We made some major updates to the Fujifilm XH2s review. These have to do with a new problem we found in addition to the performance of the camera using Tamron lenses. And the two are not related.
Using Tamron zoom lenses with the Fujifilm XH2s has been a real joy. They provide a ton of versatility for the system. And specifically with the XH2s, they feel like they’re paired perfectly for a camera like this. We think any photographer who really needs to use zoom lenses will enjoy it. However, to get the most of the lenses, you should use the pre-shot ES mode. But, that will create buffer issues.
Here’s the updated and added text to our Fujifilm XH2s review; and you can read the rest of it if you’re interested. If you also want to make a purchase of the Fujifilm XH2s, Tamron 17-70mm f2.8, or Tamron 18-300mm lens, please use our links.
Update September 2022.
We did some extra testing with Tamron lenses and the Fujifilm XH2s. Using the Fujifilm XH2, we found a few problems bound to be addressed via firmware updates. But with the XH2s, we were pleasantly surprised. At the time of publishing, the Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 and 18-300mm f3.5-6.3 have Fujifilm variants. These lenses make things very curious. I think most of us can agree that we weren’t huge fans of Fujifilm’s zoom lenses. But, they improved over the years. However, the Tamron lenses are lightweight, weather-resistant, and offer very nice image quality.
We did a few tests. First off, we did a test with birds fighting one another on the balcony over bird seed. We set the Fujifilm XH2s with the Tamron 18-300mm lens to ISO 6400 or 12,800 depending on the lighting. Then we locked it into either Classic Chrome or Velvia. Combining this with the XH2s’s pre-shot ES setting, we captured some awesome moments. For the record, Pre-shot ES works similarly to OM System’s Pro Capture mode. So it will capture images and keep them in the buffer. As a result, you need a faster memory card. However, it also causes the camera to be unusable if the buffer is full. When trying to photograph birds, this can be a big problem. It translates into a lot of lost shots and moments.
But what’s also curious is something found even with Tamron’s lenses: the bird AI detection seems to perform on par with what Fujifilm’s own lenses do. Fujifilm isn’t at all bad, but Canon and Sony are still much better. Changing up the AF-C situation awareness didn’t change anything for us.
We also used the lenses for portraits and documenting the annual Momo Crawl in Jackson Heights, Queens. In both situations, which were slower-paced, the lenses performed very well with the Fujifilm camera. And indeed, it made the whole experience pretty pleasant to use. Honestly, I never thought I’d like using zoom lenses with Fuji cameras, but Tamron did a great job here and the XH2s is incredibly capable.
