Taylor Jackson X-H2s coverage (tested against R6 and Z9)

I've stumbled upon a few videos made by YouTuber Taylor Jackson covering the X-H2s. I thought his impressions may be of interest in the context of the ongoing debates about the X-H2s performance. FYI this is the first time I've heard about him.

His first video is a first impressions review of the X-H2s and the second is a field test of the X-H2s at a wedding.

Note that these tests are more informal and do seem as thorough as those conducted by some other reviewers.

As I understand it, many like text summaries of the videos so I'll highlight some key points made in the video along with timestamps.

• Fujifilm loaned him the gear, but did not receive any compensation for this video
• 2:23 - IBIS
  • IBIS allowed him to handhold a shot at 1/2th, 1 sec and 2 seconds on an 18-120 (this lens lacks OIS).
    • Although the 2 sec shot presents motion blur IMO, it's still pretty impressive
• 4:15 Autofocus
  • Out of a burst shot at 40FPS (with the new 23 f/1.4) focus seems to be consistent across all frames.
  • Face and eye detection seems to pick up people at farther distances than the Canon R6. It also seems to be more confident accurate and reliable on the X-H2s.
  • 7:22 - Demonstration of how far the camera can pick up people. Extremely impressive.
• 10:36 Accessories
  • When charging, both the battery grip and the battery inside the camera charge simultaneously.

• Autofocus
• 2:27 vs the Canon R6 - The X-H2s (with 23 f/1.4 LM) face tracking is more accurate and precise than the Canon R6 (with 35 f/1.8) - the Canon even looses the face.
• 3:52 Tracking - Shows off object tracking AF - It's incredibly sticky
  • Honestly this was very impressive.
• 4:42 vs the Nikon Z9 - As far as face/eye tracking goes, it's almost as good as the Z9, if not on par. Very impressive.
• 6:50 - Wedding ceremony AF demonstration.

Interesting videos. The X-H2s doesn't seem as bad as some like to put it.

I feel old…none of this matters to me at all.  Haha.

Wow, seems like Fujifilm with their new stacked sensor + processor finally catch up with Canon/Nikon/Sony in terms of AF speed and accuracy. That's great sign

Would be nice if this was true and worked for most of us the same way. I wonder why Chris & Jordan  have had different impression - firmware difference or...?

I think it's too early to claim success. Anyway I'm very happy seeing such a positive review. I think I need to test this camera first before I buy it. I would be happy If we had A7R4 AF performance in X-H2s.

The more independent reviews and opinions the better. I wonder how AF will perform with other lenses (XF100-400, Sigma C150-600 + Fringer ProII, XF70-300). XF150-600 doesn't seem to be worth spending $2k for me.

Cheers,

Artur

BeatX wrote:

Wow, seems like Fujifilm with their new stacked sensor + processor finally catch up with Canon/Nikon/Sony in terms of AF speed and accuracy. That's great sign

Yes. It finally feels that way.

I’m 100% convinced I would be able to get fantastic images from this camera and lens combo… Chris and Jordan have had a stinker in their review, plain and simple. And all it’s doing is fuelling the Fuji troll train.

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Amateur Photographer, Wannabe DJ

I’ve read elsewhere that they admit to not having it set up correctly, is that true?

Alan Hewitt Photo wrote:

I’m 100% convinced I would be able to get fantastic images from this camera and lens combo… Chris and Jordan have had a stinker in their review, plain and simple. And all it’s doing is fuelling the Fuji troll train.

I’ve read elsewhere that they admit to not having it set up correctly, is that true?

Over time I have become disappointed as DPReviews have become very superficial at best.  Maybe it is the Amazon influence - save money by spending less time with a camera before a review.  Seven years ago the reviews were much more extensive and complete.  Today they are pushing video reviews which are nothing more than show and tell.

At one time DDPreviews reviews were the gold standard.  Today they are no better than any YouTube review and often not as good.

Since the acquisition by Amazon of DPR, it looks like the full "Amazonization" of DPR review is complete.  That is superficial descriptions of a product only enough detail to get someone to buy.

