Fujifilm XH2s - XF 150-600mm example

[kdowie]

   Given Fujifilm have only recently released the XH2s and the XF 150-600mm zoom lens, some people may be considering this system as a potential nature/wildlife photography option.
   I have only just taken delivery of these items and have taken less than 1000 frames so far.  I've attached the first image I've processed so far just to give readers some idea of what to expect in terms of image quality.   I don't claim the image to be anything special from an aesthetic perspective.   
   The subject was backlit, with not the best background etc.  The image was captured at 600mm F8.0, shutter speed 1/125 sec, ISO 400, handheld. 
    The RAW (RAF) file was 6240 x 4160 pixels.   The processed image was cropped to 3629 x 2510 pixels with simple Lightroom to Photoshop processing including some lightening of the shadows on the bird and some sharpening.   I've outputted the file as a 1300x900 pixel jpeg.  If the system will allow it, I'll also post the 3629 x 2510 pixel version.


 

[Chris Kern]

Handheld?  What do you think of the ergonomics of the 150-600mm?

[kdowie]

Handheld?  What do you think of the ergonomics of the 150-600mm?

Very early days for me Chris,  I've only had the camera and lens 48 hours at this point, just long enough to get to grips (kind of) with the menu system and a couple of hours of actual use.   The combination can certainly be used handheld but not, I'd suggest, for extended periods.   The fact that you can get this kind of zoom range and length in a handholdable lens,  albeit with a widest aperture of F8, I think is pretty amazing.  To me, so far,  the lens feels good in the hand with a broad zoom ring,  the zooming is done internally so there's no "tromboning".
   I've seen several videos with pro photographers demonstrating the lens handheld but they're holding the lens by the tripod mounting foot!   Why?   The tripod foot is easily removed for handheld shooting or,  I simply rotate the foot so it's overhead on the lens.  There is an unmarked aperture ring on the lens which seems to be a "fly by wire" type system.  There are good clear clicks as you rotate from one aperture to the next but the ring doesn't stop turning when you get to the widest, or narrowest, aperture setting.
   When handholding,  I find that my thumb and index finger land naturally on the focusing ring, my palm,  third and fourth fingers land on the zoom ring and my fifth finger lands naturally on the aperture ring.   To be honest,  to this point I've used the lens wide open at all times.
   Looking forward,  I think it's going to be interesting to see how well the auto-focusing system works with bird recognition and so on.   There's a lot to familiarise yourself with regarding auto-focusing options and setups.  To this point I haven't used any other fujifilm lens with the camera so,  I can't give you a "this lens is more responsive than that lens" opinion.
    Another little feature, not related to the ergonomics, is that there is an Arca Swiss profile dovetail built into the tripod foot so no need to fit a mounting plate.

[Chris Kern]

The [H2s with the 150-600mm attached] can certainly be used handheld but not, I'd suggest, for extended periods.

That's what held me back from buying the Fuji 100-400mm, which I rented on a couple of occasions and which is slightly lighter than the 150-600mm.  It was certainly handholdable on an XT-3, but I wouldn't have wanted to lug it around all day.  I'll probably try the 150-600 when they become sufficiently available to rent one, but for now I'm inclined to think my 70-300 f/4-5.6 is probably the best compromise of reach and weight for the kind of telephoto subjects I shoot.  It's extremely light (580g), it focuses quickly, and it functions well with a 1.4x teleconverter for a 420mm effective focal length.

By the way, I was slightly disappointed with the image stabilization provided by the 100-400mm, although admittedly I was using it on an XT-3, which doesn't have sensor-based stabilization.  As you go forward, I'd be interested in hearing how effective you find the stabilization of the H2s and 150-600 combination.  I've been able to shoot the 70-300 at 420mm (i.e., with the 1.4x converter) on an XT-4 at 1/25 second with no detectable camera motion.  Of course, that's irrelevant if your shooting birds-in-flight or other moving subjects.