Thanks for having on to discuss this issue! One thing I forgot to mention regarding video AF along with having to hire a camera operator; a lot of clients choose us to gain high quality production value but at the same time think that our cameras can track like an iPhone. This is unfortunately not possible with fuji cameras. I get very very nervous if a client said: "please focus on that hand holding a burger and follow it around". I would only trust Face tracking if the background is not busy and only 1 person is in the frame. So overall, if you shoot simple things. It's not worth switching. However, if you are looking to progress with the times and create dynamic content that is moving with the industries: 1) I hope you are patient like me to wait and see what Fuji does to fix this issue. 2) Or maybe rent a range of other brands and see fits your style before committing. Thanks again Tom! 👊🏼❤
I really didn't want to sell my kit, I LOVED the image from the XH2s, but it's not reliable. If they get these issues ironed out I'm gonna be happy to get another one someday.
I dont think their "Devastating" but they can be seen as an inconvenience. Ive come from A7III with 28-75 2.8 and I am now using XT50 with Viltrox 75mm and Really enjoying using this for concerts and events and the Eye Auto Focus has been pretty spot on.
Yes indeed. I shoot professionally using canons. I love fuji colours and i really like to use the system to shoot weddings, but i can't take it seriously. Shame that they put a lot of emphasis on film sims and retro look.
@@blabler2533 It's not that simple. Part of the color production of Fuji comes from the X-trans sensor design, which is very different from everyone else's.
Thanks Man, been watching your vids for a while now and you're doing great stuff! I have sort of been dreading posting this, I know the community don't love it when you point out flaws with essentially every camera in the lineup. I wanted it to be good just as much as everyone else!
Thank you for making this video. I am a Fuji shooter too and its about time that we put pressure on them to develop a premium AF tracking when they charge premium prices for all their cameras (they don't sell an entry level model anymore). Its sad that there is so much conflicting discourse. Professionals agree that AF is borderline unusable for work, while hobbyst say that AF is better than ever. I wish more people made more AF tracking tests to actually prove whats going on.
I think the issue is that in camera the focus looks very confident. It sticks to the eye like glue… but when you get the files back you realise that it’s anything but. If you aren’t reviewing your images and editing right after I’m sure it’d be easy to miss focus issues. That said I hope they fix it because I really do love the cameras.
Thank you for this video. Fuji definitely has autofocus issues across multiple camera platforms. There is much to like about the Fuji ecosystem, but the autofocus issue is a decisive factor in choosing to buy into the system or for current users to choose to abandon the system. Fuji is at a crossroads in addressing this issue & it is something that many current users are closely watching to see if this remedied in a successful/ substantial way. It will also be interesting to see to see what specific camera models Fuji will include to update & “correct” these issues. I sincerely hope that Fuji can get it right.
Exactly my experience. I've kept my Fuji gear for now (X-Pro 1 and two XH2S's with an assortment of lenses) but have moved 95% of my professional work to Canon. I still vastly prefer the Fuji image, especially for video, but as a one-man-band they cannot be trusted to maintain focus, period. This is an issue I've dealt with since owning two XH1's. Fuji has never had any kind of reliability when it comes to autofocus tracking. So in my pro work (live theater and interviews) it's a Canon C70, two R6MKII's and two R7's. Their AF is practically flawless, they don't overheat (don't even need an accessory fan :-)) and the battery life is fantastic. I still prefer the Fuji image, but all the Fuji gear at this point is locked up in a big Pelican case. Fuji needs to do a complete, from the ground-up rework of their AF team and system. ASAP. Because people are realizing this is not being addressed.
I have a GFX 50S II, X-H2, X-H2S, and two X-T3 bodies. I'm thinking about dumping the X-H2 and X-H2S while I wait to see if Fujifilm resolves the autofocus issues. If they don't catch up to Sony, Canon, and Nikon, I will eventually transition away from Fujifilm X series but remain with GFX since I only use medium format for static subjects. I might keep the X-T3 bodies with some small primes for everyday carry, but I'm not going to invest in newer X series bodies or lenses unless Fujifilm makes substantives changes.
The GFX is really special. The third part lens situation seems to improve more and more and the 1.7 lenses they have been launching are frankly fantastic.
@@bytomw I agree, and my autofocus expectations for that platform are very basic. It's amusing that Fujifilm probably has the best medium format autofocus in the world.
I shoot wildlife and birds in flight with Fujifilm, currently on an X-T5. AF-C does work with the latest firmware, however you STILL need to perform 35 steps of settings to GET it to work RELIABLY and even then you'll get more misses than most other brands. While other brands just work great out of the box with more keepers. So... yes, its doable, but not fantastic still, they're getting better but man, still a struggle. I don't do video so I couldn't verify there.
It’s nice to know it’s possible but that level of intervention shouldn’t be needed for a camera aimed at professional photographers. Like you said I just hope they address it.
What lens do you use for birds, and what settings do you recommend for BIF? I have an X-T5 and want to do bird photography but I have seen that the false positive green box is there for AI tracking on previous firmware versions.
@@lionheart4424 I have the XF200mm F2 with the 1.4x tele, the 150-600mm is my workhorse, and I adapted a Sigma 500mm F4 for a long tele prime quality. My custom AF-C settings are: Trackign Sensitivity 4, Speed Tracking 1, Zone Area Center. I have the camera performance set to Boost, I use Zone AF with the 3x3 grid, AUTO ISO, Manual shutter, manual aperture, Subject Detection turned on for birds, Daylight WB and ISO NR at -4. I usually shoot anywhere from 1/800 to 1/4000 SS and use the exposure compensation dial on the top to adjust my scene as needed.
I have an x-t5 as well with a 100-400 and I’ve found the bird tracking works well. Images are generally pretty sharp as long as you’re not shooting past 300, gets a bit soft after that but the bird tracking works 90 percent of the time. Animal tracking is terrible though. You get the green box on the subject while shooting so you think it’s in focus until you review the images and you’re lucky if you get 50 percent in focus.
I sold all my Fuji stuff over a year ago due to the poor AF in the xh2. I thought they would have improved it by now rather than make it worse. They still sell a lot of cameras so I guess they are in no rush to fix it.
You’re right, when they sell out their years production capacity on day one with the X100VI it’s hard to imagine them giving this a 2nd thought. I’m hopeful but not holding on to these cameras while I wait.
The problem with the external microphone (X-H2s) is still not fixed, as it works as expected after turning the camera on again, even though the settings are correct.
Fuji has been very comfy with the success of the X100V that they’ve basically alienated the consumers that loved using their products. The Kaizen updates that has been the pride of the company is basically forgotten now and most firmware updates are just mostly bug fixes that is supposed to be a bare minimum to all companies.
On paper I think what they are aiming for with these update would be really nice! AF focus tracking improvements are a welcome update. That said I’m not sure what’s happening with QC that any of this gets pushed to users.
😞😞😞 I never really noticed the issues because I generally shoot single-point. But recently started trying to use AF-C more often.....and it's been surprising.
I am not a camera manufacturing specialist, but there is a limited processing (computing) power available, and decision needs to be made where this power is being directed during design process. Sony cameras are good, but in order to achieve desired results everything needs to go for postprocessing. Maybe it's because most of camera processing power was used for proper autofocus and not enough was left for out of camera picture and video quality. As we know in Fuji out of camera performance is great and as a result subsequently other areas such as autofocus suffers. Fuji may have a serious problem on their hands. Just my 2 cents.
That's a solid theory and you might well be right, in this case though the cameras did focus accurately when first launched. At first they where on the 1.02 firmware and the camera was totally reliable for autofocus tracking, but it was slow, I'm guessing people complained it wasn't as fast as the competition so they worked to "speed up the tracking", The issue now is that the tracking is faster but the lenses don't keep up. Before I could get a feel for how quickly my focus would hit and allow time for that, now it's telling you that it's in focus and tracking but in reality it can't keep up Fuji also don't allow you to rollback firmware.
It's sad to see that Fuji still has problems with their software. My last camera from this company was the X-T3 in 2019, which always froze when the aperture selection was set to the front dial and there was a backlight situation. I was always able to reproduce this error. The service department replaced the camera, but the error persisted. This one error and a few other unpleasant experiences with the hardware were the last straw, so I sold everything.
I used to be a big fuji fanboy. But their products, lack of innovation, lack of supply, and lack of performance pushed me to the edge of moving on to Sony for professional work. I still have my xt3, but it catching dust. Also, Tom, what's your frame rate? It's giving me British tv frame rate lol
Hahahah the video is shot at 24 frames per second. But that’s only because I had to record remotely. If I was only doing talking head video it would be 25p all the way!
Same question - almost - saw some strange motion blur. Was the shutter speed something other than double frame rate? Was it other than 1/48 shutter speed?
Had the xt5. Could not rely on the autofocus. I had to shoot like I did “back in the day” with canon DSLRs. Tracking and multiple shots, hoping and begging that one of them was sharp and in focus. Resulting in a hard drive full of unusable photos from that 40mpix sensor that I also wasn’t too happy about. Thank god I didn’t sell all my canon gear for this experiment. Now using R62 and R8 for work.
My hypothesis: they hired new people to lead the software AF department and they turned out to be incompetent. This happened to a company I worked for way back when (1990s). It's quite difficult to backtrack from that sort of dead end, both bureaucratically and software-wise.
I really hope they manage to overcome the problems. It’s frustrating largely because the other aspects of the cameras have so much to offer. Here’s hoping they manage to correct it in 2025.
I have the XH2-S and I use mainly MF for my video work, so I don't have to worry about the AF... but, for stills I do rely on AF and I can say it's really far behind the competition. I'm going to say something controversial here...I think the footage of the XH2-S looks flat and overly digital. I don't like the way it renders skin and it just doesn't look organic at all. I understand that the camera doesn't have an OLPF and that you can soften the image in post, but there's still something about it that looks inorganic. I also notice that there are sharpening artefacts on the edges of high contrast areas that give a slight glow. This is the case with the in camera sharpening setting set to -4. I think there's some crazy sharpening in the processing pipeline that you can't disable. I know this is subjective, but it's what I'm noticing. The colours are fantastic, the dynamic range is exceptional, opengate is amazing, but everything else about it is lacking I still think Fuji has massive potential, but there are key areas where they lag behind that they really need to catch up on.
This is a really thoughtful angle, I personally liked how crisp the video felt for interview content but I like you turned the sharpening right down in camera. I know Kinafinity make a cinema camera using this sensor, maybe they have the OLPF on that? never really had a chance to look.
I did the R5c before the XH2s and loved the files but that battery life was SHOCKING. Lumix is on my list to try ASAP, I'm holding out for a camera with a faster readout for video but the in camera LUT features alone make them work a good long look! I'd love to see how you get on with the Lumix (I'm guessing S5ii?).
I shoot raw with my Canon R6 Mark II and use the “Cobalt Image” Fuji profiles (about $80) and you get the absolute best of both worlds. My images are beautiful and have those Fuji colors and the ease of use and focus of the Canon.
I updated to the latest firmware 7.0 on the XH2s and the results from yesterday’s wedding were not very good compared to what I remember previously, don’t get me wrong i got the job done but I had to take extra shots while changing from face detection to single point to cover for the inabilities if either wasn’t spot on. But there are action shots which you only get one take and some were ok but others were terrible and the problem is I don’t know how or why the algorithm goes wrong? Its so frustrating i am now looking at the Nikon ZF as well. I have really had enough of Fuji its not worth the grief, wedding photography is already stressful enough without having gear issues on also.
Your job is hard enough to be fighting with gear. I’d say Fuji still makes sense if you want to shoot them single point like a DSLR but otherwise it’s an exercise in frustration.
@@bytomw thats what I mainly do but even single point is no were near as good as when i was shooting Canon. The Fuji files are amazing though once you can get sharp Images so there is always that hook that brings you back. I guess there is no perfect camera.
That’s such a shame. I was fine with single point but frankly used that mode so rarely I didn’t get a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions.
This is all news to me. I decided a few months ago to not risk my Leica on walkabouts and bought my first Fuji, an XT5. I have had no issues with focus at all, but I do use single point AFC and AFS. It is taking great photos and the color science people always speak of is a real thing!
The way Fuji is handling this firmware issue is a big disappointment... For years they've been winning over photographers hearts with their strategy and now where they've reached a unique position in the market with the X100VI they seem to be resting on their laurels a little. I have already sold my XH2S because it made my life difficult on several jobs and my new Lumix S9 outperforms the autofocus of my XT5 😢
I have been pretty happy with my Gfx 100ii. Maybe because I've never relied too much on their tracking; I do use it from time to time and results have been encouraging. I am certainly not upgrading to any new firmware tho, that's for sure lol
I’d say that’s wise! Although honestly if you’re getting the results you want nothing else matters. I also think the expectation for medium format is different. We are using it in situations where we can have more control. I almost exclusively used my 50s with manual lenses and was totally happy using it that way, single point AF would have been fine for the applications I used it for.
@@bytomw yea that's probably why. with the gfx, I don't care much about misfocusing from time to time. With the xh2s that's unacceptable, esp consideing how good the camera was at the beginning and how they made it worse wiith firmwares. This whole thing actually stopped me from buying one!
