FUJI X100 VI CAMERA REVIEW

FUJI X100 VI CAMERA REVIEW

Introduction

My journey to find my perfect, personal everyday alternative to my Sony A1 professional cameras has inevitably led me to the incredibly popular Fujifilm X100 VI.  If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’ll see that I’ve arrived at the Fuji X100 VI via the Ricoh GR III, Leica Q3, Sony A7 CR and Nikon ZF; yes, I’ve really been around a bit!  If you’d like to know why I ultimately didn’t stick with any of those superb cameras, feel free to delve into my previous posts.

It may be inevitable that I’ve ended up here, with the Fuji X100 VI, having discounted it early in my research having never really got along with the earlier X100T (which I quickly sold some years ago).  It was actually the result of thoroughly enjoying using my daughter’s Fuji X100 VI while on a skiing trip at the start of this year that ultimately brought be back to Fujifilm.  And, spoiler alert, I’m really rather enjoying it!

Like my earlier camera reviews, I’ll keep this short and non-technical and it’ll be just my subjective opinions – so please don’t be offended if you don’t agree with them.  I’ll approach this again as a list of Pros and Cons followed by a little summary and the Fuji ‘Recipe’ that I’ve settled on as my do-it-all solution to deliver jpegs that please me – as I’ll discuss, and you may already know, Fuji colours, Film Simulations and ‘Recipes’ are possibly the biggest single draw to the Fuji brand and I’m learning to see why.

Pros

• Colours – so we’ll start with colours as I think it’s probably the most talked about aspect of Fujifilm and their cameras.  As someone who has been shooting Sony professionally for 9 years (I know, their ‘colour science’ has come a long way) editing a Fuji RAW file (or even better not having to edit because the jpegs look so damn good straight out-of-camera) is a joy.  The Sony RAW files can be edited however you like but they take work and the starting point is a very flat and lifeless RAW file.  Getting consistency of edit and a look that you like with Sony RAW files takes patience, experience, knowledge and time.  I have no issues with putting those attributes into action for my paid work, but seeing the look you’re after created in-camera through film simulations and recipes, or even using the same film simulation camera profiles in Lr, is simply game-changing when it comes to personal projects and just documenting daily life.  My first few experiments with the Fuji X100 VI film simulations actually left me a little frustrated as I struggled to find a look that matched my tastes (fairly true to life, but always warm and with slightly dialled back greens/yellows).  It was my daughter that solved the problem for me, digging up a quite obscure recipe that uses ‘Astia Soft’ as its base.  Browsing the Fuji forums and recipe websites such as Fuji X Weekly, Astia appears to be one of the less popular simulations and is probably the reason that I was slow to find it.  Regardless, after a little tweaking, it’s now my go-to and features on almost all of the images in this blog.  I need to come up with a cool name for it, so suggestions are welcome! If you fancy giving it a go, I’ll leave the settings below – I’d love to know what you think of it.  For me, it makes the most of the Fuji colours in a way that doesn’t scream ‘film simulation’ too loudly but still looks uniquely and quite beautifully Fuji.  In a time where there’s a resurgence of interest in analogue film cameras, Fujifilm find themselves in a uniquely strong position as the camera manufacturer with digital cameras that quite simply deliver the closest thing to the ‘film look’ from a digital camera body.  You can see why they are currently experiencing such a sales boom and why cameras such as the Fuji X100 VI are rarely in-stock!

• • ‘Issy’s Astia’

