The rumoured flagship might enhance autofocus performance significantly.
The Fujifilm X-H2S speculations are building ahead of the mirrorless camera’s scheduled release later this month – and the newest leaks say it might make a significant focusing jump to help it catch up to Sony and Canon.
Fuji Rumors has revealed some fresh information on Fuji’s next focusing technology, which is slated to debut on the X-H2S. These include the capacity to detect and track birds, animals, automobiles, trains, aircraft, and motorcycles, as well as some rather complex subject-tracking abilities.
Naturally, Fuji Rumors claims that the X-H2S will monitor human faces and eyes, albeit this functionality is already available on Fujifilm cameras. However, the company’s broad list of other topics implies that it has made progress in its typical weak spot.
Although the focusing performance of newer Fuji cameras such as the Fujifilm X-S10 isn’t awful, it has fallen behind Sony and Canon’s latest developments. “Its AF performance is outstanding in most settings,” we said in our X-S10 review, “but the subject-tracking isn’t as sophisticated as the Sony system found on cameras like the Sony A6600.”
It will be interesting to see how well these new AF tracking options perform in practise. On paper, several camera autofocus systems may seem to be comparable, but in practise, their stickiness and accuracy might differ due to unique software algorithms and processing capacity.
However, there are grounds to be hopeful about the focusing performance of the X-H2S. It’ll sport a new stacked sensor that offers fast read-out rates for burst photography and video. Fujifilm also announced last year that it will add computational photography to the X-series cameras. “If the sensor speed and processing speed are both really quick, then you can do a lot of things,” Fujifilm Senior Manager Shinichiro Udono told DPReview in an interview.
Analysis: The hit-rate will serve as evidence.
Because it’s a handy tool for both stills and video, autofocus performance has become a more crucial battlefield for mirrorless cameras.
Both Sony and Canon have excelled in this area, with cameras such as the Sony A1 and Canon EOS R3 bringing focusing to new heights. The Fujifilm X-series has typically been less expensive and less capable than other cameras, but the X-H2S is projected to be a strong new flagship model, with AF performance to match.
Fuji Rumors has revealed a list of autofocus-tracked subjects, and we’re excited to see how well they function in practise. Because Fujifilm cameras aren’t often used by professional sports photographers, the ability to follow moving objects like automobiles and motorcycles is probably less crucial. However, if the X-H2S is to justify its estimated price tag of $1,899 / £1,699 / AU$2,700, a significant increase in Face and Animal focusing will be required.
It might also augur well for Fujifilm’s future series of cameras, such as the speculated X-T5. If Fuji’s more budget cameras can inherit some of the X-focusing H2S’s improvements, the X-series might maintain its position as a sweet spot for amateur photographers who don’t want the full-frame competitors’ system size or price tags.