Fujifilm Goes the Nikon/ Sony Route (The September 8th X Summit)

As per the Fujifilm X Summit press event last night, it looks like Fuji is going the Nikon/Sony route, splitting its flagship camera into a "high speed" and "high resolution" pair.

The Fujifilm X-H2 made its debut last night. It has 40 megapixels, the highest-ever resolution in a Fuji X camera, as well as a pixel-shift mode for even higher resolution on a tripod, and is the first APS-C camera ever to offer 8k/30P video. The previously introduced 26-MP X-H2S is the high-speed variant.

Also introduced was a redesigned XF 56mm ƒ/1.2 II—the new one has 13 elements and old one 11, which means it's not the same design. The new lens has a larger filter size, 67mm vs. 62mm, and weighs more, 445 g vs. 405 g, but the $999 cost is the same. It's slated to ship at the end of this month.

Fujifilm GF 20–35mm ƒ/4

In addition, a GF 20–35mm ƒ/4 wide-angle zoom for the medium-format cameras was introduced. With a 16mm–28mm angle-of-view equivalent, it's an ideal range for a wide-angle, but the lens is still reasonably sized and not too heavy thanks to its modest but still adequate maximum aperture. The price is $2,499 and it ships on October 6th. There's no way to quantify this for certain, but this was probably the most requested lens that had previously been missing from the GF lineup—a single lens that can satisfy every wide-angle need and purpose for generalists, the only one you need to own or carry.

The camera's model name on the back and no "S" on the
front are the identifying markers of the new X-H2

While the X-H2S seems targeted at professionals and action shooters, the 40-MP X-H2 looks designed to appeal to people such as artists, enthusiasts, landscapists, fashion and portrait photographers, and printmakers. It also seems to have more to offer to stills photographers, in that the stills image quality of the X-H2S isn't better than that of the X-T3 or X-T4, but the stills image quality of the X-H2 is expected to exceed that of those smaller cameras. The physical design of the pair, which has drawn praise for being effective and efficient, is the same. An outstanding viewfinder is reported to be a highlight of these new cameras. The new X-H2 also costs a more reasonable $1,999, vs. $2,499 for the pro-oriented X-H2S. Cameras pre-ordered in time will ship on or around September 29th.

Several future products were teased, including two tilt-shift lenses for the GF medium-format lens line.

Mike

Thom Hogan: "Technically, it's the Nikon route, pioneered in the D1h/D1x, and iterated several times since (D2h/D2x, D3/D3x, Z6/Z7, and many suggest D5/D850)."

Mike replies: Fixed. Thanks.

David Bateman: "In response to your response to Dennis's comments, I don't think Fujifilm released the H2 series for photography, but rather videographers. The H2 (no s) is for 8k, just the sensor isn't really fast, so can't do everything. So they also released the H2s which has a fast sensor and can do many wonderful videos things, except 8K. So that is where we are. I wouldn't be surprised if this 40Mpixel camera sensor doesn't end up in other cameras. Or maybe it will as the market may demand it, but I don't think the camera was designed for photographers."

Kodachromeguy: "ByThom recently wrote about the new megapixel war and noted how many buyers insisting on more more more had murky ideas of their real needs. 48 'sounds' better than 24."

Comments

[John Krill]

My question is the 40MP sensor going to be offered to the rest of the X series cameras?

[Greg]

The high end market lives! Or more accurately, the camera market still exists.

When will they add a phone to the camera?

[Thomas Tveit Rosenlund]

A complete side note, since you have been writing about the fp and Sigma 45 lately. That lens really intrigues me. It might be the single remaining reason I have not "upgraded" my D850 to a Z7 II, because Sigma don't have any plan of releasing lenses for the Z mount any time soon.

I would be really interested in you opinion on the rendering of the lens, because I am still looking for a decent lens to replace my Nikon 45 PC-E in the modern age, and to be honest the PCE is insanely large and heavy, i do like the rendering though. I don't really need the tilt, but the shift is welcome (and of course is not available on the Sigma) but the rendering is the most important thing to me.

The samples I have seen from the Sigma seems to indicate that the lens renders "effortlessly" even with complex bacground, something i really appreciate in a lens. I don't think I could live with the FP as a camera though, It would be to limiting to not be able to do birds in flight and the occational home studio work with the same camera I use for landscapes. I did try a Sony a7R2 a year ago and found the viewfinder to be appaling so had to sell it, word is that the Z7 (and Fuji/Leica) is much better in that regard. Leica SL and M are to expensive, Panasonic seems good but come on it is so heavy I can just hang on to my D850 for a couple of more years. So I am stuck, maybe I just have to pick up an FP on sale to test it, might be a hard sell later though. Or maybe a Nikon Z 35 or 50 would solve it completely.

[I really like the 45mm ƒ/2.8 so far, although the bokeh is ugly. But I need quite a bit more time with it before I write about it. --Mike]

[Dennis Mook]

A couple of interesting thoughts about this sensor. Directly by their own statements in the past and by inference in the past few days, Fujifilm says many of their lenses were not designed to resolve 40mp. A couple of years ago a UK Fujifilm manager said their lenses were originally designed to resolve up to 32mp. To answer customer’s questions about this, Fujifilm issued a list of lenses that will “get the maximum benefit from the X-H2’s 40.2 megapixel sensor.” I don’t know if that actually means the listed lenses will fully resolve all the detail the sensor is able to capture.

I read two things into this. First, many customers may be angered by this and decide not to purchase this camera or the upcoming 40mp X-T5 because the lenses they own can’t take advantage of the higher resolution. They would have to decide that they either have to buy ones that supposedly will or be satisfied with lesser resolution. Also, puzzlingly, the 16-80mm f/4 lens is not listed as a lens that can resolve 40mp yet it is the lens they chose to sell with this camera as a kit. Go figure?

[You're talking to the wrong guy, because to me the 16-MP Fuji sensors are fine and there's nothing wrong with using any lens on any sensor. Is it so terrible when people adapt old film lenses to modern mirrorless sensors? Doesn't that work fine? Optimizing resolution per se is a highly niche activity, always has been, and has very little to do with whether pictures succeed. Personally I think it's rather silly to even bring out a 40-MP APS-C camera--Fuji already has the resolution game won with its medium format cameras. I understand why they're doing it—because of the demands of the marketplace and the perceptions of what the competition offers--but it's all really rather silly. If people want the ultimate in resolution above all else, there's a GFX 100 for that. --Mike]

[Stephen Scharf]

The X-H2S is also intended for sports and motor racing PJs, not just videographers. For example, it wouldn't have all the AF functionality for locking onto racing cars at speed and the battery grip it has if it wasn't.

Looks like a great camera except for the flippy screen.