Fujifilm’s flagship X-H2 and X-H2S cameras offer not just the fastest speeds but the beefiest grips – but photographers may soon not be able to add an official grip to the pro mirrorless. Fujifilm has officially discontinued both the VG-XH and FT-XH vertical battery grips for the X-H2 bodies.
When some retailers removed the listings for the battery grips, the change began fueling rumors that the two accessories have been discontinued. But when I reached out to a representative at Fujifilm US, the company confirmed that both grips have been discontinued.
The demise of the FT-XH doesn’t come as a surprise – that’s the grip that enables the cameras to wirelessly upload images to Frame.io. When Fujifilm eventually rolled out a firmware update that enabled the feature to do this without the accessory, I imagine the FT-XH didn’t warrant the price jump over the VG-XH.
Discontinuing the VG-XH feels a bit more unusual, as the accessory offers longer battery life and vertical grip and controls for the flagship bodies. The grip, like the bodies themselves, is weather-resistant and adds two batteries to the camera. The grip also adds a vertical shutter release with front and rear dials and a handful of added buttons.
The X-H2 was the first Fujifilm body to feature the 40.2MP X-Trans sensor and X-Processor 5 before the sensor rolled out to other models like the X-T5, X-E5, X-T50 and the viral compact camera, the X100VI.
The lower resolution but speedy X-H2S was announced in May of 2022 and started shipping later that summer, while the X-H2 followed in the fall of that same year. That means the camera bodies are turning four years old this year, a fact that seems to be fueling wish lists and speculation over what’s next for the next generation of Fujifilm’s X series.
While Fujifilm has stopped producing both grips, a handful of retailers still seem to have stock left – but the change suggests that photographers who have been eyeing the grips may not want to wait. A handful of retailers still list the grip in stock, including Adorama in the US and London Camera Exchange in the UK. It's also available used at MPB.
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