The FUJIFILM X-H2 vs X-H2s - Which one should you get and WHY?

I’ve been shooting the most recent Fujifilm flagship cameras for the past month and have identified why you might want to get one or the other. In this video, I go over the unique points, similarities, and differences between these two cameras and who those cameras are designed for. I also let you know which one I ended up buying for myself.
You will also find a gallery of sample images on my blog here:
This complement this talking head video and so you can see the results in full resolution vs a compressed version on KZbin: fredranger.com/blog/fujifilmxh2
I should be able to review the X-T5 shortly, so stay tuned for that also!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - The X-H2 Unique Points
04:19 - Similarities Between Both Cameras
08:27 - The X-H2s Unique Points
12:15 - Final Thoughts and Who is this Camera For
14:13 - A recommendation for both cameras
15:05 - Outro
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[@FredRanger]

Do you own a Fujifilm X-H2 or X-H2s or considering buying one? Which one is it and why?

[@BurlapandLight]

Rented the X-H2s and loved it. Saving up for it now!

[@rumporridge1]

Own an XH2S for the speed in tracking. Great step up from my XH1 I traded in.

[@FredRanger]

The faster AF is a welcome addition!

[@kmb1659]

I will go with the xh2S although I mostly do stills - tested both and I´ve to say, that I don´t see soooo much of the +14MP from the xh2, but I defenitly felt the better tracking AF when I shot some pic of flying birds.

[@FredRanger]

Yup, the S will give you better performance for bird photography for sure. Happy shooting!

[@mrz1342]

Perfect review, just perfect! Thank you

[@FredRanger]

Glad you found it helpful. Happy shooting! Cheers!

[@framedbyaaron]

What a great review, covered al the topics I was hoping it would. Earned a follow!

[@FredRanger]

@@framedbyaaron Thank you, I

[@tonyadamis4171]

X-H1 and X-T20 owner here. Photography is my thing. I am thinking the X-H2S will meet my needs best. Don't need the extra megapixels for mostly online display and I favor the top-notch autofocus. Also, heftier grip accommodates some of the heavier glass I use, including 8-16mm, 50 f/1, 50-140, and 200mm. PASM dial will take some getting used to, but you can't have everything!

[@FredRanger]

Sounds like you've made your choice, and it's a good one! happy shooting!

[@street4fips]

Nice comparison 👍. I was debating getting X-T5 for photography, but eventually ended up getting X-H2S, mainly for better auto focus and rolling shutter performance (I was a bit concerned about the rolling shutter performance on the 40 MP sensor).

[@FredRanger]

The rolling shutter (or lack there of) is indeed the best I’ve seen. The 40mp sensor has a harder time reading the full sensor without showing some « wobbliness ». You made the right choice!

[@street4fips]

@@FredRanger Yep, actually based on my research this kind of performance (the lack of rolling shutter) is only seen in the high end cameras like Nikon Z9 or Sony A1.

[@os6219]

Not true

[@peterbondmusic]

Fuji user since 2013. I love my X-H2 the output for photography is incredible. Especially combined with the Mk II 56 1.2WR and 23 1.4WR

[@sepehratefi]

XH2 being for photography is fuji marketing. as a hybrid (mostly video) shooter I am very happy with XH2 and 6k/8k are amazing for interviews.

[@FredRanger]

Yup, both are very capable for video and stills. It becomes a personal preference as the differences (outside of the sensor) are minimal.

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

What amazes me is that even today, that Fuji has grown so much in the camera market, they’re price to quality ratio is unmatched. I shot Canon for 10 years before switching to Fuji 3 years ago and I stand by my decision. I started with the XT3 and now I’m looking at one of these two to update my camera body.

[@FredRanger]

I agree on your comment about price-quality ratio. Both are great options! I opted for the X-H2S because of my need for video. Let us know if what tou end up going for. Cheers!

[@os6219]

Okayish? If you take the cheap options it’s good value, otherwise it’s just not as expensive as Sony. But for sure ratio is definitely not great!

[@MrWhiteTank]

I’ve heard quite a few people not regret moving to fujifilm and others that regret selling their fujifilm gear.

