Fujifilm X-H2s vs RED Epic Dragon 6K 

BTW, the a-roll shots were filmed with the X-H2s, and the camera b-roll shots were filmed with the opposite camera. So the RED b-roll was shot with the X-H2s and the X-H2s b-roll was shot with the RED! Could you tell the difference?

The fact that this is an actual test that exists is pretty amazing in itself. The fact that there is virtually no distinguishable difference in picture quality is mind blowing. There are differences in the picture, of course, but at this point I feel like it comes down to preference.

Thanks for the comparaison. Very interesting. We can use a CST node with the F-Log2. You just have to put gamut : REC2020 and gamma : ArriLogC (the Flog2 and ARRILogC3 curves are almost the same.)

This comparison was very cool to see. Thanks Evan!

Helpful as always Evan!! Thanks for the tips!

Wow.. incredible video. Thank you for this insight! I love my xh2s. It's a great tool

Wow. What a pleasant surprise. At least on RU-vid, the XH2S seems to hold more info in the highlights! Lime on that shot w you at your desk by the window. Great test 👌⚡️

I had Red Cameras from the Red One to the Red MX to the Dragon and was always scratching my head as to why they never looked sharp to me, especially underwater since that was my primary use for them. Also struggling to get rid of the magenta cast in the highlights in the sky, shooting up towards the surface of the water. I always thought I was doing something wrong. Then I got a mirrorless camera, in my case the Samsung NX1 and wanted to cry. Cry about all the money I had wasted on the bodies, monitors, accessories firmware upgrades, lenses memory cards etc. that Red forced me to buy in order to stay in their ecosystem. Then they switched the system entirely and were going to force me to start all over again with their version 2 system of monitors and memory cards etc. Never again. Not after I saw the quality of that NX1. It was the image Red always promised but never delivered. And the NX1 was using an h.265 codec that was a fraction of the size of the Red Raw footage and required only a fraction of the tweaking to get a brilliant noiseless image. And don't get me started on Red's chroma and luma noise. Thank goodness I was able to dump my Red gear before it became totally obsolete. My NX1 unfortunately has also become obsolete and is no longer being made or supported. I have been looking for a replacement and almost bought an XT3 then a XT4 after playing with them in a BestBuy they had a similar low-noise floor high sharpness and beautiful color science, but I am glad I waited for the XH2S with the stacked sensor because the only weakness was the jello rolling shutter issue. Now that seems to be solved. The fact that you compared it to a camera ten times its price and found the Red was the camera that came up short in all the issues previously mentioned, vindicates my position. Maybe the new 50K+ Reds have solved some of these problems but that is 47k down the drain in my book.

Great vid. Loved this.

awesome video dude!

Hey Evan, just discovered your channel, lovely stuff! I was wondering what your storage/ RAID solution looks like? Would be great to see a video about your current workflow. Also, did you notice a bit difference with the autofocus with the new 3.0 Firmware on the X-H2s? Keep up the videos! :)

Thanks for doing this!

Enjoyed this

The main difference between the two cameras is that RED handles extreme highlights more pleasantly than the H2S. This could be an issue with Evan's LUT, but in the footage of the sun, the Fuji has a clearly visible clipped circle around the sun, while the RED is more of a gradient. F-Log and F-Log2 are known to be unkind to overexposure and I tend to underexpose for this reason, always checking the histogram for that wall of clipped white on the right hand side of the graph.

Great video. I just got an XH2s. This is reassuring that I made the right decision.

Another thing to think about in terms of Fujifilm's sharpness (besides not using the 180 rule for motion blur) is that the X-H2s is also a photography camera where sharpness is important. So its actually serving two beasts whereas the Red is strictly for filmmaking.

Hi. Great video. I was under impression from samples I downloaded that h2s is very noisy in the shadows. Would love to see S5II in the comparison too. Such an underrated camera.

Thanks for the comparison. We are so spoiled for choice in cameras now. The quality is insane. The H2s will be my upgrade as a great hybrid at the pricepoint. Before I buy a S1Hmkii, I'd rather purchase a Dragon 6k for higher end productions.

Amazing video 🎉

where you can always see the bigger bitdepth is in the saturation in the lows. the alley shot and the interior shot show this well imo but other than that the fuji looks amazing

Neat. Two things to consider; add a Ninja V+ to this with ProRes Raw, and you'll even the playing field entirely with no baked profiling (NR / Sharpening). If you're a Resolve user you can of course transform to CDNG and maintain the rgb mosaic. The second part is you can boost your XH-2S to full frame equivalency with the Open Gate, so you can achieve an even larger (theoretical) sensor than the Dragon. Very interesting results indeed!