My thing it's i want something small. That only left Sony or Fuji. I don't like Sony but seems like the only option, i had a pair of Sony cameras years ago. I like Nikon and Canon but even their smallest cameras (Z30, ZFC, R50, R10) feel big when compared to the XT30, XE4, etc. And Canon ban third party lenses. I'm only a hobbyist but even for the dogs in the park or my nephew jumping with his skateboard I need good AF. I'll wait. I'll stick with my old smaller DSLRs, using central point AF, until at least 2025. But then i want to go full on mirrorless. I don't know if Fuji, Nikon, Canon or Sony.
What really bugs me is that my fujifilm xt3's af is better and reliable than my xt5. The new update Ver 4,00 for the xt5 is still buggy theer is a bad pulsing issues where the af goes in and out with the Af-c, selective area mode and slight movements. With the Fuji 23mm f2 and 35mm f2. Also sometimes the Af goes completely off trying to focus if another subject enteres the frame and in the same point as the selected af area box. I hope fujifilm fixes this. Because we are in 2024 now such issues shoulds not occur in cameras at all. Tracking with fujifilm is BAD and now event the area AF is not reliable.
Great to see you on the Tube again! how does that 40mm F2 from nikon compare to the xf23mm or xf33mm of the fuji in terms of IQ? It seems like the lenses on the fuji would be better, but the camera in the nikon, being full frame and better AF, would make the images just as sharp and nice. What do you think?
I’d say the 40mm F2 is more of a budget lens. I really like it though and I plan on making a review on some of the lighter lens options soon! Long store short the 1.8 S line of primes are a better comparison to the LM lenses from Fuji and are EXCELLENT.
I upgraded recently the XT4 to firmware 2.12 (latest) and now, at night, when there is dark, the WB custom 1 adjustment with the grey card, the camera freezes. Totally! And for unfreezing it, I do need to remove the battery. In situations where there is more light, the custom 1 adjustment works perfectly - inside the lit room etc. But not outside at night, and believe, I am from Scandinavia, and our nights are not pitch black 😊 Now I am wondering whether that bug came in with the firmware 2.12 upgrade, or it is something else. I do not recall such a situation before and I have worked with the camera during winter nights outside, doing the WB adjustments with custom 1 without any problem.
I love Fujifilm cameras and a few years ago I had to sell my XT3 and all my gear. I have been thinking of buying an XT5 and a few lenses again. This autofocus issue has me thinking regarding going forward with my decision. Thank you for this video.
If you enjoy Fuji and don’t need tracking autofocus I’d say you’ll still be fine. If you want something that has a more advanced focus system sadly I don’t think this is there yet.
I was about to press the button on a few Fuji’s X series and also possibly the 100s ii but this is concerning. Even more concerning is that Fuji isn’t get back to you?!
It's been just over 12 months since the acknowledged the issue on the XH2s. Much as I love fujifilm's output I'd say it's time to look elsewhere if you need reliable tracking performance. The GFX 50 line and the 100 series cameras without the current tracking systems are slow to focus but wonderful to use. If you wanted a slower more considered option I love the early GFX line, it's worth testing!
Thanks Chris, I’d been avoiding putting this out honestly. I have bags more videos lined up and another 3 interviews recorded and ready to go. I just needed to clear the air on this first.
It's amazing Fuji seems to have a big QA process problem like this, after all they get right. But here we are. Thanks for making this video. And a shout-out to Edvard who has been showing us these problems too.
@@bytomw By the way, I must commend you on how you described your Canon experience. Sounds about right, but I welcome this kind of objective balanced set of observations, all pros and cons as you found them for your workflow/job.
So just to be completely clear, these issues are mainly found in AF-C mode in both video and stills correct? Has anyone had issues in AF-S on the new firmware update? My XT5 is still on firmware 2.10 lol and I don't know if I should update it or not. I mostly use AF-S as there aren't many tracking subjects that I shoot as a hobbyist other than my dogs from time to time. Fuji was the first brand I bought when I first started (X100F) so interestingly enough I'm not really used to having great tracking software in a camera. Recently I've wanted to get into wildlife - but I will most likely go with another brand if I go that route and keep my XT5 as a point and shoot when I'm not heartbroken about something being out of focus.
I only experienced issues with focus tracking. I wouldn’t use that in AF-S in most situations. But there are others in the comments that are saying that the newest firmware is causing them consistency issues even in AF-S. But just to make it clear I didn’t have those issues personally in my very limited use of those modes.
Fujifilm seems to have lost all of its “mojo” over the last few years and does not seem to be terribly interested in seriously addressing these issues. I spent 40+ years shooting with Canon for both pro and amateur alike, switching to Fuji in 2016. Being a film shooter from the 70s up until my first DSLR (1D) in 2006, I fell in love with the retro designs of their offerings so I was willing to overlook their flaws, namely AF, assuming that in time, Fuji would fix these issues. Sadly, this does not to seem to be the case, to me anyways. While I am still getting a decent hit rate of 75%, this is still much below the 90% keeper rate of my now-gone Canon DSLRs. While I am not planning to jump ship at the moment, if this trend of “so-so” firmware upgrades and simply ignoring the biggest issue facing Fuji, I can not discount the possibility of moving back to Canon or even Nikon in the next few years.
I think fujis priorities have shifted. They sold out the X100VI in an instant and still haven’t fulfilled the orders they have for the camera. They could change nothing and still max out their production for a long time to come. In that camera I don’t mind no tracking, single point is part of the fun honestly but I can’t have that be my main cam. I think the GFX line is a hope for a solid pro offering in the future, I just need the AF to put accuracy over speed of tracking.
For someone that really doesnt want to leave Fuji theres the DJI Ronin lidar attachment that in my experience has a really good 'autofocus'. It adds alot of bulk and a bit of weight and it isnt cheap tho. With that you can also autofocus with manual lenses
You're right, it's kind of balancing the pros and cons of the system and working out if you really want to go to those lengths to get to parity with your competition. The Lidar system gives you some interesting options though, especially with manual focus lenses.
@@bytomw Its also exceptionally good in low light situations due to said lidar. The only hassle is the already mentioned bulk and 3d priting a focus ring for your manual lenses. But after all that you get pretty much the best autofocus on the market
I bought the XH2S thinking it would let me sell the R5 system but absolutely not. I’ll use Fuji for personal stuff but Canon for wedding photography. If the R6iii releases before Fuji can fix this I’m out. Or maybe id go an R3 not sure.
I feel the same. For my use case more resolution usually ends up with clients asking me to export at smaller sizes, digital work doesn’t often need these massive resolutions unless you plan to crop a lot. I’d take a higher res sensor if I needed to for another reason (larger sensor or faster readout like in the Z9) but im not gonna seek it out.
This video was uploaded two months ago and there still isn’t even an official admission that anything is amiss. I would sell my camera and gear if I didn’t think that the negative publicity would be tanking the value…
It’s been over a year since my original video on the topic. They told me directly there was an issue then and haven’t spoken to me since or fixed the problem. My verdict would be that fujifilm is amazing as long as you’re willing to do the focusing for the camera (aka manually focus or single point and match distance
Thanks for speaking on this. I'm probably testing what fuji has the hardest time with, shooting a dog running straight towards me. I've tried all of the settings I can find and it's so bad, hardly any of the photos are in focus. I get a lucky one here & there but it switches the focus to the grass by his feet nearly every shot. I've invested a lot into fuji..recently got the 50-140 and 90mm hoping the linear motor would help. Now I'm wondering if I should return them all and move on.
I'm on the X-S10, my first Fuji system, and I was looking to update the X-H2s based on the early reviews, which said the autofocus was very usable. However, after these catastrophic firmware updates, it seems to be way worse than on my old X-S10, and that's not acceptable. I started to look elsewhere, sadly. I love Fuji colors, dynamic range, and easy noise reduction in Resolve with F-log. If Fuji can't fix the issue when I'm in a position to upgrade, I'm probably a future Lumix user.
It’s better if you’re planning to shoot AF-S or just use a single focus point, but if you want to track the subject it’s really in reliable and gives a lot of false positives.
Great to see you back Tom!! Massive shame Fujifilm hasn’t fixed this issue, seemingly making it significantly worse since v1 firmware… really poor from them. I’ve stopped updating my X-H2 for the last year - although fortunately for me I mainly shoot video with manual focus so it’s not as big of an issue for me as it is for the vast majority people. But even I’m disappointed that if I wanted to shoot in a different way I couldn’t trust it.
If you’re able to work around the limitations for your project the sensor in the XH2 and XH2s are lovely. I think the XH2s is still my fav image from any camera for video. Everything feels very smooth and gentle in terms of contrast and the colours are still excellent.
That's great advice for people that haven't already upgraded, fujifilm don't allow a rollback on firmware. If you went past 1.02 you're gonna have to hope they sort their firmware out or hack the camera to rollback and potentially void the warranty.
Thanks, I love my older Fujifilm cameras but this saves me the hassle and money. I'd prefer Fujifilm because of the images and colors, but having AF that doesn't work is crazy. They need to hire some decent software engineers, and fix this. I'll keep my X100VI order because I mainly want to use it for landscapes, flowers and street, but I guess I'll go Canon since the Z-6III is quite up to snuff.
I love older fujifilm cameras and I’m currently really enjoying the Nikon ZF, the Z6iii has a very slightly lower dynamic range at iso 100-800 but it gives a lot back for that trade off. I’d happily shoot with a Z6iii
I'm glad I didn't update to the most recent firmware on my X-H2s. I hope Fujifilm listens to their customers and reworks their autofocus from the ground up! For now, I will continue to stick with Fujifilm.
Absolutely no reason to move if things are working within your needs. Fuji still make cameras with amazing colours and they are otherwise a joy to use!
Not sure that I specifically did that to test. This might be the case but the sensor would only normally move in line with the focal plane. You wouldn’t normally expect to see that effect focus.
AF should not be a problem nowadays at all. Sony a6700 af capabilities are better than their A1 and a6700 costs less than 1500 usd. That is why it is so frustrating for Fuji lovers, because with good af Fuji would be almost perfect system.
Crazy how, even before the firmware AF issue, the current AF performance in every Fujifilm mirrorless cameras from entry to pro lines are still far less reliable to Sony's decade-old AF performance in the entry level a5100. After the firmware fiasco, it's even worse. I've cheated in my work many times since the firmware update to my office's X-H2S & X-S20, and had to throw down my Sony a5100 without telling them. Almost killed my career. I really wanted to like Fujifilm & was considering to move from Sony to Fujifilm. But the AF, man, I'd take a "boring" but reliable a5100 anytime if I have to. A camera from 2014.
You’re right. It was slower and needed a little more work but it was at least consistent. You could rely that with work it would give you accurate results. Boring and reliable is under rated for paid work.
@@bytomw LUT is a super idea, plus color submission, IBIS, dual ISO, L-mount alliance, processing quality, ergonomics, dynamic rosah and price all add up to make good sense.
Great video, Tom! I really like your honest and to the point approach. You are absolutely right! Was actually waiting for you to comment on this latest firmware issue with Fuji. I’m a long time Fuji user but I also use Sony for professional work and recently started getting into Leica. My Sony (like your Canon) gear is incredibly boring but very reliable in general and Sony has finally started producing good color as of their latest offerings. They just work! So my Fuji gear has been sitting and although I have a nostalgic feeling towards Fuji especially when it comes to their colors and their glass, I’m actually quite upset at what they’ve been doing or lack of doing on their recent cameras and seriously considering selling off my remaining Fuji kit which is down to one X-T5 and a few X lenses and going over to the Nikon Zf for my travel/Fun/autofocus camera. I have been experiencing the inconsistent and unreliable autofocus tracking and it feels like steps backwards when using it alongside my Sony cameras. And after this last firmware update which didn’t really fix the issue as much as it hurts, I think I may be saying good bye to the system. Sure I could go back to single point AF from the old days but I feel like tracking actually worked when the camera first came out and their firmware broke it and it hasn’t functioned the same since. So yeah..still contemplating but feel like Fuji is in a bit of denial on it. My only hesitation with going Nikon is learning a whole new color science to master. But otherwise I like where they seem to be heading. If I do sell my Fuji kit, like you said I’d be happy to return to them if there was absolute confirmation that it’s been fixed but I feel like they are more focused on releasing more cameras.
This is exactly how I felt before selling, I moved canon into the mix as soon as firmware 3.0 messed it up in the first place but I held on to the fujis for far longer than I should have. I was pretty content with canon only for most of that time even for personal work but the Nikon has that fun factor the fuji has. On the colour grading side I'm at a bit of an unfair advantage because I teach post production and visual identity but I actually find the ZF files easier to edit than my canons, they feel really similar to the Fuji XT3 with very little tweaking to my eyes. Thanks for commenting, and keep us in the loop about what you do next!
