The new X-H2s is a huge step forward for Fujifilm in, well kind of every aspect really. Their lineup
is always built around similar sensors and processing engines with each generation being
a little leap forwards for the whole lineup. And this is the first camera with the new
X-Trans 5 engine inside, so it is of course a step forward for the brand, it always is when theres a
new sensor inside. But in my opinion, with this sensor and camera, Fujifilm have ended up with a
tool that is just so much better for video than their cameras have been to date, and something
that is arguably more practical and sensible as a hybrid camera that a lot of its competition.
Theres a lot to talk about with this camera, but for this video I just wanted to run though
a quick list of 5 main improvements which I think have made the biggest difference on the X-H2s.
X-Trans 5 Image Quality
The new sensor inside the X-H2s is a stacked sensor, which means the sensors processing units
are built right into the back of the sensor, allowing the camera to read the information
off the sensor so much faster than normal. We are seeing this more and more in the industry,
but its normally on higher end flagship cameras like the Sony a1 or Canon R3. But this is an APSC
camera that is well under half the price of those cameras. So this really brings that technology to
a lot more people, and the benefits of a stacked sensor are huge. Essentially every bit of the
camera is able to work that little bit better because it can get the information of the sensor
quicker and easier. Rolling shutter is hugely reduced, and is really under control on this
camera. Our friends over at CineD.com measured it at 9.7ms in 4K while doing their lab tests which
exceptionally good. You won’t need to worry about rolling shutter at all with this camera really. It
improves dynamic range as well, which is why Fuji have given us a new log format, Flog 2 in order to
get the most from the dynamic range improvements. I haven’t done enough tests to know for sure,
but i’d be surprised if this wasn’t the most dynamic range from any fujifilm camera in video,
and probably one of the most from any mirrorless camera i’d imagine. It also improves autofocus,
and frame rates, but we are going to talk more about those in a minute. You can take pretty much
any improvement in the X-h2s and trace it back to the stacked sensor and new processing engine,
its a very behind the scenes feature of course, but it is such an important one.
ProRes formats With the new processing engine, and
the addition of a CFexpress type B slot as well, the X-H2s is capable writing data a lot quicker
to its media. Fujifilm have used this to give us access to ProRes formats in camera which huge.
The weakness of mirrorless cameras as a whole has always been that they use a variety of different,
often fairly weak, codecs. Over the years they have improved hugely, most now do a decent
data rate and give us All-I and 10 bit support. But none of them are as good as prores. Its an
industry standard for a reason, and having access to it in such a small camera is fantastic. We saw
this on the Panasonic GH6, and i’m really hoping it comes to more mirrorless cameras as well.
All the Prores formats are 10 bit, and you get the choice of LT, 422 or HQ.
Improved AF system
Autofocus for video has normally been, ok, but not amazing on Fujifilm cameras. But with the X-h2s,
theres a new sensor, new processor, some new algorithms and support for new subject tracking
modes like animals, cars, aeroplanes & trains. All of this adds up to make an autofocus system
that is familiar if you are used to Fuji cameras, but is much more
reliable. It tracks faces and subjects far more consistently and just feels snappier as a whole.
We did some simple tests in an interview style setup and it was easily good enough
to use for most work. We’d need to do more tests to know for sure, but this certainly feels like
an autofocus system that could compete with Sony and Canon for video work, which is very welcome.
6.2K ‘Open Gate’ video The highest resolution that the camera can do is
a 6.2K mode, which uses the whole sensor in a 3:2 aspect ratio and gives you a resolution of 6240
x 4160 in frame rates up to 30p. Now, this is obviously great as a high resolution mode. But its
the 3:2 aspect ratio part thats really interesting for me. You can of course use this for anamorphic
capture, although theres no anamorphic desqueeze in the camera right now, Fuji say that is coming.
But what it is excellent for is multi aspect ratio capture. With frame guides you can plan
for both 16:9 video and vertical 9:16 video as well. So if you know you need to repurpose bits
of a project for both regular and vertical video, using this mode makes your life much easier and
stops your vertical framing from looking really cramped. I know vertical video isn’t a feature
that most of the industry gets particularly excited about. But its the way things are going,
and features like this that help us keep creative control over our framing which is so important.
4K 120p slow motion
4K 120 is becoming more and more common among flagship mirrorless cameras but we are now
starting to see it in cameras at this pricepoint as well and its great to have. There is a slight
crop in, its about a 1.24x crop, and the detail is slightly lower than regular frame rates, while
the 4K 60p doesn’t seem to have a drop in quality at all. But it still looks great, I wouldn’t let
the crop or the slight drop in sharpness put you off to much, its still sharp and detailed without
being too noisy. Its converted to slow motion in camera, and you don’t get audio recording.
So thats my list of the 5 improvements that I think will make the most
difference to video users, but I do want to give an honourable mention to the connectivity options.
As theres a full size HDMI port which can output raw to either blackmagic raw with a video assist
or prores raw with a Ninja V. Theres a mic input and headphone jack, which isn’t always a given on
Fujifilm cameras unfortunately, but it is here. And a smart hotshoe that can connect to Tascams
new XLR unit. This is the same one that Canon cameras now use, you can get it as either a
Canon model or a Fujifilm model. So with that, its just as easy to add XLR ports to this as
it has been with a panasonic or sony camera. Overall, the X-H2s is a pretty fully featured
hybrid mirrorless camera for video work. Combine all these features with the relatively small APSC
lenses that they make and you end up with a very practical system indeed. I really like
this camera, but let me know what you think in the comments section below and if you want to buy one
for your own work head over to Proav.co.uk. Thanks for watching, and i’ll see you in the next one.