There’s something I’ve noticed, and I want to talk about it. I’ve already discusses this at length multiple times, but this is a slightly different take on it, so I hope you’ll forgive me for bringing it up again. I hate talking about it because it will invariably offend someone, but I think it’s important to bring some clarity to this. What is the subject? Autofocus, of course.
Fujifilm has been much maligned over the last few years—especially the last two—for their autofocus, with many on the internet using words like “trash” and “sucks” and other adjectives along those lines. There’s been an excessive amount of negativity. Of course it’s hyperbole; however, there is a small kernel of truth. So let’s discuss it.
For the first handful of years of this blog, autofocus wasn’t a major topic within the community. I think everyone recognized that X-Trans II and earlier models had some low-light difficulties, but otherwise the AF was sufficient for most people and circumstances, and most everyone seemed ok with that. Then, in late-2022, something seemed to shift, and I noticed a significant increase in AF complaints. The discontentment grew much larger around the spring of 2024 when Fujifilm released a firmware update with an autofocus bug—it took six to eight months for them to get that resolved.
What I noticed all the way back in late 2022 is that when the complainer mentioned their camera, it was almost always an X-H2 or X-H2s. Throughout most of 2023, whenever someone made the complaint, I would ask them which camera they own, and it was almost always an X-H2 or X-H2s (you could bet on it). Even today, when you look at the comments where people complain about the AF, they usually admit that they have an X-H2 or X-H2s, typically along the lines of: “If Fujifilm doesn’t have Sony-level AF on their next camera, I’m selling my X-H2s and switching brands!” Probably 75% of the complaints come from those with an X-H2 or X-H2s, while the X-T5 is in a very distant third place. Once you notice this, you cannot unsee it.
The X-H2s has Fujifilm’s best and fastest autofocus, while the X-H2 has the second best and the X-T5 has the third best. So why do the majority of the complaints come from those with the best autofocus? Shouldn’t most of the complaints come from those with an X-T30 or X-E4 or a lower-tier camera like that?
One explanation might be that those who use the X-H2, X-H2s, and X-T5 are more likely to do types of photography that stress the AF capabilities. That’s a valid point, and I’m sure there is truth to it. These particular models are more likely to be purchased by those doing bird or sports photography, videography, and things like that. What it doesn’t explain are all those who have much success with those same models doing those same types of activities. How is one person doing great with it and for another it “just sucks”? Or how about all those who are doing it with gear that has inferior AF? It just doesn’t make sense, so I don’t believe this holds much weight as an explanation, but it does hold some weight, at least a little.
What I have steadfastly maintained for the last two years is that Fujifilm’s AF isn’t as good as the Canikony brands, but it’s plenty good enough as long as the one behind the camera is good enough. Of course nobody wants to hear that they’re the problem, so they don’t listen to this; instead, they get offended, and disregard the obvious truth. If the person claiming that Fujifilm’s autofocus is bad wants it to work well for them, they have it within their power to make it so. I 100% believe that the camera is capable, and the photographer has the ability to learn and grow and become capable, too. As Ansel Adams famously said, “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.” But, it’s so much easier and more satisfying to blame the gear, so that’s what most people do.
Those who insist that Fujifilm’s autofocus must become “class leading” or “as good as Sony’s” have unrealistic expectations. Fujifilm’s AF will never catch up to their’s, or Canon’s or Nikon’s (perhaps AI levels the playing field a bit… maybe). Why? Because all of those companies have been making autofocus since the 1980’s or earlier. They all have much larger R&D budgets than Fujifilm, and are more likely to attract the best engineering talent. Those companies have also ignored image quality improvements and focused (pun intended) almost solely on AF over the last handful of years (as reported by PetaPixel), and even to the detriment of IQ in some cases. So, yeah, they’re ahead of the curve; however, they’re at the peak of an inverted U curve, and each improvement means less and less and less in any practical sense.
Fujifilm’s AF is more than good enough for most photographers and situations, and anyone who says otherwise isn’t being honest. But there is definitely some room for improvements, and I’m sure there will be improvements in the near future. I’m certain that Fujifilm is working hard right now at this very moment to get the most out of their autofocus. So why all the negativity, then?
