Fujifilm X100VI Long-Term Review
Six months with Schrödinger’s camera
The Fujifilm X100VI is an incredible, one-of-a-kind imaging tool that also happens to be one of the most frustrating releases in recent Fujifilm history. Now, that might sound a little ominous out of the gates but that’s because I wanna underscore something important for this review: we can hold multiple opinions on a product at the same time.
To allude to this camera being completely flawless would be laughable. And to say its shortcomings are dealbreakers would be disingenuous. The Fujifilm X100VI strikes this fascinating blend where it has no true rivals but similar to a trust-fund baby straight out of college, it fails to innovate in the four years removed from its previous self.
I spent the better part of six months using this camera all over the world and in this review, I’m gonna share with you all the things that I’ve enjoyed, all the things that need improvement, and ultimately, who I believe will find the most value from a camera like this.
The Photography
At its core, you have a camera in the Fujifilm X100VI that captures really great stills. The APS-C sensor is bumped to 40MP and it delivers a healthy amount of dynamic range with resolution to spare. The files that this camera produces aren’t exactly surprising. After all, it is the same technology you’d find in the Fujifilm X-T5 and X-H2. But the unique experience here is what will delight users.
Unlike any other solution on the market, you have package that can easily be operated with one-hand that also delivers four unique ways to compose your photo. You can use the standard viewfinder, switch to an electronic viewfinder, use a hybrid of both, or use the tilting, rear LCD. I guess there’s also fifth way, where you can just compose by feel and trust the autofocus.
The autofocus performance of the X100VI has really matured from the predecessor where speed and accuracy see significant improvements. You might use the wide-tracking or a single point approach, where you lock focus and recompose to grab your shot. Or you may even trust the subject tracking to acquire focus in the moment. Whichever you method you choose, they’ve all improved in a noticeable way.
Is it perfect? No. There were several instances where focus would miss or the subject tracking was fooled. But by no means is this weak point of the camera anymore.
Now, you should take the time to understand what you capture and tweak the autofocus speed and sensitivity for your environment. Trusting the algorithm out of the box may lead to mixed results, especially if you capture images in a very dynamic way. And while it might be deflating for novices and armchair experts that this autofocus isn’t perfect out of the box, the truth is that if you customize 2 or 3 settings, you’ll have a camera that locks focus quickly and accurately.
If you’re asking me, the quality of the image on this camera doesn’t feel noticeably better than the predecessor. In some situations it felt like slightly better noise performance but that could be negligible. To my eyes, the X100VI does not produce a better looking image than the X100V. What it does do is give you a better way to capture and edit your image with image stabilization, the new processor, and a higher resolution sensor.
Some of you may be wondering, does the image quality out of this camera compete with the results I get from a true rangefinder camera, like my Leica M11? The short answer is no, but it’s a little more complex than that. The full-frame sensor and premium optics give a modern M solution give you more room to create a compelling story in a wide array of environments. You’ll just get better ingredients more often than not.
However, what gives the X100VI so much value is that it gets you close in a lot of situations and because of how easy it is to use, there’s a speed advantage that’s hard to ignore. Add to this the flash, the built-in ND filter, the lighter feel, and the significantly lower entry price, well… you just have something that delivers quality in other ways to close the gap on premium solutions. Which leads me to my next point.
If you ever thought, why the hell is this camera so back-ordered and taking up so much hype in the market? It’s more about the experience than the results. This is something that feels really great to use. The reason the X100VI has become a viral sensation is because it create great stills in the moment while being great to use.
There’s been no shortage of hot takes on how this camera is overrated and I just can’t seem to agree. That’s because there’s nobody else that delivering the complete experience of this camera does out of the box.
The Fujifilm X100VI is fun. You have a unique mix of technology and a rich collection of Film Simulations that make the experience of photography really fun. And that may be really hard to contextualize online but that’s the primary reason this camera continues to see such high demand.
Build Quality & User Experience
From Mexico City, to Toronto, to Helsinki, to New York, and even the Arctic, the X100VI delivered in all sorts of environments. As with the previous version, you’ll want to invest in the appropriate adapter and filter to complete the weather resistance of this camera. Once you do, you can confidently use this camera in all sorts of environments.
When I stuck to photography, I didn’t have to worry about the camera overheating or shutting down due to freezing temperatures. While the X100VI sits in a very modest package, it’s quite durable and withstood a lot of wild situations.
