Fuji X-H2S

[IronFilm]

20 hours ago, Django said:

The XH2/XH2S obliterate the FX30 when it comes to specs. Fuji don't have a cine line to protect and it shows.

 

Lacks timecode however (which the FX30 has), that's a rather big negative that Fujfilm hasn't dealt with in my opinion

[MrSMW]

XH2 first impressions vs Lumix S1R

Nice semi matte paint job and build quality initially seems around comparable.

Not that much smaller but considerably lighter with equivalent lens.

I weighed them both with battery, cards and 24-105mm f4 Lumix and Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 (25-105 equiv) and the difference was exactly 505g, ie, 1/2 kilo or basically 1lb difference.

Handling/ergo-wise, the S1R takes all my fingers around the grip but the XH2, just 3 so for me needs either something like a Smallrig L bracket or battery grip.

As things stand, I still have to test the thing for photo & video but all things being well, this would become my prime stills workhorse and I think I’d go for the battery grip as it would bring the weight up to more or less the the same as the S1R, albeit physically bigger but with at least double the battery life.

I was looking at the Nikon Z9 so the battery gripped XH2 could be looked at as the poor man’s Z9. And actually available to buy!

I will do some video (and stills) tests over the coming weeks but looking good so far…

[Django]

Congrats on the new purchase. Yeah I always used the battery grip in my XT2 days. Keep in mind that on Fuji the grip allows 2 batteries + the internal one for a whopping X3 battery life! That should keep you going all day & night during those long wedding gigs.

The grip is expensive but well worth it as it also offers a boost mode. There are two versions for XH2S, one has a transmitter. Looks pretty beefy on XH2S but very professional :

[MrSMW]

The standard battery grip for me as the other one is about 1000 euros (3x the price!) and serves no purpose that I would ever use.

And weirdly, despite 3x batteries, Fuji officially quote 2.4x battery life.

Where does that .6 go? It’s a pretty hefty chunk!

[MrSMW]

Actually, in the brief time I had the XT2 myself, ditto the battery grip with the 16-55mm zoom.

That is probably the route I am going to take again this time for my primary stills unit, ie, the XH2 + battery grip + 16-55.

As my primary video, looking at the XH2-S + Tamron 17-70 and secondary video/gimbal, a second XH2-S with the 18-55 f2.8/4…unless Tamron release that new 20-40mm f2.8 in F Mount in which case I would definitely go that route. No battery grips for video units but probably the L brackets for that little finger.

I am still considering a prime based solution but it keeps coming back to the same thing and that is does the increase in quality and low light capability, compensate for the sheer amount of ‘fannying about’ switching primes to suit certain situations…

My final job of the year, I just went 24-105 f4 for stills on the S1R and Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on the S1H for video (in 4K 50p giving me a focal range equiv to 42-105) and there was a lot to be said for this most ‘minimalist’ approach to date (for me) with the L Mount system.

I started the season with 5 bodies and 7 primes and ended it with 2 bodies and 2 zooms.

The reality is I need 3x bodies and ideally 3 lenses welded on. That reality can only be zooms.

[Thpriest]

56 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

Actually, in the brief time I had the XT2 myself, ditto the battery grip with the 16-55mm zoom.

That is probably the route I am going to take again this time for my primary stills unit, ie, the XH2 + battery grip + 16-55.

As my primary video, looking at the XH2-S + Tamron 17-70 and secondary video/gimbal, a second XH2-S with the 18-55 f2.8/4…unless Tamron release that new 20-40mm f2.8 in F Mount in which case I would definitely go that route. No battery grips for video units but probably the L brackets for that little finger.

I am still considering a prime based solution but it keeps coming back to the same thing and that is does the increase in quality and low light capability, compensate for the sheer amount of ‘fannying about’ switching primes to suit certain situations…

My final job of the year, I just went 24-105 f4 for stills on the S1R and Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on the S1H for video (in 4K 50p giving me a focal range equiv to 42-105) and there was a lot to be said for this most ‘minimalist’ approach to date (for me) with the L Mount system.

I started the season with 5 bodies and 7 primes and ended it with 2 bodies and 2 zooms.

The reality is I need 3x bodies and ideally 3 lenses welded on. That reality can only be zooms.

