Fujifilm X-H2: an affordable all-rounder

Cameras with an «H» in their name are the most expensive and powerful models the Fujifilm range has to offer. Apart from the medium-format cameras, which are in a league of their own. The H models are hybrids, which means they should be able to manage videos as well as they do photography. The cheaper T models, on the other hand, are designed to be cameras first and foremost and video cameras on the side.

For a long time, the H series consisted only of the Fujifilm X-H1. This model is now succeeded by a duo: the H2 and the H2S. Although the H2S is slightly more expensive than the H2, it’s not significantly better. It all depends on how you use it. While the H2S is better suited for anything to do with speed – think wildlife photography, sports and action – the H2’s forte is high resolution – a strong point that makes it predestined for landscape, architecture or studio photography.

When it comes to 40 megapixels and 8K videos, the few cameras that can keep up at this level are all expensive full-frame cameras. Fujifilm has gone for the smaller APS-C format with a resolution in the range of 26 megapixels, which the H2S also offers.

Operation and ergonomics

The housing of the H2 and the H2S is identical. However, compared to the H1, there are some differences. The H2 now features a mode dial on the top, but has no more dials for shutter speed and ISO. That’s one wheel down, which means more room for four additional buttons.

At the front, the focus switch has been replaced by a button. Although it’s not as easy to grip as a switch, you can change its function. In general, you can configure the camera quite extensively. You’re even free to choose swipe gestures for the screen.

At the back of the camera, you’ll find the same elements but arranged in a slightly different way. The Q key is no longer located on the hand grip. This means you’re less likely to press it by accident. However, I do find the joystick to be a bit far away from you thumb’s natural position.

With this, Fujifilm has moved the H2 away from the classic old-school operating setup. Obviously, you can still set the aperture on the lens, but you don’t have to. I mostly used the dial, because the aperture ring is too sensitive for my liking and I want to avoid it accidentally moving. There’s no lock switch, but clicking into automatic is hard enough as it is. In addition, using the dial allows you to separate aperture settings in photo and video modes.

Image quality: good lenses required

This is definitely a camera test and not a lens test. However, when it comes to image quality on the H2, we have to talk lenses, too. This is because increasing the resolution makes any weaknesses in the lenses more visible. To benefit from the 40 megapixels in the first place, you’re going to need very sharp lenses.

I had two objectives at my disposal for my test. The lightweight and inexpensive XF 23 mm f/2 and the significantly more expensive XF 56 mm with f/1.2 lens speed.

There’s no doubt about the 56 mm lens; it can definitely handle 40 megapixels. Even with open aperture.

Next, I photographed a printed drawing with fine lines. I focused on the corner of the drawing first and then on its centre. What was revealed? When focusing on the corner of the drawing, the lens is no longer sharp when the aperture is wide open. But that probably doesn’t matter. After all, this lens was mainly designed for portraits, where you don’t focus on the corners. In the centre, the lens is even sharper at f/2 than at f/7.1.

The 23 mm lens, on the other hand, doesn’t deliver the required sharpness. Not even in certain situations that frequently occur in everyday life. Namely, whenever you’re working with an open aperture and want the centre of the image to be sharp (second image in the following test series).

But you can’t generalise this finding – not every inexpensive lens is out of focus. But I’d still recommend the following: if you’re going to treat yourself to a Fujifilm X-H2, don’t skimp on the lenses. A lens that produces decent images at 26 megapixels can turn out to be disappointing at 40 megapixels.

If the glass delivers the required sharpness, the new sensor of the H2 is an advantage. I can’t and won’t do any lab tests, so here’s an approximate impression instead: the image noise is within the usual range of APS-C sensors. Depending on the subject, processing and output size, my personal limit is at around 3200 ISO, sometimes 6400 ISO is also doable.

More resolution isn’t necessarily a disadvantage in terms of image noise. For the same image detail, the image is scaled down more, causing most of the noise to disappear.

To test the dynamics, I took a photo with very high contrast on two different cameras. The window frame provides quite the shadows, while the sky is very bright. Here’s an snippet:

If I darken the image, I can still get some detail out of the reflective sun blinds with the Nikon D7500. With the Fujifilm X-H2, these details are lost.

No lab test, but a bit of a clue. The Nikon D7500 has an APS-C sensor with 21 megapixels. According to DxO Mark, its dynamic range is 14 exposure stops – a good value.

Display and viewfinder

The H2 screen features a classic rotating mechanism you find in video cameras: fold it out sideways and then rotate it around its own axis. This is different in the H1, where the screen is pulled out and tilted. What’s more, it can be tilted sideways so that it can also be adjusted in portrait mode.

