Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my long-term review of the Fujifilm X100 v a camera that's become a bit of a Modern classic not to mention a regular Companion on my own trips for several Years now I know there's a lot of Fuji Fans here so most of you will also be Aware of the camera's notoriety with a Perfect storm of midlife popularity Global component shortage and something To do with a pandemic resulting in one Of the hardest cameras to buy for some Time demand well outstripped Supply and While the situation is improving at the Time that I made this video the X100 V Remained backordered at many of the big Retailers so if you want one now smaller Stores will be your best bet but you may Want to hang on for a bit as the X100 V Approaches its fourth birthday a Successor is inevitable surely arriving Sometime in 2024 and sporting one of Fujifilm's latest sensors in fact by the Time you watch this video a new model May even already be on sale and reviewed On this very Channel and once once that Happens or if that happens I will of Course link to it here and I'm not being Cory I genuinely don't have any Information at the time I made this Recording and even if I did I'd normally Be bound to secrecy with an NDA but with Fujifilm gradually updating the most Popular models with the new sensors the
X100 is well overdue for some attention But even with a successor in the wings I Think it's still worth talking about What makes the X100 V special why so Many people love it and equally talk About what it doesn't do quite so well And why it or indeed the series in General may not be the right camera for You now I originally reviewed the X100 V When it first came out in early 2020 and Thought it was the best in the series to Date I always enjoyed the concept but Found the lens in the older versions was A bit soft especially at the closer Distances and larger apertures that I'm Personally fond of using the X100 V's Updated lens greatly improved this while Also sporting the latest sensor adding Some weather ceiling and accommodating a Tilt screen that was so flush to the Body the mechanism was almost invisible As someone who personally enjoys fixed Lens compacts and tries to travel as Light as possible I was tempted to get One for my own personal use but was Still drawn to the greater perceived Flexibility of models like the Sony RX100 Mark 7 after all the Sony is not Only smaller but packs an 8.3 times Optically stabilized zoom and a screen That can not only angle up but all the Way forward for those who want to Vlog Sure the sensor is smaller but few would Argue that the Sony isn't better
Featured overall and the prices are Similar but unless something really is Going to be a tool to get a specific job Done you should really try and buy as Much with your heart as your head and The simple fact is while the rx17 does Tick all the boxes on specs and did join Me on several trips I just didn't Connect with it personally or enjoy Using it that much I can still recommend It as one of the best all round pocket Cameras but it just didn't work out for Me personally so I decided to give the X100 V another shot and ended up Enjoying it so much I've taken it on Every single trip for the past 2 and a Half years as my main travel camera in Fact if you follow my Instagram account @ cameralabs you'll see my feed has Mostly been from the x100v for several Years now so as I talk about the camera I'll show you some of the photos that I've taken from those trips and all a JPEG straight out of camera without any Adjustment unless otherwise mentioned What I love about the X100 V starts with Its size as I get older I'm less Inclined to travel with larger cameras And a selection of lenses unless I'm Shooting a special event that requires Them for my normal trips I just want the Smallest camera possible that will Deliver the quality and control that I'm After Now by that I mean a noticeable
Step up over my phone or an action Camera because if you can't do that What's the point now both the RX100 and X100 series will do that as well as Providing the viewfinders that I Personally prefer to compose with so What drew me to the Fujifilm over the Sony well it's a number of factors Starting with the moment I take either Camera out of my bag or pocket the RX100 May be smaller but I simply prefer the Look and feel of the X100 V now this is Of course an entirely personal thing but Not only do I love the design of the X100 V it actually inspires me to take It out and shoot it's one of those Cameras you begin to enjoy as soon as You see it and you also look forward to Taking photos with it this is an often Overlooked aspect of any camera as one May top the test or have the best specs In his peer group but if you don't Actually enjoy or look forward to using It you're not going to be getting much Use out of it and again while the X100 V Is substantially larger and heavier than The RX100 it's crucially still small and Light enough to be carried with you at All times indeed to discourage me from Looking around and necessary weight my Day pack is now a tiny shoulder bag from Eastpack which has enough room in the Main compartment for a half liter bottle Of water and the X100 V in fact I can
Also just about squeezing a GoPro Hero Under the X100 V for vlogging or for Really poor conditions as a shoulder bag The E pack is not going to be as Comfortable as a proper backpack but at Around 1 kgr fully loaded with my camera And water it's not putting much strain On my back and crucially like all Shoulder bags can also be carried on my Front for security and easy access and That access in turn means that you're Not going to be missing any fertal Opportunities moving on to image quality The X100 V Sports fujifilm's fourth Generation XTR sensor and processor Delivering 26 megapixel photos with a Choice of film simulations again it's a Personal choice but I'm personally very Satisfied with the output from Fujifilm's cameras with jpegs that I'm Happy to use without any further Processing if I want high contrast black And white I choose across if I'm after Punchy saturation it's time for velvia And for a muted retro look maybe classic Chrome or asier if it's a portrait but Even the standard provia simulation Looks pretty good for most subjects and If you shoot in raw you can easily make Duplicate versions with different film Simulations applied in playback of Course the same sensor and processing is Available in many other Fujifilm cameras So what makes the x100v different it is