I dont get what everyone is complaining about, I have no issues with autofocus and it's actually improved with this latest firmware... Multiple videos also backing this up... Maybe you have a lemon
@@bytomw I watched the whole vid mate.... My point is I'm not seeing any issues (and a lot of other reviewers have reported the same).... Can't be every camera then can it (hence why I'm asking if you possibly had a lemon)... It happens unfortunately
@@michaelhall859Survivorship bias mate. Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it is not a problem. If Fujifilm themselves said so it’s basically a huge problem.
For standing still birds it's fine. For birds in action, it's AFC lottery. You can have sequence of bird flying parallel to your camera, you are following him as he glides, and where there is not much difference between frames, but AF can jump from focus, to out of focus, to soft focus, than back to focus and so on.
I have tested the X-H2 on FW 3 with bird af for over a week now and it is pretty good. Birds in flight with sky in the background is nice. Busy background I haven‘t had luck but I shot really fast birds, I don‘t blame the camera. Birds in trees is pretty awesome as well, if you have a decent view on them (which you should for a good photo). The eye box tends to drift off sometimes, merls sometimes show a green box but the AF misses completely. Coming from the X-T4, I am very happy with the results! X-H2S with FW 7 is even snappier and gets a higher burst rate in focus priority, both cams set to 15fps. Both have some false positives in terms of focus acquisition and they detect subjects where there are none sometimes. I don‘t know if this is any different on Canon or Sony. I have to say it recognizes a lot of different animals and birds, even insects, so overall for that stuff I can really recommend it! I might update the FW on the H2 in a few days and test if anything changed.
That’s good to hear about the Fuji but a shame for the Panasonic. I know lots of people seem to love the S5ii line for doc work and weddings. I guess canon and Sony have set a high bar!
I do shoot professionally with 2x XH2S's, both video and stills, and I do live in AF.C with Subject Tracking (Face/Eye). I have sat on f/w 5.03 for quite some time now, old enough to know it is risky to simply jump on the latest f/w, sadly the consumer is the beta tester in todays modern tech climate. What I will say is I tend to be able to deliver what the client wants and in doing so see repeat business. My local theatre I am pretty much the go to now for much of their work be it orchestras or drama. In practical terms what I do need to do is take A LOT of images. My default is AF.C, ES, 10fps. The culling takes the most time but because the colours and styles are pleasing and I do not find I spend long on the actual edits, literally sometimes 10-15secs per still (other times a little longer like a minute or two). I think my line of work lends itself to being a little spammy with the shutter anyway. Anyone that has shot public speaking, trying to find a pleasing talking moment will know how difficult that is to time with a single shot, faces can look contorted often, more is better and helps guarantees keepers. But that doesn't mean I enjoy the process of reviewing the work and finding some moments spoiled by the AF hunt. It feels like Focus Priority is becoming more and more like Focus Release, ringing the shutter prematurely at the expense of not really having proper focus (false positives). I completely agree with you. It's about serviceability, I'm scraping by at the moment, and in my line of work I genuinely need that 9ms read out to avoid banding at shutter speeds I require (I would be interested to hear how the R6II behaves in this regard as that is the camera that has piqued my interest also, being 14ms it seems to be the fastest readout camera from a single non-stacked camera floating around?). The biggest problem as I see it is the attitude of the company, taking way to long to address 6.0 and the fix not really a deep enough fix. If Edvard can prove 1.03 is better, then they have a lot of work to do to get us back to (at least) THAT performance level without losing the features that came along the way. My trust with the brand is shaken, and I do not feel like continually investing into a company that seems to have a roadblock to AF. I've been here before with another brand and it doesn't end well. The brand must be able to make genuine strides in AF performance to stay relevant. I think Fuji are sitting right at the back of the pack and they are riding on the success of their colours and designs to stay relevant, something I see as being a bit of a fad and short term momentum. I think my investment with the brand is done. I intend to roll my units back to 1.03 and then just shoot the things till they die. But my research now lies looking at other cameras and that always feels a bit of a shame..
That last line hit hard. That’s exactly why I have avoided making this video. I wanted for it to be a solved problem so I could keep using them. It’s not and I’m not sure it’s going to get better much as I’d like it to. Happy to test the R6ii though! I’m a bit of a stickler for full mechanical shutters and avoided the Nikon Z8 because of that but if you let me know how to test for a real world condition you see I’ll give it a whirl if I get a chance. That said stacked is the way when it comes to low/no banding. The Nikon Z6iii or Z8 might be a smarter move (or a used Sony A9 series camera if they work better for you)
@@bytomw Yeh, it is the reason I sought out the XH2S's, it kinda sits in a very unique place among the options out there. Owning two of them was affordable whereas two R3's or something... completely out of my budget :( It could be I can start a kind of transition, keep one XH2S and add a r6II to the bag... Testing wise, should be pretty easy. The only things that are needed is scenes with strong artificial light sources, you should be able to trigger the issue in your own home under your own lamps and lights. You must be in ES mode and you must shoot at shutter speeds above the flickr, which tends to be higher than 1/50 or 1/60. I tend to shoot at 1/250-1/500 (in order to freeze the subjects playing their instruments or whatever sufficiently). Sometimes I can see 1/320 is giving me a little bit of banding during the shoot but shifting up (or down) to something like 1/400 clears it. It just depends on venue and what lights they are using on the day. I do note that Canon R6II has a specific mode to help address banding, they call it 'High-Frequency Anti-Flicker Shooting', you can auto detect a scene and it will slightly offset the shutter speed to try and match the frequency better. Fuji has this feature also, but I have never felt the need to use it with the XH2S (as natively it is mostly avoided anyway). When I discover a shutter speed that is causing some banding with the XH2S, if I enact that feature it can sometimes help eliminate it, or make it worse (lol). So I tend to leave it off (as it gives weird shutter speeds like 1/256.2 and makes going up and down shutter speeds of bigger magnitudes annoying, you have to toggle the feature off first and then put it back on etc). But yeh, curious to know about the R6II in this regard. If it only slightly lags behind the XH2S for readout speeds, I might be able to get away with it... the R6II looks to being incredibly value rich for its current pricing.
It’s a frame rate mismatch. The call recording was in a different frame rate to the rest of the footage intakes in by the remote recording software). It’s fixed for future videos.
I just bought an X-H2s, only to find all these videos telling how bad the AF is, typical for me. I'll have 30 days to return it, but I did see one video where the bird tracking seemed to work quite well. My newest body is an X-T2, which I've enjoyed quite a bit. I'm not a professional, and I never video people, or do vlogs. I have no interest in going back to an old version of the firmware, it doesn't perform, I'll return it and go to plan C (Canon).
If you’re not relying on the system to pay the bills I’d say you’re fine. That said I’d recommend almost any other system for AF right now. As an aside I think the XT2 is criminally underrated. Stunning colours and super reliable even if it isn’t the most modern AF system.
I have the x100vi and have not updated the firmware. no need for me its been fine since day one. Two years ago on my x100v a firmware update was done and it took it out. Fortunately, I had the extended warranty, Sent it in and Fuji found the motherboard was toast. After 2 weeks came back perfect. So the x100vi Stays as is.
So the X100VI has had this firmware since launch but the issues are solely around AF-C with tracking enabled. The cameras says an image is in focus when it’s front/back focused or tracking another object in frame. That said if you’re not having problems with how you find the camera in practical use I’d say that’s a win. None of these issues matter if in practice you’re still getting what you want from the camera. The X100VI is lovely.
My goodness the unit you're testing could be defective. I have been testing my Fuji XT 30 ii XT5 XH2S XS 20 up until yesterday I could say that the autofocus tracking is the same as my Sony A7IV a7C2 a7600 a6400 and my Nikon ZF.
There is but it's not easy, you have to actually hack the firmware file to force the camera to downgrade and honestly I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't got first hand experience and I have no idea how this would effect a warranty There are instructions on how to do it on youtube though!
Yes, there is a way. If you have no other way, its a real sollution. I have done it and its not hard. Here were are to help if you really want to do it :)
For video I chose Sony and Panasonic. I slightly prefer the Panasonic look (including colors and stabilization), but maintaining focus is Sony's hallmark.
This is very true. I don’t love working with Sony files but they are industry standard now for most types of video and you can absolutely get what you need out of them.
I do bird photos and videos with the H2-s and the xf 150-600 mm. Yes, the autofocus has gone worse with the various firmware updates, to such an extent that it regularly wrecks my work. I no longer trust Fuji equipement. I use Canon or Sony for reliability. It seems Fujifilm software engineers have no clue how autofocus works.
Canon R6II is the best camera right now under US$3000. I recommend anyone to buy it. The biggest problem is 3rd party lens selection. I dislike the grip of the Zf, but I would pick it any day over Fujifilm. The best apsc camera for me is the Sony a6700. Largest selection of lenses, great autofocus, acceptable IBIS.
@@GAGPalia I have not tried the Z6III in person, but I prefer R6II's LCD, symmetrical cards slot, and its focus bracketing doesn't block the viewfinder when initiating. Its sensor read speed is comparable to Z6III as well. Still, I need to test the real thing before coming to a conclusion.
So much of it is down to how you use the camera. If you aren’t using tracking AF you’re fine from a focus point of view. But if you’re saying the tracking is reliable I’d say you are very very lucky.
It’s first gen AI tracking plus the stable of video friendly lenses is much smaller. A 50-60% hit rate is pretty good for a first crack. With more processing power and more updated lenses, I think the future is bright. I’m not spending twice as much for cameras that offer somewhat better tracking. That would be awful
That's a good way of looking at it, I hadn't thought of the AI tracking as a new thing (usually companies just relable their current tech as AI and hope we don't notice). But this was meant to be their flagship camera system, if their AI dropped the hit rate from around 95% in firmware 1.02 to about 50-60% on firmware 3.0 this seems like they should have either made it optional or launched it on a less professional focused camera? In the end I can deal with slow but accurate but false positives will ruin jobs really quick. And again if you don't need focus tracking it's all workable if not optimal.
@@bytomw I'm not aware of any testing on the XH2S or any other 5th gen Fuji camera that showed a 95% hit rate for subject tracking, let alone a 95% hit rate for a particular subject (humans/birds/planes/trains/cars). The website RTings has a repeatable AF methodology that seems reasonable enough - though they do not test EVERY lens nor EVERY focus setting and mode. The 5th gen cameras have a pretty good showing for "perfect" focus results - about 50-78% depending on the camera. More expensive FF cameras do better, but it tops out at about 80%. So frankly I'm not sure what the panic and scandal is all about. I miss plenty of shots with my XT-3. With AF-C + single point, the hit rate ranges from frustrating to 100% (lens dependent, also). We can be out of focus for all kinds of reasons - testing needs to be controlled AND repeatable.
That number was my keeper rate for stills on launch. Not expecting it to be a scientific method. Just speaking from my own experience and that of other professionals I know using the system for work. I A/B tested it on jobs against the R5 and R6 and for how I worked I could easily get a higher hit rate than 78%. I don’t need perfect focus I just need it to tell me when it’s not acquired focus.
@@bytomwin theory setting the AF-C to “focus priority” rather than “shutter” priority does just that-the camera will not fire unless it has acquired focus. If you, however, turn on AF+MF (so you can manually focus at any time in any mode, focus priority is overridden (the camera takes the shot whether or not it has confirmed focus). This stuff is in my manual. Subject tracking modes ignore these rules, from what I understand, but I still do better when I use single point to place the box about where I think I want it. When and if face detection drops, the AF-C box will hit the target with my chosen settings, increasing the chance of a hit. I’m not asking for “science” so much as full disclosure-so I don’t waste my money on bad products or my time on people who are interested in clicks, not helping or educating others. FWIW I have days when I have 80-90% hit rates because my hands are steady, light is good, whatever. I have days where settings I’ve tried before leave a very high percentage soft or OOF. I don’t care what my hit rates are-the question is how bad I want the shot and whether or not I get it. There are myriad reasons shots can be missed, as you must know, so a little rigor doesn’t hurt. Cheers.
I absolutely understand your move and opinion about the situation. I traded the X-T5 for X100VI and am completely okay with using it just with single point autofocus, i must admit it adds little bit a vintage feeling for that camera.😅Love it. But to tell you the truth, I can't imagine buying any X-T5 or X-H2 camera for professional work right now. Photography is just my hobby so I am okay with it. I didn't know that GFX cameras are also affected by this. That's HUGE problem considering their price. However, even if this problem persists, I think their next line approximately in 2026 will solve it and I can see myself getting that camera. Because Fujifilm colors are truly special.
The X100 series is a digital Contax T2 in my mind, I absolutely loved using mine in single point and one shot AF! It's a lovely little inspiration machine, the frustration is that they are so good you really want to use them for work and as long as you don't mind the single card slot or the more limited focusing system they are incredible even in professional environments. I'm waiting for them to fix this, the GFX line is absolutely in my future. The 50s is the nicest camera I have ever used in terms of IQ and it's worth being more considered with the focus system or even manually focusing to get those results.
@@bytomw I agree. Every single day I am impressed when I see pictures from 50S. And Fujifilm GFX fixed lens camera is coming in 2025! That's gonna be really huge (although it means that it will probably have the same AI chip 😶).