Since the transitioned to Video reviews followed by a few pages - the review from DPR have become close to useless and unreliable.

Truman Prevatt wrote:

Alan Hewitt Photo wrote:

I’m 100% convinced I would be able to get fantastic images from this camera and lens combo… Chris and Jordan have had a stinker in their review, plain and simple. And all it’s doing is fuelling the Fuji troll train.

I’ve read elsewhere that they admit to not having it set up correctly, is that true?

Over time I have become disappointed as DPReviews have become very superficial at best. Maybe it is the Amazon influence - save money by spending less time with a camera before a review. Seven years ago the reviews were much more extensive and complete. Today they are pushing video reviews which are nothing more than show and tell.

At one time DDPreviews reviews were the gold standard. Today they are no better than any YouTube review and often not as good.

Since the acquisition by Amazon of DPR, it looks like the full "Amazonization" of DPR review is complete. That is superficial descriptions of a product only enough detail to get someone to buy.

Since the transitioned to Video reviews followed by a few pages - the review from DPR have become close to useless and unreliable.

World is changing and I agree, it's more and more difficult to get reliable material these days... I read also steves-digicams for years but it's dead for almost a year

I'm not going to judge any product based on only one initial review - even if source seems trustworthy. I wish TJ was right, but I suppose the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Cheers,

Artur

Does the X-H2s offer blackout free shooting?  I noticed there was blackout in the wedding ceremony video.   Was he using mechanical shutter?

Other than that, the AF looks very good and a significant improvement.

Poefolk wrote:

Does the X-H2s offer blackout free shooting? I noticed there was blackout in the wedding ceremony video. Was he using mechanical shutter?

Other than that, the AF looks very good and a significant improvement.

Yes it does. Seth Miranda of Adorama TV talks about it around 4:10

BTW he also talks about the AF and says it's snappier and stickier.

You hit the nail on the head, John. To me, usability is the key deciding factor. When I miss a shot, it's often not because of missed focus, but because I didn't have enough time to dig through the menu to find the settings I wanted. Other things that matter to me are economics, placements of buttons, dials etc.

I am more or less comfortable with my X-T4, except for the FA screen. The next Fujifilm camera that has a tilt screen will get my money (I need a second body). Yeah, I belong to the FA screen hater camp.

Artur Darulewski wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

Alan Hewitt Photo wrote:

I’m 100% convinced I would be able to get fantastic images from this camera and lens combo… Chris and Jordan have had a stinker in their review, plain and simple. And all it’s doing is fuelling the Fuji troll train.

I’ve read elsewhere that they admit to not having it set up correctly, is that true?

Over time I have become disappointed as DPReviews have become very superficial at best. Maybe it is the Amazon influence - save money by spending less time with a camera before a review. Seven years ago the reviews were much more extensive and complete. Today they are pushing video reviews which are nothing more than show and tell.

At one time DDPreviews reviews were the gold standard. Today they are no better than any YouTube review and often not as good.

Since the acquisition by Amazon of DPR, it looks like the full "Amazonization" of DPR review is complete. That is superficial descriptions of a product only enough detail to get someone to buy.

Since the transitioned to Video reviews followed by a few pages - the review from DPR have become close to useless and unreliable.

World is changing and I agree, it's more and more difficult to get reliable material these days... I read also steves-digicams for years but it's dead for almost a year

I'm not going to judge any product based on only one initial review - even if source seems trustworthy. I wish TJ was right, but I suppose the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Cheers,

Artur

I place a lot more trust in photogs that are familiar with a system. DPR folks are "technical specialists" and not really photographers (or even film makers). In order to pass judgment on a new camera, it is necessary to use it extensively. If you are familiar with the system, and how to set up things, the learning curve is faster and gentler. There is a reason why camera companies are very conservative with dials/controls operation and position - it makes transitioning from a previous model much easier. I have used Canon EOS for almost 20 years, the thing was second nature to me. Same with Fuji today: I can set up the menu has I need it in a few minutes.