Something that continues to elevate the shooting experience are physical dials tied to the camera settings. Like the world’s greatest fidget toy, you have these well-made dials to control aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation. There’s even a few more to customize if you like. What I appreciate about this is that you can take an automatic approach if you want but let’s say you really wanna have control over your experience, you can use all the dials to improve your understanding of photography. It’s something I credit Fujifilm personally when I started using their products nearly a decade ago.
There’s a healthy amount of customizable buttons on the camera. If you’re asking me, it could use fewer buttons but I’ll admit that I’m probably in the minority here.
For those of you wondering how I carried this camera around, the team at Wotan Craft sent me their new Parashooter wrist strap and it felt right at home on a camera like this. This is a camera you wanna have ready to go as much as possible and this strap made for a comfortable and secure experience all over the world.
There’s also few more quality of life improvements on the X100VI, like image sensor cleaning, digital converters, lower base ISO, and expanded video options. They may not be the flashiest updates but they each help to flesh out what this camera can deliver for users in a real way. It’s like the menu at your favourite Chinese Hakka restaurant. Sure, there’s a lot on paper but when you’re really craving something specific after a late night bender, you’re glad that it’s there.
I also have to mention video because there’s a lot packed in here. Being able to record up to 6.2K video at 30P at 10-bit 4:2:2 is a powerful feature. For the uninitiated, it means that you can a lot of resolution and colour information. Leveraging this feature—along with the built-in ND filter—to capture little vignettes of your day-to-day can make for a compelling video companion. What’s brought me joy is being able to just use a recipe to create a great looking profile in camera and create shots that are ready to share and look noticeably better than a smartphone.
All in all, this is a camera that will not only live up to the hype for first time users but often exceed them. The more you familiarize yourself with the offerings and how to use the technology for your storytelling, the more that this camera will delight you.
But what if you’re not a first-time user? What if you’re upgrading from the previous version? Well, your mileage may vary. As I alluded to earlier, there doesn’t seem to be enough here to warrant an immediate upgrade. It could make your shooting experience better but you really have to know how. With all that said, there’s also a good chance that this camera may frustrate long-time Fuji customers that held their breath for this version.
Let’s Talk Improvements
How could this camera have been better? It’s gotta start with battery life. This camera uses the same battery as before which means that you just won’t get you through a full day of active photography. And in some instances, I found it hard to even get through half a day with my style of street photography. I would have to babysit the battery life by turning the camera off and on between photographs. That’s just not a great user experience.
I’ve seen several talking points from Fujifilm about how critical it what’s to keeping the same physical dimensions of this camera. Well, the reality is that they did make the camera bigger to accommodate the IBIS unit. I believe they should’ve added another few millimetres for a higher capacity battery. And if I had to choose? I would’ve preferred an X100VI with better battery than image stabilization because what good is a dead camera anyway?
There were several instances where the camera would just ‘lag’ behind my shooting style. The files would take a moment to write to the card and in rare instances, I couldn’t shoot another image until it was done processing the files. Is it the buffer space? Is it the UHS-I card slot? I think it’s both.
In 2024, the omission of these upgrades feels like a cost-saving decision that customers have to burden. While die-hards will say this isn’t a major drawback, I think the marginal improvement in camera performance here would have been worth the investment.
The next thing isn’t a surprise but I’m gonna mention it anyway: the menu system is just bad. We see more and more features being crammed into the Fujifilm ecosystem and while that’s great for users, it comes with the cost of a user interface that almost feels like a cruel joke. Key features are buried in pages and sub-pages. I mean, just look at how autofocus features are mapped out. The delineation between zones, humans, and subject tracking… My goodness, just use some of that Instax money and hire a design firm to fix this!
Further to this, you have photography language used within these menus that just aren’t coherent for the non-photographer. I’d love to see Fujifilm address this in a major way but if I’m being honest, I just don’t think they’ll dedicate the time and resources to do it any time soon. Let alone bring those updates to existing cameras.
Four years removed from the X100V and this camera still requires a filter adapter to complete the weather resistance. Do I think this is an intentional decision to sell high-margin accessories? No. Do I think this is a missed opportunity? Absolutely. It really is a shame that the engineers at Fujifilm couldn’t figure out how to ship this camera with dust- and water-resistance right out of the box.
