The rumored Fujifilm X-H2, the long-awaited successor to the Fujifilm X-H1, will finally arrive in 2022 with a breakthrough feature, according to fresh rumors.
The reliable Fuji Rumors claims that, according to "multiple trusted sources", the Fujifilm X-H2 "will come in 2022". One "top trusted Japanese source" also claimed that the new mirrorless camera will be "well worth the wait".
The Fujifilm X-H1 arrived back in February 2018, which means it's now over three years old and so will be well overdue an upgrade in 2022, if it does indeed land next year.
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The reason for the delay is apparently that Fujifilm has been waiting for the development of a breakthrough feature, which was hinted at during an Imaging Resource interview with Toshi Iida, Fujifilm's European Operations manager, in 2020.
In that interview, Toshi Iida revealed that the Fujifilm X-H series, which has more of a speed and video focus than popular X-T cameras like the Fujifilm X-T4, is the line that pioneers new tech, like the in-body image stabilization (IBIS) we first saw in the X-H1.
So what could the breakthrough feature be? While this is only speculation at this stage, it seems likely that Fujifilm would look to introduce a new sensor in the X-H2; and given the camera's focus on wildlife shooting and video, it could well have a stacked CMOS design, like the chip we saw recently in the Sony A1.
The stacked design of the A1's sensor gives it improved readout speeds that help it avoid issues like rolling shutter (when shooting video), and also help it to achieve high burst-shooting speeds and impressive AF performance. The A1 is, though, a full-frame camera, so the Fujifilm X-H2 would likely introduce a similar design for APS-C sensors.
Sensor perspective
The expected 2022 release of the Fujifilm X-H2 feels like a long way off, given that rumors about the camera first started to circulate in 2019. But given the likely move to a new sensor, and the recent Fujifilm re-structure in response to the changing market, that timescale feels more realistic than an imminent launch.
Despite the impressive hybrid talents of the Fujifilm X-T4, Fuji has consistently maintained that the X-H line isn't dead and that it will, as that earlier Imaging Resource interview revealed, continue to ”investigate future X-H cameras”.
What the company has likely been waiting for is likely a new stacked APS-C sensor from Sony, with rumors in early 2020 claiming that Sony had made such a chip, with a 43MP resolution and the ability to shoot 8K video with 12-bit color depth.
While that hasn't been confirmed, it would be a fantastic sensor to build a camera like the Fujifilm X-H2 around – even if we have to wait a little while to see it.
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