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Having a tough time choosing XH2 vs. XH2S

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JohnJohn12

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I'm having a difficult time choosing between teh X-H2 or the X-H2S...

I'm an enthusiast who wants to shoot landscapes and my kids' baseball sports.

Resolution & Detail

I like the idea of the XH2 40 MP for landscapes, versus the XH2S 26 MP. I also like the idea that I can crop an image and enlarge it, and was thinking 40 MP would be better than 26 MP.

However, from the YT comparison reviews, and from jpeg sample photos I've found on the internet, I can't really see the difference between 40 MP vs 26 MP when zoom'd in. But those tests didn't offer me RAW files, and the tests were using older lenses. So I'm not sure there's a noticeable megapixel advantage when cropped and enlarged.

Frame Rate

The X-H2S has 40 fps, versus 15 fps on the X-H2. I like the idea that I might be able to capture a different facial expression, or the bat swing, or where the ball is at. The ball and bat are moving fast, so 40 fps might be an advantage...but very curious how much an advantage I'm going to get on 25 extra frames. I also don't need to capture every swing/pitch/throw or every game. I just need to capture a few for the season.

If I did my math correctly, an 80 MPH baseball would mean either a frame every 7.5 feet @ 15 fps or 2.8 feet @ 40 fps.

Being able to crop and enlarge, without noise, an emotional/effort expression is a priority over where the bat/ball is at. But I haven't seen any reviews or evidence there's a difference between 26 vs. 40 MP. So unless I can see a megapixel difference, frame rate would be more noticeable.

Please help me decide.
 
If I were you, I'd get the XH2S.
 
If my kids were still at that active age, I’d go XH2S without hesitation. High FPS can be the difference maker in capturing that special action shot.
 
I haven’t used the XH2 but I have shot with the XT5 and XH2S. I too enjoy shooting pictures of my kids playing soccer or running track. One big drawback of the XT5 compared to the XH2S was the buffer depth. The XT5 would just bog down if you wanted to shoot at 15 fps and try to get that right moment/expression. Yes the XH2 is better than the XT5, but the XH2S was much better for me. One downside - you can have a tone of photos to sort through and delete. Using the 50-140mm focusing on the XH2S was better for me. With the XT5 I may have gotten the picture because of frame rate but the focus was more temperamental and may be off. I recently watched one review between 40mp and 26mp and he said once you printed above about 2-3ft on the long side you only see a difference in detail if you looked closer than 1-1.5ft to image. Otherwise, it was challenge to see a difference. This all pushed me to the XH2S. I too am just a hobbyist so there’s a good chance my settings were not optimal. Nothing scientific in my comparison. Good luck with the decision.
 
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I bought both, the 2S for wildlife and motorsports, the 2 for landscapes.

If I had to choose one based on use so far and the almost (for me) imperceptible differences in IQ at the size I print, then the amazing speed and buffer of the 2S would make it the keeper.

Which ever one you choose, both are delightful to use.
 
don't overthink, i own both, just buy the S.

if well processed, at base iso the Xh2 has an advantage in both resolution and DR, it has almost a FF look, but hard to see a difference in "standard" shooting conditions.

just saying, xh2s e-shutter is fast enough to forget about mechanical shutter, even using flashes
 
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I went with the XH2s. It was an easy choice for me. 😀
 
I have said on previous posts and I still stand by it - I would not recommend purchasing the H2 (or the X-T5 for that matter) PURELY for the 40mp sensor. If you do then you will be disappointed.

I have the X-T5 and the X-H2s and only one of those cameras has made difference to my photography (the latter).

Don't get me wrong, the X-T5 is a superb camera and I'm glad I bought it. It has a good few iterative upgrades over the 3 and 4 but the cold hard truth is the 40mp sensor has been a negligible upgrade (for my needs anyway). Perhaps if you are a heavy cropper or like large prints there may be a case for it but I've never had any issues with the 26mp sensors in either regard.

Additionally, don't get TOO caught up in the 40fps on the X-H2s. I shoot my sport at 30fps and it's more than enough. I also recall Morris mentioning a while back that AF tends to suffer when shooting at 40fps - although this may have since been rectified in a FW update.

Just make sure to look at the bigger picture if you decide to go for the H2. I've no doubt it's (also) a great camera but don't get sucked in too heavily on the 40mp. The TL;DR (IMO) is 26mp stacked sensor > 40mp but YMMV.
 
I go for the S in your use case. 24mp from my T2 provides beautiful landscapes. Imagine pairing that with a lightening fast AF system. 26mp is enough pixels. Enjoy the new camera and happy shooting. Oh, get the top end red badge zooms. They won’t fail you in any way.
 
A couple of observations from the minority viewpoint here.

I’m not a sports photographer at all, but I shot my grandson’s baseball game with my H2 and didn’t have any problem capturing the ball at 15 fps.



7e14c98e508c46939b34df550f036124.jpg



a0fe6e948cce4ddeb7c8d460374a914b.jpg

And in shooting at 15 fps, both raw + jpeg, I never ran up against the buffer at all.

And as someone who also shoots a GFX 100, I very much like and can see the difference in detail / resolution capture of my H2 over my X-T3.

The caveat here is that I print, and I often print large - so resolution / detail rendering matters a lot to me.

If you don’t print, it’s meaningless.

Rand
 
I own both, get the S model :

Much better AF

Quasi permanentuse of ES without RS effect

Use of flash HSS in ES at amazing speeds ...