If you are going to review a complex camera like the X-H2S, especially with the new AF module and associated options, you better study it and practice with it, before concluding anything.

Of course bad information spreads like prairie fire. By the time DPR acknowledges they messed up, no one will recant and go back on their opinion.

with777 wrote:

I'm confused about the AF as well. I saw Taylor's videos and the comparison in the first video at 5:53 looks fair and the Fuji seems to hold it's own, potentially besting the R6.

However, it seems that nearly ever other YT review ends with the same thing...."The AF is great...for Fuji". I'm hoping more examples will come out and we can see how good it really is.

It didn't look like Taylor Jackson did anything special to get the results he got and side by side with the Canon - the XH2S held its on tracking a human eye and birds. The results seem similar to what Alan Hewitt documented in his blog post where I learned that Puffins were difficult birds to photograph.  

Clearly both Jackson and Hewitt spent sufficient time with the camera to understand how to use it.  I used to be a pretty highly rated competitive shooter.  However, I could not pick up a gun and in a few minutes make any judgement or get a descent hit rate or cluster.  It takes time to learn the equipment. It takes time to fine tune the sites.  It takes time to accommodate to the grip angle. The key is after a few days, my precision and timing is back.  But the price time I pick it up - basically hitting the broad side of a barn door is the expectation.

That seems to be the issue with the DPR review.  They didn't take the time to learn the camera or tweak the settings.  In reality Both the Hewitt review and Jackson were much more professional than the DPR review which I view as quite sophomoric.  It was clear that they did not do their home work before the making the video.  It's also clear from their example shots that they hurried the whole process.

The question I have is if both Hewitt and Jackson can get good results from the camera and produce nice images with it - why can't the others?

To be fair, we don't know for how long DPR TV had access to the camera in comparison to Mr Jackson and Mr Hewitt. Similarly, we don't know what sort of deadlines Chris and Jordan had - which may be of importance considering the amount of content they have been producing over the last few weeks.

I'm sure once the camera starts shipping and they get more hands on time with the camera running on final firmware, they'll be able to give us a good assessment of its capabilities, as is the case with most of their reviews.

Truman Prevatt wrote:

with777 wrote:

I'm confused about the AF as well. I saw Taylor's videos and the comparison in the first video at 5:53 looks fair and the Fuji seems to hold it's own, potentially besting the R6.

However, it seems that nearly ever other YT review ends with the same thing...."The AF is great...for Fuji". I'm hoping more examples will come out and we can see how good it really is.

It didn't look like Taylor Jackson did anything special to get the results he got and side by side with the Canon - the XH2S held its on tracking a human eye and birds. The results seem similar to what Alan Hewitt documented in his blog post where I learned that Puffins were difficult birds to photograph.

Clearly both Jackson and Hewitt spent sufficient time with the camera to understand how to use it. I used to be a pretty highly rated competitive shooter. However, I could not pick up a gun and in a few minutes make any judgement or get a descent hit rate or cluster. It takes time to learn the equipment. It takes time to fine tune the sites. It takes time to accommodate to the grip angle. The key is after a few days, my precision and timing is back. But the price time I pick it up - basically hitting the broad side of a barn door is the expectation.

That seems to be the issue with the DPR review. They didn't take the time to learn the camera or tweak the settings. In reality Both the Hewitt review and Jackson were much more professional than the DPR review which I view as quite sophomoric. It was clear that they did not do their home work before the making the video. It's also clear from their example shots that they hurried the whole process.

The question I have is if both Hewitt and Jackson can get good results from the camera and produce nice images with it - why can't the others?

it sound reasonable, but as far as I rememver no one has problems with Z9 or A1 AF, nobody needed to prepare, learn understand etc. From the very beginning everybody claimed that AF is superb. It would mean that Z9/A1 are ready to go straight out of the box or pre-prod copy of H2s delivered to DPR has early version of software - do wasn't ready yet...

I hope we finally get fully refined product fingers crossed for success.

Cheers,

Artur