I actually think it might be. I got an early look at this camera at the Fujifilm House of Photography in London before the official launch and I wrote this hands-on review for Digital Camera World ready for the Fujifilm X-Summit in New York.
I’ve had scarcely a couple of hours with this camera and I’ve not been able to test every feature – especially its 8K video – but I’m a long-term Fujifilm user, I’ve tested every X-mount mirrorless model so far, and every GFX medium format model for that matter, and I think I’m pretty well placed to judge this camera’s significance.
So here are my thoughts:
1. 40MP is a lot
It easily beats the highest resolution APS-C sensor so far (Canon, 32.5MP) and it rivals all but a handful of full frame cameras. I know an APS-C sensor is not the technical equal of a full frame sensor, but if pixels are what you need, whether it’s for a commercial shoot or your own creative satisfaction, the X-H2 delivers.
2. The 8K video recording times are important
It’s the first APS-C camera to record 8K video (courtesy of that ground-breaking APS-C resolution) and the key factor here is the recording times. Canon got a lot of stick for the EOS R5’s overheating issues (unfairly, in my opinion), but the X-H2 has no such trouble, with 8K recording times up to 180 minutes thanks to its passive cooling system and 240 minutes with the optional clip-on fan. Yes, the Sony A1 and Nikon Z9 also shoot 8K, but have you seen how much they COST?
3. The X-H2 is SERIOUS value for money
At $1,999 body-only, the X-H2 is at the pricier end of the spectrum for an APS-C camera, but massively undercuts any full-frame 8K rival. $1,999 might sound a lot to the average Hillman (sorry, my American friends – Hillman Hunter (a vintage British car) = punter, i.e. customer – Cockney rhyming slang), but it’s not a lot for enthusiasts and next to nothing (compared to the alternatives) for a pro.
4. This is a proper pro camera
The X-H2 (like the Fujifilm X-H2S, which I also reviewed) is built for professional use. It has a proper grip, an optional battery grip to make it shoot even longer, perhaps the best top-plate status panel around and a very good set of Fujinon lenses to back it up. This is NOT (sorry, Canon, Nikon, Sony) a consumer-orientated full-frame ‘substitute’. This is a serious professional system. Don’t make any mistake about that.
So to get back to my initial question, “is the Fujifilm X-H2 a breakthrough camera”? I really think it is. And at $1,999 I think I might even buy one. Which, for a camera journalist (one of the cheapest organisms on the planet) is quite an endorsement, I think.