Bast Hotep
Senior Member
Actually quite a good suggestion, thank you!
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X-H2s Wildlife Review by Mirrorlessons/ Mathieu Gasquet
- Thread starter Bisonbison
- Start date
Alan Hewitt Photo
Senior Member
You're right, focus limiters are very useful for fast action photography. I tend to use the lens based operation though rather than the in camera settings as it's easier and quicker to enable / disable.
John Kemp
Forum Enthusiast
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HOW is this done??
Canon>Nikon > Fuji convert.
Fuji x-pro2, Xh-1 10-24, 16mm f1.4, 55-200, 35mm f2 60mm f2.4
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Bast Hotep
Senior Member
It's probably camera dependent. I've only noticed it on the X-H2S.
vcxz
Leading Member
I read the article versus watching the video but I imagine the content is the same (https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/stories/fuji-xh2s-wildlife-birds/).
I'd agree with his individual findings on the features, but I would disagree on his conclusion that the XH2s is not the "APSC killer." Versus the XT4, he says the upgrade may not be worth it, but that might be because he's not shooting little warblers often. The subject eye detect is amazing for small birds with lots of branches. I have a Z9 and it does do better, but it's twice the price and gigantic.
Compared to my Z6II it's overall better except for low light night photography. I don't have a Sony A7IV. He says the autofocus is much more consistent and I'm sure it is. But for travel it doesn't have the video specs of the XH2s.
I don't mean for this to be the definitive word on the autofocus. This is just my experience as a hobbyist who lacks unlimited time to completely master everything or to wait 8 hours for the perfect shot in a Duck Dynasty outfit.
BIF tracking: One thing about the bird in flight, he was negative because it wasn't an improvement over the XT4. I had issues on the XT4 where the initial acquisition was tough, and my buffer would run out. But in terms of the side-to-side tracking, I thought it was great already.
Eye autodetect: I think the main value add for eye detection is getting small fidgety birds with lots of branches. He acknowledges that advantage too in the written review. His conclusion that it might not be worth the upgrade from the XT4 might be premised on doing lots of photography with larger birds. If you even do shorebirds versus passerines, I could see the XH2s not worth the upgrade.
Focus tracking: I too struggled with the inconsistent focus. A while back I shot an airshow one day with the XH2s and one day with the Z9. I got similar results where XH2s photos were randomly out of focus. The Z9 had a slower burst rate but it was almost always in focus. And PIF (planes in flight) are much less challenging than birds. I've been trying to take advantage of the preshot but most of the time the photos are out of focus. I got a lot more flying birds in focus where I had the shutter button depressed on the Z9 and the bird took off unexpectedly.
We also need to remember there are multiple types of "bird in flight." Tracking a large slower bird like an osprey is pretty easy (not counting diving/fishing). I got good gull shots on my Nikon D5600. I'm trying to get BIF of a tiny warbler jumping off randomly at warp speed, so this is a pretty hard test.
Wildlife lenses: When I adapted the 500 PF to the XH2s it was fine but the hunting and focus acquisition was much worse than on the Z9. The Z9 also allows "hybrid" autofocus that allows you to be much more precise. But I know it's not a fair comparison since it's double the price.
I found the 150-600 to be much more consistent focusing on the XH2s, but the F8 has proven a challenge now that summer is gone. For small birds you often need at least 1/2000 or 1/3200, and with clouds you might not get there even with 12800 ISO.
Best uses for each body: So if I was going for a once in a lifetime trip with can't miss birds, I would take the Z9 and lug it around. The XH2s and 150-600 is great for portraits but the F8 and consistent autofocus can be limiting for catching birds taking off. This should be pretty obvious and common sense. I think something like Nikon's 400 f/4.5 would be great for Fuji.
But if wildlife is more opportunistic like on a hiking trip, the XH2s is amazing. The 70-300 with the TC is unmatched reach for its weight. The 4k 120p is great for handheld slow shutter speed waterfalls, etc. The Z9 is too big for normal travel for me, but the XH2s can do it all. Overall I'd say it beats the Z6II except if I'm doing a lot of low light photography. My video doesn't need color grading due to film simulations, the IBIS is smoother, and I can record at higher bitrates.
Most of my Fuji pre-shot photos are only sharp for 1-2 frames after takeoff
I'm not getting 100% keepers on the Nikon Z9 either though. I'm not saying I've mastered both systems but I get ~20% keepers on Fuji and ~50-60% on the Z9. The Z9 is also more likely to track longer after the initial launch.
This one doesn't have perfect focus for sure but haven't gotten anything near this with the XH2s
Overall I've gotten the highest keeper rate of birds launching with the Z9 when the bird unexpectedly takes off and I happen to have my finger on the shutter still.
--
Instagram: @vcxz_photos
I'd agree with his individual findings on the features, but I would disagree on his conclusion that the XH2s is not the "APSC killer." Versus the XT4, he says the upgrade may not be worth it, but that might be because he's not shooting little warblers often. The subject eye detect is amazing for small birds with lots of branches. I have a Z9 and it does do better, but it's twice the price and gigantic.
