Fujifilm X-H2 Review: Mirrorless Digital Camera

After the action-focused X-H2S, Fujifilm launched the X-H2: an answer to high-resolution full-frame bodies that also packs a deeply developed video mode, and a camera built to face almost any situation. This review is based on the complete published test of the X-H2, not on hands-on testing of our own.

At the end of summer 2022, Fujifilm presented the second model in its new X-H range. It follows the spring's X-H2S, an action specialist whose stacked 26 Mpx APS-C sensor swallows 40 fps bursts without flinching and treads on the toes of the best full-frame sports hybrids. The X-H2 takes a different path: no stacked sensor and no extreme burst rate, but a new stabilised X-Trans sensor of 40.2 Mpx — the most defined on the APS-C market at the time of the test — a burst that still reaches 15 fps, and video recording up to 8K 30p in Apple ProRes 4:2:2 10-bit, internally. Among full-frame cameras it lines up against the Canon EOS R5, whose sensor definition is close and which also films in 8K, with the Nikon Z7 II and Panasonic Lumix S1R more distant reference points.

There are no surprises in the hand: the X-H2 is nothing more nor less than a clone of the X-H2S, the sole external difference being the "S" logo that has vanished from the front plate. That means an angular, modern, fairly imposing and very well-appointed body, some way from the classic Fujifilm APS-C design language, with resistance to humidity and dust, in-body stabilisation, a viewfinder paired with a fully articulating touchscreen, USB charging with shooting while powered, complete connectivity and twin storage slots. The one reproach: menus that feel dated next to the competition's.

The X-H2 uses the same X-Processor 5 as the S version, and it shows. Apart from a start-up that approaches — and sometimes exceeds — a second, response times are very good; in daylight the measurements even found the X-H2 slightly quicker than the X-H2S despite its higher pixel count, with the S keeping a slender advantage in low light and when chaining frames. These are figures to set alongside the best of the breed, such as the Nikon Z9 or OM System OM-1.

The burst is no afterthought either. With autofocus tracking maintained, the mechanical shutter exceeds 14 fps in measurement — few mechanical shutters reach that rate. The electronic shutter is more modest at a measured 13.5 fps, further from the class leaders but still respectable, and it can be pushed to 20 fps at the cost of a 1.29x crop. The absence of a stacked sensor makes very fast subjects harder to pin down, yet good sport and wildlife shots remain perfectly achievable in mechanical shutter (with viewfinder blackout): this is not the X-H2's core mission, but the body is more versatile than it first appears. The buffer is efficient too — several hundred frames in JPEG alone, and with the fastest CFexpress Type B card of the moment (1,900 MB/s theoretical read, 1,700 MB/s write) uncompressed raw sustains a burst of just over 8 s, compressed raw 9.23 s, and JPEG-only more than 1 min 20 s.

Subject detection and tracking are seriously capable, though Fujifilm itself concedes that without a stacked sensor, and with the higher definition, the X-H2 grips subjects a little less surely than the X-H2S — which already trailed the very best of the genre, such as the Sony Alpha 1. In practice the miss rate on a moving subject is higher, less of a handicap in the studio this camera favours. Autofocus zone management is also too limited. One party trick deserves mention: the electronic shutter reaches a staggering 1/180,000 s, enough to freeze bursting objects with ease in good light.

The 40.2 Mpx of the new APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor make a strong impression, with photosites of 3.05 µm. Sensitivity management — always delicate at high definitions on smaller sensors — is largely a success. The native range runs from 125 to 12,800 ISO, extendable from 64 up to 51,200 ISO. Noise processing only becomes visible from 1600 ISO, a clear degradation appears from 3200 ISO and intensifies beyond, 6400 ISO remains fairly decent, and 12,800 ISO marks the outer limit of usable quality. Set against the Canon EOS R5 — a 45 Mpx full-frame of comparable definition — the Fujifilm holds its head high while the Canon keeps a step ahead: on the R5, noise only truly appears at 3200 ISO and 12,800 ISO remains acceptable.

Exposure latitude is the clearer weakness. Noise invades the blacks from -3 EV and highlights can only be recovered properly to +1.6 EV, an optimal total range of about 3.6 EV — there is ground still to cover to catch the full-frame competition. For those unsatisfied by 40 Mpx, a high-resolution mode produces 160 Mpx images: mounted on a tripod, the camera captures twenty compressed raw files that Fujifilm's Pixel Shift Combiner software merges on a computer into a 660 MB DNG. One for still lifes and document reproduction.

With the X-H2S, Fujifilm showed it could rival the best video bodies; the X-H2 pushes the limit further by bringing 8K to the brand. Where the S records 6.2K 30p, the X-H2 delivers 8K up to Apple ProRes HQ 4:2:2 10-bit — internally, with raw output available over HDMI with the same codec options. Note the appetite: every 8K minute weighs some 25 GB, a considerable load given there is no direct recording to an SSD over the USB-C port. Image quality duly surpasses that of more upmarket bodies such as the EOS R5 or Sony Alpha 1, even if — given the specification — an even more impressive level of sharpness might have been expected.

Video autofocus tracking is very swift and very effective, moving from one plane to another almost instantly and perfectly naturally at the right intensity setting, though pumping effects are never entirely banished and lenses are not all equal: the recent Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R WR proves particularly lively, while the more venerable XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR can be capricious. Rolling shutter, logically, is pronounced in 8K without a stacked sensor — sharp movements are best avoided — and diminishes markedly in 4K while remaining more visible than on the X-H2S.

With the X-H2, Fujifilm converts the try. The new range proves very complete, very versatile and nearly faultless. Nit-picking, the APS-C X-Trans sensor — even at 40 Mpx — still sits a notch behind full-frame sensors of equivalent definition, and the autofocus tracking needs a final polish to reach the level of the best. The X-H2 remains an excellent body at ease on almost every terrain.