Some smaller points, the touchscreen works most of the time but just doesn’t have that responsiveness you’d see from a smartphone. The tripod mount is adjusted but still presents a challenges if you wanna swap batteries while using a tripod. And while we saw a major update to the companion app for the phone, it’s still not great. It’s delivers a reliable experience a lot of the time but I wouldn’t say it’s been even 90% reliable for me. Similar to the camera menus, I feel like this needs a re-design. Or in this case, a RE-re-design.
Now, I know that’s already a lot but I assure you, there’s more things that this camera could’ve improved on…
The marketing around the Fujifilm X100VI video features promises a lot but opportunities start to shrivel up when you factor in the design of the camera. For quick clips designed for social, sure this camera is fantastic. You can actually create these rich, bite-sized clips that will work great for social media. Anything beyond that gets challenging.
All the ports for video are on the same side where you’d hold this camera. These ports are also tightly packed, so some cable combinations just won’t work. And instead of a 3.5mm mic jack placed elsewhere, you have the same 2.5mm jack placed here, which feels practically archaic in 2024. But I guess none of this really matters because with this battery, you won’t be shooting videos long enough to get upset.
I could also touch on the branding of this camera, where the name feels more like a username on Reddit than a prestigious imaging tool but let’s be honest, Fujifilm isn’t ready for that conversation. Besides, I gotta talk about something far more important…
The biggest failure of this camera has been the entire release strategy. You’d think with how little this camera has changed, the price increase, and moving the production to China that Fujifilm would be positioned to address the demand. Nope. Not even close.
It’s been five months since the announcement and if you were to place an order now, you might not see your camera for another five months. Retailers all over the world are still facing the pressure pre-order dollars being tied up with long wait times, where some believe they’ll never fulfill every order on their list. And what is the response from Fujifilm executives and fanboys on this matter? Joy.
Oh, they can’t contain themselves! They wanna let anyone know how great it is to have the most-preordered camera in history and how demand is far exceeding their wildest expectations. Here’s a recent quote from the brand:
“What Fujifilm has been trying to do for a long time is finally coming true now. We intend to drive the entire imaging business, including Instax, while concentrating on building brand strength and not reducing the value of the properties purchased by our customers.”
Source PetaPixel.
I’ll admit, this doesn’t sound like they’re artificially limiting supply but it still feels like a slap in the face for consumers and something that shouldn’t be celebrated. This sounds like a deliberate play at building brand equity even though the production of these cameras hasn’t significantly changed. We’re not talking about changing the production to a largely hand-made process in premium factories. No, this smells like repositioning the narrative around the same quality after such bad estimates.
You know, if I was this wrong in my estimates with a client, believe me, there would be no cause for celebration. And I know some of you might wanna sound off on me saying, I have no idea how hard it is to fulfill these kinda demands. You’re right. I don’t. But you know who should? The company that’s making the camera!
At this time, the Fujifilm X100VI launch is a masterclass in how to disappoint customers. The entire strategy feels rushed and incoherent. This rollout feels considerably worse than recent gaming console launches, and that’s saying something. Any time the company is pressed on this matter, we’re met with laughable PR responses on how the company is focused on showcasing its innovation and continuing to meet demand. At this point, the only thing I wanna hear from Fujifilm is an apology.
Go back to the traditional, Japanese roots and put together a meaningful and transparent apology. Apologize to the customers you’ve kept waiting. Apologize to your retail partners for the businesses you’ve stifled. And keep apologizing until you rectify the supply chain where a customer isn’t waiting more than two weeks for a camera with your name on it.
Now, I know that was a little heavy-handed, even for me but I built my career with Fujifilm. While I don’t actively shoot with their products anymore, the industry is better when they’re doing well. And everything around this camera release has just been embarrassing to customers and the industry. I want them to get better and part of that happening means people like myself holding them to a higher standard.
A True Original
Let’s briefly talk about how this camera stacks up against the market while remembering, that more than one opinion can exist at the same time. Despite the drawbacks and failures around the Fujifilm X100VI, when you stack this camera against the market, it still shines bright. It’s an important camera that’s been signalling this shift to well-designed, more intentional imaging tools. You still can’t find a true competitor that does everything this camera does, and that’s impressive.
While the Fujifilm X100VI didn’t introduce anything bold and fresh like a global shutter, downloadable recipes, internal storage, or file encryption, it never had to because the market pressure was never there. Fujifilm still has a unique blend of design and features that isn’t totally matched by other premium, point-and-shoot cameras.