• Fuji X RAW Studio – this is a really simple little desktop App that allows you to connect your camera to your computer and retrospectively edit RAW files shot on the camera using the camera’s processor – it’s a fantastic way to re-edit images using different film simulations to the one used originally and to create and tweak recipes which you can then save to camera. Genius and utterly unique to Fuji. I have no idea why other manufacturers have invested so little in this area.
• Styling – probably an equal draw to the Fuji colours is Fuji camera styling.  Combine the Fuji colours and analogue film simulations with a retro-styled camera that looks stylish and feels great to carry around, you have a winning ‘recipe’ (pun intended).  I don’t think anyone could deny that Fuji cameras, whether rangefinder or SLR-style, look fabulous compared to the largely generic and quite bland mirrorless camera bodies that the drive towards function over form has delivered over the years.  Sure, some will argue that they’re less ergonomic than their rivals but it’s nothing that a small extension or thumb grip can’t resolve.  Some of the additions actually take style to the next level and ‘pimping’ Fuji cameras to personal tastes seems to have created a whole new and ever expanding market in retro-vibe camera customisations.  I absolutely love the leather half case on my Fuji X100 VI – it looks great but adds protection and a little grip boost that helps handling enormously.
• Handling – if you have read my other camera reviews you’ll see that I’ve gradually realised what makes a camera handle well for me.  As a purely stills shooter who is used to using ‘professional’ full-frame camera bodies, I’ve become used to optimised ergonomics in terms of programmable buttons, dials, AF point joysticks and tilt screens.  The purely VLOG style articulated screens that have to stick out beside the camera body to tilt up or down have driven me to distraction and are now a deal-breaker when it comes to camera choice for me.  I find it impossible to compose accurately using the rear screen when it’s not aligned to the camera body and lens and this was a big part of the reason I moved on from the Nikon ZF and Sony A7 CR.  What those cameras also lack, which the Fuji X100 VI has, is a joystick for menu navigation and importantly AF point movement.  For me, a stills camera in 2025 has a screen that can be tilted in line with the camera body and an AF joystick.  This may be highly subjective but, if a camera as small as the Fuji X100 VI can have those things, I don’t see why the full-frame bodies of the Sony A7C series and Nikon ZF can’t also. Even the Leica Q3, more than 3x the price of the Fuji X100 VI lacks a joystick.
• Size – although not as pocketable as the Ricoh GR series, the Fuji X100 VI is a relatively compact camera that makes a wonderful travel companion and everyday carry.  In the few months that I’ve had this camera, it’s so often been grabbed for routine walks and short trips out purely because of its size and how much fun it is to use.  It’s a cliche, but it’s a camera that inspires and makes you want to go out and shoot.  As someone who finds that shooting professionally does take some of the joy out of a passion, particularly over a long summer of wedding days, it’s so refreshing and healthy to have a camera that reminds you why you fell in love with photography in the first place.
• Weather Sealing – it’s a shame you have to buy a filter to make the Fuji X100 VI weather-sealed but it’s great that it can be.  I’d not travel with a camera that wasn’t weather-sealed and there’s no doubt that with a fixed lens and proper weather-sealing the Fuji X100 VI is an ideal go-everywhere travel camera.
• Built-in Flash – it’s not very powerful but the small built-in flash just adds to the Fuji X100 VI’s utility.  I’ve only used it a handful of times so far but it’s great to have the option to grab some fun snaps of friends and family once the sun has gone down.
• Neutral Density Filter – I’m not a landscape photographer (nor is this really a tool for landscape photography) but having a built-in ND filter on a f/2 lens-equipped camera with a max mechanical shutter speed of 1/4,00o sec provides great flexibility for shooting wide open on bright days or dragging the shutter for some motion in daylight.
• Fixed 35mm lens – if you like the 35mm focal length (which I do and I find to be the most versatile focal length of all – if I could only have one prime lens, it would be a 35mm) the limitation of a fixed lens Fuji X100 VI can be the catalyst for creativity and improving technique.  There is no one-size fits all lens without compromise and I find the 35 f/2 lens of the Fuji X100 VI ticks as many boxes as possible in a very compact package that suits 90% of my every day needs.  The fact that you can add a wide-angle or teleconverter, or in-camera crop/digital zoom into the substantial 40MP also adds to the appeal and flexibility of the Fuji X100 VI.
• IBIS – a new addition to the X100 series with the X100 VI, IBIS is great to have.  I’ve found it to work as advertised and have showcased it below in a few images shot in incredibly low light.  I’ve no complaints here at all and am glad I waited for the Fuji X100 VI to come along for that feature alone.