[@modelnaturephotography]

The downsizing from 8Kto 4k from the H2 makes it attractive for image quality at that resolution, but the 4K at 120 would be very useful for portrait video, would expect the same image quality for stills as they share the same sensor, shame media platforms have not kept up with mirrorless technology, not sure how resizing an image from 40 to 3megapixels would effect an image.

[@waseemsmathscienceandnatur3379]

What would you recommend, xh2, or xh2s for bird photography, and birds in flight. I am leaning towards one of them, but don't know which. I really like the 40mp on xh2, but rolling shutter is going to be issue, but I don't know how much for birds in flight, and auto focus.

[@FredRanger]

I would lean towards the faster AF of the X-H2s.

[@alexnunez6924]

I have x100v usually use that for street photography, for portrait and landscape and printing photos which one do you recommend between xh2s, xt5 or xh2? Nice video 👍🏻

[@FredRanger]

Thank you for the feedback! For portraits, landscape and printing I would definitely go more toward the higher MP count versions (XT-5 and X-H2). They sports the same sensor, so then it becomes a personal preference in terms of ergonomics. The XH2 does have a better and higher res viewfinder. If you are looking at getting the same tilting screen experience as the X100V, then this will be with the X-T5. cheers!

[@FredRanger]

I will actually record a video soon about which Fujifilm Camera to get and why. Stay tuned :-)

[@rifz42]

that's interesting about the noise. do they still have the worm problem in lightroom? thanks!

[@FredRanger]

With these new sensors, I don’t see the « worm » problem as much as I used to in Lightroom. In Capture One it’s inexistent.

[@mrdame007]

Want to get into photography with a little bit of video but not sure if I should go with x-h2 for mp or x-h2s for faster af and better with rolling shutter. Any input would be greatly appreciated

[@FredRanger]

If you plan to do 70% photography and 30% video, I would go with the 2 for that extra resolution. If you plan to do anywhere 50 to 70% video the 2S for the 2 reasons you stated above. Also the low light performance will be better on the 2S if that’s a situation you are planing to shoot in. hope this helps. cheers!

[@angiemyhre.photography]

Great video - I am so torn between the xt5 , xh2, and xh2s as my new (and only) camera: for mostly wedding photography, and also some video (for KZbin content), and family photo shoots(outdoor lighting). Any advice greatly appreciated!

[@FredRanger]

They are all great choices, but I would say that the X-H2S, with its faster AF, better low light performance due to the stacked sensor and flip out screen (for KZbin) seems to tick all the boxes for your use case :) happy shooting!

[@os6219]

The H2S is the better performing camera in every situation. The resolution difference is totally negligible!

[@71co0k]

@@FredRangerwhat I’d she needs to produce large prints though?

[@FredRanger]

The 40 Megapixels of the X-H2 or X-T5 would be better suited for larger prints, but 24MP is enough for most situations

[@akcalder92]

You have on a Salesforce Trailblazer hoodie. I too have one!

[@FredRanger]

Cool, it was a gift from Salesforce when I did a talk at the Dreamforce event in SF. Bonus, it's comfortable huh?

[@TheWuPigPodcast]

Currently using a XT3 for live streaming and nothing else. I’m looking at the H2 and the XS-20 but I don’t know which way to go.

[@FredRanger]

If you don’t need the weather sealing, bigger body and 4K 120 fps, the XS-20 can definitely do the job! My only gripe would be the micro HDMI port, but if it’s only for livestreams, you might end up only using the USBC port anyways.

[@jtes1442]

Could you please share the what you think are the best AFC focus settings for portrait work? I've been seeing a couple videos surface stating that the focus on the new Fuji’s is not working as it should. Thank you.

[@FredRanger]

From my early tests with the new 33mm f1.4 on the new XH-2 and X-H2s, the eye detection setting seems to work efficiently. You can see some examples on my blog here: fredranger.com/blog/fujifilmxh2 I know there are some videos mentioning some struggles with the AF of the X-T5, but also feedback on the fact that they’ve been able to mitigate the issue by setting the AF-C and AF-S priority to Focus (by defaults the AF-C is set to release). Hope this helps!

[@jtes1442]

@@FredRanger Thanks for the reply and info. I will try out the XH2S.

