Following the launch of the speedy X-H2S mirrorless camera earlier this year, Fujifilm has now announced a new family member that boasts the highest resolution offered in the X Series range, as well as being the first APS-C camera able to record 8K/30p ProRes video internally.
The X-H2 features a 40.2-MP (23.5 x 15.6-mm) back-illuminated CMOS 5 HR X-Trans image sensor that works with the company's latest imaging engine, the X-Processor 5, to enable internal recording of 8K/30p Apple ProRes video – a world's first for an APS-C camera, according to Fujifilm.
The camera supports ProRes 422, 422 HQ and 422 LT codecs plus 422 Proxy, and can record 8K/30p video at 4:2:2 10-bit color for up to 30 minutes at a time, though an optional cooling fan can be installed to extend that even further, as well as oversampled 4K.
Users are promised 2x digital zoom with "little-to-no loss in resolution," and the new X-H flagship is capable of 12-bit 8K/30p RAW video output to a compatible HDMI device, with a new F-Log2 profile bumping up dynamic range to more than 13 stops.
The mirrorless camera is also the first in the range to come with Pixel Shift Multi-Shot functionality, which uses the camera's 5-axis in-body image stabilization system to shift the sensor a little while snapping 20 reference images for subsequent post-production stitching to generate a 160-megapixel composite photo.
Hybrid autofocus comes with face/eye detection and AI-based subject-tracking (with AF prediction) that can follow such things as animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains. Light sensitivity runs from ISO160 to 12,800 as standard, but can be extended down to ISO80 for photos and up to ISO51,200 for stills and video. And electronic shutter speed has been improved on the previous model by 2.5 stops (from 1/32,000 sec to 1/180,000 sec).
Framing up is undertaken via a 0.5-inch 5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder, with 0.8x magnification and 120-fs frame rate, or a 3-inch 1.62-million-dot vari-angle LCD touch monitor, and there's a monochrome LCD panel up top for quick settings checks.
Photos and footage is stored to a CFExpress Type B or UHS-II SD media, Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi are also cooked in for wireless data transfer and control, and Fujifilm has added an optional file transmitter grip for high-speed wireless and wired LAN capabilities "essential for in-studio tethered content creation or creating sports/media content."
And finally, the camera can be used during a downpour or at the beach thanks to 79 sealing points, and will operate in temperatures as low as 14 °F (-10 °C).
The X-H2 goes on sale later this month for a body-only suggested retail price of US$1,999.95 or $2,499.95 with a XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR lens.
Product page: X-H2