Sold everything like you moved to canon and after the way they handled this I wouldn’t go back to the brand. I don’t want to be used as beta tester, it’s my name my career if a shot is missed and I’ve missed loads because of these firmwares. I just about made the transition viable by buying second hand and risking grey market (worked out). I wouldn’t recommend Fuji to anyone now. If you want a hipster camera get a Nikon zf as you say it won’t lie. Is you want a camera for pure video get a lumix. If you want colour canon
Totally fair comments. I’m feeling that exact frustration (and bought that same hipster camera). I’m happy with where I landed but you lose so much money switching systems. It’s a nightmare.
@@bytomw I say hipster in jest no disrespect there. The zf is a lovely camera and well made. I buy everything second hand for that reason. The depreciation is huge. Certainly with bodies. Canon lenses I’ve never seen depreciation like it. 50mm 1.2 rrp 2300 preowned price around 1400. I can safely say I’ll not be buying canon glass at rrp. Well to be honest I wouldn’t even buy bodies. There are so many that are bought with intention that live out there lives at the back of the cupboard with a couple of thousand shutter actions I’ll give them a new home when they come up. I’m all that concerned about the lastest and greatest. Hope your new system works out for you. Looking forward to that new content
All started from CEO changes, camera division is just a mean to make the most margin now. Kaizen? Dead Making limited availability? Heck yes In every update, manual mode makes sense due to faulty tracking? You bet. I think Fuji is aiming toward Leica. Rare, not about function but about image quality.
That's super interesting! When did the CEO change over? I have seen a real shift towards advanced consumer features in the X-Line. It's a real shame too because at launch the XH2s was my fav camera ever.
Agreed. It’s frustrating. There are ways of hacking the firmware file to make the camera roll it back but I don’t recommend it and I’m not sure how it would affect your warranty.
I bought into the Fujifilm system with an XT-3 years ago together with several lenses. The issues being aired now became clear to me in use very quickly. I sold everything Fuji, took the loss, and haven't looked back. The trouble is that I saw every RUclips I could find back then on the system before purchasing and nether a hint of this issue which has clearly existed for a long time. Why now?
It only affects the new generation of cameras. The focus issues were introduced by trying to speed up the focus tracking beyond what the af system could keep up with.
I'm a bit confused. Are you speaking mainly about AF tracking for video? I don't do video myself, but I've seen that there are videos about problems with Fuji's AF system for video. As a STILLS shooter, I'm thrilled with the AF tracking on my X-H2S. For fun I use it to shoot soccer, basketball, and a little bit of volleyball. My main paid work is dance photography shot in studio, and that doesn't require tracking. I do portraits, too, and I haven't had trouble with the focusing for that. I'm sorry to hear that the video folks--and the fellow that you interviewed (who talked about trouble shooting stills)--are having problems. Good luck to you both!
This video is a follow up to a video I made about a year ago that specifically addresses stills. This ain’t to diminish your enjoyment of the camera at all, the issues are when you’re using the subject tracking features in video or stills. I’m really glad it’s working well for you 👍🏻
I don't mind slow honestly, it's the false positives that the new firmware is giving. Slow means I can be mindful and get the shot, fast and inaccurate is literally useless.
You say you are using Canon R6ii to film this video but your face is going blurry many times during this video. It's distracting and proof Canon is not doing tracking on your face well at all! So your statement that it's totally reliable is not true. Your words means nothing.
If the canon is as bad as you say and I’m saying it’s reliable imagine how much you’d hate the Fujifilm in the same situation. For what it’s worth this was recorded over USB in webcam mode and most of the cameras tracking features are disabled.
I think my frustration is that when they first launched the XH2s it did track really well! It wasn’t going to win any speed awards but it was accurate. But you’re right about how the situation is now. There are still reasons to own and love fujifilm cameras but you’re working around a list of limitations that’s longer than you’d think.
Why would I want a camera that doesn't focus on level with their competitors for the same $$$? I left Fuji over 4 years ago. Yes - they have fun jpegs, but I don't consider them for pro work. Personally, I don't like Canon, but you do you. I'll take Sony and Nikon all day long. BTW, if bullet proof AF tracking, easy to color grading and a huge ecosystem is something you want - IMO Sony would be best.
When I try with my xt5 (ver 4.0)+ 23mmF1.4 LM on AFC object tracking(with back buttom focus lock), sometimes it just not focusing on the green box , It could be focused on a tree behind the subject (street cat most of the time). I had enough with fuji, Im just gonna move to sony A7cii or nikon Z6iii. Color correction could be adjust, but focus missing is fxxxxx up. ( wtf are ur software team working on, FUJI !!) Nice video by the way（＾ω＾）
@bytomw Thanks for the reply. Yeah.... working super hard on their firmsim 😂 ,they should hire the software team from om to fix their autofocus. ZF is a good choice, but for me, I was thinking of getting into wildlife /birding/bugs, so I do want some better handling when I'm shooting tele
Still can remember when I got the X-T5 brand new, my first try was shooting my son going down the hill with his sleigh. With the new 33mm, a new lens with linear motors. Almost none of the shots had even soft focus, most of them were totally out of focus. Now we are on firmware 4 and it is still almost as bad, thankfully not as bad as with the previous firmware. I’m thankful I don’t rely on it for work and that I don’t do video. But even as a passionate hobby photographer, I take my Sony A7IV with me when I don’t want to have to think about autofocus. It’s a shame, cause the Sony doesn’t inspire to go out and shoot. But sometimes it’s more about reliability than passion. Even as a hobbyist.
It was one of your video that made me lean towards consider fuji and it one of your videos that cautioned me 😅. I waited a long time for them to fix this, Fuji is too stubborn to revert software back to something that worked and have failed to inspire any confidence. Such a shame that we all wanted them to succeed.
Honestly if I can save people from wasting money the videos are worth it. I’m as frustrated as everyone else. I really loved the XH2s at launch and I wish it was still as reliable today. For all our sakes I hope they fix it soon.
To be Honest, if u Shooting stills-Landscape or anything else with little to no moving objects fuji is fine. for everything else get away from fuji. im using my xh2 and xh2s and im going to sell my xh2s asap when sony announcing their alpha 7 mk5. Ill keep my xh2 for my everyday shooting or street photography but everything like weddings or some other events i will look forward to more reliable like sony. Canon is no option for me because their lense-policy is IMO not customer Friendly.
It's such a personal choice when you move systems, testing new gear out is honestly a large part of making changes that stick. Sony make some amazing choices.
That’s Great if he isn’t seeing problems. It’s not been my experience or that of any professional I have talked to about it. It recommend watching Edvards videos if you want a direct AB comparison with the competition.
I really like the ZF, the colours feel similar to the XT3 to my eyes with a little bit of work. Overall I’m really enjoying it for personal projects, haven’t tested it on a job yet but that’s what the canons are for.
great video, and i use my xh2s for cinematography of rc cars. and i agree, its hit or miss with the autofocus tracking. But when it focuses, with the viltrox 27mm f1.2, wow amazing images/videos. But yeahs its a big shame this AI implementation of focusing is trash. For still photography, and its so good. Hence i cant sell it. Again, thanks for the great video and im a new sub :)
I have heard a few people having a better hit rate with 3rd party lenses, I know they bypass the focus character settings (not sure why) maybe that helped with performance? Thanks for the sub!
I must be missing something because my XH2 works great for vid or stills, I shoot a lot of wildlife when I am not doing my commercial work. The update improved it a bit.
If it works it works! I will say that puts you in a very lucky position. To clarify it is only the tracking focus that’s unreliable. It’s giving false positives showing focus confirmation and then the final files are front or back focused and in some cases focused on a totally different subject. I’m fine with slow focus. It the fact it shows confirmation is the issue to me.
Honestly I want to see fujifilm do well. If they fixed this element of their cameras they would be nearly perfect for a lot of shoots, the GFX line especially is something really compelling to me. That said I fully understand the frustrations.
@@bytomw I just do not know what is hapenning to them. Whatever decision they come up with offlate seems it is a step in the wrong direction. What is Kaizen if you do not listen to your customers, and always releasing half baked cameras. And at this point I can say they are robbing people in day light with their marketing by saying the aufocus is usable.
I get it. Honestly the frustration is understandable! I wish we could just have the “slower” focus from 1.02 and the big fixes from the newer updates but it’s down to Fuji to make these things happen or not. I really didn’t want to make this video, but it’s been a year now and people have been asking me since then.
Thanks for having on to discuss this issue! One thing I forgot to mention regarding video AF along with having to hire a camera operator; a lot of clients choose us to gain high quality production value but at the same time think that our cameras can track like an iPhone. This is unfortunately not possible with fuji cameras. I get very very nervous if a client said: "please focus on that hand holding a burger and follow it around". I would only trust Face tracking if the background is not busy and only 1 person is in the frame.
So overall, if you shoot simple things. It's not worth switching. However, if you are looking to progress with the times and create dynamic content that is moving with the industries:
1) I hope you are patient like me to wait and see what Fuji does to fix this issue.
2) Or maybe rent a range of other brands and see fits your style before committing.
Thanks again Tom! 👊🏼❤
Thanks for being on Harris. It was a pleasure to talk to you as always 👍🏻
@@HVRIS
We should to report Fujifilm about these issues.
They that they are not aware of this
Fanboy will tell u using manual focus, and I'm only one man army must setup other things😅😅
@@ronald7482not sure they care
I need Fuji to be better. Their strengths are so big, but their flaws are devastating.
I really didn't want to sell my kit, I LOVED the image from the XH2s, but it's not reliable. If they get these issues ironed out I'm gonna be happy to get another one someday.
Their strengths are already overtaken and their weakness is existing
I dont think their "Devastating" but they can be seen as an inconvenience. Ive come from A7III with 28-75 2.8 and I am now using XT50 with Viltrox 75mm and Really enjoying using this for concerts and events and the Eye Auto Focus has been pretty spot on.
Yes indeed. I shoot professionally using canons. I love fuji colours and i really like to use the system to shoot weddings, but i can't take it seriously. Shame that they put a lot of emphasis on film sims and retro look.
@@amateurphotographer1096 I do love those film sims tho! Wish I could buy them for my Sony😂
We all hope that with all of these complaints, they will finally test their firmwares properly and fix the issues
From your mouth to Fujifilm's ears! They completely ghosted me about a year ago now. I don't think I'll be the one to hear back sadly.
@@bytomw the fan boy keep defending, make it worse
They should just get sold off for being a useless waste of time. License off their colors instead to everyone and proceed to stop making anything else
Fuji: sorry, can't hear you over all the sales. 😂
@@blabler2533 It's not that simple. Part of the color production of Fuji comes from the X-trans sensor design, which is very different from everyone else's.
Ya Fujifilm’s af sucks 👍 thanks for speaking out
Thanks Man, been watching your vids for a while now and you're doing great stuff!
I have sort of been dreading posting this, I know the community don't love it when you point out flaws with essentially every camera in the lineup.
I wanted it to be good just as much as everyone else!
Thank you for making this video.
I am a Fuji shooter too and its about time that we put pressure on them to develop a premium AF tracking when they charge premium prices for all their cameras (they don't sell an entry level model anymore).
Its sad that there is so much conflicting discourse. Professionals agree that AF is borderline unusable for work, while hobbyst say that AF is better than ever.
I wish more people made more AF tracking tests to actually prove whats going on.
I think the issue is that in camera the focus looks very confident. It sticks to the eye like glue… but when you get the files back you realise that it’s anything but.
If you aren’t reviewing your images and editing right after I’m sure it’d be easy to miss focus issues.
That said I hope they fix it because I really do love the cameras.
Thank you for this video. Fuji definitely has autofocus issues across multiple camera platforms. There is much to like about the Fuji ecosystem, but the autofocus issue is a decisive factor in choosing to buy into the system or for current users to choose to abandon the system. Fuji is at a crossroads in addressing this issue & it is something that many current users are closely watching to see if this remedied in a successful/ substantial way. It will also be interesting to see to see what specific camera models Fuji will include to update & “correct” these issues. I sincerely hope that Fuji can get it right.
Exactly my experience. I've kept my Fuji gear for now (X-Pro 1 and two XH2S's with an assortment of lenses) but have moved 95% of my professional work to Canon. I still vastly prefer the Fuji image, especially for video, but as a one-man-band they cannot be trusted to maintain focus, period. This is an issue I've dealt with since owning two XH1's. Fuji has never had any kind of reliability when it comes to autofocus tracking.
So in my pro work (live theater and interviews) it's a Canon C70, two R6MKII's and two R7's. Their AF is practically flawless, they don't overheat (don't even need an accessory fan :-)) and the battery life is fantastic. I still prefer the Fuji image, but all the Fuji gear at this point is locked up in a big Pelican case.
Fuji needs to do a complete, from the ground-up rework of their AF team and system. ASAP. Because people are realizing this is not being addressed.
Absolutely spot on assessment.
Well said.
I have a GFX 50S II, X-H2, X-H2S, and two X-T3 bodies. I'm thinking about dumping the X-H2 and X-H2S while I wait to see if Fujifilm resolves the autofocus issues. If they don't catch up to Sony, Canon, and Nikon, I will eventually transition away from Fujifilm X series but remain with GFX since I only use medium format for static subjects. I might keep the X-T3 bodies with some small primes for everyday carry, but I'm not going to invest in newer X series bodies or lenses unless Fujifilm makes substantives changes.