EXACTLY! I thought the largest difference was in the blues, which I far prefer in the Fuji, which leans to Cyan, whereas the Red tended toward purple.

The colors of the fuji are just.. nailed! Love it

Interesting comparison! Generally, I like the Fuji colors a bit better. In some shots, especially the office shot, the dynamic range seems to be better on the Fuji also. The Red Komodo is less sharp, and generally I prefer that. Also, the image seems more 3D on the RED. I think it's because the image is less sharp en the exposure gradations seem to be a bit better. Also, the colors look a bit 'thicker' on the RED (although I generally prefer the tones on the Fuji).

I was an X-T2 shooter. And when I got into videography I picked up the X-T4. Now I am looking to upgrade but was on the fence about going to Sony full frame. This convinced me to stick with Fuji and get the X-H2S, which is great since I have a bunch of XF lenses. It just sucks that there is a stigma about APS-C cameras that cause people to hesitate hiring you cause it's not full frame, regardless of the skill level.

yes, very interesting comparison

It's nice to see XH2S comparing with Red and keep up. When I shoot in Flog2 i notice some red, pink skin tones.

super cool and well recorded content, thank you. The only thing that worries me about choosing the Fuji xh2s, I hear it is very sharp, did you correct this in post production? Did you have any problem?

I liked the Fuji more in many shots. Especially the daytime outdoor shots, where the RED footage had a magenta shift in the skies. At 3:42, I could see a green shift in the RED footage around the silver air conditioning tubes and the right side of the shot. After hearing about the new RED Komodo X camera, I've been looking at more videos about RED. But, I have to say, aside from the superior dynamic range and shallower depth of field of the RED in many shots, the Fuji held up really well by comparison. Nicely done comparison video.

Very cool video! Lovin' my xh2s, however im really curious how it would hold up against the RED Raven, that being a very comparable camera in terms of specs IMO

It would be good to see the same comparison with different lenses since lenses can affect colour and interact differently with each camera.

I also have an X-H2S. Love the dynamic range, rolling shutter performance, and open gate 6K - but I think it's just way too sharp, even at -4. And obviously it's missing a lot of useful video tools and assist features. I want so badly to love it since I'm a big Fuji fan and love their colors for photos, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep it around.

Great video and a really well done test. I owned an XH2s for a bit and used it alongside my Komodo and 1DXM3. I sold off the XH2S but really regret it now. Fantastic camera. I still own an XT5 and it scratches my Fuji itch but plan on buying an XH2S again soon. One thing you did on this video that I have generally been doing for a while now is forgoing ND filters for higher shutter speeds / lower shutter angles. Motion blur is always something you can add back in post. Have a crisp image so you don’t get residual motion blur buzzing during post stabilization is really a life saver for some situations. I have owned some very expensive ND filters and despite claims to the contrary I feel like they always introduce some type of contamination to the image.

Thank you so much for the video. Wow the dynamic range X-H2S is fantastic for a camera price 2500 $

Great work, I definitely prefer the XH2S

Amazing man, in most samples fuji looks more intresting in my opinion.

What's amazing is using a ProRes Raw recorder with the H2S, then using Play Pro Studio to extract the 1:1 Uncompressed CinemaDNG RAW video from the sensor. You'll have occasional dead pixels, and it eats up a motherlode of space, but seeing that 14-bit readout with no spatial NR or chroma-smoothing is absolutely astonishing.

God damn i miss pasadena so much. I went to pcc then transfer to ucsd. Spent so many years in pasadena area.. amazing film as alwayss

thanks for making this comparison ! i've also purchased the X-H2s as a BCam / CCam for my komodo and scarlet dragon setup . I ended up selling it , i did not like the oversharpened image and manipulating Flog2 was a little weird in the grading process . Red log , Slog3 are much smoother options in my opinions and easier to match .

What’s the difference between XH2 and XH2s? Which one best?

It’s honestly a wash. The two are so close. The XH2S is well implemented. Fujifilm really optimized the image from this sensor. I’d love to see a cinema focused version of this with built in eVND and built in fan. That would be an instant preorder for me. Great video and great comparison.

