Fujifilm X-H2S mirrorless camera: all about speed and video - The Verge
The new X-H2S APS-C mirrorless camera is the latest flagship from Fujifilm, launching in July. Fujifilm is also announcing two new zoom lenses and a tease of another high-megapixel X-H2 model at its X-Summit event.
Fujifilm’s latest X-Summit event is happening today in Omiya, Japan, and it brings several new announcements for its X-series of APS-C mirrorless cameras, including two cameras and two lenses. The headliner is the 26-megapixel X-H2S camera, which Fujifilm calls its new high-speed flagship model. It is the successor to 2018’s X-H1 and will launch on July 7th for $2,499 (without a lens).
Joining this camera at release is a new XF 150-600mm super-telephoto zoom lens costing $1,999, with an XF 18-120mm powered zoom due out later in mid-September for $899. Fujifilm also teased another camera, the X-H2, with a new 40-megapixel non-stacked sensor that’s also coming in September.
These new cameras are more pro DSLR-like than anything else in Fujifilm’s X-series of cameras, eschewing classic shutter speed and ISO dials in favor of a more modern PSAM dial. While the X-H2S maintains a modest resolution that’s only two megapixels more than its predecessor, its biggest improvements are in its speed, autofocus tracking capabilities, and hybrid video shooting. The new 26-megapixel backside-illuminated APS-C sensor has a stacked design, allowing faster readout speeds that permit blackout-free shooting up to 40fps with its electronic shutter — while maintaining continuous autofocus tracking. Unlike the Nikon Z9, the X-H2S has a mechanical shutter, though it tops out at a much lower 15fps burst rate.
The rear dial of the X-H2S does not click in like the X-H1, and the buttons are designed for a more robust, rubber-reinforced feel.
Image: Fujifilm
The top layout of the X-H2S has more buttons than the X-H1 and now just one dial for mode selection.
Image: Fujifilm
The other key component to the X-H2S’s newfound speed is its fifth-generation X Processor that clocks in at 1GHz, with a 600MHz sub-processor dedicated entirely to handling the new five-axis in-body image stabilization system — which Fujifilm claims is capable of up to seven stops of stabilization. For comparison, the older fourth-gen processor ran a peak of 608MHz for all tasks.
That newfound headroom may prove vital, as processor-heavy autofocus systems with real-time subject tracking have made big leaps in recent years, and Fujifilm is trying to play catchup with the likes of Sony and the latest offerings from Canon and Nikon. The X-H2S can perform three times more autofocus calculations than Fujifilm’s own X-T4, and Fujifilm says its new Deep Learning AI allows for subject detection and the tracking of human faces and eyes, animals, birds, automobiles, bikes, airplanes, and trains. In Zone AF mode, the camera favors closer subjects that are centered in the frame — ideally picking out the main person from a group.
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