Unveiled: Fujifilm Enhances Autofocus and Adds 4K to the X-T2

It has been a great summer of camera releases so far, and Fujifilm is continuing the trend with the official release of the X-T2 Mirrorless Digital Camera and the flagship EF-X500 Flash. The X-T2 is a welcome evolutionary step, bringing in the 24.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS III sensor and X-Processor Pro Engine first seen in the X-Pro2, for vastly improved image quality. The X-T2 also makes some extremely notable processing upgrades, enabling exceptional customization of the autofocus tracking settings and the added ability to record UHD 4K video—a first for Fujifilm cameras.

One of the more substantial improvements brought by the new sensor and processor is a much improved focusing system. Featuring phase-detect AF points covering 50% of the horizontal area and 75% of the vertical area, users will be better able to track and capture fast-moving subjects. The system dramatically improves the frequency of the AF search during continuous shooting to account for movement. Users will be able to control continuous focus parameters in a variety of ways, including sensitivity, speed, and in relation to subject movements.

For speed, the X-T2 can shoot continuously at a rate of 8 fps, which can be boosted to 11 fps when using the optional VPB-XT2 Vertical Power Booster Grip. This grip improves performance of the camera across the board, and can hold two batteries, in addition to the one in the camera body. The camera can also maintain a 5 fps burst rate with live view enabled for crystal-clear viewing. Speaking of batteries, the one available with the X-T2 is the NP-W126S, which offers a new design for more efficient management of heat, permitting improved performance and features throughout the camera.

Moving to the body design, a welcome improvement is to the EVF, which features a larger eyecup, a magnification of 0.77x, and a 2.76m-dot OLED screen. Users will see a clearer picture, thanks to a base refresh rate of 60 fps, which can be boosted to 100 fps when needed. The Real-Time Viewfinder 2 also offers 1-stop improvement in low light and 25% better image quality during focusing. It is twice as bright as its predecessor, as well, and has auto adjustment.

The body design remains, in essence, the same, with a variety of tweaks made to improve ergonomics. This includes heightened ISO and shutter speed dials with a locking mechanism, a larger grip, an exposure compensation dial with the C setting, a focus-point joystick, and raised four-way buttons on the rear. Also, the LCD now has three directions of tilt, so users can shoot vertically from high and low angles.

Let’s talk about video now. UHD 4K makes its introduction on the X-T2 with a very capable internal bit rate of 100 Mbps. Also, when working in 4K, it uses a 1.17x crop of the sensor with an input resolution of 5120 x 2880, which is down-sampled to 3840 x 2160 for increased resolution. Multiple frame rates are available for all resolutions, including True 24.00 for cinema. It even features a 3.5mm microphone jack for improving audio quality. Internally, it can record for up to 10 minutes at a time, but with the addition of the Vertical Power Boost Grip, users can capture up to 30 minutes of footage and will gain a 3.5mm headphone jack.

For more advanced videographers, Fujifilm has introduced a flat F-Log Gamma setting for improved control over grading in post. Also, it has HDMI output for uncompressed 4:2:2 8-bit footage with an external recorder. Users will even have access to all film-simulation modes, as well as a video gamma intended for quick turnaround. Additional adjustments can be made, as well, including to highlight and shadows, tone, color, and sharpness.

Being released alongside the camera is the EF-X500 Flash, a new flagship model that offers high-speed sync for the latest camera models. The weather- and dust-resistant flash is ideal for the X-T2 and offers a guide number of 164' at ISO 100 and the 105mm zoom position. It also has a zoom head capable of covering 24-105mm in 35mm terms, which is equivalent to 16-70mm when discussing APS-C format lenses found in Fujifilm’s system. The flash features full bounce and swivel features and sports an LED light for working in video. Additionally, it introduces a wireless TTL system with four channels and three groups for remote communication with multiple flash units via an optical pulse.

A variety of accessories will be available in addition to the camera, which is itself being offered as a kit with the XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens that features a 27-84mm equivalent zoom range. These include more practical options like a replacement X-T2 Cover Kit and spare batteries, along with the BLC-XT2 Bottom Leather Case and the MHG-XT2 Metal Hand Grip. The EF-X500 Flash isn’t being left out either, with its own EF-BP1 Battery Pack for longer shooting times and improved performance.