Fujifilm X100VI assessment: Pleasure, in digital camera kind

In 2018, I purchased the Fujifilm X-E3. I did not comprehend it on the time, however that digital camera would change into a life-changing buy. I had owned other cameras before, however none of them managed to encourage me in the best way the X-E3 had. Not solely did it produce lovely images, however every part in regards to the person expertise gelled with how I like to make use of expertise. Half a decade later, I am a greater photographer than I used to be in 2018, and I can safely say it is largely because of the X-E3.

After utilizing the X100VI for 2 weeks, I really feel equally impressed. At this level, Fujifilm’s newest digital camera wants no introduction, however in case you are new to photography, there are some things that make it noteworthy. Fujifilm has been producing the X100 sequence since 2010, and for many of its historical past, the road has had a small however passionate fan base. That’s till partway by the pandemic when the X100V, the X100VI’s instant predecessor, gained TikTok fame. Subsequently, the X100V turned practically not possible to purchase, and the value of second-hand X100 fashions — and different Fujifilm cameras extra broadly — elevated considerably.

Seen in that context, the X100VI is as a lot an improve to the X100V as it’s a response to its runaway success. Sure, Fujifilm outfitted the digital camera with some new options, together with in-body picture stabilization (IBIS) and its newest X-Trans sensor, however these tweaks are, for my part, secondary to the very fact the X100VI is now $200 dearer than its predecessor. $1,599 is quite a bit to ask for a digital camera that is restricted to a single lens.

So, I feel the query most individuals need answered is whether or not the Fujifilm X100VI is definitely worth the hype and value.

Beneficial

Fujifilm X100VI

If you slot in its goal market, the Fujifilm X100VI is an unbelievable digital camera. The brand new mannequin retains the design and handbook controls of the X100V whereas including a brand new, extra detailed sensor and 6 stops of in-body picture stabilization.

Execs

• Implausible ergonomics
• Unbelievable construct high quality
• Six stops of in-body picture stabilization
• Detailed 40-megapixel sensor

Cons

• Costly
• Dated lens
• Restricted to UHS-1 reminiscence playing cards

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Worth, specs, and availability

The X100VI is that can be purchased from Adorama, B&H, and different on-line retailers for $1,599. Fujifilm affords the digital camera in two colorways: silver and black. As with the X100V earlier than it, demand for the X100VI is excessive, so anticipate to attend some time earlier than you should buy one.

What I appreciated in regards to the Fujifilm X100VI

Considerate ergonomics and a few nice options

I am going to get to the X100VI’s upgrades in a second, however to start out I need to speak about what it carries over from earlier X100 cameras. Most notably, the X100VI options primarily the identical kind issue because the X100 did again in 2010. Positive, Fujifilm has made ergonomic tweaks over time, shifting the position of choose buttons and dials, however after a decade of refinement, the X100VI continues to be a compact digital camera with a set lens and a hybrid viewfinder. And should you’re a photographer of a sure kind, that is what makes the X100VI so interesting.

I fall into that camp. One of many causes I really like Fujifilm cameras a lot is that they typically function devoted handbook controls slightly than the PSAM structure discovered on most fashionable cameras. Considerably unintuitively, I discover all these dials make the act of pictures really feel extra instant; when you’ve gotten direct management over the publicity triangle, you are not preventing the digital camera to snap a photograph.

The X100VI is essentially the most maximalist expression of that philosophy. Every button and dial feels delightfully tactile, the leaf shutter produces a refined however satisfying click on while you snap a photograph, and the digital camera has a hefty weight that’s reassuring. All of these mix to create a tool that feels unbelievable to make use of.

For the 2 weeks I had the X100VI, my girlfriend and I spent our evenings and weekends roaming Toronto’s east finish and taking turns taking photographs of every part we noticed. On the finish of every day, we’d lament the very fact I needed to ship the X100VI again to Fujifilm. That is how a lot enjoyable we had with the digital camera.

It might be a mistake if I additionally did not point out the X100VI is, merely put, cool. I am unable to rely what number of instances a barista or somebody I met throughout my adventures with the X100VI requested in regards to the digital camera I used to be carrying round. Fujifilm understands the rule of cool like no different firm making cameras proper now.

Okay, however what about these upgrades I discussed earlier than? New to the X100VI is a extra detailed 40-megapixel sensor and Fujifilm’s newest X-Processor 5. Fujifilm has additionally outfitted the digital camera with six stops of in-body picture stabilization (IBIS). Moreover, the brand new mannequin comes preloaded with 20 of the corporate’s movie simulations. There are different, smaller enhancements, however I am going to additionally word right here the X100VI continues to be restricted to utilizing UHS-I reminiscence playing cards and Fujifilm’s older and smaller NP-W126S batteries.

