The Fujifilm X-H2 Review: almost perfect, but not quite.

On my recent Japan trip I traveled with a Fujifilm X-T5 which I both loved and hated. I wrote all about it here. I replaced it with a Fujifilm X-H2, and this is both a mini review and guide to its features and why I changed from the X-T5.

Back to the X-T5, I love the images from Fujifilm and the colours of course, along with an easy editing workflow. I love the 40 megapixel sensor and how aggressively I can crop. I love the soft sound of the shutter. I love the look and feel and the menu's and even the app.

But I also hated a lot.

Fujifilm X-H2

I hated using the dials in fast changing situations. I hated needing an extra grip to use Pro zoom lenses such as the 50-140 and 100-400. I hated the build quality and the paint rubbing off after a few week. I hated that custom modes are only useful for 'film recipes' rather than being able to quickly switch between actual shooting modes with pre-configured drive and focus settings.

Hate is a very strong word, but those were all deal breakers that I cannot live with.

All of the things that I didn't like about it completely and utterly overshadowed all the great things. And so I was telling myself I needed a change and it has to be full frame. Despite having no issues with auto focus, the internet had convinced me it wasn't good enough, and I would find myself complaining under my breath about noise levels at slightly raised ISO whilst inspecting images at a pixel level and telling myself full frame would be better.

Some rational thinking had actually occurred amidst all of this doubt and agonizing research about what to replace the X-T5 with. I was able to look at all the things I dislike, coupled with what I liked about the X-T5 and discovered that the Fujifilm X-H2 was actually the camera I needed. So I got one the same day I got back from our Japan Trip.

Sony A7IV that I sold in under a week of ownership

Full Frame FOMO

Now before I talk more about the X-H2, I still had the niggle in my mind that I needed Full frame for the cleaner files and 'pop' so let's get this little side excursion out of the way. I've shot full frame with Sony before, with the A7III and then A7CII. I wanted the style and ergos of the A7III combined with the 33MP sensor, new menus and AF of the A7CII. The natural conclusion was the Sony A7IV. So I bought one of those along with the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 which has a stellar reputation as an incredible and versatile lens, but cumbersome. Oh and one extremely large Sony 200-600mm for wildlife that was too good to pass up at it's used price.

I sold the Sony after just 1 week. Compared to the XH-2, It felt cheap, boring, and uninspiring. The famed Sony Autofocus did not seem any better, as the A7IV lacks the AI chip that is present in the A7CII, and the RAW files were just harder to work with in terms of getting the colours and contrast to pop as easily. Neither was there any obvious improvement in image quality. I also just did not gel with it either in the same way I did the A7III or A7CII which is a huge deal. The X-H2 on the other hand just oozes quality. Just holding it, pressing the buttons and taking photos is just a much more pleasing experience.

The enormous Tamron 35-150 f/2-2.8 full frame lens

Despite the Fujifilm X-H2 and Sony A7IV being at relatively close price points, it's worth noting that the Fuji is a top-of-the-line model, whereas the Sony is mid range at best. Lenses play a part too, I cannot honestly see myself paying the amount of money needed for a trinity of G-Master Zooms plus G-Master Primes, whereas Fuji I can afford their top tier glass, so it helps with GAS too.

I honestly did not foresee myself picking a crop sensor camera over a full frame camera, especially when I was able to test them head to head. More so when the main advantage of a crop sensor is not there as the X-H2 and fast lenses are neither small or light. The Viltrox Pro f/1.2 lenses close the gap to full frame in terms of depth of field and light: f/1.2 has an equivalent DoF of f/1.8 on full frame, whilst letting in a stop more light which I see as an advantage.

Not a comparison

I could probably just say that the X-H2 won a head to head battle against the Sony A7IV and that's all you might need to know. It's a pretty big statement. I wanted to get that out of the way because I do not want this to be a comparison piece. The X-H2 needs to be judged on it's own merits, and if anything, compare it to the X-T5 because I doubt many people are choosing between Fuji and Sony because of Camera bodies. They will be choosing Fujifilm for things such as the colours, film simulations and lens selection. Someone considering the X-H2 wants those things, but in a familiar, modern styled body.

Fujifilm X-H2 showing the top plate LCD and mode dial

The Fujifilm X-H2

Fujifilm nowadays appears to cater more for the hip, casual, and travel photographer who enjoy the retro styling and controls along with the JPEG's straight out of camera. They are going down the Leica road perhaps.

The Fujifilm X-H2 is an anti Fujifilm camera. It is not like the rest. What it is, is a professional grade hybrid camera body that is both superb for stills and video.