It’s taken awhile for me to come to this conclusion, but I’m pretty sure the AF issue (outside of that one firmware bug that has long been resolved) has little to do with the actual technical capabilities of the camera, and more to do with the intuitiveness of it. The Canikony brands tend to assume that their users just want the camera to work great straight out of the box (ironically, many of these same people insist that they must have full control over a RAW file…). They assume their users don’t want to—and most likely won’t—dig deeply into the menu to customize their experience. On the other hand, Fujifilm (for better or worse) expects that their customers will dig deeply into their camera’s menu and customize the experience. Fujifilm’s cameras aren’t intended to give you peak performance straight out of the box—you must set it up yourself for your preferences and needs. That’s the biggest difference. I know this because I own a Sony a7 IV, and its AF isn’t all that much different than my X-T5; however, I have the X-T5 customized for my photography, and that’s why it does so well for me. Camera Conspiracies had a similar epiphany, and now no longer believes that Fujifilm’s AF is junk.
In my opinion, the reason why the X-H2 and X-H2s receives the most autofocus complaints (despite having the best AF) is because these two cameras were specifically intended to attract Canikony photographers. Since these photographers are not used to the philosophy difference, they don’t realize that they need to customize their camera to the extent necessary to achieve their desired results; even if they become aware, they are likely unsure how to do it. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources. Pal2Tech has several excellent videos (here, here, here, here, and here), and is a great channel in-general. Walter Lyle’s video is pretty good, too. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, you can find tons of help if you look for it.
So, if you’re struggling with Fujifilm’s autofocus, my advice is to spend some time figuring out how to best customize the settings for your needs, and perhaps look for some techniques that might help you overcome the obstacle. Aside from that, the Fujifilm community is always eager to help. Don’t be afraid to talk with other X-Series photographers, and ask how they’re achieving success. Find some local Fujifilm events, and speak with a Fujifilm representative—if they’re unsure how to help, they certainly know who can. This doesn’t have to be a problem, and it only is a problem if you allow it to be one.
Tracking sensitivity +4 Locked On
Speed tracking sensitivity +2
Zone area switching Auto Custom #6
These are my custom settings that work for me. Otherwise I’ve never understood the noise from the naysayers over Fujifilm autofocus. Hey perhaps there’s better out there, but autofocus hasn’t gotten in the way from my photography.
Awesome, thanks for sharing! 😀
“and it only is a problem if you allow it to be one.” is really well said. I have had an xt4, xt5 and currently an x-pro2. I had the most problems when I had a canon camera, if I may say so, so yes, anyone who compares, say, to a sony camera is good and then buys one (I don’t think there is anything in the world stopping anyone from switching) so yes, you are right, the real problem is behind that camera. and thank you very much for this blog, it is one of the biggest things in my fujiX career.
I appreciate your kind comment!
I don’t necessarily disagree with what you said. I started with Nikon when autofocus wasn’t even a thing yet. I’ve never really understood AF complaints, try shooting a sporting event with MF camera, let’s just say that can be very frustrating endeavor at times.
Now having said that, after years of shooting Nikon SLR’s and DSLR’s I made the switch to Fujifilm after I saw the XT-3 and fell in love with it, what a beautiful camera. After 2 years with the XT-3, I made the switch back to Nikon. I felt the Fuji AF was not as reliable as my Nikon’s. But if truth be told, I was so used to the Nikon, the Fuji just never really felt comfortable to me. I agree it was probably as much me as anything else. Perhaps had I spent more time learning the nuances of the Fuji, I could have become more proficient. I really miss Fuji’s film simulations, they really were (are) incredible, I love the nostalgia.
I now have the Nikon Zf, which I really love, it feels like an old friend and it performs just like I’m used to. The film simulations (recipes) I don’t feel are as good as Fujifilm’s, but they work for me.
Bottom line, I think any modern camera has very good AF capabilities if you are willing to take the time and effort to learn the system. I’d take a poorly performing AF camera any day over a MF camera, life is so much better with AF.
Keep up the good work, even though I shoot Nikon, I still come to you site weekly and enjoy your work here.
