Recently, Fujifilm released their new flagship camera, the X-H2, a new APS-C mirrorless camera. Based on multiple manufacturers' recent releases, it's good to know the APS-C sensor doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. As a die-hard Canon shooter, I took to the product release with a fair amount of indifference. However, after discussing the specs and holding the camera for myself, I must admit I see the appeal. Fuji has packed just a ton of good stuff in this camera. Some features seem to directly respond to other manufacturers' failures when putting products out on the bleeding edge, specifically with regard to overheating.
Fuji has packed just a ton of good stuff in this camera. Some features seem to directly respond to other manufacturers' failures...
The body of the H-X2 has a full-size HDMI, which, while not unique, is still not the standard on most cameras of this size. That port also allows you to output Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW to an external recorder, which is a nice benefit for DaVinci Resolve users.
Photos
For starters, the 40 MP sensor is pretty impressive. Photographers looking for large images and lots of room to crop and scale will love this camera. The 40 MP can be bumped up to 160MP by utilizing Pixel Shift mode. This feature was born out of their GFX product line and is an exciting function. It takes 20 photos, moving the sensor ½ a pixel between each, so that each photo allows each pixel to be correctly exposed to red, blue, and green rather than the camera interpolating those colors. Once those images are taken into the Pixel Shift Combiner software, the resulting 160 MP image is as true to life as it can be.
When it comes to photos, many photographers pick their camera brand based on the color science that the brand brings to the table. That said, none of the other big brands have "film" right there in the name. The Fujifilm color science is good beyond a shadow of a doubt. Still, one of the things I found interesting about the X-H2 was they installed some simulated looks from their film stock directly into the camera. So if you like the Fuji Eterna look, you can get it right out of the camera; no post-production is needed. This particular film stock will get discussed more later, but, for the Fuji fans and the old-school darkroom photographers out there, I suspect this feature will speak to them.
Some will argue "if it isn't full frame, it isn't professional." I beg to differ. Some purists out there are horrified I just put that in print, and to them, I say: "Sorry, not sorry."
Crop sensor
The crop sensor/full frame battle is still raging, with many detractors saying, "if it isn't full frame, it isn't professional." As someone who has commercially licensed photos shot on an APS-C sensor, I beg to differ. Because the crop sensor is smaller than the full frame, most lenses don't function as advertised. For example, a 70mm-200mm lens on a 1.6x crop sensor gets you an image equivalent to 112mm-320mm. If you are shooting telephoto this is excellent, because you get way more zoom out of your lens. The only real drawback to crop sensors tends to come from people shooting ultra-wide, because your 10mm is now a 16mm, and admittedly when shooting huge landscapes, the crop sensor is a slight burden. That said, a few extra photos and some photo-stitching gets you right out of that rut, and getting a little extra bang for your buck on the telephoto side makes up for it in my mind. I am sure there are some purists out there who are horrified I just put that in print, and to them, I say: "Sorry, not sorry."
I felt Fujifilm downplayed the video features of this camera in their introduction... I think it just begs to be used for video production... It shoots 8k 30p 10 bit 4:2:2 Apple ProRes RAW internally.
For Video
In the release, I felt Fujifilm downplayed the video features of this camera in their introduction, speaking far more to photographers in general. Still, when I look at the specs on this camera, I think it just begs to be used for video production. Initially, it shoots 8k 30p 10 bit 4:2:2 Apple ProRes RAW internally. They also released a small fan that screws onto the back to help prevent overheating when filming 8k for extended periods. The X-H2 also has a multifunction hot shoe, meaning there will be third-party pieces of gear that will allow you to use XLR connections directly into the camera, no cables needed. The body of the H-X2 has a full-size HDMI, which, while not unique, is still not the standard on most cameras of this size. That port also allows you to output Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW to an external recorder, which is a nice benefit for DaVinci Resolve users. Another alternative is to use the F-Log 2 profile in the camera, which gets 13+ stops of dynamic range. The seven stops in-body image stabilization (IBIS), and the earlier mentioned film stock allow incredible image creation. The Eterna film stock, a video-first profile, included on the X-H2 means the look of footage coming straight out of this camera will appeal to many who plan to use this camera for video.
In conclusion
As an amateur photographer (and professional videographer), I got obsessed a few years back with the results you could get utilizing multiple exposure HDR photography. Something about the workflow and result just spoke to me. I imagine I would be similarly obsessed if I spent time using the sensor shift mode on the X-H2. As I stated earlier, I've used another manufacturer's cameras for most of my professional career. However, seeing the X-H2 and some of the lenses, I have never been so tempted to jump brands. But with the sub-$2,000 price tag, I could almost afford to.
