From Near-Perfect to Imperfect: Exploring Fujifilm’s Latest Autofocus Issues and a Surprisingly Simple Fix
The AF Issues Seen from a Pro Sports Photographer
Back in April, a flawed firmware update triggered many YouTubers to release videos about how bad the Fujifilm autofocus is.
Fujifilm did release a “fix” in June.
So all good now?
Well, not really.
While things have improved with the latest firmware, there are still some issues.
In a nutshell we could say: the older firmware of Fujifilm’s 5th generation gear is superior to the newer firmware.
Andrea Cimini for example explains how with firmware 1.00 in his X-H2S he got awesome results compared to the ones he is getting now with firmware 7.00.
Same goes for Thierry Gibralta, who compared X-H2S firmware 1.03 vs 7.00, and you can clearly see that, side by side, the 1.03 firmware is much more solid, with great tracking, little to no pulsing and definitely a very solid autofocus that can be easily trusted.
And it’s also this initially solid autofocus, that convinced Andrea Cimini to buy the Fujifilm X-H2S for his sports photography.
The Problem in Depth
Here is a summary:
- in the last year, the firmware updates of Fujifilm were not reliable
- when he tested the X-H2S with firmware 1.00, he was stunned and thought Fujifilm finally caught up with the best
- he tried the X-H2S at several sport events and in one bicycle race with 400 people participating
- he took 2,300 pictures and only 27 were out of focus (98.8% in focus)
- over time, the more he updated the firmware, the more the autofocus got worst
- with eye detection, some times the eye detection says the eye is in focus, but it is not
- the hit rate at 10-15 fps drops a lot
- in sports photography, when in 5 to 8 fps, the hit rate is between 80% to 95%
- in sports photography, when in 10 to 15 fps, the hit rate is between 30% to 50%
- if the situation in sports photography are particularly difficult (backlight, inside a forest, etc), the hit rate drops further
- linear motor lenses don’t focus so “linear” in video. He compares the 16-55mm with LM vs the 18mm with LM and the 16-55 is smooth, but the 18mm is jerky
- firmware 7.00 improved things and the hit rate went up. But it’s still not where it was with the initial firmware
So why does he still stick with Fujifilm?
- best value for money ratio
- he shares a chart where he compares a Sony and Fujifilm system, and a Sony system would cost him 5,000 Euro more than a Fujifilm system
- moreover, he grabbed the flagship Fujifilm X-H2S vs the non-flagship Sony A7IV
- The X-H2S has better EVF, better LCD, faster bursts, better video specs, etc.
- With Sony A7IV he would make an upgrade in terms of Autofocus, but a downgrade on pretty much all the rest
He ends up saying that Fujifilm Italy contacted him asking all the details about the problems he is encountering, the settings etc, and that they would forward everything to Fujifilm Japan.
He still believes in the brand, there are lots of reasons he wants to stay with it (which he quickly lists in the video). So please Fujifilm, do something about the autofocus.
The Easy Solution
So, Andrea Cimini and Thierry Gibralta have shown that the first iterations of Fujifilm’s 5th generation autofocus was solid and significantly superior to what we have now.
Solid tracking, incredibly high hit rates at fast fps, smooth focus transitions with little to no pulsing and so forth.
So the solution could be actually a pretty easy one: Fujifilm should take that older AF algorithm and just put it back into their 5th generation cameras.
But as of now, the choice users have is: should I upgrade to the latest firmware to get all the other goodness that Fujifilm has generously given us for free (Reala Ace, red frame indicator, etc), or downgrade at my own risk, give up on Reala Ace & Co, but have again the great autofocus of almost 2 years ago?
I made the choice for myself already. I upgraded. But I don’t really shoot critical sports photography. And for my use, the latest X-T5 June firmware has fixed the issues that arose with the April firmware. In fact, I used it for a family travel in Rome and Tuscany and it worked just great for me. So I rather keep Reala & Co, as the autofocus is good for my type of use.
And honestly, I do not recommend anyone to make DIY downgrades. If anything goes wrong, you won’t be covered by warranty.
The way to go is to ask Fujifilm to give us the autofocus solidity they once already had. Take that older algorithm and give it to us. And then, build up even better from there.
