Bookending 10 years of Fuji X-Trans

X-E1 to X-H2S: A Retrospective

I have wanted to do this write up for a few months now and I admit to being spurred on by Maoby’s recent series of comparisons. Balancing work and family life often lead to these things going on the back burner, however, the holiday period has afforded me some much needed time for reflection.

From the outset, this isn’t intended to be a straight up comparison between the output from each camera but more a retrospective of where Fuji have come in the past 10 years.

Quick background: I was working with a combination of X-T4 and X-S10 but picked up the X-H2S not long after its release. I was keeping the X-T4 so this rendered X-S10 slightly redundant however I still wanted a small “walk around” camera. So this lead to me acquiring an X-E1 at the same time - two very different purchases.

I feel these cameras represent the two extremes of Fuji’s X-Mount range. Yes the X-H2/X-T5 have since been release (the latter of which I also have) but, for me, the X-H2S is on the cutting edge of what Fuji have achieved thus far.

The tech specs:

X-E1

• Announcement Date: 2013-02-28
• Sensor: 16.3 MP
• Resolution: 4896 x 3264
• Native ISO Sensitivity: 200-6,400
• Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 100
• Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 25,600
• Shutter: Up to 1/4000 and 30 sec exposure
• Continuous Shooting: 6 FPS
• Storage: 1x SD slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible)
• Viewfinder Type: 2,360k-dot OLED color viewfinder
• Viewfinder Magnification: 0.62x
• LCD Screen (Fixed): 2.8 inch, approx. 460k dot
• Max Movie Resolution: Full 1080p HD @ 24 fps max
• Movie Output: MOV (H.264)
• Battery Life: 350 shots
• Weather Sealing/Protection: No
• Weight: 350g
• Dimensions: 129 x 75 x 38mm
• Price (when released) £749 $999
• Price I paid (August 2022) £165

X-H2S

• Announcement Date: 2022-05-31
• 26MP - APS-C Stacked BSI X-Trans Sensor
• Sensor-shift Image Stabilisation
• Native ISO Sensitivity 160-12,800
• Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 80
• Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 512,000
• Shutter: Up to 1/8000 (Mechanical) 1/32000 (Electronic)
• Continuous Shooting: 15 FPS (Mechanical) 40 FPS (Electronic)
• Storage: 1x CFexpress Type B & 1x SD slot (UHS-ii compatible)
• Viewfinder Type: 5,760k-dot OLED color viewfinder
• Viewfinder Magnification: 0.80x
• LCD Screen (Fully Articulating): 3.0 inch, approx. 1,620k dot
• Max Movie Resolution: 4k @ 60 fps max
• Movie Output: H.264, H.265, MPEG-4
• 240fps High-Speed Video
• Battery Life: 580 shots
• Weather Sealing/Protection: Yes
• Built-in Wireless
• Weight: 660g
• Dimensions: 136 x 93 x 95 mm
• Price (when released) £/$2,499

My own ramblings:

As I mentioned at the start, these two cameras are complete polar opposites. The X-H2S is built for speed, as we know, and well, the X-E1 is most definitely not.

Anyone who has used, or plans to get, an X-E1 must be aware that you will get nothing done in a hurry. I actually enjoyed this slower pace and it gave me a chance to really consider the scene and be more methodical in my process.

This is a far cry from the X-H2S behemoth which (to me) has been built from the ground up for getting the job done and getting it done fast. It has been a revelation for my Sports work and been a joy to use in the time I’ve had it. This is where the contrast of the X-E1 comes in for when I want to slow down and do a bit of photography just for me.

Whereas the X-H2S has the stacked sensor for ultimate AF-C performance in fast action environments, the X-E1 has AF-C effectively in name only. Select the ‘C’ option and you’re presented with a single centre crosshair that doesn’t really seem to serve any practical purpose.

Then there’s the buffer depth. Firing off continuous RAW shots and the X-E1 will choke at 5 or 6 and take a good 10-15 seconds to fully clear. This is in stark contrast to the X-H2S which almost seems limitless in comparison.

The X-E1 has a very modest Contrast Detect AF system spread across 35 selectable AF points with no Face/Eye/Subject detection smarts of any description. By contrast (see what I did there), the stacked X-Trans IV sensor in the X-H2S features 425 Phase Detect AF points with all manner of fancy detection gubbins including Human Face/Eye and other Subject detection broken down into six separate categories including animals, birds, bikes, cars, planes, trains.

One thing I think the X-E1 really misses is an Electronic Shutter. With it being such a small camera I feel one of its main attributes is discretion - an attribute that would have been further enhanced with the ability to employ silent shooting.

Image Quality:

I said at the outset this wouldn’t be a side-by-side comparison of output but at the same time it’s only fair to show what each camera is capable of. Below are some examples from each (mostly mundane test shots truth be told).

Personally, I found the X-E1’s 16 Megapixels more than adequate to produce sharp and well defined images - certainly for digital consumption but I have also printed a couple of images, a 12x12 and 18x12 and they look every bit as accomplished as the 26mp sensor of the newer Fuji cameras.

With regards the X-Trans 1 sensor, I‘m not sure I can honestly say I noticed the mythical “filmic look” that is so often purported however I was more than pleased with the images produced.

The X-H2S has been great when capturing fast moving objects and is especially adept at balancing long heavy lenses.

I have also uploaded a bonus image comparison (just for kicks) between the X-E1, X-H2S and the X-T5 (which I used for the product shots). While they were all taken with the same lens (Tokina 23mm) they were handheld and auto-focussed so I apologise for any discrepancies in focus point etc.

This may just give an interesting viewpoint on the differences between 16, 26 and 40 megapixels on APS-C.

Has the love affair continued?

Sadly not. The X-E1 was an enjoyable and fun little camera to own and use, however, the "basic" nature of the camera can be equally its main drawback as well as selling point.
For all its foibles there was one I could never get over and that was the inability to apply Film Simulations after the fact - in either Capture One or X Raw Studio. in fact, the X-E1 doesn't work with X Raw Studio full stop. It was a feature I could survive without but would ultimately much prefer to have than not.
By pure happenstance, I actually picked up an X-E3 bundled with a lens which I subsequently sold resulting in me acquiring said X-E3 for a paltry £200! It needed a little TLC such as a sensor clean but by the time I was done with it the camera was sparkling. The only downside of the deal was the X-E3 was in black finish whereas the X-E1 was silver - which I much prefer. I then sold the X-E1 for as near as darn it £200 meaning I managed to change for nothing.
For me, the X-E3 doesn't quite have the same magic or nostalgic appeal but as a functioning camera is much much better.

But it all makes me wonder where Fuji will be in another 10 years...

Very nice set. I wish Fuji would have stayed with Bayer sensors. IMO the best looking photos came out of the original X100. Looks like there’s no turning back now.