Cons

• Autofocus – I’m not going to labour this as it’s covered so often online – Fuji cameras don’t have the best AF and the Fuji X100 VI is no exception.  While the camera has the latest tools such as face and eye-detection and continuous AF, it feels a few generations behind the latest offerings from Sony, Canon and Nikon.  I’d put marginally ahead of the Leica Q3 (also not known for their AF cameras).  I think the issue lies in the lens more than the camera body AF algorithm as I head that the likes of the Fuji X-T5 with the same AF system performs far better in this area.  I find the movement and noise of the lens elements of the Fuji X100 VI focussing mildly annoying and the experience certainly feels dated when compared to more modern silent and lightning fast AF lenses.  I’ve had more out-of-focus shots using the Fuji X100 VI in 6 months than the previous 9 years of using Sony cameras and that is a frustration.  That said, this is not a sports camera, I’m not (and would not) use it for paid work and it does a more than adequate job in the environments that it’s most at home – ie on the streets.  I’ve also learned that the continuous AF is really not there and that single-shot AF is the way to avoid much of the frustration – it’s the opposite of modern Canon, Sony and Nikon cameras that thrive and live in continuous or tracking AF modes but it is what it is.
• Build Quality – I’ve read that the production of the Fuji X100 VI was moved to China from Japan in order for Fuji to endeavour to manufacture enough bodies to meet customer demand and that this led to some drop off in build-quality. I can’t directly compare the X100 V with the VI but I do agree that build-quality could be improved.  Time will tell but the On/Off rocker feels a little too loose for my liking and the joystick feels like a toy just waiting to break.  It’s not a cheap feeling camera but it does feel vulnerable and that it needs to be treated with some care if it’s going to enjoy a long life.  I shouldn’t really compare the Fuji to the Leica Q3 but the Fuji does feel like a toy in comparison.  Maybe you just get what you pay for but the Fuji X100 VI is certainly not cheap for a fixed lens compact camera.
• Lens – as discussed, I love the 35mm focal length and the fact that this lens is relatively fast at f2 is a real win.  My only gripe with this lens, other than the AF performance, is that it is soft wide-open (some will see that as a strength and will go to great lens to soften the lens with mist filters) and that it loses contrast rapidly when shooting towards a light source.  You don’t get much/any flare but I don’t like the look of images shot into the sun or strong light sources and find myself trying to find ways to avoid shooting into the light.  I’m no doubt spoilt by the Sony GM lenses that I use for work and the anti-flare coatings that go with them but I was shocked by how poorly the X100 VI lens performs in back-lit scenarios.

Summary

As you’ll have already worked out, I rather like the Fuji X100 VI – it’s certainly a keeper for now.  Although I have had my head turned slightly by the announcement of the Fuji X-E5 which is being marketed as an interchangeable lens version of the Fuji X100 VI, I’m going to continue my Fuji journey with the X100 for the time being.  The benefits of the X100 VI over the X-E5 include weather-sealing, built-in flash, a built-in ND filter and a much better EVF and rear screen (important to me as glasses wearer) and those may be the reasons that the X100 remains in my bag for many years to come (unless they release an X-Pro 4!).  For me, the Fuji X100 VI is a unique offering – it delivers exceptional images straight out-of-camera, it is compact enough to go unnoticed when travelling, it’s a joy to shoot with and it looks great sat next to your coffee when you’re out on a city photowalk (where it seems most at home and is most often photographed!).  It has the perfect fixed focal length for most applications in my opinion and can deal well with low-light and no light!  It really is a great all-rounder that is equally at home in the hands of a beginner or a pro photographer and delivers images that destroy anything coming from even the latest of smart phones.  While it’s huge popularity as a camera may partly be due to the exposure it’s found via ‘influencers’ on social media over recent years, it is an incredibly competent photographic tool in its own right and, in my view, remains unique in today’s competitive and busy camera market.

And now for a few more images to hopefully demonstrate a little of what I’ve waffled on about above.  The vast majority of these images are ‘straight out-of-camera’ and edited using the recipe ‘Issy’s Astia’ detailed above.  The black and white images were largely edited using Kodak Tri-X 400 from Fuji X Weekly.

Thanks as always for reading and again, feel free to drop any polite comments or questions below!

Andy