A warning about the peculiar ergonomics of the X-H2S

forest dream wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

The traditional Fuji dials and knobs really don't allow full customization. They will lie to you when you look at them if the manual setting can be overridden by S/W presets. The Q menu - is primarily only for Jpeg.

Agree. Major issue of Fuji retro dial is didn't show actual figure if override by software preset/command dials.

These kind of hard coded dials (regardless retro / PASM) easy solve via E-Ink dials.

E-Ink dials :

• Consumer can customize own dials mark/function.
• When auto mode, E-Ink display actual figure instead of "A".

The problem with a hard coded PSAM dial is it also limits how one uses quickly modifies the settings.

Consumer also can't rename mark in hard coded PASM dial.

The dial is great if someone has a fixed number of presets of the camera that they use all the time. That it is fixed on a dial - opens the UI up to the same constraints of the traditional UI. In reality why is there a need for a Q menu if you have presets?

From what I have seen from the H2S manual is the UI will work wonderful for people that have a fixed number of presets for most of their work and they can switch between them quickly. But I have to tell you I like the Leica UI is much better to use than what I am seeing from the Fuji PSAM.

Agree.

But that is just for me. Bottom line - no UI is perfect and it will not be totally comparable to the way everyone wants to work. Fuji UI - a work in progress.

Best benefits from E-Ink dials : allow consumer configure own dials. Different photographer had vary need.

E-ink would help solve some issues.  It could eliminate the confliction between S/W changeable parameters dials.  There is clearly communication between the dials to the S/W as the parameters are changed on most Fuji cameras by changing a dial.  There is just no communications in the other direction.  However, unless the E-ink dials were continuously powered - one could not determine the state of the parameter with the camera off.  If they were always powered - a draw of power for no reason.  Plus one for fixed dials.  Secondly and the hard dials with indented and painted numbers are much easier to read - especially at varying angles.  The contrast is higher.  While that might not seem like an issue to you young whipper snappers   it can be an issue with we old geezers who have to use enlarged bolded fonts on our smart phones.

If the E-ink dials only showed the current setting - that would solve the issue with visibility.  However, it wouldn't show all the options.

Personally the more I use my Q2 the more I think Leica merged the PSAM approach with the dial approach in an effective and usable way.  I don't know how that would scale up to much more functionality with a camera like the XH2S. Of course such a UI would be a departure to the Fuji UI today and I just can't imagine the whining, whaling and gnashing of teeth with such a change.

My view is on a camera like the XPro and XE - the current marked electromechanical dials is the best UI for what the cameras do well.  For something like the XH the PSAM dial with fully programmable configurations is the best way to go.  For the XT - I won't buy one so don't really care.  However, if one tries to mix the two - then conflictions will be an issue.