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Scathing Review of Fuji X-H2s


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Ken Wheeler also known as the Angry Photographer has just posted a scathing review

of the X-H2s.  Politely claims it is a piece of junk and not worth the money. He is a well known

Fujifilm fanboy, which makes his review one to be taken seriously.  Comments on his take welomed

I have already drawn pretty much the same conclusion about it.  

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The problem I have with the review is that it doesn't address what I think is the main advantage of the camera for stills photographers i.e. speed and improved autofocus. He says that face/eye detection has not improved over the X-T4 but does not address subject tracking (beyond the comment that animals should not have been divided into birds and others which I agree with).

If you don't test the camera for its abilities to shoot wildlife and sports its difficult to come up with any conclusions about its value.

Much of the review was centered around what I think are relatively trivial criticisms - like the lack of focus mode switch, dial click switches and the lack of a battery charger.

I also think the review could have been 20 minutes shorter - and still have made the main points.

Edited by Greybeard
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Ken can get a bit long winded but he gets his points across.

The concerns that he has which you consider trivial are important to me and obviously Ken as well.

His take on no better or worse image quality, murky he and others called it was most important in my view

I am an X-H1 owner and adore the camera and its build quality so no doubt I am a bit prejudiced, but I really expect much more from a 2500 dollar flagship over two years in the making Greybeard..

Thanks for your input.     Regards, GO

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11 minutes ago, Golden Oxen said:

Ken can get a bit long winded but he gets his points across.

The concerns that he has which you consider trivial are important to me and obviously Ken as well.

His take on no better or worse image quality, murky he and others called it was most important in my view

I am an X-H1 owner and adore the camera and its build quality so no doubt I am a bit prejudiced, but I really expect much more from a 2500 dollar flagship over two years in the making Greybeard..

Thanks for your input.     Regards, GO

Yes - I didn't mention build quality - I don't have an X-H1 to compare but I certainly have no complaints about the X-H2S. Its rock solid and all buttons and dials work exactly as they should - no unnecessary play. It gives every impression it will continue working for years. I haven't yet had need to test the weather sealing but everything fits well together - and in fact the removal of the AF mode switch and dial press switches are only going to improve the overall weather resistance.

As for murkiness - I just haven't seen it - perhaps someone will post some examples so I know what to look out for (and situations where the murkiness will appear)

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12 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

Yes - I didn't mention build quality - I don't have an X-H1 to compare but I certainly have no complaints about the X-H2S. Its rock solid and all buttons and dials work exactly as they should - no unnecessary play. It gives every impression it will continue working for years. I haven't yet had need to test the weather sealing but everything fits well together - and in fact the removal of the AF mode switch and dial press switches are only going to improve the overall weather resistance.

As for murkiness - I just haven't seen it - perhaps someone will post some examples so I know what to look out for (and situations where the murkiness will appear)

Understood. There are so many facets to a new camera that it is bound to create much different opinions, especially when it comes to what was added and deleted over prior models.

Glad your enjoying your H2s, that is really what it is all about, enjoying our hobby no matter

what our taste differences.,  Thanks again and regards, GO

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I've been on the fence about the X-H2s primarily due to price. I preordered the 150-600 and cancelled the order because I wasn't seeing any wildlife (primarily birds) photos that I thought were any better than what my X-H1 and 70-300+1.4TC are producing. Perhaps my success rate of BIF and the ability to zoom in closer would have made photographing birds a little easier but shelling out $4,500 for the out fit is a little too much for a retired hobbyist on a fixed income. I've decided to see what the 40mp model will do with the sharp Fuji lenses I've acquired and specifically an X-T5 which should be a little less expensive.

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It's early days yet, but I like the X-H2s for the most part. I have two X-H1, and the X-H2s seems to be improved in more ways than it loses. I am a still photographer (retired pro), not a video shooter, so the many improvements there go right over my head. And so any opinions I have are limited as well.

Reason to love this camera #1: the viewfinder is fantastic, better than any Nikon or previous Fujifilm. My prime reason to go with the XH-1 was the fabulous EVF, and the new one is even better.