I know you shoot both video and photo so your needs are very specific but when I shoot wedding videos (solo) I have 2 approaches. 
1. Zoom. In my case the S1 with the 24-105. it gets everything done apart from real low light. I have a couple of 1.8 primes to deal with that. Still means changing lenses

2. Film everything on 1 prime. I have done this a few times with a 35 and have really enjoyed the experience and result. It means moving around a bit more but with lighter gear and makes you think your shots more. Maybe not for every wedding but when it works it’s very liberating.

[Django]

I'm a prime shooter personally, even on the few weddings I've shot (both as photographer & videographer). Swapping lenses is definitely a hassle in such fast paced environment which is why multiple bodies feels essential. A wide angle, medium & tele on 3 bodies and you're good for any situation. But I've also managed with a single body and a 35mm and even once on a single 50mm (kinda crazy when I think back at it!). Never done both photography and videography at once, that sounds like madness!

Today if I were doing weddings I'd probably use 2 FF Canon bodies (R6+R5C) and have the 16mm 2.8 STM on one and 85mm on the other. Or two Sonys (A7IV+A7S3) with Zeiss 25mm F2 & 85mm F1.8.  Those are currently my favourite lens combos for run & gun. I do have two destination weddings coming up next summer, I'm only a guest but have been asked to take candid shots, I will probably just bring my Leica M9 with the 28mm summicron. However if I pick up an XH2S that could change everything as it would be my ideal travel hybrid cam.

I'm not sure yet about using Fuji for run & gun. I have in the past with mixed results. XH2S is the first camera that really peaks my interest over FF thanks to the stacked sensor but AF is still a big question mark. And I rely on AF heavily for run & gun and can't stand missed shots due to OOF.

I've been looking at what lenses I'd get for the Fuji and my favourite back in XT2 days was 23mm F.14 (35mm equivalent), 35mm F1.4 (50mm) & 56 F1.2 (85mm). All very slow AF lenses but they do all have new versions out now. Viltrox also has what looks like a great inexpensive prime lens with AF for X mount lineup. The rendering looks like a sweet spot in between vintage & modern which is right up my alley aesthetic wise so I'd look heavily into those.

I'd also pick up the Metabones EF speed booster with locking system to get FF aesthetic and use all my EF glass.

Again the Fuji would really be my creative, family/friends, travel cam. The 6.2K open gate would also be very interesting to me for client work that requires multi aspect ratio deliveries. I could see the super sharp high resolution optical filter less image quality being useful for certain applications like product shots, fashion accessories etc.

I have serious GAS for XH2S, and was waiting for the FX30 announcement and its a bit hard because I'm already invested in superb Sony glass and the FX30 would be a good B-cam to my FS7 but the specs are just too low vs XH2S.

[MrSMW]

9 hours ago, Django said:

I'm not sure yet about using Fuji for run & gun. I have in the past with mixed results. XH2S is the first camera that really peaks my interest over FF thanks to the stacked sensor but AF is still a big question mark. And I rely on AF heavily for run & gun and can't stand missed shots due to OOF.

That’s an area I never had a problem.

OK, early days with the first models but not the later one’s which for me culminated in the XT3.

I really fancy the FX30 form factor and some of the lens options, but the reality is, that for me/my needs the Fuji option is just better.

[Emanuel]

On 10/5/2022 at 8:45 PM, Django said:

I'm a prime shooter personally, even on the few weddings I've shot (both as photographer & videographer). Swapping lenses is definitely a hassle in such fast paced environment which is why multiple bodies feels essential. A wide angle, medium & tele on 3 bodies and you're good for any situation. But I've also managed with a single body and a 35mm and even once on a single 50mm (kinda crazy when I think back at it!). Never done both photography and videography at once, that sounds like madness!

Today if I were doing weddings I'd probably use 2 FF Canon bodies (R6+R5C) and have the 16mm 2.8 STM on one and 85mm on the other. Or two Sonys (A7IV+A7S3) with Zeiss 25mm F2 & 85mm F1.8.  Those are currently my favourite lens combos for run & gun. I do have two destination weddings coming up next summer, I'm only a guest but have been asked to take candid shots, I will probably just bring my Leica M9 with the 28mm summicron. However if I pick up an XH2S that could change everything as it would be my ideal travel hybrid cam.

