/region to see the deals in your area

Fujifilm Used Gear Holiday Savings at BHphoto

BHphoto has some nice savings on used Fujifilm (related) gear. Some ar marked as “used holiday savings“. I’m not entirely sure what that label specifically means, but I guess it likely indicates a limited-time discount available during the holiday period.

These are just some of the used offers. The full list can be checked out here.  There are also the Holiday 2025 Head Start deals running.

X Lenses

X Cameras

GFX Gear

Your Firmware Wish List – Tell Fujifilm!

I recently wrote an article where I basically run through the entire history of Fujifilm Kaizen firmware updates.

I ended up inviting Fujifilm to keep up their Kaizen spirit.

Now, I have no idea how things will develop in future.

But I have wishes and hopes. And I thought that, after a long time, it might be high time to share again our firmware wishes.

I certainly hope for the fully automatic subject detection mode to come to all 5th generation cameras (and I showed Fujifilm how easy that could be implemented).  I am not a video guy, but why no waveform monitor, vectorscopes and anamorphic mode on all 5th generation cameras? I want more cameras with touch-to-track autofocus in video. And please, panoramic mode on 40MP cameras would be nice too.

And why shouldn’t the Fujifilm X-T50 and X-M5 also be able to store custom recipes on their FS1/FS3 positions? And what about direct to Instax print option?

Also, it never hurts to get some autofocus boost. I mean, for what I do, it’s already amazing. But being 85% as good as other brands is not good enough these days. It’s time to match other brands in terms of AF performance.

INSTRUCTIONS:

You’re welcome to share your wishes in the comments below.

Just in case later I decide to turn them into a survey, it would be helpful if you upvote existing comments that already include your wish, and post a new comment only if your idea hasn’t been mentioned yet.

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