I do miss the dedicated shutter speed dial, but I do not dislike PASM. I have had film cameras (Canon F1nAE) that had both, and I wish Fuji had gone that way instead of doing one-or-the-other.

I also like putting the Custom settings on a dial where you can get to them rather than hidden away in Fuji's impossible Menu hierarchy or Q display. Of my Nikons I love the ones with the U1-U2 and sometimes U3 dial settings.

It seems stupid to making both focus mode and firing mode/speed harder to get to. On the other hand - finally - they put the Q button where it doesn't get pressed by mistake ten times a minute.

The Menu is still pathetic, but no more so than previously, except that the C 1-7 settings are even more bafflingly buried than the old Custom settings. Some operator error at work there also, no doubt, but no one could call the Fuji menus user-friendly.

Yeah, it is down-right cheesy not to include a charger with a $2500 camera, so I consider it more of  $2569.95 camera. I will feel much better, however, if and when I get the free memory card I sent in for....

I haven't had a chance yet to compare the new auto-focus speed and accuracy against the Nikon D-500, the current champion for wildlife and especially BIF. Perhaps Fuji's separating the Bird from other Animal autofocus settings reflects BIF versus sitting ducks.

Early days. But I don't regret the purchase. In fact, I am upgrading my Fujifilm prime lenses to the faster and higher resolution lenses. I think my Nikons (D810, D500, D7100, D5300, Z5 and a full-spectrum Z50) are going to migrate down to second shelf for many uses, and the Fuji's (X100F, X-H1 and new X-H2s are going to get more use. 

 

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LOL… Social media is not reality.

If someone is interested in the new X-H2S then they should do do their own research, rent a X-H2S and come to their own conclusions. 
The only opinion of any worth is your own. 


As for Ken Wheeler’s review(s) of the X-H2S… who cares! 
I’m sure that there are hundreds of reviews praising the camera.

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sorry, but the guy is either crazy, or an ignoramous, or both and just wants your clicks. I happen to own two X-H1s and the new X-H2s, and there is not a single point where the new model isn't superior to its official predecessor. And regarding IQ: At least the high-ISO JPGs are definitely better. But Fuji never promised such and already said before their press-event on May 31 that regarding IQ there would only be minor improvements.

cheers, CF

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19 hours ago, flamidey said:

It's a bit hard to take what this person says seriously nowadays. I mean, he literally called Einstein a dumbass... 

I get your drift, but my posting was about his view of the X-H2s, not his views on the merits of Einstein vs Tesla.

Personally. I only find his camera and lens reviews to be spot on.  Regards, GO

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2 hours ago, christian fuerst said:

sorry, but the guy is either crazy, or an ignoramous, or both and just wants your clicks. I happen to own two X-H1s and the new X-H2s, and there is not a single point where the new model isn't superior to its official predecessor. And regarding IQ: At least the high-ISO JPGs are definitely better. But Fuji never promised such and already said before their press-event on May 31 that regarding IQ there would only be minor improvements.

cheers, CF

Ken owns every Fujifilm camera and most of the lenses including the Medium format line, if you wish to consider # of cameras owned as a guidepost to expertise.

You have a different view than Ken on the camera and I'm glad your happy with it.   Regards, GO

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On 8/9/2022 at 3:37 AM, andrei89 said:

seriously? the camera is a piece of junk because it doesn't have a charger in the box?

i guess then the only good smartphone is a cheap chinese one for having a charger and all the iphones and galaxys are crap...

It's all about what you expect for the presentation of a Flagship 2500 dollar camera and the attitude of

the manufacturer towards their customer. You are oversimplifying his take on the camera by pointing to just one of his points.  You also missed his point entirely on the charger as well.        Regards, GO

 

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On 8/8/2022 at 5:46 PM, Canuck57 said:

LOL… Social media is not reality.

If someone is interested in the new X-H2S then they should do do their own research, rent a X-H2S and come to their own conclusions. 
The only opinion of any worth is your own. 


As for Ken Wheeler’s review(s) of the X-H2S… who cares! 
I’m sure that there are hundreds of reviews praising the camera.

I get your drift but I find a world where only my opinion has any worth a bit one sided should I say?

