USER EXPERIENCE: Joubert Walters, BeeSteady Productions – X-H2S Videography
- What are your thoughts on video quality overall? Are there any specific new improvements you want to comment on?
Fujifilm has always impressed me from a sheer image quality standpoint. Our camera of choice – the X-T4 – handles challenging lighting conditions, be it overly light or dark, thanks to impeccable dynamic range and low noise levels.
The X-H2S takes all this and improves upon it. The improvement in dynamic range, especially in F-Log and F-Log2, is by far the most notable of the bunch. Regardless of how harsh lighting conditions are, the X-H2S manages to retain smooth highlight roll-off and preserve detail in the highlights and in shadows markedly better than Fujifilm’s own and the industry’s existing offerings.
I haven’t seen dynamic range like this even in cameras nearing double the X-H2S’s price point.
- How did you find battery life?
Having challenged myself to ditch the USB-PD power bank that runs our X-T4s for only the internal battery found in the X-H2S, I was pleasantly surprised. I only had to change the battery once while shooting in 4k60p, in F-Log2, after four hours.
- Did you use the X-H2S’s autofocus and autofocus tracking? What were your findings?
With the X-T4, one really must learn and get used to its flaws for the video AF, at which point it starts to fade away. With the X-H2S on the other hand, there was no adjustment period. Point it in a direction and it will grab the subject quickly and smoothly, plus stay locked on without hunting for focus.
It has made the camera such a joy to work with, especially in run-and-gun scenarios. I no longer have to guess or hope for the camera to retain focus throughout my shot. The camera gave me a sense of reliability: I could trust it, allowing me to concentrate on composition and movement.
- Can you comment on the improvements to rolling shutter?
Fujifilm has always been bothered by rolling shutter a lot less than its competitors, with the X-T4 having very little, mostly notable only in its highest bitrate and resolution settings. With the X-H2S, I am yet to encounter it to an extent that becomes visible to the naked eye, even when shooting at 4k120p.
- Did you have any heat issues while shooting?
Not yet. It should be noted that I have not utilised the 4k120p setting continuously, or in harsh enough weather to give it a shot at overheating. So far it has been solid. I adjusted the temperature limit to high upon unboxing it.
- Do you have feedback on F-Log2?
Having been invited to shoot BTS work alongside Lindsey Appolis, in an indoor, rather dark setting, I thought it to be the ideal time to test F-Log2, with its base ISO being 1250. I doubted the measurability of the improvement at first. That was until I started grading it in Blackmagic Davinci Resolve. Thanks to the monumental step up in dynamic range, and the sheer flatness of F-Log2, you are able to extract so much colour from it. No blown highlights, deep blacks with low noise – it’s been a treat!
F-Log2 truly opens up the X-H2S to the cinema-world a lot more, challenging cameras in much higher price brackets on the dynamic range front.
- What surprised you most about the X-H2S?
How much better Fujifilm’s X-mount lenses’ autofocus can be! I would love to see firmware updates brought to the X-T4 improving upon focus smoothness (as seen in the X-H2S) instead of focus speed (for video). Smooth, reliable video auto focus is something the X-H2S shines at – truly. The improved IBIS has also been a treat. Having clear improvements in retaining smoothness and not being too jerky as the X-T4 could sometimes be, where it would overcompensate when camera movement is taking place.
Find more of Joubert’s work here:
Web: https://www.beesteadyproductions.com/
Video shot on the Fujifilm X-H2S.
