Studio Shot Comparison Tool Fujifilm X-H2S

Bill Ferris wrote:

Dragonmatrix88 wrote:

Thank you everyone for all the input, it is greatly appreciated. As I stated on a previous post in the thread, my situation is a specific one as I am trying to keep my equipment as light as possible while still getting the best image quality and focal range possible.

What kind of photography do you do? Which focal lengths are your staples?

I do a bit of everything, generally macro and landscape when hiking but if I am traveling it is stuff like architecture and landscape to things on display in museums.  I haven't really done a lot of portrait photography but have an interest and also have an interest in trying astrophotography as well.  Of course I am just an amateur and do photography as a hobby.  I have recently created a smugmug site, I would be happy to share it if anyone would like to see, just keep in mind this is just a hobby for me.

Currently I am using a Canon EOS R6 with a 24-105mm f/4 and an OM System OM-1 with a Panasonic 50-200mm f/2.8-4 for longer range, which allows me to cover 24-400mm full frame equivalent carrying 2 cameras and not having to change lenses at all. With my back having issues I want to keep my setup as light as possible while maintaining a similar ability in focal reach which is why I have been looking at APS-C since I am looking to move away from OM Systems.

Why are you moving away from the OM system?

Olympus sold their Imaging business to JIP, inc. in like 2020 and I had some concerns about the continuation of innovation in their products when that happened as the same investment company bought VAIO from Sony and while you can still buy a VAIO laptop, it is a very standard mid-tier system what small refreshes now and then.  The OM-1 is a great camera but I have a suspicion that Olympus developed it before the sale as since the sale not much innovation has happened.  This is very evident in the newly announced OM-5, which is basically a OM-D E-M5 MkIII, they didn't even bother to do something as simple as upgrade to a USB C port, they left it a micro-usb.  The benefits that I got into the Olympus systems for such as IBIS are now becoming standard in every other system.

The Fuji 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens is actually lighter than the Panasonic (being 1.3lbs vs 1.44lbs) and is less than half the weight of the Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 (closest weather sealed RF lens available right now) which comes in at 3lbs.

My goal with this thread was to find out why the Fuji X-H2S looked so "soft" in the DPreview Studio Scene Comparison Tool, if it was the camera or something else (like post processing) which is what it turned out to be.

DP Review limits the processing of images in the Studio shot comparison tool so the dynamic range, noise visibility and color fidelity on display in a sample photo are more directly tied to the camera system used to make the photo. It is not a demonstration of Adobe Camera Raw's (ACR) capability as a demosaicing tool nor is it intended to be. You can explore this to your own satisfaction by downloading a raw file from any camera in the Studio shot comparison tool and processing it to your taste in whichever photo processing and editing app you prefer.

As for the opinions expressed in this thread about ACR, Lightroom, and other apps, that's all they are...opinions. If you're pleased with the results you get working with Fuji RAFs in Lightroom, that's all that matters. If you're displeased, that's all that matters. Find the tools and resources that meet your needs.

I agree that what really matters is the person using the camera and if they are happy with the results they get.  It is just nice to know that there may be limitations on software or that I may want to use other software than what I currently use to get the best results.  My main concern was if the quality of the image I was seeing in the DPReview studio comparison tool was a hardware or software issue and it is a software issue.

This is very helpful as I use Lightroom as my primary editing tool and know that I will have to run the RAW files through a process before doing my post processing in LR with them to get the best detail from it.

Or you may not. There are many photographers who use Fuji gear, process photos only in Lightroom, and get great results. Don't give undue weight to the critics who are loudest about their dislike of one product over another. Try it for yourself and decide based on your experience.

Again, this would really depend on the results I would personally be able to get with LR using Fuji RAW files, it is more just nice to know that I may want to process them with another piece of software first if I am not satisfied with the results of just LR alone.

As I generally take between 500-1500 pictures (per camera) in a day walking around this does leave a question on how much time the extra steps will add to my post processing time, but it has alleviated the concern about it being an actual issue with the camera.

If you end up adding X-Transformer or other third party apps to your workflow, one of the best ways to limit the impact on how much time you spend processing and editing photos is to only use those apps on the 1 in 10 to 1 in 100 photos that are your "best of the best". If you've made 10 photos of the same view, each with slightly different composition or quality of light, select the one photo from the group that's your favorite and apply your full workflow just to that image.

This is a great suggestion to cut down on workflow time, I will keep it in mind if I do transition to Fuji.

Clears up one concern but has added a new one, just more to think about! Again, thank you everyone that has provided input, it has been very helpful.