In terms of menus and performance it is largely similar to the X-T5 that I covered in that review but with some key differences:

Superb built quality - The body feels like it is sculpted out of something solid. It does not feel its going to scuff or scratch or dent. The surface feels like something of substance and I love it. Small details such as the strap attachment loops being integral to the body, and lovely feeling buttons including the joystick make for an enjoyable experience.

The Top plate screen - These used to be common on DSLRs but not so much on mirrorless, they are largely reserved for more expensive models in some brands lineups. This is the cheapest Pro level body with a top plate LCD. It is unbelievably useful. I can glance down and see my aperture, Shutter speed, ISO, battery and film simulation. Although I shoot RAW I would set the film sim based on what Custom mode I was in - I knew if I looked down and saw I was shooting Velvia then my Custom dial must be set to my landscape mode, or Pro Neg Std would be my custom mode for portraits with off-camera flash for example. Because 7 custom modes can be difficult sometimes to remember what each one is setup for.

The Mode Dial - I cannot understate just how good it is having a PASM control dial on a Fujifilm Camera. It is just so much faster to operate than Retro dials. A key difference is that on the X-T5, the settings you can assign to the Custom modes are quite limited. You cannot for instance set a drive mode to a custom mode. On the X-H2 you can do exactly that. All 7 Custom modes on the dial can also be independently set for either stills or video too.

CF Express type B card slot - A relatively standard SD card might have a read and write speed of maybe 150MB/S. A relatively inexpensive CF Express type B card has a speed of over 10 times that, which is also much faster than a more expensive V90 UHS-II Class SD card. With this card you unlock all the abilities of the camera, many of which I would never use but nice to know they are there such as the best video modes and a larger buffer for burst speeds due to the insane card speeds. You need a new card reader for it obviously but I was just transferring images via the phone app, or copying to the SD card in slot 2 to then put into my computer card reader.

Oversampled 4K video - I only started playing with video recently but oh my this camera takes gorgeous video. It has advanced abilities like shooting in Log and ProRes 422, but for my use, I was using the oversampled 4K mode that utilizes the full sensor without a crop. Eterna as the film sim looks amazing and detailed, and for a straight out of camera look that can also be graded slightly, Fujifilm Eterna looks better than Sony Cinetone.

Port selection - Another thing that I only appreciated fully when starting to do video is a full suite of ports. Most Fujifilm cameras have some weird stuff going on with microphone and headphone jacks usually requiring use of a dongle, but this has standard 3.5mm ports for both and positioned nicely so that your cables won't interfere if the 3.0 inch full articulating screen is folded outwards. Full sized HDMI is a bonus for those pro-video people but even for me it means I can easily just plug the camera into the TV to flick through my images. On the right hand side above the Card door is a remote release port for a wired Shutter release. I use the Fujifilm RR-100 for this.

Memory card slots showing SD and CF Express type B slots

Other notable specs

40MP X-Trans 5 Sensor - great cropping ability with amazing colours

7.0 Stops of In body stabilisation (IBIS) - for handheld shots with slow Shutter speeds

5.76m dot EVF - one of the nicest EVFs I have ever put my eye to.

3.0 inch fully articulating touch screen

Upto 8K full sensor open-gate video recording at upto 30fps

And a whole lot more here

Port selection includes full sized HDMI, Mic and headphone jacks as well as USB-C Charging

The Fujifilm X-H2S

I want to make a quick note on the X-H2S. The 'S' stands for Speed. This model has what is known as a stacked sensor, and to ordinary folks like us that simply means it can read the sensor data faster. In practice this means faster autofocus and less rolling shutter in video. The X-H2S model has a 26MP sensor rather than the 40MP that the X-H2 has. Beyond that, the cameras are practically identical, you would only choose the S if you are shooting very fast action; photos or video. Otherwise go for the X-H2 for the extra resolution.

Is it a Keeper?

Absolutely, and at the time of writing and after 3000 shots with what I consider an almost perfect camera body, it is brilliant. Fujifilm’s shortcomings with Autofocus are well documented but it is not that bad and perfectly usable for my uses. Sure, a Sony will do better but you have to ask yourself if that is important versus the trade-offs, and the Sony body won’t be half as premium anywhere near this price point. The Fujifilm X-H2 is simply superb and paired with outstanding fast lenses such as the Fujifilm LM WR primes or the Viltrox Pro lenses and you have a beautiful premium camera capable of creating outstanding images and video.

Below are some of my favourite images taken with the Fujifilm X-H2: