If you’ve been a Fujifilm user for a while, you know all the aches and pains of their app. Well, the Fujifilm XH2s might not need to use it come 2023. Today, Frame.IO is announcing a partnership with Fujifilm to make the camera capable of delivering images to its platform quickly. Frame.IO, which is owned by Adobe, is an effective way of working in the cloud for creatives. But trust me, even that sentence isn’t doing this justice. And for that, we have to get into a deeper explanation.
In the video world, Frame.IO helped cinematographers and video teams move assets via the cloud. For years, teams would literally just mail each other hard drives because it was faster. But internet speeds have improved quite a bit, so the assets can be delivered. So a 3D Motion graphics artist in NY could work with a team in Atlanta by sending assets to the cloud and delivering them pretty quickly.
Now, that’s coming to photography.
The Fujifilm XH2s will work with Frame.IO to send files seamlessly to the web. This will come via a firmware update to the XH2s, where a new menu will be unlocked. You’ll be able to send RAWs, TIFFs, JPEGs, and HEIC files. Plus, if you want, you can also send video files. When they’re sent to Frame.IO, the files will render in real-time. I saw a RAW file come in within 20 seconds in a demo we got. Frame.IO is then accessed via your phone, tablet, or computer. From what we’re told, it will come with further integration into Lightroom and Photoshop. So basically, you can wirelessly tether to Lightroom from anywhere in the world.
From Frame.IO, you can comment on images, leave ratings in the form of pick and reject, etc.
For photographers, I think that’s really awesome. Photojournalists will be able to deliver news even faster to their newsrooms if they’re all equipped with the technology. This could also mean that newsrooms will need many more photo editors for huge spectacles like the Olympics and major current events. But at the same time, the photographers will need to work with their editors to be more choosy about the images they send to HQ. Considering that the XH2s can shoot at 40fps, this will need to be an essential part. I’ve shot lots of wildlife images in pre-shot ES at 40 frames a second and ended up with thousands of photos after an excursion. I often dread going through that many images so I often try to star the photos in-camera. I just hope that things like star ratings end up carrying over to Lightroom via Frame.IO. Currently, at least with Capture One, the star ratings aren’t read.
The same thing can happen for advertising teams and for a large variety of photographers doing photoshoots.
Of course, it also means that battery life is going to need to improve dramatically. But that’s a whole other article.
“The Fujifilm X-H2s is a refreshingly solid camera that can shoot multiple genres with little need for editing. The mix of excellent images straight from the camera, comfortable ergonomics, and an updated autofocus system make it a great choice for multiple types of shoots. While I wouldn’t name the XH2s as the best for sports or best for birding, it’s an excellent choice for the photographer who doesn’t conform to just one category. The XH2s mix of beautiful colors and fast low light autofocus make this camera most at home shooting events and portraits. But, it’s no slouch dabbling in sports or wildlife either. It has faster autofocus and better high ISO quality compared to the higher resolution X-H2.”
From Our Fujifilm XH2s review. Check it out for yourself.
Genuinely, I think there’s a lot to say here. This is a super exciting thing to happen as the camera manufacturers themselves have dragged their feet on making their cameras more and more connected easily. So integrating with Adobe and Frame.IO is genius. I’m sure that more cameras will be doing that in the future.
I’ve been very critical of Adobe in the past, and that’s an important part of my job. I still don’t think that Lightroom can do what Capture One does, and lots of folks are discovering that every day. At the same time, while I’m applauding Adobe and Frame.IO’s innovations because this is one of the best things that they’re doing for photographers, I also think that Adobe needs competition in the market. At the moment, they have competition for individual products. But Adobe’s strength is the fact that everything of theirs integrates together so well. They’re one of the most valuable companies in the world for great reason, but I also wish that Adobe would work to give back to the creative communities even more. My thoughts on that alone is worth a whole other article though.
The Fujifilm XH2s is a great price for what you’re getting, so check it out if you’re interested in buying one.
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