Compared to my Z6II it's overall better except for low light night photography. I don't have a Sony A7IV. He says the autofocus is much more consistent and I'm sure it is. But for travel it doesn't have the video specs of the XH2s.
I don't mean for this to be the definitive word on the autofocus. This is just my experience as a hobbyist who lacks unlimited time to completely master everything or to wait 8 hours for the perfect shot in a Duck Dynasty outfit.
BIF tracking: One thing about the bird in flight, he was negative because it wasn't an improvement over the XT4. I had issues on the XT4 where the initial acquisition was tough, and my buffer would run out. But in terms of the side-to-side tracking, I thought it was great already.
Eye autodetect: I think the main value add for eye detection is getting small fidgety birds with lots of branches. He acknowledges that advantage too in the written review. His conclusion that it might not be worth the upgrade from the XT4 might be premised on doing lots of photography with larger birds. If you even do shorebirds versus passerines, I could see the XH2s not worth the upgrade.
Focus tracking: I too struggled with the inconsistent focus. A while back I shot an airshow one day with the XH2s and one day with the Z9. I got similar results where XH2s photos were randomly out of focus. The Z9 had a slower burst rate but it was almost always in focus. And PIF (planes in flight) are much less challenging than birds. I've been trying to take advantage of the preshot but most of the time the photos are out of focus. I got a lot more flying birds in focus where I had the shutter button depressed on the Z9 and the bird took off unexpectedly.
We also need to remember there are multiple types of "bird in flight." Tracking a large slower bird like an osprey is pretty easy (not counting diving/fishing). I got good gull shots on my Nikon D5600. I'm trying to get BIF of a tiny warbler jumping off randomly at warp speed, so this is a pretty hard test.
Wildlife lenses: When I adapted the 500 PF to the XH2s it was fine but the hunting and focus acquisition was much worse than on the Z9. The Z9 also allows "hybrid" autofocus that allows you to be much more precise. But I know it's not a fair comparison since it's double the price.
I found the 150-600 to be much more consistent focusing on the XH2s, but the F8 has proven a challenge now that summer is gone. For small birds you often need at least 1/2000 or 1/3200, and with clouds you might not get there even with 12800 ISO.
Best uses for each body: So if I was going for a once in a lifetime trip with can't miss birds, I would take the Z9 and lug it around. The XH2s and 150-600 is great for portraits but the F8 and consistent autofocus can be limiting for catching birds taking off. This should be pretty obvious and common sense. I think something like Nikon's 400 f/4.5 would be great for Fuji.
But if wildlife is more opportunistic like on a hiking trip, the XH2s is amazing. The 70-300 with the TC is unmatched reach for its weight. The 4k 120p is great for handheld slow shutter speed waterfalls, etc. The Z9 is too big for normal travel for me, but the XH2s can do it all. Overall I'd say it beats the Z6II except if I'm doing a lot of low light photography. My video doesn't need color grading due to film simulations, the IBIS is smoother, and I can record at higher bitrates.
Most of my Fuji pre-shot photos are only sharp for 1-2 frames after takeoff
I'm not getting 100% keepers on the Nikon Z9 either though. I'm not saying I've mastered both systems but I get ~20% keepers on Fuji and ~50-60% on the Z9. The Z9 is also more likely to track longer after the initial launch.
This one doesn't have perfect focus for sure but haven't gotten anything near this with the XH2s
Overall I've gotten the highest keeper rate of birds launching with the Z9 when the bird unexpectedly takes off and I happen to have my finger on the shutter still.
--
Instagram: @vcxz_photos
theironmadchen
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On the XF70-300mm zoom, for example, there's a focus range selector switch, which does this, according to the manual:
Choose the focus range for autofocus. Choose FULL to focus on subjects at any distance, 5 m - infinity for faster focus when photographing subjects at distances of 5 m or more.
Hope that helps!
Cathy
Choose the focus range for autofocus. Choose FULL to focus on subjects at any distance, 5 m - infinity for faster focus when photographing subjects at distances of 5 m or more.
Hope that helps!
Cathy
B
Barbarus
Guest
There's also the firmware implementation that has more options in the menu system: AF/MF SETTING (Still Photography) (fujifilm-dsc.com)
Bisonbison
Leading Member
@vcxz what are you thoughts on an OM-1 vs the X-H2s? On paper, Olympus lenses will offer a brighter aperture for higher shutter speeds and their AF and detection system seems to be a lot more mature. I was initially considering upgrading to an X-H2s from my X-T3, but after seeing some samples on a different thread comparing the two options, I’m going to rent an OM-1 and see before I commit. If it wasn’t for those lovely Fuji colors, I might not be overthinking so much about it.
Morris0
Forum Pro
The OM-1 is a very intuitive camera to use. There are a lot of lenses to chose from. Be aware that in the m43 world, some features only work when the lens and body are the same manufacture. This is most important for things like stabilization.
Have fun testing the OM-1
Morris
In the last chapter of his video, he makes an offhand comment about having returned his rental X-H2S prior to the release of the latest version of the firmware. So, he only had use of the camera for a few days. In effect, it's a "first impressions" review but it's presented as a detailed, long term review.
