My first week (ish) with the Fujifilm X-H2S for Wildlife Photography
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- The first of a couple of videos about how I'm getting on with the X-H2S so far!
Buy the Fujifilm X-H2S from:
- Adorama (USA): adorama.rfvk.net/q4kYG5
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Forest Farm
01:53 - Con-trols
03:59 - The 150-600mm Lens
05:00 - Chasing a Heron
07:19 - Hybrid shooting
09:10 - Dynamic range, shutter types, pre-burst
10:25 - Colour retention at high ISO
12:08 - Film Simulations
13:07 - CFExpress
14:46 - Pseudo-end
15:07 - Assorted Footage from the X-H2S
#photography #wildlifephotography #camera #fujifilm #review #wildlife #xh2s
Glad you’re happy with your choice. I share your sentiment about post-processing, i keep it simple and as easy as possible.
Totally agree about the exposure compensation, very odd and poor implementation. Had me banging my head on the wall until I worked it out. Even on the X-S20 you have a dial you can assign it to in manual but I really miss an extra dial on the back like I have on my Canon R6 and R6II.
I’ve been looking into this Fujifilm setup. I’m really looking forward to a comparison with the OM-1 in terms of AF speed and tracking. You don’t shoot fast jets by any chance?.
Sadly no! When I lived in England I saw them going past all the time but here in south Wales I'm outside of all the flight paths 😅 The most we get around here are helicopters fetching people off the top of the mountains. But hopefully you'll be able to glean some useful info from my experience with birds in flight, even if they're not quite as fast 😆
Thanks for the feedbacks, I can you have a Shimoda backpack, which model is this ? Are you happy the way it fits with the lens+camera ?
This is the Action X50, with the large DSLR core unit. I _love_ the bag, it's extremely comfortable for all-day usage with lots of gear. I was carrying 15KG of gear in it when hiking in Switzerland and it was still remarkably comfortable!
The large DSLR core does fit the Fuji X-H2S + 150-600mm lens attached, but I remove the rubber eyepiece to do so as it's a snug fit (and I don't want to break the tabs on the eyepiece). I think the core could do with being 1-2cm taller, but that's really the only thing I can think of to improve the bag. In every other regard it's by far the best big camera bag I've ever used.
@@robert_may Thanks a lot I will have a look at this model. Have a good day.
Veeery interesting! I have been wondering if I should do the same thing tbh. Can't quite put my finger on it, but going from a OM-1 to an XH2s is on my mind indeed.
I think it's a pretty sensible transition! Could be worthwhile borrowing one for a weekend from Fuji to try it out, if they have that free rental program available where you are.
@@robert_may Too tempting! 😅
Thanks for the video. Just one question. Do you prefer your new Fuji setup over the Om-1 and 300f4? Actually, I have another question. Is subject tracking in video mode better on the XH2s than the OM-1? I hate post processing too. I have thousands of photos to go through and find the task daunting. I know I have to do it as there are some keepers in there somewhere.
Ooh good questions. Yep so far I'm preferring this new setup for my purposes - there are some oddities with the Fuji (and I'll have another video out soon covering the photo AF things I've been figuring out) but it has solved two of my main issues with the OM-1, namely video and low light performance.
So far I've been impressed by the video AF and I'm finding it more reliable. It keeps up with animals really well and it's actually smoother than I thought it would be. Once I've got a bit more experience with it I'll do a video around what settings are working for me and how it performs 😀
@@robert_may That's cool. What about the photo AFC? Does xh2s also perform better than the OM1? Is that with the 150-600mm lens?
@@nicknie8782 Yep this is all with the 150-600mm lens (as I have only that and the 27mm lens so far). I'll have a video up in the next week or so that covers just the photo AF, as I've got quite a few thoughts on it and decided to separate it into a second video 😁 The rough gist is that it's better than the OM-1 in most situations, but you need a separate configuration for birds in flight. Mathieu Gasquet of Mirrorless Comparison covers that aspect quite well in one of his videos.
@@robert_may Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I watched Mathieu's video and it seems that the OM-1 performs better in BIF. From what you said, do you mean xh2s has better AF than OM-1 in most situations except that BIF is one situation where OM-1 has an edge? Many thanks in advance.
@@nicknie8782 Yep that’s correct! I think the oddities of the OM-1, like its weird desire to swap to something in the foreground at all times, means it actually works well for birds flying at the camera. The Fuji is actually pretty comparable but only if you swap to a grid and turn off object detection. For birds in trees etc I find the XH2S much more reliable as it holds focus on the bird easier. Neither seem to be as reliable as Sony and Canon for birds in flight, so hopefully both Fuji and OM will get closer to them in future 😀
Excellent video. Im between OM1/100-400 or H2S/150-600, I most shoot wildlife and sports, what do you suggest, cant decide .......
