Following up on my Auto focus tests last week, I was looking for some ways to fix this issue as wedding seasons is right around the corner and there was not many news from FUJIFILM so far on when the next firmware would be coming. I came across this video from Edvard describing how the firmware 1.03 was actually better than firmware 6.01 and wanted to know how it compared to 7.0.
Shoutout to him as well for contacting me on Instagram and providing me with the actual file. So let’s find out together how they compare.

Test setup

I have made mostly 4 tests to compare both firmwares, using the FUJIFILM X-H2S and the XF18mmf1.4. Walking towards and away from the camera, hiding part of my face or my whole face to see how the focus changes, walking behind an object left to right to see how the AF keeps up and finally running towards the camera. All the tests have been made using Manual Settings (ISO 1250, SS 48, F2.5) in AF-C, Multi focus mode and eye detection. I have first performed the test with firmware 7.0 and then reverted my FUJIFILM X-H2S back to firmware 1.3. I recorded my screen with my iPhone so that you can get a view at both the footage but also what happens in the camera.

Test 1 - Walking towards/away from the camera

For this test, I am simply walking towards and away from the camera and trying to observe how the Autofocus behaves on both firmwares. I tried to vary the way I walked, looking left and right, turning away when I walked around etc… so let’s see how both firmwares compare.

Firmware 7.0 - As expected, the camera hunts a lot. Not only does it hunt when I move towards the camera, but it also hunts and recognize trees as my face as soon as turn around or when I get closer to the camera. The big problem here is that it does not hunt slightly once and then sticks to the subject, it hunts 3 to 4 times before able to find my eyes, but by that time, I already moved… If you want to use this camera for professional setup with firmware 7.0, this use case is completely unusable.

Firmware 1.3 - This honestly makes me sad. The focus for this use case works great. It sticks on my eyes, even when I turn around it recognizes my face, and never sticks to the trees. I don’t even see once the camera hunting in this test. It works perfectly. It also detects me as soon as I enter the frame, which is not the case for the latest firmware…The firmware v1.3 completely destroys the firmware v7.0 for this particular case.

Test 2 - Hiding my face completely/partially to see how the focus reacts

This test is quite simple - standing in front of the camera, hiding part of my face or hiding my face completely and see if the camera is able to focus on my eye and when I remove my hand, if it can properly go back to my eyes.

Firmware 7.0 - 2 BIG problems here. As soon as I put my hand in front of my face, even if it is barely covering my mouth, it focuses on my hand, while having a false positive on my eyes. That is a BIG problem. It means I just can’t use the X-H2S for any of my portrait, engagement or wedding photoshoot. Because this is a common case, with a hand, bouquet or other elements going in front of the face.
Second problem - As soon as I remove my hand, the lens hunts like crazy, locking on the trees, then in front of me then back to the trees to finally come back to my eyes. Luckily I haven’t been moving the whole time… again, this is not a usable AF.

Firmware 1.3 - Once again, I see barely any problem here. In fact, even when I almost hide my eye, the camera still manages to find it. And when it comes back to my face, absolutely no hunting. This is stunning how much different it is and how this can be verified so easily. It really makes me wonder what kind of tests are made before Fujifilm pushes a firmware update.

Test 3 - Walking behind an obstable

For this 4th test, I am walking left and right of a pole while walking behind it. I want to see if the AF is able to catch me back after I come out behind the pole and see if there is any hunting or wrong focus lock.

Firmware 7.0 - While the focus is fine as long as I don’t change my distance to the camera, as soon as I go behind the pole, it loses focus on me and locks on a tree. I have time to back behind the pole again, pop on the other side and take a few steps before it finally finds me again. And then at one point it locks on trees again. How has this firmware been validated?

Firmware 1.3 - The firmware is not perfect for this case. However, it does way way way better than the 7.0, it finds me usually quickly as soon as I pop out of the pole and there is only one instance where it locks somewhere else for a few frames. Not perfect but definitely usable.

Test 4 - Running towards the camera

Final test - although I did not have much hope anymore at this point - running towards the camera and see if the AF can keep up.

Firmware 7.0 - The camera can’t keep up, locks randomly to trees, the pole, hunts and I am not sure if I had even one frame in focus while running. Completely unusable. And guess what, as soon as I get closer to the camera, it focuses on random elements in the background.

Firmware 1.3 - The square on the back of the camera seems to following me. The focus also does not hunt as much and the focus actually feels linear, not clunky and step by step like it feels with the 7.0. I could see myself using it if needed.

Conclusion of the tests

There is ABSOLUTELY 0 doubt that firmware 1.3 is better than firmware 7.0 in terms of Autofocus. And it honestly kind of makes me angry. Firmware 7.0 basically failed all my tests, while being released 2 years after the 1.3. That makes me question how the firmwares are validated, what test they make and in which environment they make it because in both interview setup with good contrast as well as outside conditions, I have seen the problems appear as soon as I updated the firmware.

And this also make me ask - what are they actually doing? Have they been completely changing their AF algorithm? If so, then how did they validate it? Because at the moment, the AF of firmware 7.0 is absolutely not reliable.

Will I keep the firmware v1.3?

I have spent 2500$ on my FUJIFILM X-H2S. I also spent about 1000$ on the XF18mmf1.4, 800$ on the XF33mmf1.4, another 1000$ on the XF56mm1.2 WR. All those lenses are supposed to focus quickly and give you decent results for video. And that’s without counting all the money spent on accessories and other items. Now because of such a bad work on your part on the software, I find myself in a very bad position. Either revert back to an old firmware, with less functions, maybe potential bugs that you don’t sometime specify in your firmware release udpate, and potential issues, but with working AF… or I go with the only firmware that you allow me to officially use and that is completely trash in terms of AF, meaning that I can only use manual lenses, making my investment in the system with linear motor lenses completely useless.

Fujifilm, if you don’t allow me to chose which firmware I want to use on my camera, firmwares that you released and validated, then you better make sure that they are actually improving things and completely fucking everything up. Because for 2500$ I can get a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Full Frame with Internal RAW and a few cinema lenses replacing my lenses. Yes it does not have AF but the X-H2S with firmware 7.0 does not have AF either. I can get a Nikon Z6III or a Lumix S5iiX and they do have proper AF. So yeah, it is time to wake up and fix those problems because this has been going for way way too long.

Watch the full video here.

FUJIFILM Autofocus - V7.0 is WORSE than V1.3 - WTF…