Exactly. Any modern camera is more than capable, and can run circles around the capabilities of older gear—yet that older gear is still very capable, and many wonderful pictures were captured with it. So it’s more about what feels right to you, and what joy you get out of it. The brand doesn’t matter. The pictures you create, the experiences you have, and the way you feel are much more important. Thanks for the comment!
I find this topic amusing. My day job has me using a Sony A7RIV. I traded in my personal Sony camera for a XS20. I prefer the autofocus on the XS20. Admittedly, I’m not doing bird or sports photography. But, I’ve never had a problem with the autofocus on my Fuji.
I know a number of people personally who use Sony, Canon, or Nikon for the day job (sometimes by choice, sometimes not), but use Fujifilm for their personal/fun photography. Thanks for the input!
Mathieu Gasquet (Mirrorless Comparison) has compiled a list of cameras he’s tested with birds in flight. He takes AF accuracy and burst speed into consideration, and shares the settings that work best for him. https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
That’s interesting, thanks for sharing!
I think of Dan Bailey, who’s pretty well known for his bird photography (among other things), and he’s used Fujifilm cameras since at least the X-T1 for this. The one using the gear matters a lot more than the gear itself, in my opinion. I think the gear becomes a more critical factor the less capable the one using it is. I forget who coined this, but it’s like the saying: Either you can no matter the camera, or you can’t no matter the camera. I don’t fully agree with that, but the general sentiment is mostly true.
Greets.
Fuji has the best skintones.
Fuji has the highest res sensor for use with ‘reversed lens mounted to “tube” lens rigs’ that almost invariably vignette at full frame. Canon used to have the honours here.
Fuji can do stacks as well as any one except Novoflex.
Fuji has interesting colour palate manipulation abilities.
When I use a Nikor or Cannon AF lens, generally slow focussing macros, via the relevant Fringer adapter, they AF on the T5 suprisingly well. I always then manually check any AF.
For clients, I struggle with tethered rigs and magnifyiers to focus as the punter requires.
I hate my Fuji controls.
My Nikon Z 7ii autofocuses remarkably well I have been told.
I concurr with Rockers that both Nikon and Canon deliver saleable colour with just a few tweaks.
Maybe not so Andy Warhol as his choices.
I love the Nikon handhold, I hate the Canon handhold.
My Z fc is a sweetie with an inadequate sensor. Neverthless, my casual carry.
The Auto level option with Canon C creations should be a game changer. Saves so much time.
I have seen Rockers surfer shots using a C Canon with the superb Canon EOS 100 to 400 zoom.
An AF tour de force but it has people in it. I avoid people.
I do prefocus and zone focus for wildlife. Works well. Also for motorsport.
I also use the Novoflex follow focus lens system. Very strange looks.
To summarise.
We buy our light recorders for different reasons or maybe, just plain predudice.
One of these is “How easy is it to hire compatable kit and how quickly can I get it repaired or replaced when I drop it or it is stolen.”
If you visit Le Mans or the Olympics, you will see who and why the players are.
Very best rgds.
Malcolm Hayward.
For Christmas I got a book entitled “100 Greatest Photographs to Ever be Published in Arizona Highways Magazine” (for those unaware, Arizona Highways has a long history of publishing great photographs; Ansel Adams was a regular contributor). On page 56 is a photo by Ken Akers of a rodeo that was captured on film with a 600mm lens. If you listened to the comments on the internet, you’d conclude that such a photo would be impossible without the latest Sony, Canon, or Nikon release; however the picture was made in 1989. If someone is not able to get a sharp, in-focus picture with their X-H2s, which is far more advanced and sophisticated and capable than what Ken used, there’s not really much hope for them (the gear never was and never will be the issue—technique trumps technology every time).
Here’s where you can see the photo:
https://www.arizonahighways.com/article/magnificent-seven
I appreciate the comment!
Like the 8 x 10s. LOL.
As was suggested, just like a film set.
Malcolm.
“On the other hand, Fujifilm (for better or worse) expects that their customers will dig deeply into their camera’s menu and customize the experience. Fujifilm’s cameras aren’t intended to give you peak performance straight out of the box—you must set it up yourself for your preferences and needs. That’s the biggest difference.”
