Obviously it’s not impossible, but it is quite a difficult choice. Both cameras have Fujifilm’s new 40MP sensor, both cameras have similar technologies and both cameras even cost a similar amount of money.
I go into a lot more detail about features of each camera in this Fujifilm X-T5 vs X-H2 article on Digital Camera World, but rather than recite the same list of specs comparisons all over again, I thought I’d just summarise it here.
The bottom line is that while these two cameras are technically very similar, they are completely different in their design and indeed their appeal.
Why you might want the Fujifilm X-H2
Fujifilm has decided to make its pro cameras more generic. In other words, not to have all the fancy retro exposure dials that Fujifilm cameras have become renowned for, but to take a more mainstream approach with a regular mode dial, buttons and multi-function control dials.
I think Fujifilm wants to aim for a broader market. This was certainly the case with the Fujifilm X-S10, a great enthusiast camera designed to be less intimidating for new users or brand-switchers. But actually I think this started with the short-lived X-H1, a camera I rated very highly, incidentally.
The X-H2 is designed and laid out just like any other high-end mirrorless camera, albeit with a bit of Fujifilm flair and some useful tech. Basically, this is what the X-H2 has got that the X-T5 hasn’t:
- A vari-angle screen
- A massive buffer depth for burst shooting
- 8K video (the X-T5 tops out at 6.2K)
- Dual card formats (1x SD, 1x CFexpress Type B)
- A status display on the top
Why you might want the Fujifilm X-T5
The X-T5 has Fujifilm’s now-classic control layout, with a shutter speed dial, ISO dial and EV compensation dial on the top – which work brilliantly with the aperture ring on many Fujifilm lenses. To many old-timers like me, this is the ‘logical’ way to work with exposure, rather than juggling mode dials and multi-purpose control dials.
So to sum up, this is what the X-T5 has that the X-H2 doesn’t:
- A 3-way tilt screen (not as versatile as a vari-angle screen but more compact and keeps the screen on the optical axis)
- A shutter speed dial, ISO dial and EV comp dial
- The same AF
- The same burst rate (though a much lower buffer capacity)
- Looks to die for
So should you get the Fujifilm X-T5 or the Fujifilm X-H2?
If you’re unemotional about cameras and just want the most efficient tool for the job, it has to be the X-H2. It’s a really good camera.
For stills photography alone, I’d choose the X-T5. Its a beautiful camera to look at and to use, and if it’s important to you how a camera feels and operates in the hand, the X-T5 is the one.
I think Fujifilm has rather cleverly made two cameras for two very different audiences. For what it does, the X-T2 is a clear winner. For how it does it, I’d say the X-T5. Very often, photographers will split very clearly into these two personality types: the pragmatic and the creative – and Fujifilm has made a camera for both of them.