Fujifilm XH2s - Not For Everyone

Intro

I hate gear blogs so I am keeping this short and sweet. Right now I am back in Nuremberg closing my exhibition and I had the chance to try the new Fuji XH2s. I must admit I wasn’t that arsed about this camera since I am more than happy with my XT4. However one was available to use, you guys have been asking for my opinion, so it made sense to make this first impressions video.

Disclaimer

Let’s make sure we are on the same page. This was not sent to me by Fuji nor was I paid to say anything. I am simply borrowing it from a camera shop. I am not a fuji fan boy and I don’t look at these cameras through rose tinted glasses. If something is shit, I will say it’s shit without sugar coating it. Probably why companies don’t send me their products to “review”. Speaking of reviews, this is not one. Anyone who can review a camera in less than a couple weeks is on crack. This is just a first impressions write up after using it for a few days. Finally I am not gonna sit here and read you the specs as I’m sure you can do that yourself. Failing that, there are plenty of spec sheet readers on YouTube. Right, let’s het this over and done with.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics are important because you can love or hate the camera just by how it feels in your hand. This is also very subjective. For example if you have big hands, you will love the grip on the XH2. However if you the hands are that of a 12 year old girl like mine, then the XT4 is probably better. Honestly for me this grip is a little too deep. However when using the camera with the large heavy lenses like the 50-140, the bigger grip does offer more stability and comfort. As for weight, this camera is not too heavy. It is a smidge heavier than my XT4 but honestly I can’t really notice it. Not an issue.

This camera is quite chunky. Matter of fact it is bigger than some full frame systems. It is also quite a bit bigger than my XT4 to the point where I get noticeably less space in my daily sling. Finally the button layout is good if you have bigger hands. Again because my hands resemble that of a child, I actually found a few buttons hard to reach.

The big question however is how does the camera feel? This is where I am not a fan. To me it just feels like a standard DSLR or mirrorless from any other brand. It does not feel like a Fuji. From the grip, to the shutter button and the general use experience… everything just feels a bit bland. This camera reminds me of when I tried my mates Sony A7iv and it just doesn’t make me want to pick it up and use it for photography.It really does feel like a tool that belongs on a gimbal or in some cinema rig. And that’s the thing it’s a fantastic tool, I will get onto that soon… but that’s all it feels like to me… just a tool. A bit like the me.

Usability

Let’s address the elephant in the room which is the new mode dial as opposed to the traditional fuji top dials. I have mixed feelings. On one hand I prefer the XT4 where you can see all your settings just by glancing down on the camera. On the other hand the 7 custom modes are way superior for the most demanding use cases and power users. If you are a photographer, I would say that hands down the traditional top dial set up like on the Fuji XT4 is way better. Nothing beats a physical dial and knowing what settings you have set even when the camera is off. It is also much easier to learn using this system. If you are a videographer or a 5050 hybrid shooter, then the system on the XH2 is better I feel. Being able to have different memory banks with different settings that can be changed in less than a second is a huge time saver. As for the rest of the buttons, again this beats out the XT4 because you just have more buttons. I especially love the dedicated ISO and WB buttons at the top.

However there is still one fundamental flaw. As it stands the buttons are programmed for all modes. So if you have a photo specific button, you can’t then get it to do something else when you shoot video… or the other way around. So effectively you will have some buttons which don’t do anything in any given mode. Given this is a simple software thing, I hope it comes in a future update. The rest of the XH2 is just like the XT4.. The menus are great, the camera is very customisable, the screen is fantastic and the viewfinder is good too. If I had to be extra picky id say that there is a lot to set up on this camera. Although the menus are easy to navigate, it can still be a lot to digest. If I had to be even more picky, then I will say that from a practicality perspective I miss having dual SD card slots. However I understand that from technical standpoint, the CF express card is superior given the capability of this camera. Finally the top screen will be useful to many, but I never really found myself using it.

Photography

Overall it is very good and is on par with my XT4 which is what I expected. The autofocus is in incredible and is a noticeable improvement over the previous cameras. The addition of subject tracking is welcome although I have not personally used for my style of photography. The face tracking has seen a huge boost so if you’re into portraits, this will be a big improvement. The IBIS has been improved but honestly I never had issues with the older IBIS in the XT4 for photos.

The image quality is on par with the XT4. From a technical stand point this camera is fantastic for photography, but so is the XT4 and the XT3. If you’re into sports, wildlife or anything that will benefit from the crazy speed, autofocus or burst rate, then this camera is great. If however you’re into street, travel, landscape or anything on those lines, you’re not really gonna see that much benefit over the XT4.

Video

This is where the XH2s comes into its own and begins to justify the price tag. Hands down it is the best video footage i’ve seen come out of a Fuji camera. The extra dynamic range is immediately noticeable and overall the footage just feels higher quality compared to my XT4. Not only that but the autofocus is on a whole new level and for the first time I can rely on it. Sure it’s not perfect, but you can’t even compare it to the XT4. The eye tracking works well even with sunglasses on and continuous autofocus is smooth and consistent. Now you do need to tweak the custom settings to the get most out of it, but that’s not a negative.

The IBIS is also leaps ahead of the XT4 and if you are careful, and with a bit of stabilising on post, you can achieve gimbal like smooth walking shots. Although you still have some jerkiness here and there, it is not as aggressive as the XT4 and is more manageable. There are other welcome additions such as photometry settings, 6k video, ProRes, raw and a lot more. Overall this is an incredible video camera. However the amount of people that will fully utilise these features is pretty slim… Which brings me onto the next point.

Should you buy this camera?

So who is this camera for and should you buy it? Well let’s start with the price point. In the UK it is £2500 which firmly pushes it towards the professional market… and that’s exactly who this camera is for. It is for professionals who need the best video performance and the fastest speed possible. So if you already own some fuji lenses and you think of taking your video production more seriously, this is a solid future proof option. Equally if you want to take wildlife or sports photography more seriously and have the disposable income, this is gonna be great. However keep one thing in mind… as your camera specs go up, so does the cost of everything else. CF Express cards, external recorders, cages, bigger storage and more powerful laptops to deal with all the 6k RAW or ProRes footage.

If you still want to shoot video but don’t want to spend thousands on all this other crap, id say get the XT4. It is more than enough for 95% of people. If you only want to take photos, id say the XT3 is still a fantastic camera with arguably a few better photo specific features. If you are loaded and don’t know what else to spend your money on, then after buying 2 XH2s you can buy my presets or digital zines to support, thanks!

Would I buy this camera?

This is probably the most common question and right now the answer is no. For YouTube I do not need 6k RAW at least not now. However the IBIS, extra dynamic range and autofocus might sway me in the future… hopefully these carry over into the XT5. Equally if I start to get more video specific work in the future, then this will be a no brainer. On the other hand the extra bulk and cost are really putting me off. Not to mention that it’s just not fun to use. Either way I am waiting for the XT5 before I make any decisions. I hope they can bring over the autofocus and the IBIS… if so then I am ordering mine as soon as it comes out. For now though I am more than happy with my XT4 and my £2500 is much better spent on a month in a different city taking photos and making videos.