Can we do a similar test with the S5ii and the RED and Fujifilm. Stuck on which of the 2 obviously more affordable options :D to get as they are both great at what they do..

Hey Evan. I was just wondering, in terms of noise reduction what settings do you use? Really been trying to refine my noise reductions settings for with this camera as it does very well from what I can see on yours and other people channel. Do you use davinci? If so do you use temporal (faster , better or enhanced)? Or do you use spatial. Specific settings would be really appreciated my friend.

pretty awesome fuji does all the RAWs externally. Davinci or Apple Pro res.

Excellent

Hey Evan, I also own a Red Epic Dragon and an XH2S. I can only agree with you on all points. I would be interested in your sensor cleaning intervals? how often do you clean your sensors on the Epic or XH2S? Do you do it yourself? Greetings from Berlin :)

Fujifilm X-H2S Does the camera overheat or do you get non stop recording in all conditions ?

Hey I live in south pasadena! Looks great

Very nice shots and colors. For the cost Fuji is a Winner.

I think that within 10 years there will be a great revolution in cinematographic equipment. Camera body costing less than $3,000 are already clearly comparable in terms of rendering with state-of-the-art equipment. This could reduce the production costs of many projects in terms of equipment. I've always known that the limit isn't always the equipment, but rather the knowledge and marketing behind each bra

I suspect with most cameras even if you turn noise reduction and sharpening off there is still some level being processed in the camera.

4:52 seems to be getting better DR from the XH2s... the highlights are blown in the RED EPIC DRAGON... Personally I think the XH2s image looks cleaner and sharper than the RED. A lot of people turn down the sharpness on their camera's but me personally I actually LIKE a sharp image. You can always desharpen an image if you don't like the sharpnes...

After using the xh2s for over over a year now I’m not surprised by these results. The stacked sensor fuji created is something that should honestly not exist in a small body like this but they did it anyway… 14bit sensor readout at 30fps in 4K and 6k let that sink in… I even have proper audio set up with mine using the tascam xlr hotshoe adapter. I have the fan attachment to keep the camera cool but I rarely use it as the camera can handle most scenarios except for extreme heat. I can flip a switch and it becomes a world class photography camera. I can hook up my ninja v and now I can shoot 12bit prores raw with zero noise reduction applied. I honestly have no idea what else anyone could want.. I suppose internal ND’s but then the body becomes much larger… Shutter angle would be nice and I do believe that will come but we’ll see.

As a RED Dragon shooter.. I approve of the X-H2S and I’m looking to buy one as a B Cam

I have the same experience with my Raven 4,5k + xh2s :)

Dragon has some more color nuance, but is still suffering a bit from IR pollution (pinky skies in some shots). Surprisingly in some shots there's more detail in highlights in X-H2s, and in some - there's more detail in the Dragon shots, I suppose it's just about how those shots were exposed. Overall sharpness in overrated - lower end cameras tend to bake in a lot of sharpness, which one can't take away. It's a huge problem actually for theatrical release, cause on bigger screens it just looks bad. Like we had to actually blur the footage from Inspire and Mavic drones to be even possible to be put in the edit together with Alexa and Dragon footage. It's much, much harder to blur footage then to sharpen it.

the fuji looks so much better. I was actually shocked when you did that first comparison and the fuji colors just popped while maintaining a pleasing organic feel. The Red just looks washed and kind of bland. Amazing test

Whats the best option for desharpening the fuji files in post

Look at 4:38 through the window, the moment it switches camera. It seems like the Fuji has way more dynamic range, or at least that's what it looks like in the highlights area. The crazy thing ais that it seems the same is true in the shadows area, but that is less obvious to me. Can someone comment on that?

Did you use HDRX on the red?

Sharpness aside RED has this great filmic motion where I find the XH2S always kind of looks like its shutter speed is too high or something. I don't know if its user error, lack of shutter angle or 1/48 or maybe just that extra sharpness that ruins the motion but its really quite jarring to my eyes versus any other current camera. That said 6K open gate with internal ProRes and super fast readout stacked sensor is pretty much second to none in mirrorless landscape so I really want this badboy. Just gotta figure out how to soften the image either in post or with filters and soft vintage lenses.

Skintones on the A roll for the main video look a bit chalky. Like the highlights have been pulled down in a weird way.

Looks like the Fuji is more crunchy due to digital sharpening. It’s doable but, I prefer the natural look of the Red roll-off and it’s seems a bit more color accurate and organic.

