Fujifilm X-H2S Review: A Stacked Sensor and Internal ProRes Make Fuji Fast at Last

For years, the knock on Fujifilm was speed. Beautiful files, lovely lenses, autofocus and readout that trailed Sony and Canon. The Fujifilm X-H2S, launched in May 2022 at $2,499, was Fuji’s answer. It was the first X-mount camera with a stacked sensor, and it turned Fuji into a serious option for action and pro video.

The sensor is a 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS, a stacked back-side illuminated chip that reads out several times faster than Fuji’s earlier sensors. Paired with the X-Processor 5, it drives everything from 40 fps bursts to clean, low-distortion video.

Video review: DPReview TV

Fast in every way

40 fps with the electronic shutter, without blackout, and a buffer of around 175 raw files at that rate. 15 fps with the mechanical shutter. Subject-detection autofocus for people, animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bikes, planes and trains.

Because the stacked sensor reads so quickly, the electronic shutter is usable for fast action without the warping you get from slower sensors.

Stabilization is rated at 7 stops. The 5.76-million-dot viewfinder is large and refreshes at 120 fps, so tracking a moving subject feels natural.

A video camera for paid work

6.2K open gate at up to 30p, 4K at up to 60p from the full sensor width, 4K at 120p with a 1.29x crop, and Full HD at 240p. Internal Apple ProRes 422 HQ, 422 and LT, which few cameras at this price offered when it launched. F-Log and F-Log2. Raw output over HDMI to Atomos or Blackmagic recorders.

Fuji sells an optional screw-on cooling fan for long recordings in heat. Card slots are one CFexpress Type B and one SD UHS-II, and the big NP-W235 battery lasts about 580 shots by CIPA.

The screen flips out fully. There’s a top status LCD, a PASM dial and a deep grip. It’s a more conventional, pro-style body than Fuji’s dial-heavy X-T line.

The tradeoffs

26MP is the same resolution as Fuji’s cheaper bodies. If you want detail, the X-H2 shares this body with a 40MP sensor.

Autofocus is much better than older Fujis, but tracking in very cluttered scenes still trails the best from Sony and Canon.

It’s not cheap or small. At about 660 grams with battery and card, it’s a substantial APS-C body.

Who should buy it

Fuji shooters who photograph sports, wildlife, birds or kids. Hybrid creators and small production crews who want ProRes without an external recorder. Anyone who loves Fuji color but needed more speed.

If resolution matters more than speed, buy the X-H2. If you want something cheaper and smaller with Fuji video, the X-S20 does a lot of this for half the price. For the fastest, most video-ready Fuji, this is still the one.