The GFX is really special. The third part lens situation seems to improve more and more and the 1.7 lenses they have been launching are frankly fantastic.
@@bytomw I agree, and my autofocus expectations for that platform are very basic. It's amusing that Fujifilm probably has the best medium format autofocus in the world.
I shoot wildlife and birds in flight with Fujifilm, currently on an X-T5.
AF-C does work with the latest firmware, however you STILL need to perform 35 steps of settings to GET it to work RELIABLY and even then you'll get more misses than most other brands. While other brands just work great out of the box with more keepers.
So... yes, its doable, but not fantastic still, they're getting better but man, still a struggle.
I don't do video so I couldn't verify there.
It’s nice to know it’s possible but that level of intervention shouldn’t be needed for a camera aimed at professional photographers.
Like you said I just hope they address it.
@@bytomw Completely agree, I do hope they streighten their stuff out eventually
What lens do you use for birds, and what settings do you recommend for BIF?
I have an X-T5 and want to do bird photography but I have seen that the false positive green box is there for AI tracking on previous firmware versions.
@@lionheart4424 I have the XF200mm F2 with the 1.4x tele, the 150-600mm is my workhorse, and I adapted a Sigma 500mm F4 for a long tele prime quality.
My custom AF-C settings are: Trackign Sensitivity 4, Speed Tracking 1, Zone Area Center.
I have the camera performance set to Boost, I use Zone AF with the 3x3 grid, AUTO ISO, Manual shutter, manual aperture, Subject Detection turned on for birds, Daylight WB and ISO NR at -4. I usually shoot anywhere from 1/800 to 1/4000 SS and use the exposure compensation dial on the top to adjust my scene as needed.
I have an x-t5 as well with a 100-400 and I’ve found the bird tracking works well. Images are generally pretty sharp as long as you’re not shooting past 300, gets a bit soft after that but the bird tracking works 90 percent of the time.
Animal tracking is terrible though. You get the green box on the subject while shooting so you think it’s in focus until you review the images and you’re lucky if you get 50 percent in focus.
I sold all my Fuji stuff over a year ago due to the poor AF in the xh2. I thought they would have improved it by now rather than make it worse. They still sell a lot of cameras so I guess they are in no rush to fix it.
You’re right, when they sell out their years production capacity on day one with the X100VI it’s hard to imagine them giving this a 2nd thought.
I’m hopeful but not holding on to these cameras while I wait.
The problem with the external microphone (X-H2s) is still not fixed, as it works as expected after turning the camera on again, even though the settings are correct.
I hadn't encountered this issue, sorry you're having more problems!
Fuji has been very comfy with the success of the X100V that they’ve basically alienated the consumers that loved using their products. The Kaizen updates that has been the pride of the company is basically forgotten now and most firmware updates are just mostly bug fixes that is supposed to be a bare minimum to all companies.
On paper I think what they are aiming for with these update would be really nice! AF focus tracking improvements are a welcome update.
That said I’m not sure what’s happening with QC that any of this gets pushed to users.
😞😞😞 I never really noticed the issues because I generally shoot single-point. But recently started trying to use AF-C more often.....and it's been surprising.
It’s frustrating because of how much I loved the brand otherwise. If they tackled this they’d be unstoppable.
@@bytomwnext months firmware release promise to fix the bug. Let's see if that is true
I am not a camera manufacturing specialist, but there is a limited processing (computing) power available, and decision needs to be made where this power is being directed during design process.
Sony cameras are good, but in order to achieve desired results everything needs to go for postprocessing. Maybe it's because most of camera processing power was used for proper autofocus and not enough was left for out of camera picture and video quality. As we know in Fuji out of camera performance is great and as a result subsequently other areas such as autofocus suffers.
Fuji may have a serious problem on their hands.
Just my 2 cents.
That's a solid theory and you might well be right, in this case though the cameras did focus accurately when first launched.
At first they where on the 1.02 firmware and the camera was totally reliable for autofocus tracking, but it was slow, I'm guessing people complained it wasn't as fast as the competition so they worked to "speed up the tracking", The issue now is that the tracking is faster but the lenses don't keep up.
Before I could get a feel for how quickly my focus would hit and allow time for that, now it's telling you that it's in focus and tracking but in reality it can't keep up
Fuji also don't allow you to rollback firmware.
@@bytomw Perhaps introducing artificial intelligence caused these new autofocus issues. Let's hope they will be able to fix it.
That's possible, either way I'm with you! A fix would be amazing.
What abt the xs10 does it have autofocus problems?
I haven’t had any hands on time with the XS10 but I believe that works on their older focus system so shouldn’t be effected by the bug.
It's sad to see that Fuji still has problems with their software. My last camera from this company was the X-T3 in 2019, which always froze when the aperture selection was set to the front dial and there was a backlight situation. I was always able to reproduce this error. The service department replaced the camera, but the error persisted. This one error and a few other unpleasant experiences with the hardware were the last straw, so I sold everything.
The XT3 is possibly one of the best value cameras to buy used right now, didn’t realise they also had issues with firmware.
I used to be a big fuji fanboy. But their products, lack of innovation, lack of supply, and lack of performance pushed me to the edge of moving on to Sony for professional work. I still have my xt3, but it catching dust. Also, Tom, what's your frame rate? It's giving me British tv frame rate lol
Hahahah the video is shot at 24 frames per second. But that’s only because I had to record remotely.
If I was only doing talking head video it would be 25p all the way!
Same question - almost - saw some strange motion blur. Was the shutter speed something other than double frame rate? Was it other than 1/48 shutter speed?
There was some optical flow on the clips to deal with a frame rate mismatch on the online recording.
Had the xt5. Could not rely on the autofocus. I had to shoot like I did “back in the day” with canon DSLRs. Tracking and multiple shots, hoping and begging that one of them was sharp and in focus. Resulting in a hard drive full of unusable photos from that 40mpix sensor that I also wasn’t too happy about.
Thank god I didn’t sell all my canon gear for this experiment. Now using R62 and R8 for work.
This seems to be a familiar tale in the comments. So many wanted to have Fuji as a workhorse. So many let downs
My hypothesis: they hired new people to lead the software AF department and they turned out to be incompetent. This happened to a company I worked for way back when (1990s). It's quite difficult to backtrack from that sort of dead end, both bureaucratically and software-wise.
I really hope they manage to overcome the problems. It’s frustrating largely because the other aspects of the cameras have so much to offer.
Here’s hoping they manage to correct it in 2025.
I have the XH2-S and I use mainly MF for my video work, so I don't have to worry about the AF... but, for stills I do rely on AF and I can say it's really far behind the competition.
I'm going to say something controversial here...I think the footage of the XH2-S looks flat and overly digital. I don't like the way it renders skin and it just doesn't look organic at all. I understand that the camera doesn't have an OLPF and that you can soften the image in post, but there's still something about it that looks inorganic. I also notice that there are sharpening artefacts on the edges of high contrast areas that give a slight glow. This is the case with the in camera sharpening setting set to -4. I think there's some crazy sharpening in the processing pipeline that you can't disable. I know this is subjective, but it's what I'm noticing.
The colours are fantastic, the dynamic range is exceptional, opengate is amazing, but everything else about it is lacking I still think Fuji has massive potential, but there are key areas where they lag behind that they really need to catch up on.
This is a really thoughtful angle, I personally liked how crisp the video felt for interview content but I like you turned the sharpening right down in camera.
I know Kinafinity make a cinema camera using this sensor, maybe they have the OLPF on that? never really had a chance to look.
switched from xt5, to canon r5c, to sony, and landed with Lumix. maybe not sony level AF but very good.
I did the R5c before the XH2s and loved the files but that battery life was SHOCKING.
Lumix is on my list to try ASAP, I'm holding out for a camera with a faster readout for video but the in camera LUT features alone make them work a good long look!
I'd love to see how you get on with the Lumix (I'm guessing S5ii?).
Panasonic is also bad. Watch camera conspiracies
I shoot raw with my Canon R6 Mark II and use the “Cobalt Image” Fuji profiles (about $80) and you get the absolute best of both worlds. My images are beautiful and have those Fuji colors and the ease of use and focus of the Canon.
Love that this is an option for peeps after those films sims.
I updated to the latest firmware 7.0 on the XH2s and the results from yesterday’s wedding were not very good compared to what I remember previously, don’t get me wrong i got the job done but I had to take extra shots while changing from face detection to single point to cover for the inabilities if either wasn’t spot on. But there are action shots which you only get one take and some were ok but others were terrible and the problem is I don’t know how or why the algorithm goes wrong? Its so frustrating i am now looking at the Nikon ZF as well. I have really had enough of Fuji its not worth the grief, wedding photography is already stressful enough without having gear issues on also.
Your job is hard enough to be fighting with gear.
I’d say Fuji still makes sense if you want to shoot them single point like a DSLR but otherwise it’s an exercise in frustration.
@@bytomw thats what I mainly do but even single point is no were near as good as when i was shooting Canon. The Fuji files are amazing though once you can get sharp
Images so there is always that hook that brings you back. I guess there is no perfect camera.
That’s such a shame. I was fine with single point but frankly used that mode so rarely I didn’t get a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions.
This is all news to me. I decided a few months ago to not risk my Leica on walkabouts and bought my first Fuji, an XT5. I have had no issues with focus at all, but I do use single point AFC and AFS. It is taking great photos and the color science people always speak of is a real thing!
Those modes aren't effected, this is an issue with the focus tracking.
The way Fuji is handling this firmware issue is a big disappointment... For years they've been winning over photographers hearts with their strategy and now where they've reached a unique position in the market with the X100VI they seem to be resting on their laurels a little. I have already sold my XH2S because it made my life difficult on several jobs and my new Lumix S9 outperforms the autofocus of my XT5 😢
Honestly it’s nice to know that Panasonic are back in the game when it comes to focus.
The S5ii is on my must try list at the moment.
@@bytomw Aside from the annoying 4k60 crop, the S5IIX has been the ideal replacement for my XH2S.
That is so disappointing. I want the xh2s but if the af is worse than my xt4, why even try?? 💀
I have been pretty happy with my Gfx 100ii. Maybe because I've never relied too much on their tracking; I do use it from time to time and results have been encouraging.
I am certainly not upgrading to any new firmware tho, that's for sure lol
I’d say that’s wise! Although honestly if you’re getting the results you want nothing else matters.
I also think the expectation for medium format is different. We are using it in situations where we can have more control.
I almost exclusively used my 50s with manual lenses and was totally happy using it that way, single point AF would have been fine for the applications I used it for.
@@bytomw yea that's probably why. with the gfx, I don't care much about misfocusing from time to time. With the xh2s that's unacceptable, esp consideing how good the camera was at the beginning and how they made it worse wiith firmwares. This whole thing actually stopped me from buying one!
What lenses are you using on the Nikon ZF? Any manual ones?
Not yet but I hope to get my hands on some voigtlander lenses.
My thing it's i want something small.
That only left Sony or Fuji. I don't like Sony but seems like the only option, i had a pair of Sony cameras years ago. I like Nikon and Canon but even their smallest cameras (Z30, ZFC, R50, R10) feel big when compared to the XT30, XE4, etc. And Canon ban third party lenses.
I'm only a hobbyist but even for the dogs in the park or my nephew jumping with his skateboard I need good AF.
I'll wait. I'll stick with my old smaller DSLRs, using central point AF, until at least 2025. But then i want to go full on mirrorless. I don't know if Fuji, Nikon, Canon or Sony.
Having used them all and owning two full systems at the moment I’m pickup up my Nikon Zf most often.
What really bugs me is that my fujifilm xt3's af is better and reliable than my xt5. The new update Ver 4,00 for the xt5 is still buggy theer is a bad pulsing issues where the af goes in and out with the Af-c, selective area mode and slight movements. With the Fuji 23mm f2 and 35mm f2. Also sometimes the Af goes completely off trying to focus if another subject enteres the frame and in the same point as the selected af area box. I hope fujifilm fixes this. Because we are in 2024 now such issues shoulds not occur in cameras at all. Tracking with fujifilm is BAD and now event the area AF is not reliable.
This is exactly how I felt about the XH2s after the 3.0 firmware.
Great to see you on the Tube again! how does that 40mm F2 from nikon compare to the xf23mm or xf33mm of the fuji in terms of IQ? It seems like the lenses on the fuji would be better, but the camera in the nikon, being full frame and better AF, would make the images just as sharp and nice. What do you think?
I’d say the 40mm F2 is more of a budget lens. I really like it though and I plan on making a review on some of the lighter lens options soon!
Long store short the 1.8 S line of primes are a better comparison to the LM lenses from Fuji and are EXCELLENT.
