Fujifilm X-H2: everything we know so far about the mirrorless camera

The Fujifilm X-H2 is expected to be the high-resolution sibling of the recently announced Fujifilm X-H2S – in other words, a high-end APS-C mirrorless camera aimed at keen hobbyists and pros.

We know for sure that a 40MP Fujifilm X-H2 camera is coming, because Fuji announced this at its X Summit in May 2022. What it didn’t explain is exactly what other features this high-resolution camera will have and how much it’ll cost, but fortunately some credible rumors have helped fill in some of those gaps.

The situation is definitely a confusing one, unless you’re a hardcore Fuji fan. The Fujifilm X-H2S (which stands for ‘Speed’) recently launched with a new stacked 26MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS APS-C sensor. You can read our first impressions of that X-series flagship in our hands-on Fujifilm X-H2S review.

So how will the Fujifilm X-H2 differ from its similarly-named cousin? The main difference, it seems, will be that new 40MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR APS-C sensor, which should make it more suitable for stills photographers who prize detail over speed and, perhaps, videographers who need more resolution than the 6.2K/30p the X-H2S is capable of.

If that sounds like you, here are all the latest Fujifilm X-H2 rumors rounded up in one handy place, along with our thoughts on how the camera’s shaping up next to the considerable competition you can find in our guides to the best mirrorless cameras and the best cameras for photography.

Fujifilm X-H2 release date and price

Fujifilm announced during its X Summit in May 2022 that “we will inform of the details of X-H2 during the next X Summit in September”. This means we’ll almost certainly see a full launch of the Fujifilm X-H2 at that event, although it isn’t yet clear when it might be available to buy. 

Despite being announced in May, the X-H2S is still only available for pre-order – and Fuji released a statement saying that the camera had “received more reservations than expected, and it may take some time before the products are delivered”. If that’s any guide, the best hope for prospective X-H2 owners is that stock will land later in 2022.

On the plus side, it seems the X-H2 will be a little cheaper than the fairly pricey X-H2S, which costs $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$4,449. In a Fuji Rumors post on May 26, the site said “we can now say with 100% certainty that the 26MP Fujifilm X-H2S will cost more than the 40MP Fujifilm X-H2”.

Exactly how big that price difference will be isn’t yet clear. The main reason for the X-H2’s lower price is likely to be the fact that its sensor isn’t stacked. But otherwise, it’s still going to be one of Fuji’s two most premium cameras, so we’d anticipated that it’ll still cost more than the Fujifilm X-T4, which arrived for $1,699 / £1,549  / AU$2,999 back in 2020. Somewhere in between those price tags – at around $2,000 / £2,000 –  seems the most likely, but we’ll update this page as soon as we come across a more precise figure.

Fujifilm X-H2 specs, design, leaks and rumors

Fujifilm gave us a broad overview of the X-H2 at the X Summit in May – and this helped clear up some of the confusion about how exactly it differs from the already-announced X-H2S.

In a nutshell, the Fujifilm X-H2 will have a new 40MP HR sensor (with the ‘R’ standing for resolution), with the X-H2S instead offering a 26MP HS (with the ‘S’ standing for speed) chip. 

Aside from this detail, no other official X-H2 specs have been revealed by Fujifilm (or leaked yet), but this does give us a good idea of the camera’s character. As Fujifilm explained about the 40MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR, “while it is not a stacked sensor, it is fast and enhances the mobility of APS-C”.

Interestingly, Fujifilm added: “it is a sensor that goes beyond the format boundaries to deliver ultra-high image quality”. 

We’ll have to wait to see the results, but it’s clear that the X-H2 is going to be its attempt to rival the best full-frame cameras in terms of outright image quality and resolution. This should make it particularly popular with landscape and macro shooters, as it’ll provide plenty of leeway for cropping into photos without losing too much image quality or resolution.

On the flipside, the X-H2 won’t have the outright speed of the X-H2S. Thanks to its stacked sensor, the X-H2S is one of the fastest cameras around for continuous shooting, managing to rattle off 40fps (raw or JPEG) when using the electronic shutter, all with full AF / AE tracking and no viewfinder blackout. It also has a decent buffer to back those speeds up, which lets you shoot at those top speeds for 4-5 seconds. Here are those speeds as a reminder.

Still, these kinds of continuous shooting speeds are overkill for the average photographer, and it’s likely that the Fujifilm X-H2 will still offer competitive burst speeds, given it’ll come with the same X-Processor 5 as its sibling.

According to the latest leaks, the X-H2 will also look identical to the X-H2S. A Fuji Rumors post on June 6 stated that the two cameras “will have exactly the same body”, and a leaked image of the X-H2 on June 17 (below) appeared to back that up.

If you’re a fan of deep grips and top-plate LCDs for checking your settings, you’ll be be pretty pleased to hear that X-H2 will likely share this design.

Our hands-on Fujifilm X-H2S review stated that it “looks and feels like a professional camera”, while also noting that it’s actually smaller and lighter than the Fujifilm X-H1 from 2018. 

This means we’ll likely get the more traditional PASM (Program, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Manual) approach to controls, rather than dial-heavy approach adopted by Fuji’s more retro X-T series. And like the X-H2S, the X-H2 is expected to have a fully articulating touchscreen, which is handy for video but less popular with some stills shooters.

The X-H2 will also hopefully adopt the excellent 5.76-million dot OLED viewfinder we saw on the X-H2S, as this is a significant upgrade from current-generation Fujifilm cameras.

Still, there are a lot of question marks about the X-H2 specs. Will it have the same autofocus performance as the X-H2S, given it’ll have a higher-resolution sensor? And what kind of video skills and codecs will that new sensor be capable of? 

Fuji Rumors has previously stated that the camera will be capable of shooting 8K video in DCI and UHD formats, but we’ll update this page with more specific leaks on this and the rest of the camera’s specs in the run-up to Fuji’s X Summit in September.

Fujifilm X-H2 early verdict

If the rumors are correct, the Fujifilm X-H2 is shaping up to be a very promising camera for those who prize resolution over speed, as well as those who found the X-H2S to be a little too pricey.

The fact that it’s been tipped to have exactly the same body as the X-H2S will be good news for most photographers, given that means a 5.76-million dot OLED viewfinder and a hefty grip that’ll balance nicely with longer lenses. 

If you’re a fan of Fujifilm’s tactile dials, as seen on cameras like the X-T series, then you might not be so keen on the X-H2’s likely retention of the PASM system. There are also still a lot of question marks around the X-H2’s autofocus and video skills, along with the ability of current X-series lenses to wring every drop of detail from that 40MP sensor.

But on paper, the 5th-generation sibling of the X-H2S looks like it could be the more popular choice between those two cameras, particularly if it does indeed with a lower price tag, and a strong contender for the title of best camera for landscape photography.