So, if you’re asking me how does this camera compare against the typical list of competitors on the market? The truth is that the Fujifilm X100VI still feels like the best all-around solution for most people. If you’re picking up a Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, or Ricoh, it’s because there’s 1 or 2 very specific reasons that lean more to what you specifically create. Or, you just got tired of waiting.
Final Thoughts
Where have I landed with the Fujifilm X100VI? At this point, I feel like the X100 series has become a status symbol. It’s a film camera for those who can’t or won’t shoot film. Or it’s a Leica for those that can’t or won’t get a Leica. Or it’s an accessory for those who can’t or won’t find internal peace. But I’m truly glad it exists.
Because the X100VI is also a statement camera the feels like a celebration of photography. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you’ll appreciate how committed it feels to the act of photography. Again, I’m happy that this camera exists.
If you’re a seasoned photographer or someone that’s been invested in the Fujifilm ecosystem, it can be hard to ignore all the oversights. You’re bound to hit some bottlenecks that remind you that this version deserved more polish.
The X100VI is not something that I would’ve personally upgraded to but this camera actually wasn’t for me. It was for my son. He’s taken a liking to photography and turns into this hyper-curious documentarian when he has this camera in his hands. Sure, it’s overkill for a child his age but I thought, why not see how far this offering could take him? While this camera may be deflating for me, it’s quite incredible for many others.
It’s not two things, the Fujifilm X100VI is many things. Perhaps if Fujifilm had more competition in this market segment, consumers may have seen a more innovative camera and a better rollout. But the truth is they don’t have enough competition. As a result, we have this camera that feels good enough. And you know what, for a lot of people, it really is.
Who is this camera for? You mean other than those that have a lot of patience?
This is a camera that’s first and foremost made for the intentional photographer. Someone that wants to invest in something that not only takes great pictures but feels great while doing it. Something that feels like it’s improving your understanding of photography the more you use it.
It’s camera for those that want latitude on how they see and interact with the world. Something that can make you slow down but also provide a jolt of speed to capture those rare, fleeting moments. It’s also a camera that lets you shoot and express yourself in a multitude of unique ways.
If you find yourself committing to photography more and more, if you a happen to be on-the-go a lot, or if you just want a departure from workhorse camera that genuinely feels different, the Fujifilm X100VI might be the first camera you consider at the sub-$2,000 price point.
The predecessor was something that I dubbed as the perfect companion camera, where it’s plenty for the hobbyist and a great escape for the professional. It’s been a long four years since I made that statement but that statement holds up pretty well with the X100VI. When you account for all the included features, this is an imaging tool that lets you create incredible stories, in a wide array of situations, in a very meaningful way. My only hope is that Fujifilm looks at this generation as an opportunity and not a complete success. That when the time comes from a successor, we have the realization of an X100 camera that truly exceeds expectations.
July Contest: $200 Gift Card for Moment
Starting this month, I’ll be moving to gift cards for our monthly contests. While it was fun to pick a unique prize each month, I feel that having the freedom to pick your own prize is better. Each month, I’ll be giving away a $200 gift card to the Moment Shopwhere the winner can pick whatever speaks to them.
How am I picking the winner? All you have to do is be a free member of this community and leave a comment on this post. As with every contest, I’ll be randomly picking one person, confirming they meet the requirements and contacting them directly before announcing the winner publicly.
Once again, this contest is void where prohibited by law. Good luck!
My thanks to the team at Moment! Not only for this contest but for being the longest supporter of my work online. They’re a lean team of passionate creators that truly believe in supporting other creatives on their journey. Whether it’s a new camera, lens, workshop, or just some great articles, visit ShopMoment.com today.
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That was a lot, haha.
Let’s catch up properly next time.
GB
Great honest review as usual.
In today's world of overwhelmed reviews, it becomes very hard to find relatable points especially if you are a user (of both brands), let alone the rarity when I relate to almost every points.
Thank you.
I had an X100V, liked it but didn’t love it, then when all the Fuji hype took off I sold it and made a profit. The strange thing is after a while I missed the pictures I had been making with it. Fast forward to the X100XI coming out. I managed to pick up a very low shot, <600, for less than retail. Maybe it’s my imagination but something feels different about this model. It seems more responsive, more snappy. Pun not intended. And of course looks amazingly cool and sexy. Suffice to say I will be keeping this one.