I upgraded recently the XT4 to firmware 2.12 (latest) and now, at night, when there is dark, the WB custom 1 adjustment with the grey card, the camera freezes. Totally! And for unfreezing it, I do need to remove the battery. In situations where there is more light, the custom 1 adjustment works perfectly - inside the lit room etc. But not outside at night, and believe, I am from Scandinavia, and our nights are not pitch black 😊
Now I am wondering whether that bug came in with the firmware 2.12 upgrade, or it is something else. I do not recall such a situation before and I have worked with the camera during winter nights outside, doing the WB adjustments with custom 1 without any problem.
I'd say it's worth reaching out to fujifilm if you can.
The bugs I have see have only been on the current generation of cameras.
I love Fujifilm cameras and a few years ago I had to sell my XT3 and all my gear. I have been thinking of buying an XT5 and a few lenses again. This autofocus issue has me thinking regarding going forward with my decision.
Thank you for this video.
If you enjoy Fuji and don’t need tracking autofocus I’d say you’ll still be fine. If you want something that has a more advanced focus system sadly I don’t think this is there yet.
I was about to press the button on a few Fuji’s X series and also possibly the 100s ii but this is concerning. Even more concerning is that Fuji isn’t get back to you?!
It's been just over 12 months since the acknowledged the issue on the XH2s.
Much as I love fujifilm's output I'd say it's time to look elsewhere if you need reliable tracking performance.
The GFX 50 line and the 100 series cameras without the current tracking systems are slow to focus but wonderful to use.
If you wanted a slower more considered option I love the early GFX line, it's worth testing!
@@bytomwps. Good to see you back. Love your considered, realistic approach and the subjects you address.✊
Thanks Chris, I’d been avoiding putting this out honestly. I have bags more videos lined up and another 3 interviews recorded and ready to go.
I just needed to clear the air on this first.
Tom, what do you think of the Zf? Debating to get a Zf as a big brother for my X100vi
I love it. Genuinely an amazing camera. I have the 40mm F2 and the 35mm 1.4. The 35 is the one for me.
How long will I have to wait for an actual fix? I want to buy a Fuji camera, but????
I have honestly given up and moved on.
It's amazing Fuji seems to have a big QA process problem like this, after all they get right. But here we are. Thanks for making this video. And a shout-out to Edvard who has been showing us these problems too.
It’s frustrating for sure. I’m just glad I was in a position to move on (as expensive as that was)
@@bytomw By the way, I must commend you on how you described your Canon experience. Sounds about right, but I welcome this kind of objective balanced set of observations, all pros and cons as you found them for your workflow/job.
So just to be completely clear, these issues are mainly found in AF-C mode in both video and stills correct? Has anyone had issues in AF-S on the new firmware update? My XT5 is still on firmware 2.10 lol and I don't know if I should update it or not. I mostly use AF-S as there aren't many tracking subjects that I shoot as a hobbyist other than my dogs from time to time. Fuji was the first brand I bought when I first started (X100F) so interestingly enough I'm not really used to having great tracking software in a camera. Recently I've wanted to get into wildlife - but I will most likely go with another brand if I go that route and keep my XT5 as a point and shoot when I'm not heartbroken about something being out of focus.
I only experienced issues with focus tracking. I wouldn’t use that in AF-S in most situations. But there are others in the comments that are saying that the newest firmware is causing them consistency issues even in AF-S.
But just to make it clear I didn’t have those issues personally in my very limited use of those modes.
Fujifilm seems to have lost all of its “mojo” over the last few years and does not seem to be terribly interested in seriously addressing these issues. I spent 40+ years shooting with Canon for both pro and amateur alike, switching to Fuji in 2016. Being a film shooter from the 70s up until my first DSLR (1D) in 2006, I fell in love with the retro designs of their offerings so I was willing to overlook their flaws, namely AF, assuming that in time, Fuji would fix these issues. Sadly, this does not to seem to be the case, to me anyways. While I am still getting a decent hit rate of 75%, this is still much below the 90% keeper rate of my now-gone Canon DSLRs. While I am not planning to jump ship at the moment, if this trend of “so-so” firmware upgrades and simply ignoring the biggest issue facing Fuji, I can not discount the possibility of moving back to Canon or even Nikon in the next few years.
I think fujis priorities have shifted. They sold out the X100VI in an instant and still haven’t fulfilled the orders they have for the camera.
They could change nothing and still max out their production for a long time to come. In that camera I don’t mind no tracking, single point is part of the fun honestly but I can’t have that be my main cam.
I think the GFX line is a hope for a solid pro offering in the future, I just need the AF to put accuracy over speed of tracking.
For someone that really doesnt want to leave Fuji theres the DJI Ronin lidar attachment that in my experience has a really good 'autofocus'. It adds alot of bulk and a bit of weight and it isnt cheap tho. With that you can also autofocus with manual lenses
You're right, it's kind of balancing the pros and cons of the system and working out if you really want to go to those lengths to get to parity with your competition.
The Lidar system gives you some interesting options though, especially with manual focus lenses.
@@bytomw Its also exceptionally good in low light situations due to said lidar. The only hassle is the already mentioned bulk and 3d priting a focus ring for your manual lenses. But after all that you get pretty much the best autofocus on the market
This makes me want to test it on a Komodo!
you shouldn't have to rely on another system to have good autofocus.
@@stoolin9706 also true
I bought the XH2S thinking it would let me sell the R5 system but absolutely not.
I’ll use Fuji for personal stuff but Canon for wedding photography. If the R6iii releases before Fuji can fix this I’m out. Or maybe id go an R3 not sure.
The R3 is a lovely camera honestly, the focus isn’t that much better than the R6ii but the whole body just feels right in hand.
@@bytomw thanks for your advice Tom, much appreciated. The R5 is perfect but 2500-3000 45mp images after a wedding is cumbersome.
I feel the same. For my use case more resolution usually ends up with clients asking me to export at smaller sizes, digital work doesn’t often need these massive resolutions unless you plan to crop a lot.
I’d take a higher res sensor if I needed to for another reason (larger sensor or faster readout like in the Z9) but im not gonna seek it out.
This video was uploaded two months ago and there still isn’t even an official admission that anything is amiss. I would sell my camera and gear if I didn’t think that the negative publicity would be tanking the value…
It’s been over a year since my original video on the topic. They told me directly there was an issue then and haven’t spoken to me since or fixed the problem.
My verdict would be that fujifilm is amazing as long as you’re willing to do the focusing for the camera (aka manually focus or single point and match distance
Thanks for speaking on this. I'm probably testing what fuji has the hardest time with, shooting a dog running straight towards me. I've tried all of the settings I can find and it's so bad, hardly any of the photos are in focus. I get a lucky one here & there but it switches the focus to the grass by his feet nearly every shot. I've invested a lot into fuji..recently got the 50-140 and 90mm hoping the linear motor would help. Now I'm wondering if I should return them all and move on.
It's all down to how much you love the system and what you're willing to struggle with to keep it.
For me the numbers didn't work.
I'm on the X-S10, my first Fuji system, and I was looking to update the X-H2s based on the early reviews, which said the autofocus was very usable. However, after these catastrophic firmware updates, it seems to be way worse than on my old X-S10, and that's not acceptable.
I started to look elsewhere, sadly. I love Fuji colors, dynamic range, and easy noise reduction in Resolve with F-log. If Fuji can't fix the issue when I'm in a position to upgrade, I'm probably a future Lumix user.
It’s better if you’re planning to shoot AF-S or just use a single focus point, but if you want to track the subject it’s really in reliable and gives a lot of false positives.
I sold my X100V because i got bored of the single focal length eventually and went to a a6700… wow the difference in autofocus is incredible.
It's pretty amazing how far the rest of the field has moved. Sony and Canon especially but even Nikon with the Z9 and later cameras.
#fujifilm would be unstoppable if they would just get more software engineers on the autofocus problem.
Agreed. It’s the only downside.
Great to see you back Tom!!
Massive shame Fujifilm hasn’t fixed this issue, seemingly making it significantly worse since v1 firmware… really poor from them.
I’ve stopped updating my X-H2 for the last year - although fortunately for me I mainly shoot video with manual focus so it’s not as big of an issue for me as it is for the vast majority people. But even I’m disappointed that if I wanted to shoot in a different way I couldn’t trust it.
If you’re able to work around the limitations for your project the sensor in the XH2 and XH2s are lovely.
I think the XH2s is still my fav image from any camera for video. Everything feels very smooth and gentle in terms of contrast and the colours are still excellent.
wasn't the consensus about the firmware on newer Fuji cameras to run default? To keep the 1.0 version that comes with the camera and never upgrade?
That's great advice for people that haven't already upgraded, fujifilm don't allow a rollback on firmware.
If you went past 1.02 you're gonna have to hope they sort their firmware out or hack the camera to rollback and potentially void the warranty.
Thanks, I love my older Fujifilm cameras but this saves me the hassle and money. I'd prefer Fujifilm because of the images and colors, but having AF that doesn't work is crazy. They need to hire some decent software engineers, and fix this. I'll keep my X100VI order because I mainly want to use it for landscapes, flowers and street, but I guess I'll go Canon since the Z-6III is quite up to snuff.
I love older fujifilm cameras and I’m currently really enjoying the Nikon ZF, the Z6iii has a very slightly lower dynamic range at iso 100-800 but it gives a lot back for that trade off.
I’d happily shoot with a Z6iii
I'm glad I didn't update to the most recent firmware on my X-H2s. I hope Fujifilm listens to their customers and reworks their autofocus from the ground up!
For now, I will continue to stick with Fujifilm.
Absolutely no reason to move if things are working within your needs. Fuji still make cameras with amazing colours and they are otherwise a joy to use!
Has anyone tried it with the stabilisation turned off? Could be something to do with the sensor moving?
Not sure that I specifically did that to test.
This might be the case but the sensor would only normally move in line with the focal plane.
You wouldn’t normally expect to see that effect focus.
AF should not be a problem nowadays at all. Sony a6700 af capabilities are better than their A1 and a6700 costs less than 1500 usd. That is why it is so frustrating for Fuji lovers, because with good af Fuji would be almost perfect system.
I think you’re right. It’s even more frustrating when you realise that Sony is making the sensors…
No problem with autofocus on my XT5, but I only use it as an amateur. I only shoot stills.
Crazy how, even before the firmware AF issue, the current AF performance in every Fujifilm mirrorless cameras from entry to pro lines are still far less reliable to Sony's decade-old AF performance in the entry level a5100. After the firmware fiasco, it's even worse. I've cheated in my work many times since the firmware update to my office's X-H2S & X-S20, and had to throw down my Sony a5100 without telling them. Almost killed my career.
I really wanted to like Fujifilm & was considering to move from Sony to Fujifilm.
But the AF, man, I'd take a "boring" but reliable a5100 anytime if I have to. A camera from 2014.
You’re right. It was slower and needed a little more work but it was at least consistent. You could rely that with work it would give you accurate results.
Boring and reliable is under rated for paid work.
I switched to the Panasonic Lumix S5II for focusing. Best performance/quality/price ratio on the market. .
It’s on my list to try for sure. The in camera LUTs would be awesome.
@@bytomw LUT is a super idea, plus color submission, IBIS, dual ISO, L-mount alliance, processing quality, ergonomics, dynamic rosah and price all add up to make good sense.
just commenting here to spread this video as far as possible!
I appreciate you.
Great video, Tom! I really like your honest and to the point approach. You are absolutely right! Was actually waiting for you to comment on this latest firmware issue with Fuji.
I’m a long time Fuji user but I also use Sony for professional work and recently started getting into Leica.
My Sony (like your Canon) gear is incredibly boring but very reliable in general and Sony has finally started producing good color as of their latest offerings. They just work!
So my Fuji gear has been sitting and although I have a nostalgic feeling towards Fuji especially when it comes to their colors and their glass, I’m actually quite upset at what they’ve been doing or lack of doing on their recent cameras and seriously considering selling off my remaining Fuji kit which is down to one X-T5 and a few X lenses and going over to the Nikon Zf for my travel/Fun/autofocus camera.
I have been experiencing the inconsistent and unreliable autofocus tracking and it feels like steps backwards when using it alongside my Sony cameras. And after this last firmware update which didn’t really fix the issue as much as it hurts, I think I may be saying good bye to the system. Sure I could go back to single point AF from the old days but I feel like tracking actually worked when the camera first came out and their firmware broke it and it hasn’t functioned the same since. So yeah..still contemplating but feel like Fuji is in a bit of denial on it.
My only hesitation with going Nikon is learning a whole new color science to master. But otherwise I like where they seem to be heading. If I do sell my Fuji kit, like you said I’d be happy to return to them if there was absolute confirmation that it’s been fixed but I feel like they are more focused on releasing more cameras.
This is exactly how I felt before selling, I moved canon into the mix as soon as firmware 3.0 messed it up in the first place but I held on to the fujis for far longer than I should have.
I was pretty content with canon only for most of that time even for personal work but the Nikon has that fun factor the fuji has.
On the colour grading side I'm at a bit of an unfair advantage because I teach post production and visual identity but I actually find the ZF files easier to edit than my canons, they feel really similar to the Fuji XT3 with very little tweaking to my eyes.
Thanks for commenting, and keep us in the loop about what you do next!
