Quick take: I installed Fujifilm X-H2S firmware 7.10 the night it came out and tested video autofocus right away. The update adds F-Log2 C, timecode sync and revised autofocus. Back-and-forth tracking with eye detection looked good. Product-showcase-style handoffs and some close-up subjects were inconsistent, especially with the third-party Sigma 10-18mm, and that left me somewhat concerned.
What's in Firmware 7.10
Nobody else had tested it yet, so I took the risk and updated my X-H2S live. The headline claim was improved autofocus. The X-M5 was said to have much better autofocus, and Fuji partially revised the X-H2S algorithm for better focusing accuracy and subject tracking. The release notes list:
F-Log2 C added to movie shooting, with a wider color gamut than F-Log2, plus new conversion LUT and IDT files. DaVinci Resolve users in particular will like that.
Timecode sync settings. I usually sync by waveform, but once you get past about four audio sources, timecode is very good.
Revised autofocus algorithm for focusing accuracy and subject tracking
Bug fixes for burst-mode overexposure and freezes, and a freeze when movie recording reaches five and a half hours. Who's recording that long?
How to Update
Download the firmware from Fujifilm's site and drag the file into the root of the SD card (the base folder, not DCIM). Then hold the DISP/BACK button while turning the camera on, choose the body update and confirm. I was actually two versions behind, because people had scared me off updating. It takes a few minutes.
Test 1: Sigma 10-18mm F2.8
I started with the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8, which I use a lot because it's smaller and faster than the Fuji 10-24mm, and which sometimes struggles a bit. I recorded the camera screen on an Accsoon SeeMo.
Back-and-forth tracking with eye detection, usually the most stressful AF-C test on any camera, looked good. I was in focus quickly.
Product handoffs with eye detection on were slow. It stuck to my eye instead of the product. My Canon R5 C would struggle with this too.
Single point without eye detection worked a lot better for products.
Test 2: Fujifilm 18mm F1.4
First-party lenses almost always focus better than third-party ones on Fuji, and the 18mm F1.4 made a big difference, even through an ND. Back-and-forth tracking was a lot better, and I think that's the problem most people actually had in practice.
Products were inconsistent. As long as I held them over the center focus point, it picked them up, but sometimes it lagged or stayed on my face. Reflective or overexposed objects seemed to give it more trouble. A dark lens cap was fast. I think every manufacturer needs to copy Sony's product showcase mode. The R5 C also has a people-priority mode that won't drop a face if you briefly cover it, and I wish Fuji had a clearer equivalent.
With the default focus transition it pulls slowly and cinematically, which I prefer. You can speed it up, but I find the fast jumps look odd on YouTube.
Final Thoughts and Concerns
I'm somewhat concerned. To be fair, I was testing it in ways I'd never normally use it. With something like a Sony ZV-1 there'd be no question about focus (though its product showcase mode has focused on my hands a couple of times). Before this, I'd never had a problem with AF-C in video on this camera, so part of me wondered if I was psyching myself out.
Based on your comments, I followed up with more tests: part 2, retesting video autofocus with Fuji primes, and part 3, photo autofocus. The V-mount battery you see on my rig got its own post too: NEEWER V-mount battery and plate.
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