Fujifilm XH2S - Hybrid Camera of the Year?
Only after having returned the XH2S to Fujifilm did it dawn on me that it’s the first interchangeable lens APS-C camera I've tested from Fujifilm. I own the X100V and used to own the GFX 50S (which I dearly miss and regret selling). When Fujifilm offered to lend me the XH2S, there was a lot I was looking forward to - new FLOG2 codec 10bit 4:2:2 , highest rated video dynamic range from a fujifilm camera, hybrid flagship (enjoying Fuji colours in both photo and video).
Peter (of Flatsix Classics) and I have been working on a photo project of sorts and the next car on our list was a green 1970 911. I wasn't sure what to do with a green car, I'd never shot one before. What I did know is I wanted a unique backdrop, and for that we ventured to Squamish River.
What better way to assess the hybrid-ity of my new loaner XH2S. Not only could I photograph the green 911 but also film the journey to our shoot. I'm no colour theorist but the green car set against the different shades of autumn just seemed to work.
I hung out the back of an SUV with the XH2S on a DJI RS2 and relied entirely on the vehicle tracking autofocus mode and the results were excellent. We found a great spot and managed to snap a few pics.
Something I enjoy immediately after a shoot is opening my footage in Davinci Resolve to do a quick grade and see what it can really look like. For reference, I shot nearly all the footage in 24p 6.2k open gate 10bit 4:2:2 in the H.265 codec and I was very impressed aftermy initial grade. I used a similar colour workflow to my FX3 footage and the Fuji image just looked more robust. There seemed to be more dynamic range and less noise in the shadows.
I had the camera paired with the 16-55 f2.8 and the 18-120 F4 PZ and as I discuss in the review video, there are issues when it comes to using zoom lenses and video on the XH2S. There were both exposure shifts and jarring distortion corrections that would appear during fast focal length changes on a zoom lens. Soon after posting this video, I discovered this wasn't unique to this camera and apparently a common issue with past Fujis so a quick fix via firmware is unlikely.
Because of the giant mountain to the west, we lost sunlight at around 3pm so we left the remainder of our shoot for the following week. Little did we know temperatures were about to plummet and the owner of the car took his car in for the winter. We had so much left to shoot! The interior, the rear of the car, a coffee shop and much more.
I mentioned this to a friend and fellow photo/video creator, Niko Myyra, who was coincidentally starting a youtube channel called Standouts and he had his first shoot coming up the next day! He graciously invited me along to hang out and shoot some more on the XH2S. Make sure you’re subscribed on Youtube to get notified of part 2 of this review. I'll try the XH2S in uncontrolled mix lighting to get a sense of how it does as a run and gun setup.
Until the next one!
-Nima
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When Fujifilm offered to lend me the XH2S, there was a lot I was looking forward to - new FLOG2 codec 10bit 4:2:2 , highest rated video dynamic range from a fujifilm camera, hybrid flagship (enjoying Fuji colours in both photo and video).