I dont get what everyone is complaining about, I have no issues with autofocus and it's actually improved with this latest firmware... Multiple videos also backing this up... Maybe you have a lemon
I’d keep watching it’s not just my camera, also fujifilm confirmed this was an issue.
Cope shill
@@bytomw I watched the whole vid mate.... My point is I'm not seeing any issues (and a lot of other reviewers have reported the same).... Can't be every camera then can it (hence why I'm asking if you possibly had a lemon)... It happens unfortunately
Sometimes a think depending on where the camera was made, it could be a lemon...
@@michaelhall859Survivorship bias mate. Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it is not a problem. If Fujifilm themselves said so it’s basically a huge problem.
I am about to buy a XH2S and 150-600 for bird photography (stills only) are the firmware issues impacting the bird auto focus ?
Any tracking AF of any kind.
Although in fairness I don’t know any bird photographers I could ask for definitive confirmation
For standing still birds it's fine. For birds in action, it's AFC lottery. You can have sequence of bird flying parallel to your camera, you are following him as he glides, and where there is not much difference between frames, but AF can jump from focus, to out of focus, to soft focus, than back to focus and so on.
@@degeneraturat Thanks for the info ... was it better in previous versions of Firmware ?
I have tested the X-H2 on FW 3 with bird af for over a week now and it is pretty good. Birds in flight with sky in the background is nice. Busy background I haven‘t had luck but I shot really fast birds, I don‘t blame the camera. Birds in trees is pretty awesome as well, if you have a decent view on them (which you should for a good photo). The eye box tends to drift off sometimes, merls sometimes show a green box but the AF misses completely. Coming from the X-T4, I am very happy with the results!
X-H2S with FW 7 is even snappier and gets a higher burst rate in focus priority, both cams set to 15fps.
Both have some false positives in terms of focus acquisition and they detect subjects where there are none sometimes. I don‘t know if this is any different on Canon or Sony. I have to say it recognizes a lot of different animals and birds, even insects, so overall for that stuff I can really recommend it!
I might update the FW on the H2 in a few days and test if anything changed.
V7 did fix it however it’s not 1.0 fix but was still better then my s5iix when I shot a wedding for video at least
That’s good to hear about the Fuji but a shame for the Panasonic. I know lots of people seem to love the S5ii line for doc work and weddings.
I guess canon and Sony have set a high bar!
im glad people are now telling the Truth about Fujifilm, I have just swapped from XT-5 to Lumix s5II and its been a great experience
I have been talking about this for the last 12 months personally. I’m really glad you donned a system you love!
I do shoot professionally with 2x XH2S's, both video and stills, and I do live in AF.C with Subject Tracking (Face/Eye). I have sat on f/w 5.03 for quite some time now, old enough to know it is risky to simply jump on the latest f/w, sadly the consumer is the beta tester in todays modern tech climate.
What I will say is I tend to be able to deliver what the client wants and in doing so see repeat business. My local theatre I am pretty much the go to now for much of their work be it orchestras or drama.
In practical terms what I do need to do is take A LOT of images. My default is AF.C, ES, 10fps. The culling takes the most time but because the colours and styles are pleasing and I do not find I spend long on the actual edits, literally sometimes 10-15secs per still (other times a little longer like a minute or two).
I think my line of work lends itself to being a little spammy with the shutter anyway. Anyone that has shot public speaking, trying to find a pleasing talking moment will know how difficult that is to time with a single shot, faces can look contorted often, more is better and helps guarantees keepers.
But that doesn't mean I enjoy the process of reviewing the work and finding some moments spoiled by the AF hunt. It feels like Focus Priority is becoming more and more like Focus Release, ringing the shutter prematurely at the expense of not really having proper focus (false positives).
I completely agree with you. It's about serviceability, I'm scraping by at the moment, and in my line of work I genuinely need that 9ms read out to avoid banding at shutter speeds I require (I would be interested to hear how the R6II behaves in this regard as that is the camera that has piqued my interest also, being 14ms it seems to be the fastest readout camera from a single non-stacked camera floating around?).
The biggest problem as I see it is the attitude of the company, taking way to long to address 6.0 and the fix not really a deep enough fix. If Edvard can prove 1.03 is better, then they have a lot of work to do to get us back to (at least) THAT performance level without losing the features that came along the way.
My trust with the brand is shaken, and I do not feel like continually investing into a company that seems to have a roadblock to AF. I've been here before with another brand and it doesn't end well. The brand must be able to make genuine strides in AF performance to stay relevant. I think Fuji are sitting right at the back of the pack and they are riding on the success of their colours and designs to stay relevant, something I see as being a bit of a fad and short term momentum.
I think my investment with the brand is done. I intend to roll my units back to 1.03 and then just shoot the things till they die. But my research now lies looking at other cameras and that always feels a bit of a shame..
That last line hit hard. That’s exactly why I have avoided making this video. I wanted for it to be a solved problem so I could keep using them.
It’s not and I’m not sure it’s going to get better much as I’d like it to.
Happy to test the R6ii though! I’m a bit of a stickler for full mechanical shutters and avoided the Nikon Z8 because of that but if you let me know how to test for a real world condition you see I’ll give it a whirl if I get a chance.
That said stacked is the way when it comes to low/no banding. The Nikon Z6iii or Z8 might be a smarter move (or a used Sony A9 series camera if they work better for you)
@@bytomw Yeh, it is the reason I sought out the XH2S's, it kinda sits in a very unique place among the options out there. Owning two of them was affordable whereas two R3's or something... completely out of my budget :(
It could be I can start a kind of transition, keep one XH2S and add a r6II to the bag...
Testing wise, should be pretty easy. The only things that are needed is scenes with strong artificial light sources, you should be able to trigger the issue in your own home under your own lamps and lights. You must be in ES mode and you must shoot at shutter speeds above the flickr, which tends to be higher than 1/50 or 1/60. I tend to shoot at 1/250-1/500 (in order to freeze the subjects playing their instruments or whatever sufficiently). Sometimes I can see 1/320 is giving me a little bit of banding during the shoot but shifting up (or down) to something like 1/400 clears it. It just depends on venue and what lights they are using on the day.
I do note that Canon R6II has a specific mode to help address banding, they call it 'High-Frequency Anti-Flicker Shooting', you can auto detect a scene and it will slightly offset the shutter speed to try and match the frequency better. Fuji has this feature also, but I have never felt the need to use it with the XH2S (as natively it is mostly avoided anyway). When I discover a shutter speed that is causing some banding with the XH2S, if I enact that feature it can sometimes help eliminate it, or make it worse (lol). So I tend to leave it off (as it gives weird shutter speeds like 1/256.2 and makes going up and down shutter speeds of bigger magnitudes annoying, you have to toggle the feature off first and then put it back on etc).
But yeh, curious to know about the R6II in this regard. If it only slightly lags behind the XH2S for readout speeds, I might be able to get away with it... the R6II looks to being incredibly value rich for its current pricing.
Why your video looks so blurry?, it's the frame rate you choose?
It’s a frame rate mismatch. The call recording was in a different frame rate to the rest of the footage intakes in by the remote recording software). It’s fixed for future videos.
I just bought an X-H2s, only to find all these videos telling how bad the AF is, typical for me. I'll have 30 days to return it, but I did see one video where the bird tracking seemed to work quite well. My newest body is an X-T2, which I've enjoyed quite a bit. I'm not a professional, and I never video people, or do vlogs. I have no interest in going back to an old version of the firmware, it doesn't perform, I'll return it and go to plan C (Canon).
If you’re not relying on the system to pay the bills I’d say you’re fine. That said I’d recommend almost any other system for AF right now.
As an aside I think the XT2 is criminally underrated. Stunning colours and super reliable even if it isn’t the most modern AF system.
I have the x100vi and have not updated the firmware. no need for me its been fine since day one. Two years ago on my x100v a firmware update was done and it took it out. Fortunately, I had the extended warranty, Sent it in and Fuji found the motherboard was toast. After 2 weeks came back perfect. So the x100vi Stays as is.
So the X100VI has had this firmware since launch but the issues are solely around AF-C with tracking enabled.
The cameras says an image is in focus when it’s front/back focused or tracking another object in frame.
That said if you’re not having problems with how you find the camera in practical use I’d say that’s a win.
None of these issues matter if in practice you’re still getting what you want from the camera.
The X100VI is lovely.
@@bytomw It's a keeper.
My goodness the unit you're testing could be defective. I have been testing my Fuji XT 30 ii XT5 XH2S XS 20 up until yesterday I could say that the autofocus tracking is the same as my Sony A7IV a7C2 a7600 a6400 and my Nikon ZF.
Im really glad you’re enjoying your cameras.
I had two XH2s they showed identical behaviour.
The problem has been acknowledged by fujifilm.
I considered getting the GFX 100sii but I think I'll just get the X2D instead.
I still love the GFX line but if you want cameras that don’t have these bugs and that sensor I think your only options are the GFX 100 and 100s
Is there a way to downgrade firmware?
There is but it's not easy, you have to actually hack the firmware file to force the camera to downgrade and honestly I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't got first hand experience and I have no idea how this would effect a warranty
There are instructions on how to do it on youtube though!
Yes, there is a way. If you have no other way, its a real sollution. I have done it and its not hard. Here were are to help if you really want to do it :)
For video I chose Sony and Panasonic. I slightly prefer the Panasonic look (including colors and stabilization), but maintaining focus is Sony's hallmark.
This is very true. I don’t love working with Sony files but they are industry standard now for most types of video and you can absolutely get what you need out of them.
Fujifilm said :
With this version we are not aware of any further problems.
Every Fujifilm user has to complain by Fujifilm
I really hope the next generation shapes up to be better.
I do bird photos and videos with the H2-s and the xf 150-600 mm. Yes, the autofocus has gone worse with the various firmware updates, to such an extent that it regularly wrecks my work. I no longer trust Fuji equipement. I use Canon or Sony for reliability. It seems Fujifilm software engineers have no clue how autofocus works.
It’s such a shame that it’s gotten like this.
Canon R6II is the best camera right now under US$3000. I recommend anyone to buy it. The biggest problem is 3rd party lens selection.
I dislike the grip of the Zf, but I would pick it any day over Fujifilm.
The best apsc camera for me is the Sony a6700. Largest selection of lenses, great autofocus, acceptable IBIS.
I’d say all of that is fair. I’m enjoying the ZF a lot right now and the grip isn’t substantial but the Nikon first party grip helps a lot with that.
Z6 III has come out give it a look
@@GAGPalia I have not tried the Z6III in person, but I prefer R6II's LCD, symmetrical cards slot, and its focus bracketing doesn't block the viewfinder when initiating. Its sensor read speed is comparable to Z6III as well. Still, I need to test the real thing before coming to a conclusion.
I shoot Canon but I also have Leica and Fuji. My Fujis don’t have any of these so mentioned issues! Am I the only lucky one?
So much of it is down to how you use the camera. If you aren’t using tracking AF you’re fine from a focus point of view.
But if you’re saying the tracking is reliable I’d say you are very very lucky.
@@bytomw I’m going to borrow another XH2s, now I’m curious! Great video 🫡🫡🫡
It’s first gen AI tracking plus the stable of video friendly lenses is much smaller. A 50-60% hit rate is pretty good for a first crack. With more processing power and more updated lenses, I think the future is bright. I’m not spending twice as much for cameras that offer somewhat better tracking. That would be awful
That's a good way of looking at it, I hadn't thought of the AI tracking as a new thing (usually companies just relable their current tech as AI and hope we don't notice).
But this was meant to be their flagship camera system, if their AI dropped the hit rate from around 95% in firmware 1.02 to about 50-60% on firmware 3.0 this seems like they should have either made it optional or launched it on a less professional focused camera?
In the end I can deal with slow but accurate but false positives will ruin jobs really quick.
And again if you don't need focus tracking it's all workable if not optimal.
@@bytomw I'm not aware of any testing on the XH2S or any other 5th gen Fuji camera that showed a 95% hit rate for subject tracking, let alone a 95% hit rate for a particular subject (humans/birds/planes/trains/cars). The website RTings has a repeatable AF methodology that seems reasonable enough - though they do not test EVERY lens nor EVERY focus setting and mode. The 5th gen cameras have a pretty good showing for "perfect" focus results - about 50-78% depending on the camera. More expensive FF cameras do better, but it tops out at about 80%. So frankly I'm not sure what the panic and scandal is all about. I miss plenty of shots with my XT-3. With AF-C + single point, the hit rate ranges from frustrating to 100% (lens dependent, also). We can be out of focus for all kinds of reasons - testing needs to be controlled AND repeatable.
That number was my keeper rate for stills on launch.
Not expecting it to be a scientific method.
Just speaking from my own experience and that of other professionals I know using the system for work.
I A/B tested it on jobs against the R5 and R6 and for how I worked I could easily get a higher hit rate than 78%.
I don’t need perfect focus I just need it to tell me when it’s not acquired focus.
@@bytomwin theory setting the AF-C to “focus priority” rather than “shutter” priority does just that-the camera will not fire unless it has acquired focus. If you, however, turn on AF+MF (so you can manually focus at any time in any mode, focus priority is overridden (the camera takes the shot whether or not it has confirmed focus). This stuff is in my manual. Subject tracking modes ignore these rules, from what I understand, but I still do better when I use single point to place the box about where I think I want it. When and if face detection drops, the AF-C box will hit the target with my chosen settings, increasing the chance of a hit.
