Fujifilm X100VI First Impression Review - Is it worth the Hype?
I managed to pick up a Fujifilm X100VI at launch - after setting my alarm to 5am on Feb20 - and have been using Fuji’s latest rangefinder pretty much every day for the last month, so in this post I’ll share my initial thoughts and impressions on this much hyped camera.
I wasn’t actually intending to buy the X100VI, I felt the previous versions looked great I always felt there were too many tradeoffs for the form factor and design, however, Fuji’s increased focus on video in recent years has led to features like IBIS being included in the VI’s compact rangefinder body. Also with the Xpro4 being delayed once again - or cancelled - and Fuji’s insistence on making the Mark II versions of their older lenses both larger and heavier, I decided to give the X100Vi a go.
The Fuji X100VI has the new Xtrans 5 sensor, updated auto focus, IBIS and is also great for video. It costs more than the Xt5 and has a fixed 23mm lens.
X100VI Shooting Experience:
A big part of the Fujifilm X100VI is the shooting experience and how fun it is to take photos with. I sometimes liken buying a camera to buying a car, the technical specs are important but equally as important is how the camera feels to shoot with and if it suits your shooting style.
Personally I’ve always been a fan of rangefinder style cameras and the X100vi handles a bit like a mini X-Pro2 in the hand. The build quality feels really good, however, it's not the easiest camera to hold as the grip is pretty shallow - so I do recommend a neck strap or adding a grip on if you are going to use a wrist strap.
One of my biggest gripes is Fujifilm’s decision to remove the directional pad, which means you have 4 less buttons to program. It means I’m unable to access all the settings I want at the touch of a button and find myself at times delving into the menu to make changes which can slow the shooting process.
This X100VI lends itself perfectly for street photography, the shutter is near silent while the tilt screen is helpful when shooting from the hip. It’s also lightweight and small so you can just bring with you on days out where you’re not heading out specifically with the view of doing photography. Fujifilm also included an ND filter within the camera, which helps with both video and photography when shooting in bright conditions.
In all, the X100vi is the continuation of Fuji’s iconic design and is one of the best looking and feeling cameras around.
X100VI Photography | Image Quality
The X100vi’s biggest upgrade over its predecessor is the inclusion of Fujifilm’s new 40mp X-trans 5 sensor - this is the same sensor found in the Fujifilm xt5. As with those cameras, the X100vi takes great photos both during the day and at night - no complaints in this department.
The new 40mp sensor is especially helpful on the X100vi as you’re stuck with a fixed 23mm lens. The increase in megapixels means that you’re able to crop in further and maintain higher levels of detail than you’d be able to with previous versions of the camera.
When it comes to shooting at night the new sensor does a really good job in low light conditions, I had no issues editing photos shot at higher ISO ranges 3200—6400.
X100VI Video
The new X-Trans 5 sensor in the X100VI also brings improvements to the video department. In fact, one of the main reasons I picked up this camera is Fuji’s shift towards video. Obviously, the X100VI is first and foremost a photography camera however, with the inclusion of IBIS and 10bit 4k recording, you can now capture video pretty much on par with the XT5.
In my case, I’m always doing a mix of photography and video when I go out to shoot, so being able to record both and not compromise is great. From my early tests, the IBIS works really well, whether taking long exposure photos or recording handheld it keeps things pretty stable. Also, the internal ND filter helps when it comes to filming at daytime too.
As for video quality, it looks really good, I’ve been recording everything in flog2, 10bit 422 and it’s pretty difficult to tell the footage apart from video I’ve recorded with the XT5.
X100VI Concerns
This brings me onto one of the more frustrating aspects of the Fujifilm X100VI. Firstly It’s Fuji’s decision to stick with the old battery and one - slower - SD card. While battery life on the X100VI isn’t terrible, it is nowhere near as good as the XT5’s. I always bring at least 3 batteries with me on a shoot as shooting 4K with this camera does burn through the battery life. As for the memory card, having just one one is annoying but it’s also slow which has a larger impact on the camera, more on this shortly.
Next up it’s the delay between switching from Photo mode to video. On the XT5 if you want to switch from photography to video, you just flick a switch and you’re there. However with the X100vi, there is no option to quickly access video mode. Each time I want to record a video, I have to hit the drive button and scroll down to ‘Video mode’ which takes a couple seconds each time.
Back to the speed issue, I’ve also found the camera can be slow when switching to video mode after taking photos. The buffer takes a while to clear after shooting and you have to wait until the buffer clears until you’re able to go into video mode. This can be pretty frustrating when you want to record something quickly after taking a couple photos.
Finally, in order to make this camera water resistant, you have to get a £100 filter from Fujifilm - there are probably cheaper alternatives. It seems a little strange to market a camera as water resistant but only with a £100 addition, especially seeing that this is already an expensive camera. The filter also makes the camera slightly longer and doesn’t look as clean with it on.
Is it worth the money?
So this brings on onto the price, and whether this camera is worth the money and if you should get one. Honestly, unless you specifically want a smaller camera body and you are happy to stick with the 23mm focal length I’d opt for the XT5 or one of Fuji’s older cameras like the XT4 or XT30 II. In fact, the Xt5 is actually cheaper - obviously you still need to buy a lens - than the X100vi and you can do so much more with that camera than you can with the X100VI.
Also If you are new to photography again, I don’t recommend this, it's very expensive and you’ll want more freedom during your early days of learning photography
So in terms of value for money, I’m not sure the x100VI represents good value, not to say it isn’t a great camera, but for the same money you can get a camera which will do more and better.
Conclusion
So to wrap up my first impressions, while the X100VI is a hard camera to recommend due to its price and limitations, I have loved shooting with it since picking it up, in fact I haven’t touched my XT5 since I received Fujifilm’s latest rangefinder style camera. I’ll be heading to Japan next month and will have plenty of time to test out the X100VI extensively.