Tough choice! I'd be tempted to try both out at a shop, event, or rent them for a weekend - they're very comparable in many ways and a lot will likely come down to the shooting experience and which you enjoy using more.
It's interesting to see you've gone this route, as I'm doing the opposite move in terms of systems. I'm switching from my X-T4 with 100-400 to an E-M1X with 300 f4. The quirks you mention on the Fuji system I find incredibly frustrating. At least on the X-H2S you have the option for exposure compensation in manual mode, albeit with the annoying button assignments. This doesn't even exist as an option on the X-T4. It's been raised many times before if you look around various forums and would effectively just be a firmware fix to enable this functionality (or improve it on the X-H2S). Good luck though. The response by Fuji fanboys is always 'this is the Fuji way' and they can't seem to fathom that people use their cameras in different ways and that at least providing the option would be a good thing. Fuji don't seem to be bothered about improving it either. Even if the X-H2S had a dedicated exposure comp dial like the X-T4, I find using it extremely slow in comparison to a command dial at your fingertips. I am enjoying the functionality and customisability of the Olympus system and can live with the worse ISO performance in favour of the wider aperture on the Oly 300 f4 and improved sharpness vs the Fuji 100-400. I can't speak for your 150-600, but I never even considered this as an option, based on it being f8 and at a very high price in comparison to other lens choices on the market. Besides the above, the other lenses in the Olympus system work much better for me when it comes to non-avian wildlife (ie. close focussing capabilities with the 12-45mm f4 Pro vs the Fuji 16-55). Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're happy with your switch and that it works for you. I guess this goes to show how much personal shooting styles come into the choice of system.
Great to hear your point of view! The excellent close-focusing abilities of the M43 system are often ignored, sadly - the weirdly short minimum focus distance of the 300mm f/4 is certainly one thing I'll miss from the system. And yeah I think choice of camera is an extremely personal thing, which is why I always try to qualify my opinions as _my_ opinions, rather than fact, because how a camera performs really does vary for each person in most cases 😀
@@robert_may I don't have this camera, but thought I heard from another reviewer that the rear command dial controls exp comp. It's totally possible I heard or remember incorrectly. I'm thinking about getting the X-H2, and hoping that control is easily accessible for auto ISO mode. But coming from a dinosaur Sony A580 for something like 15 years, having always been a full manual shooter, I'm trying to figure out why you'd need exp comp in full manual mode, as you're in complete control of exposure already. Am I missing something?
For the exposure compensation point, are you in full manual mode? Meaning, manual aperture, manual shutter speed, and manual iso? If so, exposure compensation won’t work because there is no setting the camera can use to compensate the exposure. At least one setting has to be in an auto mode for exposure compensation to be able to do anything. I haven’t used a Fuji camera with a mode dial, so I’m just speculating here. That’s how it works on my Sony cameras, at least
I tend to shoot in manual but with auto ISO enabled. Unfortunately it just seems to be a really weird design choice in the Fuji system! I might try shutter priority instead for a while - it should force the aperture to its widest most of the time anyway, but I'll need to see how it prioritises it vs ISO.
You may not have to do a comparison to the OM-1, actually (I mentioned this in another comment). Here you do mention several pros/cons against the OM-1. This video is great because we have a similar shooting style so you mention a lot of features that relate. The stabe is apparently also compared as pretty good, as you say, against the Panasonic system and that was surprising to me. I think the information you've provided here make me think I'll probably not worry about the OM-1 for now. I was only considering it for the weight but with the advantages that the XH2s, I may just go ahead and move forward with some lens purchases. Regarding the 150mm vs the 100-400, have you tried both? You give some great feedback about the 150mm lens but because I have small hands and can't carry a lot of weight due to a hand injury in 2020, I was considering the 100-400. Curious to know if you own that lens.
I have indeed used both! My dad owns the 100-400mm so I've tried it out a few times and it's a really nice lens. They are very comparable lenses with only a few differences, really:
- The 100-400mm is obviously shorter in focal length, but with the 1.4x teleconverter is pretty much the same as the 150-600mm and the same f/8 aperture. Having the 100mm end is nice for landscapes too, 150mm is a little too tight as a general longer landscape lens
- The 100-400mm is practically the same weight as the Olympus 300mm f/4
- The 150-600mm has some cool function buttons which can be used for recalling a pre-set focus distance. I don't use these all that often though and they're fairly awkwardly placed at the front of the lens (which is quite far away)
- The 150-600mm is a fixed length, the 100-400mm packs up much smaller (which can be handy for carrying smaller bags) because it extends/retracts. You do need quite a big bag to fit the 150-600mm with a body attached!