[@FredRanger]

Pleasure! Let me know how it goes!

[@rodrigopassingthewater]

I don’t do video; the only reason I skipped the X-T5 and went for the H2s…I predominantly shoot RAW and don’t want to deal with 80MB files, don’t need the extra resolution. If they had come out with an X-T5s version with the 26mp sensor, I would have gone that route, no doubt.

[@FredRanger]

Maybe X-T5s at some point? ;) would be a nice option!

[@mohankukreti3816]

For bird still photography which one you suggest X T5 or X H2, as X H2S is at high price tag.

[@FredRanger]

X-H2S for the AF speed!

[@miguelangelrodriguez5684]

Which camera would you recommend for architecture photography?

[@FredRanger]

I would go for the XH-2 for the extra resolution. Cheers!

[@Bilalizaddin]

Being fuji shooters for years used it for the size since I use canon full frame cameras , but astounded by the size of xh2 , it is heavy bulky not discreet like before for street and travel

[@FredRanger]

I agree with you on the size factor. This is where the new X-T5 is scoring points being smaller than its predecessor (the X-T4) and similar size of the original X-T1. Cheers!

[@ghas4151]

I chose the X-H2S over equivalently priced full frame cameras because of performance. Not size. These are working tools for me, not toys. I want something that I can grip comfortably in the hand, and for me the X-H2S is sized perfectly.

[@FredRanger]

Good reasons!

[@scaredylamb]

Is there a big difference between the XH2 or XH2S and the X-S20? I have been using DSLR for years and I mostly do street photography and architecture shots. I was thinking to get a more compact camera to take with me more often so I thought of thr X-S20. But now I wonder if the XH2 would be a better choice considering I'd like to do some videos as well? 🤔

[@FredRanger]

The main difference is the 40MP on the XH2. If you are ok with 26 MP (With is plenty enough usually for street photography) then the X-S20 is a great option. you are just foregoing the weather sealing of the XH models, but gaining the compactness of the XS. Cheers!

[@scaredylamb]

@@FredRanger thanks for the recommendation. About the shutter rolling issue with XH2, does it happen only when panning the camera fast? 🤔

[@os6219]

Looks like being the story of life. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. The ecosystem is good. The quality is good. The images are good. The kit can be light enough. Some complain about AF, some about menu. The choice is yours. If you like photography for what it is and you’re an amateur, you don’t really need more. If you’re a real professional, need a workhorse and a pro service for your lenses, you might consider looking into Nikon and Canon. But you wouldn’t be asking. I understood that it’s a no more than a tool. Every brand nowadays will get you good results out of camera. The rest is up to you. There’s not much left stepping up camera-wise: Leica, Hasselblad and lenses. Other lenses. Lenses, lenses, lenses. Go out and paint with light and stop seeking for the holy grail loosing money 😊

[@rootedtreeproductions]

Has anyone run into an issue where you can't save any of the changes you made to the 7 custom settings?

[@FredRanger]

You have to hit the Q button to save every setting if you don’t have auto-save on

[@rootedtreeproductions]

@@FredRanger Yep. Doing that on each individual change, but then it won't save the changes. When I go back in, it goes back to the default programming.

[@fredericklim5559]

Let me know you suggest me Fujifilm x-h2 or x-h2s which one is better for camera photo only?

[@FredRanger]

It depends on what your needs are. If speed and low light performance is what you are looking for, the X-H2s is your camera. If it’s more about hi-resolution sensor and 8K video, then the X-H2. Cheers!

[@MrNate858]

@@FredRanger when you’re referring to lowlight shooting, does that mean better night shots?

[@FredRanger]

Yes, cleaner shots when there is less available light like at night or when shooting indoors.

[@paulmaher1705]

Conundrum for hybrid shooters, 40mp of the XH2 is great for nature & cropping in but the fast readout of the XH2S is great for moving objects like birds in flight.... Life sucks!! 🤣 40MP stacked sensor APS C is the dream !!

[@FredRanger]

Indeed! That’s why I think the X-H2S makes more sense (even at 26MP) today. But who knows what the X-H3 series will bring ;-)

[@JET-Photo]

The correct answer is both 😂

[@FredRanger]

hehe yup, quite the combo!