I’m not asking for “science” so much as full disclosure-so I don’t waste my money on bad products or my time on people who are interested in clicks, not helping or educating others. FWIW I have days when I have 80-90% hit rates because my hands are steady, light is good, whatever. I have days where settings I’ve tried before leave a very high percentage soft or OOF. I don’t care what my hit rates are-the question is how bad I want the shot and whether or not I get it. There are myriad reasons shots can be missed, as you must know, so a little rigor doesn’t hurt. Cheers.
I absolutely understand your move and opinion about the situation. I traded the X-T5 for X100VI and am completely okay with using it just with single point autofocus, i must admit it adds little bit a vintage feeling for that camera.😅Love it. But to tell you the truth, I can't imagine buying any X-T5 or X-H2 camera for professional work right now. Photography is just my hobby so I am okay with it.
I didn't know that GFX cameras are also affected by this. That's HUGE problem considering their price.
However, even if this problem persists, I think their next line approximately in 2026 will solve it and I can see myself getting that camera. Because Fujifilm colors are truly special.
The X100 series is a digital Contax T2 in my mind, I absolutely loved using mine in single point and one shot AF!
It's a lovely little inspiration machine, the frustration is that they are so good you really want to use them for work and as long as you don't mind the single card slot or the more limited focusing system they are incredible even in professional environments.
I'm waiting for them to fix this, the GFX line is absolutely in my future.
The 50s is the nicest camera I have ever used in terms of IQ and it's worth being more considered with the focus system or even manually focusing to get those results.
@@bytomw I agree. Every single day I am impressed when I see pictures from 50S. And Fujifilm GFX fixed lens camera is coming in 2025! That's gonna be really huge (although it means that it will probably have the same AI chip 😶).
If they make a compact GFX 50 with a fixed 55mm 1.7 that thing would be perfect! I'll manually focus that if I had to!
I just changed to Nikon. I shoot sports mostly and af was a hit and miss most of the time,
Had to use single AF.
This seems to be the case for so many people. It’s such a shame.
This is why I’m sticking with my xe4 for now
I’d say that was wise and honestly I think that camera is super underrated.
Sold everything like you moved to canon and after the way they handled this I wouldn’t go back to the brand. I don’t want to be used as beta tester, it’s my name my career if a shot is missed and I’ve missed loads because of these firmwares. I just about made the transition viable by buying second hand and risking grey market (worked out). I wouldn’t recommend Fuji to anyone now. If you want a hipster camera get a Nikon zf as you say it won’t lie. Is you want a camera for pure video get a lumix. If you want colour canon
Totally fair comments. I’m feeling that exact frustration (and bought that same hipster camera).
I’m happy with where I landed but you lose so much money switching systems. It’s a nightmare.
@@bytomw I say hipster in jest no disrespect there. The zf is a lovely camera and well made.
I buy everything second hand for that reason. The depreciation is huge. Certainly with bodies.
Canon lenses I’ve never seen depreciation like it. 50mm 1.2 rrp 2300 preowned price around 1400. I can safely say I’ll not be buying canon glass at rrp. Well to be honest I wouldn’t even buy bodies. There are so many that are bought with intention that live out there lives at the back of the cupboard with a couple of thousand shutter actions I’ll give them a new home when they come up. I’m all that concerned about the lastest and greatest.
Hope your new system works out for you.
Looking forward to that new content
All started from CEO changes, camera division is just a mean to make the most margin now.
Kaizen? Dead
Making limited availability? Heck yes
In every update, manual mode makes sense due to faulty tracking? You bet.
I think Fuji is aiming toward Leica. Rare, not about function but about image quality.
That's super interesting! When did the CEO change over?
I have seen a real shift towards advanced consumer features in the X-Line.
It's a real shame too because at launch the XH2s was my fav camera ever.
I only use manual focus on my fujis. I mostly do street and landscape so I don’t have the need for the time being.
They are perfect for that use case! It’s all about knowing what you need from your kit!
Fuji XT2, XT3, and Six Fuji Lenses after years of use, Sold all of it and moving to Canon or Nikon or Sony....
I don’t blame you. It represents a better investment at the moment.
Weird that you can't even roll back the firmware.
Agreed. It’s frustrating. There are ways of hacking the firmware file to make the camera roll it back but I don’t recommend it and I’m not sure how it would affect your warranty.
I bought into the Fujifilm system with an XT-3 years ago together with several lenses. The issues being aired now became clear to me in use very quickly. I sold everything Fuji, took the loss, and haven't looked back. The trouble is that I saw every RUclips I could find back then on the system before purchasing and nether a hint of this issue which has clearly existed for a long time. Why now?
It only affects the new generation of cameras. The focus issues were introduced by trying to speed up the focus tracking beyond what the af system could keep up with.
Super info...thx!♡
I’m glad it helped 👍
I'm a bit confused. Are you speaking mainly about AF tracking for video? I don't do video myself, but I've seen that there are videos about problems with Fuji's AF system for video. As a STILLS shooter, I'm thrilled with the AF tracking on my X-H2S. For fun I use it to shoot soccer, basketball, and a little bit of volleyball. My main paid work is dance photography shot in studio, and that doesn't require tracking. I do portraits, too, and I haven't had trouble with the focusing for that. I'm sorry to hear that the video folks--and the fellow that you interviewed (who talked about trouble shooting stills)--are having problems. Good luck to you both!
This video is a follow up to a video I made about a year ago that specifically addresses stills.
This ain’t to diminish your enjoyment of the camera at all, the issues are when you’re using the subject tracking features in video or stills.
I’m really glad it’s working well for you 👍🏻
@@bytomw Thanks for the response!
In a weird way this is an encouraging video because I’ve never liked focus taking.
It’s all about knowing what you need! If tracking isn’t an issue for you they are just amazing little fun cameras with kick ass colour.
It’s funny because my GFX 50s is too slow to use autofocus with anyway.
I don't mind slow honestly, it's the false positives that the new firmware is giving.
Slow means I can be mindful and get the shot, fast and inaccurate is literally useless.
@@bytomwin the GFX 50s’s defence I’ve only used EF lenses with an adapter, so native GF lenses might be usable.
The only native lens I used on a regular basis was the 55mm 1.7 and it was stunning.
Happy to have stuck to my X-T4 then haha
Love that camera. The XT3 and XT4 are absolute gems.
You say you are using Canon R6ii to film this video but your face is going blurry many times during this video. It's distracting and proof Canon is not doing tracking on your face well at all! So your statement that it's totally reliable is not true. Your words means nothing.
If the canon is as bad as you say and I’m saying it’s reliable imagine how much you’d hate the Fujifilm in the same situation.
For what it’s worth this was recorded over USB in webcam mode and most of the cameras tracking features are disabled.
Tracking AF and Fujifilm dont fit in the same sentence we all know that. But Fuji has his own vibes it can be a love and hate relatioship.
I think my frustration is that when they first launched the XH2s it did track really well! It wasn’t going to win any speed awards but it was accurate.
But you’re right about how the situation is now. There are still reasons to own and love fujifilm cameras but you’re working around a list of limitations that’s longer than you’d think.
Why would I want a camera that doesn't focus on level with their competitors for the same $$$? I left Fuji over 4 years ago. Yes - they have fun jpegs, but I don't consider them for pro work. Personally, I don't like Canon, but you do you. I'll take Sony and Nikon all day long. BTW, if bullet proof AF tracking, easy to color grading and a huge ecosystem is something you want - IMO Sony would be best.
I'd agree on everything you just said apart from Sony being the best option ;)
It's personal preference at that level though.
Lots of people use Fuji gears for pro work, it all comes down to the user skill and experience.
When I try with my xt5 (ver 4.0)+ 23mmF1.4 LM on AFC object tracking(with back buttom focus lock), sometimes it just not focusing on the green box , It could be focused on a tree behind the subject (street cat most of the time). I had enough with fuji, Im just gonna move to sony A7cii or nikon Z6iii.
Color correction could be adjust, but focus missing is fxxxxx up.
( wtf are ur software team working on, FUJI !!)
Nice video by the way（＾ω＾）
I’m sure they are working super hard on this stuff even if it’s not fixed yet.
That said I’m loving my Nikon ZF. It scratches the retro itch.
@bytomw Thanks for the reply.
Yeah.... working super hard on their firmsim 😂 ,they should hire the software team from om to fix their autofocus.
ZF is a good choice, but for me, I was thinking of getting into wildlife /birding/bugs, so I do want some better handling when I'm shooting tele
Switching to Nikon for this reason. Love Fuji but it's AF is so unreliable
Sad but true. That said I’m really enjoying the Zf so far!
Sold my Fujis for a Canon 6dII. The Canon DSLR has better AF than Fuji. 😂
Thats such a shame, the 6D launched in 2017 😱
Still can remember when I got the X-T5 brand new, my first try was shooting my son going down the hill with his sleigh. With the new 33mm, a new lens with linear motors. Almost none of the shots had even soft focus, most of them were totally out of focus. Now we are on firmware 4 and it is still almost as bad, thankfully not as bad as with the previous firmware.
I’m thankful I don’t rely on it for work and that I don’t do video. But even as a passionate hobby photographer, I take my Sony A7IV with me when I don’t want to have to think about autofocus. It’s a shame, cause the Sony doesn’t inspire to go out and shoot. But sometimes it’s more about reliability than passion. Even as a hobbyist.
Very very well said.
It was one of your video that made me lean towards consider fuji and it one of your videos that cautioned me 😅. I waited a long time for them to fix this, Fuji is too stubborn to revert software back to something that worked and have failed to inspire any confidence. Such a shame that we all wanted them to succeed.
Honestly if I can save people from wasting money the videos are worth it.
I’m as frustrated as everyone else. I really loved the XH2s at launch and I wish it was still as reliable today.
For all our sakes I hope they fix it soon.
To be Honest, if u Shooting stills-Landscape or anything else with little to no moving objects fuji is fine. for everything else get away from fuji. im using my xh2 and xh2s and im going to sell my xh2s asap when sony announcing their alpha 7 mk5. Ill keep my xh2 for my everyday shooting or street photography but everything like weddings or some other events i will look forward to more reliable like sony. Canon is no option for me because their lense-policy is IMO not customer Friendly.
It's such a personal choice when you move systems, testing new gear out is honestly a large part of making changes that stick.
Sony make some amazing choices.
Pal2tech says the other way round
That’s Great if he isn’t seeing problems. It’s not been my experience or that of any professional I have talked to about it.
It recommend watching Edvards videos if you want a direct AB comparison with the competition.
Pal2tech is actually Palpatine. Why do you think his name is Pal? He is the real lord master sith.
How are you liking the nikon colors and editing? Wanted the xh2s but im thinking z6iii now from your vids. Never shot nikon
I really like the ZF, the colours feel similar to the XT3 to my eyes with a little bit of work.
Overall I’m really enjoying it for personal projects, haven’t tested it on a job yet but that’s what the canons are for.
great video, and i use my xh2s for cinematography of rc cars. and i agree, its hit or miss with the autofocus tracking. But when it focuses, with the viltrox 27mm f1.2, wow amazing images/videos. But yeahs its a big shame this AI implementation of focusing is trash.
For still photography, and its so good. Hence i cant sell it.
Again, thanks for the great video and im a new sub :)
I have heard a few people having a better hit rate with 3rd party lenses, I know they bypass the focus character settings (not sure why) maybe that helped with performance?
Thanks for the sub!
I must be missing something because my XH2 works great for vid or stills, I shoot a lot of wildlife when I am not doing my commercial work. The update improved it a bit.
If it works it works! I will say that puts you in a very lucky position.
To clarify it is only the tracking focus that’s unreliable. It’s giving false positives showing focus confirmation and then the final files are front or back focused and in some cases focused on a totally different subject.
I’m fine with slow focus. It the fact it shows confirmation is the issue to me.
@@bytomw I understand I use it often
I just don't like Fuji Film as a company.
The frustrating this is I really do like them!
FUJI AS A JOKE CAMERA COMAPNY HAVE MONEY FOR GFX GRANT PROGRAMME FOR SO MANY YEARS BUT CANT AFFORD TO IMPROVE THEIR AUTOFOCUS.
Honestly I want to see fujifilm do well. If they fixed this element of their cameras they would be nearly perfect for a lot of shoots, the GFX line especially is something really compelling to me.
That said I fully understand the frustrations.
@@bytomw I just do not know what is hapenning to them. Whatever decision they come up with offlate seems it is a step in the wrong direction. What is Kaizen if you do not listen to your customers, and always releasing half baked cameras. And at this point I can say they are robbing people in day light with their marketing by saying the aufocus is usable.
I get it. Honestly the frustration is understandable!
I wish we could just have the “slower” focus from 1.02 and the big fixes from the newer updates but it’s down to Fuji to make these things happen or not.
I really didn’t want to make this video, but it’s been a year now and people have been asking me since then.