Some thoughts on the new FujiFilm X100VI

23 Feb

Every so often a camera leaves a mark on the industry. The FujiFilm X100V took the world by storm in 2020, and the story of this little camera is far from over, enter the new FujiFilm X100VI.

Over the years there has been a few standout cameras that have changed the game completely — Kodak Instamatic, Olympus E1, Arguably the iPhone, Sony A7, BMPCC, and for me personally the Canon 5D MKii.

When the X100V first hit the scene, it sold out instantly, people were selling them for profit on the second hand marketplace, Fuji released a statement saying “we have received orders that have greatly exceeded our initial plan, and we are unable to keep up with the supply of products”.

Chaos aside, a lot of photographers found joy in photography again thanks to a little digital camera, that looks and feels like a film camera. Why? I’d argue that in a world that is feeling increasingly digital and with camera tech getting more powerful by the day, we are craving simplicity and limitations — two things which are vital to creativity.

Image by @giacii_photography taken on X100V

This camera forces you to shoot in a more spontaneous and raw way - because, that’s what it’s made for.

The body of the new FujiFilm X100VI almost mirrors that of its predecessor, the specs are more or less similar and it will set you back a pretty penny. However, I can almost guarantee it will sell out instantly. It’s a great example of a camera company listening to its customers and building a camera for them, not just trying to beat the competition by a few numbers.

Speaking of numbers (here’s some for the X100VI):
- 40.2MP sensor
-11FPS burst shooting
- 6.2K/30P 4:2:2 10bit internal and external 12bit RAW
- 5-axis in-body image stabilisation
- Fixed focal length 23mm (35mm format equivalent : 35mm)
- Approx. 521g including battery and memory card