 

                                                                                                                                 Regards, GO

 

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I struggle to get past the early part of the review.

He comments very negatively that the Manual-Single-Continuous focusing switch of previous cameras has been replaced by a button and popup menu, due to cost saving.

Such switches will not work with the new C1-C7 custom settings, If you set C1 to Continuous and C2 To single, how would the mechanical switch update as you change from C1 to C2?

If I can figure this out and a professional reviewer does not I find it hard to trust their opinions.

 

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18 hours ago, Golden Oxen said:

Ken owns every Fujifilm camera and most of the lenses including the Medium format line, if you wish to consider # of cameras owned as a guidepost to expertise.

You have a different view than Ken on the camera and I'm glad your happy with it.   Regards, GO

owning every piece of gear doesn't make one an expert and it certainly doesn't make them a professional photographer. it just makes them a gear hoarder

17 hours ago, Golden Oxen said:

It's all about what you expect for the presentation of a Flagship 2500 dollar camera and the attitude of

the manufacturer towards their customer. You are oversimplifying his take on the camera by pointing to just one of his points.  You also missed his point entirely on the charger as well.        Regards, GO

 

i expect a flagship CAMERA to perform where it matters: image quality (video or stills), autofocus and whatever else it promises to bring to the table, in this case speed (fps, video or whatever). and in those aspects it surely delivers, judging from what RESULTS i've seen from actual photographers (sorry, but i can't take the guy seriously when all he does for 22 minutes is sit on his chair and fondle the camera saying how s*it it is). the MCS switch point has been made clear above.

when apple first removed the charging brick from the box everyone cried out and laughed. how long did it take for others to follow? 6 months at most for samsung and then all the others

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4 hours ago, andrei89 said:

owning every piece of gear doesn't make one an expert and it certainly doesn't make them a professional photographer. it just makes them a gear hoarder

i expect a flagship CAMERA to perform where it matters: image quality (video or stills), autofocus and whatever else it promises to bring to the table, in this case speed (fps, video or whatever). and in those aspects it surely delivers, judging from what RESULTS i've seen from actual photographers (sorry, but i can't take the guy seriously when all he does for 22 minutes is sit on his chair and fondle the camera saying how s*it it is). the MCS switch point has been made clear above.

when apple first removed the charging brick from the box everyone cried out and laughed. how long did it take for others to follow? 6 months at most for samsung and then all the others

In your first comment you have misunderstood my reply to another member.

In the second you seen not to be aware that Ken addressed the issues which matter to you in the video.

As to Ken and his personality, many folks don't like his style, nothing wrong with that.  We are all different

in our likes and dislikes..                                                                                        Regards, GO

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Hello GO

I thought Ken raised a few valid points and others which were fit for the floor mounted circular filing cabinet. But they were his points as he saw them so good for him.

But irrespective of his views and his 4/10 rating, I bought an X-H2S and have to say that it is an exceptional camera. It is so fast, the subject detection system is phenominal and the EVF is in a different league to any of my FujiFilm cameras.

I have it side by side with my beloved X-H1, a camera that was hewn from rock, and whilst it doesn't quite have that same 'feel' of indestructability, it is superbly made and tactile wise, a level above the X-H1. What I mean by that is the controls are well damped and responsive, the shutter button is less touch sensitive (ie doesn't fire at the lightest touch), and the control wheels, whilst not clickeable, are precise. The joystick is not as well positioned as the X-H1 but as I have only had the camera for two days, it will improve as my  muscle/brain memory kicks in. The extended grip is as good as, if not better than, the X-H1 and though still early days, I found the 100-400mm nicer to hold and use when on the X-H2S with or without either of the TC's.

As for the charger, never got one with my X-T4 and yes it is tight of FujiFilm but I am glad that they spent the money on the sensor and the overall package. It shouldn't and didn't put me off but I see where he is coming from.

PSAM is not a big deal for me, its on all my Sony's and on mylovely little X-S10 so it came natural to me. The C1-7 modes are just superb and if I had to trade the conventional dials just for this feature then I would...almost, as I still love the manual control nature of my other FujiFilm's. To be able to dial in my favourite settings and recall them at the click of a dial (and lock it should I wish) is fantastic and instant.