The bounce to a 40-megapixel sensor is not as dramatic of an improve as you may assume. Photographs do look sharper than these produced by my X-E3’s 24.3-megapixel X-Trans III sensor, however I additionally wasn’t blown away by the quantity of element I noticed after I went pixel-peeping in Adobe Lightroom. That should not come as a shock. Like its predecessors, the X100VI includes a 23mm pancake lens with an f/2 aperture. It is a prime that prioritizes portability over picture high quality. If you happen to’re contemplating the X100VI because the proprietor of an earlier mannequin within the sequence or an older Fujifilm digital camera, the X100VI is not a terrific showcase of what the newest X-Trans sensor can do.

The X100VI additionally is not a terrific showcase of what Fujifilm’s X-Processor 5 can do. The corporate claims the chip makes the X100VI virtually twice as quick because the X100V, however so far as autofocus pace is anxious, the newer mannequin is proscribed by a sluggish, outdated lens. The processor does lengthen the X100VI’s video seize capabilities — permitting it, for example, to seize 10-bit, 6.2K footage at a 1.23x crop — however between its kind issue and that ageing lens I discussed, there are cameras in Fujifilm’s lineup which are much better suited to video manufacturing.

Extra impactful is the addition of IBIS. Together with a built-in ND filter (a function carried over from the X100V), the X100VI feels prefer it’s as much as the duty of capturing virtually something. Wanting by all of the photographs I shot, there is not one which’s out of focus or gentle. Inside the confines of its 23mm lens, the one restrict I felt was associated to my very own lack of creativity.

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What I did not like in regards to the Fujifilm X100VI

Function creep

Exterior of the constraints of its kind issue, there’s not a lot the X100VI does poorly, and many of the issues I disliked about it are points that plague practically each digital camera in 2024.

To start out, the X100VI retains the menu structure discovered on previous Fujifilm X-series cameras, however there are actually extra menu objects than ever. Coming from the X-E3, every part of the menu has at the very least one extra web page of recent settings to browse and tweak. It may be quite a bit to navigate, significantly since most of the settings do not include any type of clarification detailing what they do. I ended up watching a 45-minute video somebody on YouTube made to help different overwhelmed X100V and X100VI customers, and I am glad I did as a result of I really feel I’d have in any other case spent many of the restricted time I had with the X100VI tweaking its settings slightly than going out and taking pictures.

In fact, it is doable to disregard a lot of X100VI’s extra area of interest choices, however their inclusion feels at odds with the digital camera’s authentic design. One other drawback with the menus is that Fujifilm does not make use of a constant font, each by way of typeface and measurement. The interface is not essentially the most irritating I’ve used on a contemporary digital camera, nevertheless it does encumber the X100VI; to get essentially the most you possibly can out of this digital camera, you’ll completely have to familiarize your self with its settings. So, calling it a easy ‘point-and-shoot’ is not fairly proper.

Extra annoying than the menu system had been the problems I had with Fujifilm’s companion cellular app. It doesn’t matter what I attempted, I could not get the software program to acknowledge the X100VI, which meant I could not switch photographs instantly from the digital camera to my iPhone 12 to benefit from automated geotagging and the addition of HEIF help.

If you happen to’re a longtime Fujifilm shooter, my expertise will not come as information to you; the corporate’s companion app has been a constant supply of person frustration. A buddy of mine who obtained to review the X100VI early stated they by no means managed to get the digital camera to connect with their iPhone by the Fujifilm app, both. For what it is price, the corporate did attempt to assist me troubleshoot the issue, however by the point I heard again, I needed to return my assessment unit.

Do you have to purchase the Fujifilm X100VI?

If you happen to’re studying this assessment, chances are high you have already got an opinion of the X100VI and know if it will match into your pictures model. I have to admit, at the same time as somebody who virtually solely shoots with the XF 23mm F2, a first-rate lens that options the identical focal size because the X100VI’s built-in lens, I sometimes discovered the digital camera limiting. There have been moments I needed I might swap to an extended lens to get a distinct perspective on a topic.

Nevertheless, exterior these cases, the X100VI was a pleasure to make use of, and it rejuvenated my love of pictures. In the end, I feel that is crucial a part of any digital camera; all of the options and specs on the planet do not matter in case your digital camera does not encourage you to choose it up. On the identical time, I perceive a $1,599 digital camera, significantly one with some limitations, is not a simple promote. And you already know what, that is okay.

The X100VI is not for everybody. I do know that. Fujifilm is aware of that. that. However if you need a photography-first digital camera which you can carry round with you daily, I can safely say the X100VI is likely one of the greatest you should buy proper now, and it’d even encourage you to take your craft to the subsequent stage.

Beneficial

Fujifilm X100VI