I'm not sure yet about using Fuji for run & gun. I have in the past with mixed results. XH2S is the first camera that really peaks my interest over FF thanks to the stacked sensor but AF is still a big question mark. And I rely on AF heavily for run & gun and can't stand missed shots due to OOF.

I've been looking at what lenses I'd get for the Fuji and my favourite back in XT2 days was 23mm F.14 (35mm equivalent), 35mm F1.4 (50mm) & 56 F1.2 (85mm). All very slow AF lenses but they do all have new versions out now. Viltrox also has what looks like a great inexpensive prime lens with AF for X mount lineup. The rendering looks like a sweet spot in between vintage & modern which is right up my alley aesthetic wise so I'd look heavily into those.

I'd also pick up the Metabones EF speed booster with locking system to get FF aesthetic and use all my EF glass.

Again the Fuji would really be my creative, family/friends, travel cam. The 6.2K open gate would also be very interesting to me for client work that requires multi aspect ratio deliveries. I could see the super sharp high resolution optical filter less image quality being useful for certain applications like product shots, fashion accessories etc.

I have serious GAS for XH2S, and was waiting for the FX30 announcement and its a bit hard because I'm already invested in superb Sony glass and the FX30 would be a good B-cam to my FS7 but the specs are just too low vs XH2S.

What about overheating issues on XH2S?

[Django]

53 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

What about overheating issues on XH2S?

I haven't heard of any overheating issues from users plus it has the fan accessory.

[Emanuel]

31 minutes ago, Django said:

I haven't heard of any overheating issues from users plus it has the fan accessory.

Well, yes, there is the fan indeed but people on YT mention it. Didn't you buy the camera?

[jpleong]

On 11/21/2022 at 7:29 AM, Emanuel said:

What about overheating issues on XH2S?

I've shot a dozen video jobs of 60 min length or greater with the X-H2S at room temperature or cooler -no issues shooting 6.2K footage but I'm shooting "low" bitrate video with the fan attachment.

[Attila Bakos]

Recently purchased the X-H2s, and you know me, the first thing I look at is chroma resolution. Just dropping this in, on the left side you see the Cr channel of an EOS R 4K C-Log 8bit 4:2:0 recording (about 420 Mbps), on the right side it's X-H2s 4K F-Log 10bit 4:2:2 (about 615Mbps):

Don't get me wrong it's better than the X-T3, but this smoothing can still lead to loss of color. I really wish we could turn it off and deal with color noise in post.

ProRes RAW helps but it's a mystery to me. RAW on the X-H2s has the X-Trans pattern, obviously. However, it gets magically converted into Bayer in the ProRes RAW file. I had discussions with people who are involved in ProRes RAW->DNG conversion, also did my own test with Raw convertor (resulting DNG has Bayer pattern) and it seems that the data that arrives to a Ninja V recorder is already Bayer, even though the sensor is X-Trans. I'm still trying to confirm all this but if the body demosaics the X-Trans pattern and remosaics it into Bayer, then it's kind of a hack which in some cases can lead to artifacts.

[SRV1981]

On 10/5/2022 at 4:45 PM, Django said:

I'm a prime shooter personally, even on the few weddings I've shot (both as photographer & videographer). Swapping lenses is definitely a hassle in such fast paced environment which is why multiple bodies feels essential. A wide angle, medium & tele on 3 bodies and you're good for any situation. But I've also managed with a single body and a 35mm and even once on a single 50mm (kinda crazy when I think back at it!). Never done both photography and videography at once, that sounds like madness!

Today if I were doing weddings I'd probably use 2 FF Canon bodies (R6+R5C) and have the 16mm 2.8 STM on one and 85mm on the other. Or two Sonys (A7IV+A7S3) with Zeiss 25mm F2 & 85mm F1.8.  Those are currently my favourite lens combos for run & gun. I do have two destination weddings coming up next summer, I'm only a guest but have been asked to take candid shots, I will probably just bring my Leica M9 with the 28mm summicron. However if I pick up an XH2S that could change everything as it would be my ideal travel hybrid cam.