Clearly for worse, because it’s lead to this perception. Autofocus isn’t quite the same as program mode or auto modes in cameras, because even experienced folks use autofocus… but it’s close. Folks use autofocus because they want the camera to take care of it, and they just want it to work.
Having the customization options does make a lot of sense, but it’s very important for these things to work right out of the box, and there are going to be a fair number of users who don’t want to go into settings at all. Making sure the defaults are as good as possible is important.
To that end, Sony colors. The response I see most often to the critique of bad Sony colors is “Learn how to process RAW properly.” And while there’s benefit to RAW, that’s also the wrong answer. A lot of folks just want good cameras SOOC. Fuji has nailed this aspect, getting probably the most fun way to interact with SOOC JPEG files in any system.
Fuji, allegedly use a better RAW system.
Those for whom image is all, use glass with no focus capabilities, intended for rigs (tubes, bellows etc) or are strictly manual focus, think Zeiss or Voigtlander.
Legendary macro lenses from Canon and Nikon are tardy to lock focus. Less important now stacking is king.
Use you aperture sweet spot. Run through the subject. Your stack handling software does the rest.
Top tip.
Incrementally moving the focus plane through the subject via the whole rig is better than repeatedly refocussing the lens with the camera body.
No perspective changes, focus breathing nor premature lens motor replacement.
Have had the latter.
Using the camera body is so much easier. Automated with current bodies.
Incremental rig adjustment does need a rack, powered?
There is a genre where picking out a sharp eye is important but with weddings for example, your venue is so much a major part. Shut down, take it slow and treat the hideously expensive 13 Cen venue with the importance of the humans.
Nothing with people for me.
For wild life, zone or prefocussing works nicely.
Also applies to security and surveillance.
Check out the shots from the Olympics, 60s, through to the late 80s.
The Novoflex follow focus system was king.
It did get people into trouble in NI. LOL.
Best Rgds
Malcolm Hayward.
How did it get people in trouble? I feel there’s an interesting story there….
IRA insurrection.
Novoflex follow focus can appear in half light to be a firearm. Later, they went Camo like a Kate.
Madness but so German.
The newly introduced Canon auto telephotos.
Creamy grey.
Great capabilities.
Ubiquitous.
Short planned life, not glass. Expendable. Couple of grand is nothing if you get “The” shot.
European publications are National / International, not city based.
UK Sunday titles, World’s greatest circulations. Real money.
General hoard used to seeing them at say Wmbledon or Lords.
Much less likely to get you shot.
About covers it.
Malcolm.
Interesting, I had no idea.
I think 10 years ago, there wasn’t a lot different in the AF philosophy between Fujifilm and the Canikony brands (the Canikony brands AF were generally more sophisticated and worked better, especially in low-light, but the overall implementation philosophy was quite similar). However, in the time since, probably most notable over the last five years, the philosophies have become quite divergent. Canikony brands migrated sharply towards intuitiveness (requiring less of the user), while Fujifilm moved a little more towards customization (requiring even more of the user). I think there is merit to both approaches, and reasons why one might prefer one approach over the other (I tend to like customization, personally, but I’m also not afraid to dig into the menu). Where I think Fujifilm failed was explaining this (making users aware) and providing resources for getting the most out of it (how to customize it for various use-cases and techniques). Like with customizing JPEGs (Recipes), they left it up to the community to figure it out and share it among themselves; however, the community—outside of a few places (such as Pal2Tech)—hasn’t really done much to figure it out and share the information. Maybe that’s because there are so many different approaches and philosophies, that what works for me might not be most ideal for most, and what works best for you might not be most ideal for most, etc., etc.. It’s not too late for Fujifilm to produce some training videos with tips and tricks, but my guess is that they’re going to move towards intuitiveness (and away from customization) with the next generation (that’s just a guess, though).
Most of the complaints come from high end camera users because more you pay, more you expect. All off the Fuji cameras on sale has pretty much the same hardware so they have similar af performances. An X-T30 user doesn’t complain because they are getting much better price to performance ratio.
On the other hand, X-H2 has a lot of competition on the price range, and rivals offer serious performance.