I have a Delkin Black 150 Gb CFExpress card as well as a SanDisk Extreme SD Card. Never had a CF before, it makes the SD card seem pedestrian and even when on high speed bursts it clears the buffer immediately.

I enjoyed Ken's review but I beg to differ with his conclusions and thoughts. As for muddy twixt the X-T4, I am not sure where he got that from but IQ is exactly the same as my X-T4 and X-S10 using all my FujiFilm lenses ......but many more images are 100% in focus and processed 4 x quicker than any other body.

It is a cracking camera.

 

 

 

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I found this forum in a link from another Fuji forum so I'm glad to be here. 

Regarding Ken, he's a strong, unique personality and part of his identity is to rattle the pots and pans. He's a quirky, intelligent person who has opinions, like we all do. His presentation can be extremely off putting, but he's worth listening to when deciding on a new Fuji. 

I agree with others here who say it's best to rent a new camera if possible, and compare to one's own knowledge base and shooting preferences. 

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2 hours ago, Patr said:

Hello GO

I thought Ken raised a few valid points and others which were fit for the floor mounted circular filing cabinet. But they were his points as he saw them so good for him.

But irrespective of his views and his 4/10 rating, I bought an X-H2S and have to say that it is an exceptional camera. It is so fast, the subject detection system is phenominal and the EVF is in a different league to any of my FujiFilm cameras.

I have it side by side with my beloved X-H1, a camera that was hewn from rock, and whilst it doesn't quite have that same 'feel' of indestructability, it is superbly made and tactile wise, a level above the X-H1. What I mean by that is the controls are well damped and responsive, the shutter button is less touch sensitive (ie doesn't fire at the lightest touch), and the control wheels, whilst not clickeable, are precise. The joystick is not as well positioned as the X-H1 but as I have only had the camera for two days, it will improve as my  muscle/brain memory kicks in. The extended grip is as good as, if not better than, the X-H1 and though still early days, I found the 100-400mm nicer to hold and use when on the X-H2S with or without either of the TC's.

As for the charger, never got one with my X-T4 and yes it is tight of FujiFilm but I am glad that they spent the money on the sensor and the overall package. It shouldn't and didn't put me off but I see where he is coming from.

PSAM is not a big deal for me, its on all my Sony's and on mylovely little X-S10 so it came natural to me. The C1-7 modes are just superb and if I had to trade the conventional dials just for this feature then I would...almost, as I still love the manual control nature of my other FujiFilm's. To be able to dial in my favourite settings and recall them at the click of a dial (and lock it should I wish) is fantastic and instant.

I have a Delkin Black 150 Gb CFExpress card as well as a SanDisk Extreme SD Card. Never had a CF before, it makes the SD card seem pedestrian and even when on high speed bursts it clears the buffer immediately.

I enjoyed Ken's review but I beg to differ with his conclusions and thoughts. As for muddy twixt the X-T4, I am not sure where he got that from but IQ is exactly the same as my X-T4 and X-S10 using all my FujiFilm lenses ......but many more images are 100% in focus and processed 4 x quicker than any other body.

It is a cracking camera.

Hi Patr, I'm sure its a cracking camera but as Ken would say "Compared to what?' That what he claimed, the image was no better or worse than previous much less expensive models.          Regards, GO

2 hours ago, Patr said:

 

 

 

 

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42 minutes ago, Golden Oxen said:

Hi Patr, I'm sure its a cracking camera but as Ken would say "Compared to what?' That what he claimed, the image was no better or worse than previous much less expensive models.          Regards, GO

 

Hi GO

I am comparing it to all my FujiFilm bodies and the other marque in my (as my beloved would put it) 'too many cameras' fleet.

Ken stated that the IQ was 'muddy' compared to the X-T4 and having tested it alongside my X-T4 and X-S10 (and for fairness sake my X-H1 and X-T3) I can find absolutely no difference in IQ between the newest bodies (X-T4/X-S10) which are marginally better than the older ones (X-T3/X-H1/X-Pro2) if you really start down the IQ pixel-peeping route. Its not a route I go down.

