What's the deal with the X-T5 autofocus?

yomimoi wrote:

OK, first off I know this post is bound to raise suspicions, what with this being my first post here, but please bear with me.

I'm looking to upgrade from X-T2 now that Fuji has finally released the almost ideal camera I'd been waiting for and, although there are a couple other things that bother me, the AF issues (if that's what they are) are definitely stopping me from rushing to the shop. I went through a similar situation with my Pentax K5 a about a decade ago, and I don't want to get burnt twice.

I've seen one, maybe two threads so far discussing Omar Gonzalez's and Jerred Z's findings regarding autofocus, but what worries me is that I keep finding new reviews on YouTube that mention that there are definitely many instances where the AF confirmed focus with the green box, but the photos were subsequently found to be out of focus, or at least not focused on the eyes as confirmed by the camera. See for instance these three:

https://youtu.be/ZrM0sKorLN0?t=351

https://youtu.be/Fu8Z8I2nSrc?t=407

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjP1ddChaw

These are all professional photographers or at least people who look like they know what they're doing. In at least one of the videos above, there are also several different comments from users describing the same discrepancy between focus confirm in camera and the end result.

I know several forum regulars are quite happy with the X-T5 here, and even the above reviewers who've run into problems agree that the AF is a definite improvement over that in the X-T4, so that's good.

However, for event photography, weddings and other similar situations, you just can't afford to have 5-10% (or whatever the exact percentage may be depending on the lens used, AF parameters and shooting conditions) misfocused shots because many of those are unique moments that must be captured well in focus, no matter what.

So I suppose my question is, what do you guys think? Is the AF firmware kind of undercooked and likely to get a big improvement in future firmware updates? Or maybe Fuji should issue detailed guidelines covering specific shooting scenarios and types of lenses, to help users minimize errors? I don't know.

I'm sure with the anecdotal and "real" reporting as well as the other grumbling going on it has definitely reached Fuji's ears. I agree for events, pros cannot live with a high percentage of missed shots. That's why I do NOT use a brand new cam as my primary tool for a paid event. There are too many issues that could go wrong. Admittedly I violated my own policy by using the X-H2 for 30 headshots only 3 days after I received the H2. However I had 2 backups and one could easily determine whether or not the AF was okay.

Fuji has a staunch reputation of dealing with issues via firmware. Hey, they updated the FW in a lens released 10 years ago!

I am not concerned.... but if you are a pro and do events, I would be wary of something brand new. Even the Nikon Z9 had issues that were eventually addressed via FW updates.