Does the flog2 need to overexposed to right? (EV+) or Just use EV+0 , thank you!

why kind of noise reduction settings are you using in resolve for flog2?

Xh2s is fantastic:)

can we use this luts on xs20 flog2? is it the same?

The red somehow looks more cinematic!

Great test! I preferred the Red in all instances. I thought the skin tones, less contrast, less sharpness was more to my personal tastes. That said, with some filtering on the lens and colour tweaks I would say it would get even closer. Love my Fuji’s, really interesting to see how great the XH-2s is.

Accidentally turned my XH2s to +4 Sharpness and now I need new retinas

Can’t tell a difference, except I like Fuji’s blues better, and Red’s red & green better.

Curious why you shot in 23.98 vs 24?

im a fuji guy , super clean images but every shot on the red looks like a movie scene.

Fuji looks much sharper and the colors are more neutral. Red looks good but soft. Fjuji made a great camera for the money

Much more natural contrast on the RED

When you say the only difference is camera body, you are being either biased or simply overlooking basics. For example Autofocus modes, IBIS, STACKED sensor with fast readout? Yes, some filmmakers may not need these, but hey, these features are included in Fuji for 1/3 of red price. You also havent mentioned how incomparable prices are for these. Fuji is also half the weight too, big deal as well, unless you never carried a camera :) And you can take photos with fuji! If you have done a fair all around comparison, looks like fuji would have destroyed the red

red is better, but, they're also 6 times bigger, if not more

Nobody using a dragon is using (EDIT.) default rec.709 LUTS to crush all their dynamic range. I mean the Canon 5K MK2 would start measuring up if you're focusing on a color editing scheme that ends with the out of the box REC.709 LUTs. So does this mean the X-H2 isn't a RED, nope. It means that in specific circumstances it can easily measure up to a RED and that's pretty cool, but you just wouldn't use a RED like that.

The footage from the X-H2s looks good but way too sharp for my taste. It has this "mirrorless look" unfortunately, even if you tell us to get pass that 😅The image coming from the Dragon looks much better personnaly, much more "filmic" (I even prefer this look over the Raptor)

As a RED user, I can say XH2s is clearly better than Epic Dragon in many ways. Even from your own footage. I don't know why you're skirting around saying that and being diplomatic by saying, 'it is almost as good as', 'almost comparable to' etc. Maybe because fanboys (especially the new Komodo users or ones planning to get a Komodo) will come hounding 'how dare you say that'???? XH2s had just as much dynamic range as a RED Komodo with V Raptor having a stop more. It samples 14 but color, has rolling shutter as good as cinema cameras, records prores internally. There are reasons to pick Komodo-X or V-Raptor over XH2s but not Epic Dragon which is outdated at this point. It is still good but way more cumbersome for the image it gives compared to much smaller modern bodies.

Fuji done released a cinema camera for those paying attention….

your saving like 12k or more going with xh2s with smaller more portable easyer to use camera with just as good image . the epic dragon is a waste of money you can lower the sharpning in post in 2 seconds if it bothers you . and another thing 90% of epic red consumer OWners are not making NETFLIX MOVIES or high end docs are good indie movies there taken it out for casual shooting or for travel youtube vidoes if were being honest and thats the big elphant in the room. and why i say most pepple are throwing away 10k or more

The key thing here is we're comparing a 20.000$ camera with a 2500$ camera, and the difference in image is slim to none. X-H2s is a no brainer.

FUJIFILM all day long ….xH2S…. Wow going against the dragon.. **Nice work Fuji….!!!

red is more true to life, fuji is a bit more vintagy vibe

This is a strange test. You should have put your iPhone next to it. It is necessary to show exactly those moments where the Fuji shits itself. And Fuji will thoroughly fail against the background of the Red Epic.

The color science doesn't really seem close. The FUJI's handling of greens in particular is odd. The greens shifted blue in the shot when pointed at the sun, and then later seemed desaturated and yellow in the shot at 6:05. The skies seem to also shift teal on the FUJI. I don't know. It doesn't really seem close to me. It seems like it would be super annoying to color grade as it feels like you'd be in the whole magenta/green, blue/yellow hell hole where nothing looks correct and you're creating like 12 parallel nodes trying to correct everything.

Fujihas better colors!!!!

Wow. Well, the Fuji wins!

Fuji is better.

Trash how about show their default colours? No added effects garbage and editing