I have been more than happy with the IQ of the X-T4 and X-S10 but the subject aquisition and focus success rate of the X-H2S takes it to a different level above both of those super cameras and that is/was the rationale for buying it. As well as the phenominal speed and buffering and stacked sensor. That's on the FujiFilm 'compared to what' side.

If I then compare the X-H2S with my Sony A7 iv (my only full frame camera) I would say that the Sony is marginally better on focus speed, tracking and (pixel peeping) detail but, as I have more FujiFilm lenses and prefer the tactile feel of the Fuji's over the more clinical Sony, I am more than satisfied with the X-H2S. Each to their own!

His point that the IQ was no better or worse than previous much less expensive models was an irrelevance to me as I wasn't after a quantum leap in IQ (I am more than satisfied), I just wanted a much better focus and aquisition rate which I now have with the cracking X-H2S.

I like Ken and his thoughts on FujiFilm lenses just about mirror mine though I confess to not owning/using as many as him. But of those that I do own, they feature in his 'top-5'. I even prefer my 16-80mm over the bag of primes 16-55mm!

Whilst I do find his reviews very refreshing and interesting/different, I find Maarten Heilbronn, Andy Mumford and the Hybrid Shooter offer a more balanced viewpoint coupled with actual photo examples which I,  as a simple retired soldier, can relate to and form an opinion/judgement on.

Unless I have missed them, I cannot recall ever seeing any actual examples taken by Ken to prove beyond all reasonable doubt, the contentious and (sometimes) contemptious and dismissive views he holds.

Again whilst I respect his views, I reserve the right to disagree with them and in the case of the FujiFilm X-H2S, I clearly do!

I hope that answers your point on the 'compared to what'.

Kind regards

Pat

 

 

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On 8/8/2022 at 6:13 AM, Golden Oxen said:

Ken Wheeler also known as the Angry Photographer has just posted a scathing review

of the X-H2s.  Politely claims it is a piece of junk and not worth the money. He is a well known

Fujifilm fanboy, which makes his review one to be taken seriously.  Comments on his take welomed

I have already drawn pretty much the same conclusion about it.  

He’s wrong about all of it and I seriously doubt he used the camera.  
 

I had the X-T3, sold it for the X-T4, and 2 years later I preordered the X-H2s.  I have had it since launch and here’s a quick rebuttals to that garbage review.

 

First, the people he spoke about, saying they backed up his claims…

Casey from Camera Conspiracies, only tried the pre-release and has since taken one on loan… He loves the thing now.

Gerald from Gerald Undone, said the camera’s DR is excellent, Still image capture AF is awesome, and he said thanks to the noise properties he can actually make the video better quality than the A1 (that’s impressive).

DPReview, said they wouldn’t rank the camera or comment on most aspects until they got a full retail version of it and that review is happening now.  
 

Second, he ignored the stacked sensor and the improved AF speed completely.  Then he made assumptions based on his ignorance of the camera and how it functions.  He claimed they didn’t think the design through, but his own complaints show he didn’t think it through.

 

I had the X-T4 sitting right beside the new body for about a week… The build quality was very much on par with the X-T4 and yet he praised one while panning the other.  So which is it, is the build quality of the X-T4 cheap, or is the X-H2S actually decent build quality.

 

Then of course he tried to equate knowing the X-T4 with knowing this camera and I can tell you they could not be further apart in the way they operate and still be a Fuji body.  
 

Many of us have action photos, portraits, BIF, and animal portraits, yet he seems to proclaim it is the worst camera ever. 
 

Of course he focused on 1 thing obsessively, that’s the fact that the dials don’t have any push button capabilities. Then he also made a comment that gave away his motivation for the whole review away… Fuji wouldn’t give him a body to review, so he rented or purchased one and panned the whole camera.  
 

Oh and as for Muddy images… I set both the X-H2S and the X-T4 to the same settings and swapped the lenses from body to body.  The image quality was pretty much identical, so you can ignore that garbage claim too.

Edited by KOLED
Forgot one point.
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