I'd take everything here says with as large grain of salt and would give much more weight to reviews by photographers w who've been using the camera at least a month and preferably 2-3 months. It takes time to get to know a camera and especially to dial-in there best autofocus settings. First impressions can be interesting but shouldn't be taken as the last word on a piece of kit.
I'd take everything here says with as large grain of salt and would give much more weight to reviews by photographers w who've been using the camera at least a month and preferably 2-3 months. It takes time to get to know a camera and especially to dial-in there best autofocus settings. First impressions can be interesting but shouldn't be taken as the last word on a piece of kit.
B
Barbarus
Guest
I suspect that if I were a Fujifilm engineer who'd dedicated years of my life to blackbox testing the competition's AF algorithms for reference or refining our own, Internet "blogtographers" hot takes on my efforts would likely have me screaming at my monitor... ;-)
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Flying Fijian
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Yes definitely...there was a big jump in firmware to 2.0.
Agreed and the tracking can only get better from here...like it happened with Sony/Canon/Nikon. The speed and capability is definitely there...it just needs some fine tuning.
Human eye AF seems excellent already even on older lenses.
B
Barbarus
Guest
If Bill & Ted here can capture footage like this, it's hard to imagine the AF system not being adequate for most purposes! Just kidding of course, these young film makers are obviously very talented and there are a lot of AF wiggles in there if you're looking for it, but still, very impressive. This would not look as good in FF jello.
Slashdotdash
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I used it all the time with my X-T4, not sure if it is on other camera's. I'm pretty sure the X-H2s also has it though;
It's a setting under MF/AF called "set custom focal range limit", I don't have my camera at hand right now so could be a slightly different term. You can then set two pre-set ranges. If you select a preset you can set the nearest focus distance, press OK, and then set the furthest distance and confirm.
It's also really great also for macro work or larger flying insects ie. dragonflies: you know the shot will only work if they are close enough, so any focus hunting beyond 5m is just a waste of energy.
Personally I think the lens-prespecified range limiters are less useful because they have a bias towards subjects far away. The 200mm f/2 doesn't have a limiter that is close-focus biased (which is what I prefer).
Hope that helps...
VisuallyOriented
Leading Member
Thanks for the detailed report on the X-H2s... even if it is pretty disappointing. If a X-H2s can't reliably track planes-in-flight that's going to lead me to switch to something that can. With my X-T4 I get about 70-80% in-focus. For comparison, a decade ago with a Nikon 600 I would get close to 100% in-focus shooting PIF. Shooting planes in flight really isn't very demanding with a maximum f-stop of 5.6.
I've learned to not give too much credence to youtube reports so i'm renting a X-H2s for a week to see for myself- I plan on shooting an airshow, some Formula 1 activities and a Dia de los Muertos festival to test low-light performance.
I've learned to not give too much credence to youtube reports so i'm renting a X-H2s for a week to see for myself- I plan on shooting an airshow, some Formula 1 activities and a Dia de los Muertos festival to test low-light performance.
Slashdotdash
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Adding to this - the X-H2s does have the AF range limit option, though it does not work in subject detection mode. Strange!
B
Barbarus
Guest
That's another firmware bug, I'm guessing. There are more than a few. Besides the "BLUB" typo and this, I have had three partial lockups where the camera wouldn't AF or change aperture until I dropped the battery, one hard/everything lockup, and some mysterious persistently saved setting that made the webcam turn off after 5min while in use (not power setting related).
I hope there's some obscure clause deep in the Fuji smartphone app user licensing agreement allowing them to automatically upload internal crash logs to the mother ship for analysis so they can fix these quickly... I can't imagine shipping a product like this today without some form of remote telemetry!
I hope there's some obscure clause deep in the Fuji smartphone app user licensing agreement allowing them to automatically upload internal crash logs to the mother ship for analysis so they can fix these quickly... I can't imagine shipping a product like this today without some form of remote telemetry!
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vcxz
Leading Member
Sorry I don't have any experience with Olympus. I didn't look at micro 4/3 because it didn't seem as much of an upgrade over the 1" bridge camera I used. Also I saw some reviews saying the 300mm was underwhelming.
So I ended up buying the Lightroom profiles for Really Nice Images so I could get a Fuji look with my Nikon cameras. That particular one might not work for you but some of the third party profiles are pretty nice.
vcxz
Leading Member
I shot the air show previously with an XT4. The XH2s is noticeably better. My XT4 also overheated trying to do 4k video whereas the XH2s had no issues.
If you set a high buffer you will definitely end up with more keepers in total. The thing that annoyed me was I would find a cool composition with the pilots face perfectly perpendicular and it's slightly out of focus so I need to dig up the previous or subsequent shot. With the Nikon Z9 it's on easy mode. The burst rate is lower but after initial focus is acquired pretty much every photo is in focus.
I'm just a hobbyist and trying to streamline my process. It's easier to flip through the Nikon's when I'm tired at night and don't have to worry about them being slightly out of focus and just worry about composition. But it is double the price tag. It's more micromanagement but I think you can definitely get good results with the XH2s.
Dinomalichela
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