I'm not sure yet about using Fuji for run & gun. I have in the past with mixed results. XH2S is the first camera that really peaks my interest over FF thanks to the stacked sensor but AF is still a big question mark. And I rely on AF heavily for run & gun and can't stand missed shots due to OOF.

I've been looking at what lenses I'd get for the Fuji and my favourite back in XT2 days was 23mm F.14 (35mm equivalent), 35mm F1.4 (50mm) & 56 F1.2 (85mm). All very slow AF lenses but they do all have new versions out now. Viltrox also has what looks like a great inexpensive prime lens with AF for X mount lineup. The rendering looks like a sweet spot in between vintage & modern which is right up my alley aesthetic wise so I'd look heavily into those.

I'd also pick up the Metabones EF speed booster with locking system to get FF aesthetic and use all my EF glass.

Again the Fuji would really be my creative, family/friends, travel cam. The 6.2K open gate would also be very interesting to me for client work that requires multi aspect ratio deliveries. I could see the super sharp high resolution optical filter less image quality being useful for certain applications like product shots, fashion accessories etc.

I have serious GAS for XH2S, and was waiting for the FX30 announcement and its a bit hard because I'm already invested in superb Sony glass and the FX30 would be a good B-cam to my FS7 but the specs are just too low vs XH2S.

Why not a7iv if fx30 doesn’t have the specs. Color is pretty good and could be setup to look similar to xh2?  
 

what’s the most challenging part of manual focus for run and gun you think? I was considering a7iv, xh2s, and s5

[newfoundmass]

11 minutes ago, SRV1981 said:

what’s the most challenging part of manual focus for run and gun you think? I was considering a7iv, xh2s, and s5

The most challenging part is just getting used to manual focusing. It can be intimidating at first, but it's really not that difficult. It's pretty easy with focus peaking and with cameras that allow you to set the focus to linear so that you can repeat focusing consistently (a very underrated feature of the S5 after years of using the GH5.) 

Manual focusing is such a rewarding experience, at least it is for me. I like that feeling of control. 

[Attila Bakos]

I read some comments about the 1080p quality being worse on the X-H2s than on the X-T3/4, and I thought it's nonsense, but after a few quick tests it is worse indeed, for some reason the moiré/aliasing artifacts are more pronounced. Not sure about the reason yet, maybe the readout is different.

[Attila Bakos]

Revised my findings, the previous comment can be deleted.
(Both bodies are equally bad in 1080p.)

[PannySVHS]

Would love to hear your opinion about the GH6! @Attila Bakos

External recording with the Fuji is fine though? Thanks for your findings and contributions!

[Attila Bakos]

6 hours ago, PannySVHS said:

Would love to hear your opinion about the GH6! @Attila Bakos

External recording with the Fuji is fine though? Thanks for your findings and contributions!

I don't have the GH6 unfortunately, but I checked a ProRes HQ V-Log L sample and the chroma channels are very good.

The Fuji chroma smoothing is there in all internal and external recordings, the only exception is ProRes RAW. As I mentioned earlier it's weird though. ProRes RAW can not hold X-Trans data, it's designed for Bayer. Atomos already confirmed to me that they don't modify the raw feed. I'm still waiting for Fuji's answer, but the only thing I can imagine is they demosaic X-Trans in the body, then remosaic it into Bayer and send that to the recorder. While it works it is kind of a trick, and when we compare ProRes RAW features to BRAW, one of the main things that sets them apart is that ProRes RAW is not debayered and thus more raw-like, while BRAW is partially debayered. So I'm not sure if we can talk about being not debayered as an advantage here, as the raw feed that the Ninja V records is actually already processed by the camera.
And if you go into details, demosaicing is basically filling the "holes" in the R,G,B planes by interpolation methods, using the pixels that are known. See the "holes" here (it's for Bayer, but you'll get the point):

Now if you remosaic the R,G,B planes to Bayer, you have to throw away about half the originally known values, as the pattern is different. You exchange them to interpolated values and send them to the Ninja as if they were the known values from the sensor. I have my doubts about the quality of this method, but I will test it when my Ninja V Plus arrives.

[D Verco]

Fresh firmware just dropped. Apparently huge AF improvements.