FUJI-Rumors puts one and one together, or 2019 + 3, speculating on the AI features of the Fujifilm X-H2 expected in 2022.
This speculation is based solely on interviews with FUJI managers, who emphasized in several places in 2019 that AI (artificial intelligence, or computer-aided photography based on it) would be an important part of photography in three years. From this, the site concludes that Fujifilm plans to add a massive AI push to the X series by 2022. And as a matching camera model slated for an announcement in 2022, this could become the
Fujifilm X-H2.
In fact, computational photography is very controversial, but it seems to be the sure way to give smaller sensors an image advantage over full-frame cameras in the future. The smaller the sensor, the faster the processing, the less heat is generated, the more the camera can work its magic of digital post processing.
This is offset by the lower dynamic range of small sensors, as currently many users associate large sensors with visibly better image quality. Should cameras with MFT or APS-C/S35 sensors be able to compensate for their dynamic range disadvantage with AI algorithms, the other advantages of the smaller sensors would still be there. And especially important: Existing MFT and APS-C systems could still be marketed well.
Whether FUJI will really make a start here as early as 2022 remains to be seen. There are certainly similar plans at all camera manufacturers. It will also be interesting to see whether Panasonic, for example, has similar AI plans for the upcoming GH6. After all, it has to compete internally against the large LUMIX S series recently.
It looks like 2022 could be the first big year for computational photography in system cameras. Of course, we are still primarily interested in the influence on the quality when used as a moving image camera. It will definitely be exciting...