Sufficient res

Better DR and less noise

Better video capabilities with the absence of RS effect

Yes mores expensive but worth

The S is MY camera the XH2 the second body

Bob
 
G3_4_ME said:
If my kids were still at that active age, I’d go XH2S without hesitation. High FPS can be the difference maker in capturing that special action shot.
Click to expand...
The dilimena is this...

Capturing a better moment in time (frame rate).

Or

Capturing a moment that wasn't ideally framed for that moment, crop into it, and enlarge it. For example, framing the catcher, batter, and the ball, but getting a great emotionally expression, and want to crop into just that. For example, getting the batter's expression on a great hit, or strikeout. I no longer care about the swing or the ball, but the framing for the emotion is critical. Therefore wanting the megapixels to crop and enlarge.
 
Subdewd said:
I recently watched one review between 40mp and 26mp and he said once you printed above about 2-3ft on the long side you only see a difference in detail if you looked closer than 1-1.5ft to image.
Click to expand...
I think I saw the same YT video. What I don't remember discussed was cropping. For example, you can take the frame and print it for a 3 foot poster (which I have no plans), or you can crop a portion of that frame and enlarge that cropped area to the equivalent of a frame.

So my interest isn't enlarging a frame to a printed 3 foot poster. But cropping part of a frame, and enlarging the cropped area to something I'm going to see on a 77" TV screen. I might later do some prints too...but not 3 feet.
 
Rand 47 said:
A couple of observations from the minority viewpoint here.

I’m not a sports photographer at all, but I shot my grandson’s baseball game with my H2 and didn’t have any problem capturing the ball at 15 fps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing those photos.

Getting those shots at 15 fps was perfect. Getting the shots with enough resolution to crop/enlarge is presumably better with 40 MP vs 26 MP (but I have no evidence to support this assumption).

I would have cropped and enlarged to capture these moments (hence why I desire resolution):

4bde143f03c6419e8cfcb013896be373.jpg.png



ad6771a0ff7246e2a166b51e5d037827.jpg.png
 
JohnJohn12 said:
So my interest isn't enlarging a frame to a printed 3 foot poster. But cropping part of a frame, and enlarging the cropped area to something I'm going to see on a 77" TV screen. I might later do some prints too...but not 3 feet.
Click to expand...
The XH-2s will look fine on a TV. Almost any camera will look good on a screen. If you are not printing to 30 x 40, it will not matter at all. I use the XH2s daily for editorial work, and is has more than enough detail in the files to do anything needed for publication usage.

One of the best all around cameras I've ever owned, including pro-grade full-frame Nikon and Canon gear.
 
Rand 47 said:
A couple of observations from the minority viewpoint here.

I’m not a sports photographer at all, but I shot my grandson’s baseball game with my H2 and didn’t have any problem capturing the ball at 15 fps.

And in shooting at 15 fps, both raw + jpeg, I never ran up against the buffer at all.

And as someone who also shoots a GFX 100, I very much like and can see the difference in detail / resolution capture of my H2 over my X-T3.

The caveat here is that I print, and I often print large - so resolution / detail rendering matters a lot to me.

If you don’t print, it’s meaningless.

Rand
Click to expand...
What I'm trying to figure out from your photos is whether 5 foot differences in the ball location would make much difference, or if megapixels for cropping/enlarging would make a bigger difference.

With close to twice the megapixels (40 vs 26), you'd think we can see a difference when zoom'd 200%.

Other considerations:

I don't need to capture every moment. So if I missed something, there will be another play, and the action/expression is going to be similar. As you can see from your photos, you had multiple events. Maybe the ball hitting the glove would have been cool, but so is seeing the incoming ball. So this has led me to believe FPS isn't a high priority for amateur sports photography.
 
I suspect that only first-hand experience will answer your questions; you should rent an XH2.

--
www.darngoodphotos.com
 
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Rand 47 said:
A couple of observations from the minority viewpoint here.

I’m not a sports photographer at all, but I shot my grandson’s baseball game with my H2 and didn’t have any problem capturing the ball at 15 fps.

And in shooting at 15 fps, both raw + jpeg, I never ran up against the buffer at all.

And as someone who also shoots a GFX 100, I very much like and can see the difference in detail / resolution capture of my H2 over my X-T3.

The caveat here is that I print, and I often print large - so resolution / detail rendering matters a lot to me.

If you don’t print, it’s meaningless.

Rand
Click to expand...
Question: How many of those shots had the ball within the frame?

Where I'm going with this is that 15 fps is a lot. 40 fps is a lot of a lot. 15 fps might be good enough if you are getting frames with the ball. 40 fps would be better if you are trying to get ball in glove or ball on bat.

I'm still trying to grasp the differences between 15 fps and 40 fps. I'm guessing there's 4 feet of difference between 15 fps and 40 fps. Getting ball on bat would be great, and 40 fps would have a better chance. Getting the ball hitting the glove is similar.
 
The XH2 AF is not able to seriously follow 40 fps. Even the XH2s has difficulties at that speed. There are 2 schools : first one would use 10 fps to achieve a high % of keepers but with a reduced number of shots you might have missed the target ; second one would should at 40 fps with shutter priority to get the max number of shots in a given period of time, hoping to get in the pile of shots THE one you don't one to miss.

Only trial and your own experience will give you the answer, what is best for your type of photography
 
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