- The 150-600mm has a better tripod foot for carrying the camera by it (which I do), but the 100-400mm is notably shorter so it balances fine in the hands without it, and because it weighs less would be more comfortable if you hang it from a strap
Performance-wise I'd say they're so similar that it's effectively pointless comparing that aspect! I think it's much more down to ergonomics. And price, as you can pick up the 100-400mm for a great price secondhand! I hope that helps a bit 😁
@@robert_may wow, thank you so much! You saved me a lot of research! Now I need to compare the 100-400 with my 70-300mm with the1.4x TC, which I've been hobbling by on ... I'd rather have the extra stop of light, if possible .. thanks again!
I've watched videos saying that xh2s' object tracking sucks. What does your experience say about this? Did the software updates work? I'm thinking of buying the camera. but this is bothering me
I have found with birds in flight, it's a bit slow to lock on but once locked on it's pretty sticky.
What camera+ lens setup would you recommend to a beginner wildlife/bird photographer without much compromise in specs and speed but at the same time not making me to sell my kidney!!!!????
Depends on what sorta thing you want to do and your exact budget, but here are some ideas:
- I started with a Canon 7D MkII for wildlife, and those can be picked up very reasonably. Still a good camera even now.
- Nikon DSLRs tend to be really reasonable secondhand and are still great wildlife cameras. The D500 is a favourite of wildlife photographers.
- For both of those, the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary is a good but pretty affordable lens. The Sport version isn't much more expensive but is much heavier, so for a lot of people the Contemporary makes more sense.
- If you want a more modern camera/mirrorless camera that can also do video etc, you could take a look at the Olympus/OM System cameras. The OM-D E-M1 Mark II, III, or E-M1X are all very good deals for capable cameras (again, worth buying secondhand from somewhere like MPB). You could then pair it with the Olympus 100-400 f/5-6.3
- I don't know as much about Sony cameras but some of the older models like the A7III would likely be a decent choice too
I hope that helps!
@@robert_may i need a mirrorless one. I am a serious enthusiast photographer now inclined towards wildlife and bird photography. I need easy to use , a good burst and buffer speed camera . But it seems there arent so many with less budget.
@@Nadeemkhalid07 Yeah unfortunately wildlife photography is where the gear costs tend to get quite expensive 😔 For mirrorless, the Olympus cameras are a good deal secondhand. The first Panasonic G9 is very reasonably priced secondhand too, though I don't know how well that performs in terms of AF. For larger sensors your best bet would probably be one of the Sony options, though you could possibly look at something like the Fujifilm X-T3 too which tends to be quite reasonable but is still a good performer. Fewer cheap lens options on the X-mount though!
@@robert_may i already have xt4 but i dont think its AF is reliable as you know fujifilm AF woes!!! I think i will look for used sony .
I have used fuji for the past 4 yrs for wildlife after using Nikon for 20+ yrs. I like the XT4 as it is great for many kinds of photography, but the weakness is wildlife and action. Then the XH2s came out, I jumped on it, after the last firmware update there was big improvement on the focus system, but the ergonomics, the non-logic of having no option to directly change subject detection, EC in Manual not available except through a bypass, the stupid decision to give us a 150-600 f8 for daylight bird feeder photography, so firmware can change many things but some are just stupid design and what is a so called action camera is actually slowing you down. So, sold the XH2s and made the expensive decision to get a Z9. I kept my Nikon lenses as I used them on Fuji with the Fringer adaptor. Is it a bad camera? no it is good but not great, the AF system is ok but very unreliable and frustrating slow to jump between options.
The exposure compensation setting has been getting progressively more annoying for me so I'm experimenting with shutter-priority mode now instead 😅
The Z9 is a great choice!
Aperature 8 is already little! Since the advantage of noise behavior is gone again!
So far I'm finding the photos at ISO 12800 are cleaning up very easily (and retain good colours), so I'm not worried about the noise. I run everything through DXO PureRAW these days anyway 😄
I find colors on the OM-1 often more irritating than noise too, even after cleaning them in DXO
I reprogrammed the Record button to the "M +/- When set to M (on/off switch)" function. That way, while in manual mode, I just press that button to toggle my front dial to be exposure compensation. As a side benefit, I no longer have to worry about accidentally starting a video recording. 😀
Haha, I swapped that record button to the pre-shoot toggle for a similar reason 😆 I do wish the EC function button wasn’t a toggle on/off though - would be much better if you could hold it and adjust it with a wheel like on other camera brands. I keep getting stuck in it by mistake 😅
Poor little bald Robin