For shooting, I find the folding mechanism of the H1 better, as it requires fewer steps. In return, the H2 gives you more self-control when you’re shooting and lives up to the hybrid claim more.

The viewfinder has a resolution of 5.76 million points, i.e. 1600×1200 pixels and 120 Hz. These values are very good and something I notice in daily use. I enjoy taking pictures more with a good viewfinder image.

However, a high resolution and high frame rate do also have a disadvantage – they consume more power. Fujifilm offers several modes to help you find the right balance between battery life and performance. Namely, eco, normal and boost. There are three different types of boost mode. One increases the resolution, one increases the visibility of dark spots, and one increases the frequency to a «240 Hz equivalent». However, the latter darkens the viewfinder image. In my opinion, the boost modes don’t deliver enough to justify their increased battery consumption.

Video

Video mode has many options. What stands out most is that the camera can record at 8K. More precisely, in UHD-II, i.e. 7680×4320 pixels, with up to 30 frames per second (FPS). «4K HQ» is also limited to 30 fps. In this mode, a 4K resolution is downsampled in real time from the 8K resolution – so-called oversampling. This results in a better image than if the sensor retrieves a reduced resolution right from the start. The latter method is used by the camera for frame rates above 30 fps.

Neither 8K nor 4K HQ produces a cropped image. This only happens with recordings of 50 fps or more: the image section becomes smaller by a factor of 1.28. This happens not only in 4K but also in Full HD. You can set the camera to always have this crop. This way you’ll get a consistent frame rate when you mix high and low frame rate footage in a video.

Unsurprisingly, I see no difference between 4K HQ and 8K on my 4K screen. If I use a clip taken from the 8K video, it becomes sharper than the same clip recorded in 4K. This means there’s also 8K usage that makes sense for 4K screens.

4K HQ also looks noticeably better than «regular» 4K. In my test subject, colour fringes appeared in lower quality. However, we’re talking about a pretty nasty test. You’ll very rarely come across this effect in everyday motifs.

The sensor cannot be read out as fast as the H2S. This is why a rolling shutter effect appears with fast movements. For example, vertical lines appear slanted when the camera pans quickly. The effect seems to be more pronounced at 25p than at 50p.

But the extent is within the normal range. Things look very much the same with the Sony A7R V, for example.

Autofocus and speed

Even though the H2 hasn’t been optimised for speed, it’s still fast. After all, image processing has to be quick if it processes 8K in real time. The continuous shooting function also benefits from this. It manages 15 images with mechanical shutter and 20 images with electronic shutter. Thanks to the fast CFexpress cards, the buffer memory only fills up after 245 RAW shots. This corresponds to about 12 seconds of continuous shooting.

Autofocus is fast, too. However, I’m not that impressed with the face and eye recognition. In nature shots, I notice that the camera sees many faces where there are none. So much so that I have to turn off face detection to prevent the camera from focusing on unwanted areas.

The video test recording shows whether the correct eye was detected – the one closer to the camera. Although the autofocus switches between the eyes very quickly, there’s a sequence at 21 seconds when the camera focuses on the wrong eye for a longer time.

This clip was a screen recording with reduced resolution. In the video with its original resolution, both eyes are blurred in this passage. This needn’t be down to eye detection, but could also be motion blur or a lens that’s too slow.

Eyes that are blurred on both sides are not uncommon in photos either. When taking selfies in photo mode, the focus is usually on the face for some reason, but rarely precisely on the eye. High-res nose hairs are not what I need in my life. And yes, I did select eye priority in autofocus.

Verdict: this is fun!

Despite the shortcomings of the eye autofocus, I recommend the Fujifilm X-H2. The camera’s a solid all-rounder – versatile and with few weaknesses. At the same time, it costs significantly less than the full-frame flagships. Even entry-level models with a larger sensor are more expensive, like the Sony A7 IV or the Canon R6 Mark II. And in some aspects, the H2 is better. These include the viewfinder, the video functions and the continuous shooting speed.

Having said that, you’ve got to keep in mind that it’s not a full-frame camera. I doubt the dynamics can keep up with an Alpha 7 IV. However, I can’t measure this to be sure.

I wouldn’t recommend this camera if eye autofocus is of great important to you. It produces too many inaccuracies for that. These are noticeable if you’re shooting in high resolution paired with a wide open aperture.

Nevertheless, there’s the most important aspect I want to mention. I really enjoy the Fujifilm X-H2. Especially with a fast lens. This is largely thanks to the very good viewfinder, which makes the pictures already look good while you’re shooting. But it’s also thanks to the fact that the camera isn’t annoying, because it does what it should. Operating it is unobtrusive but in a good way.

Cover image: Fujifilm