I am using Xt4 and xe2, even the poor old e2 does the job for me, I have no complaints. But whenever I pick up a new sony or canon, I am always impressed by how sticky the af is. It’s not the speed that impresses me, but especially in video mode, they are so reliable, they almost never misses af or even breathes while shooting. I have never got that confidence on a fujifilm camera.
I think you can get very similar (probably not quite as good, but not very far off, either) AF performance from the latest Fujifilm models (X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, etc.), but you have to set them up for the type of situation you’ll be using it in. If you don’t do that, it will seem subpar. I think most of the complaints are from those who either don’t realize that they have to do that, or never bothered to figure it out. I’m confident that 95%+ of those complaining could resolve their issues if they want to, and it wouldn’t take a much effort to do so (but it requires some effort nonetheless, which apparently is the largest problem).
Well put.
M.D.H.
For these companies they are hitched to Video as their future. They have adopted lighting fast but so expensive storage systems. Remember the stick given to Nikon on this point with the original Z6 and Z7. Nikon has even swallowed ‘Red’. With the engineering effort into cooling and buffer sizes / speeds I feel sticky AF may have been secondary. Just coding. The tremendously successful Z6iii has made huge affordable strides here. Little for photographers though.
Fuji is more for photographers and less for Vloggers and creators of Home Porn.
Ironic, considering Fuji make the best TV camera lenses.
Choose your position and buy your camera to suit.
I wondered if the Eterna 55 is partially intended to sell a body to go with their broadcast lenses; however, so far they haven’t made them GFX mount.
Bit of a tangent.
I love my Zfc.
I like my Z7ii
I work with my T5.
I could never cope with a mirrorless Canon. The release button is in the wrong place to use with the viewfinder. Impossible. Not how my wrists work.
How do others manage? For me, the release has to be on the top deck.
I am one of those users attempting to use the X-H2s for birds/wildlife/sports (mostly with 100-400, sometimes 50-140), I agree that the autofocus can definitely be improved by menu diving but in the end, you will still hit the limits of the camera early and those limits seem to be below what’s offered by the competition. Add to that a generally unintuitive system and lack of customisation options it can be a frustrating experience.
Subject detection works well, but the AF system cannot keep up. I can see this in lightroom when using the focus point viewing plugin which also shows you what the subject detection picked up.
Like the first poster I also found +4 tracking sensitivity and +2 (or +1) speed tracking with auto area generally gives me the best results. But I have tried every combination. A workaround I have found is to set C2 with zone AF and C1 with spot AF, and use fn1 button with recall custom 1 to quickly switch to spot AF when the camera gets confused. Also have a button to quickly turn off subject detection.
The camera can just about handle things moving up to medium speed. For something like birds in flight you can’t trust it. It leads you to spray and pray as there will be a lot of shots that miss critical focus even in situations that should be straightforward like a small bird on a branch. If you turn on focus priority release your framerate drops massively and even then it misses focus a lot.
I just don’t think the engineers who designed this camera really understood or had experience of how it would be used…
Anyway, when it works it’s great, but eagerly awaiting a sniff of news of an XH3.
Do you find that you have better success with the 50-140mm than the 100-400mm? I’ve never used the 50-140mm (although I’ve heard good things), but I did own the 100-400mm, and I found it to be one of the more frustrating and disappointing lens purchases. I sold it. Just the other day I tried out the 70-300mm, and (despite it being a cheaper lens) I was more impressed by it. I’m planning to buy it along with the 1.4x TC. I’m wondering if some of the AF woes you have experienced are at least partially the fault of the 100-400mm lens and not as much the X-H2s itself?
Also, someone else to reach out to is Dan Bailey. He’s pretty renown for bird and wildlife photography, and also does sports. He’s been using Fujifilm cameras since the early days of the X-series, with just tons of success. He does workshops and teaches, along with his blog and YT channel and book. I bet he could offer some really great tips. I would consider picking his brain, I bet you could get some solid advice. You should email him or send a DM on social media.
Should have bought a Canon for what you are trying to do. Fuji for portraits, technical and colour manipulation. Nikon for hire, support, vlogging if you must or just plain prejudice.
Malcolm.