Of course the fixed lens and this is a Critical part of the X100 series as it Is a fixed Prime long ago Fujifilm Decided that a 35 mil equivalent lens Was the way to go for the X100 series And this will either please or nor you Depending on your preference on focal Length and whether you're chis nickels 35 mil is undoubtedly a vanilla focal Length neither wide nor long but if you Have only one lens it is the one that I Would personally go for it's wide enough For most Landscapes buildings and Interiors but it's also long enough for Environmental portraits and arguably Perfect for street photography it's also Wide enough to get away without any Stabilization at least for Still's Photography if I want wider coverage I Either use the panorama mode or ideally Take four or five shots in a row with The intention to later stitch them Together in software tighter coverage is Of course more of a challenge and I do Occasionally find myself spotting a view That would look great with a short to Medium Tel photo now Fujifilm does offer Lens converters which transform the Coverage to roughly 28 or 50 mil Equivalent but both greatly add to the Bulk and I think if you're going down That route it just makes more sense to Buy one of fujifilm's smaller bodies With an interchangeable lens mount at
Least unless you want to exploit that Leaf shutter as well for faster flash Sinks so in the absence of optical Conversion the only way to achieve T Coverage is of course a simple crop During which you will be losing quality Very quickly this is why a future body With perhaps the new 40 megapixel sensor Could be really nice as it provides more Latitude for cropping But ultimately if You do choose a fixed Prime compact Camera this is the compromise that you Need to deal with but conversely a fixed Lens can actually be be a benefit Personally speaking I like how they Encourage me to explore more angles and Positions invariably giving a more Interesting composition than if I just Stood still and zoomed where the X100 V's lens takes the lead over most phones And other compact cameras though is the F2 aperture coupled with that largish Apsc sensor in turn allowing for some Separation around subjects now we're not Talking about total obliteration here it Can be quite a subtle effect but on Portraits taken from the waist or chest Up you can achieve a little blurring in The background and if you're able to Exploit the minimum focusing distance to Get closer to some details you can enjoy Satisfyingly shallow depth of field Effects I was never able to achieve any Meaningful blurring from the
Rx17 so this is an important benefit of The X100 V for me personally and I don't Actually yearn for anything more in this Regard as I mentioned earlier the lens On the X100 V is also pretty sharp even F2 and I personally prefer its results To the excess f23 F2 on one of the Interchangeable lens models I do hope They update that lens I was also Surprised to find it could deliver Reasonable looking star images if you Point it up at the night sky the corner Sharpness does benefit from being closed To stop to f2.8 but the images remain Reasonably clean even at high isos as The benefit of that bigger sensor I also Like the leaf shutter and while I Personally rarely exploit the fast Flash Sync capabilities I do appreciate its Quietness this can be a very discreet Camera in use all right that's enough of The Love Fest what don't I like about The X100 V having used it as my main Camera for the past few years well maybe It's my fingers or grip but every time I Take it out of a bag I always seem to Have accidentally turned the EV dial or Even powered It On by mistake the sleep Mode does take care of the power aspect But I do have to check the dials before Taking any photos to avoid unpleasant Surprises the compact battery inevitably Means fairly modest battery life and and While I am willing to accept that for a
Camera of this size I have found myself Caught out by the camera's Wi-Fi Gobbling it up while trying to connect And transfer images to my phone to be Fair fujifilm's app is gradually Improving but for me it's still Infuriatingly unreliable at making a Connection and transferring images to my Android phone it works maybe every Fourth or fifth time for me personally But each failed attempt gradually Consumes more of the battery especially If you have it set to transfer power off I found myself with a completely drained Battery at times and only saved by a Spare pack or an emergency top up over USB so unless you have more luck than me Use the Wi-Fi with caution as I Mentioned earlier the panorama mode is a Great way to capture wider scenes but I Often have highly variable results from It with some ruined by multiple bands Across the image even when I've been Careful to lock various settings to be Fair this affects all 3D film cameras I Just wish they'd make it more reliable It's also a little annoying to have a Camera that's only weatherproof if you Buy and attach an optional lens Accessory I appreciate the lens Physically extends and having the Accessory built into this version of it Would make the camera thicker but it Would be nice to have a proper solution
Out of the box that said I've never Owned any of these accessories nor had Any issues with the bare camera body and I realized this will be considered Blasphemy by the X100 V deciples but I Don't actually use the optical Viewfinder now I've tested it in my Reviews and appreciate the technology But for my own personal use I just use The electronic viewfinder mode don't Hate me as such there's always this Knowledge in the back of your mind that The camera includes an expensive feature That I rarely if ever use it could be More affordable with an evf only but how Many would this alienate or upset maybe Fuji film should make two versions of The camera which brings me to possible Upgrades for future models what would I Like to see going forward well this is Actually a tough one as after 10 years Of evolution the X100 V has actually got A great deal right and while there are Some obvious things that are missing Adding them could actually compromise The overall look feel and handling of The camera not to mention its price most Obviously how about a zoom lens it would Give the X100 greater flexibility but I Wouldn't personally want it if it made The lens dimmer or softer or the camera Larger and heavier as I mentioned Earlier I'm quite fond of the purity of A fixed prime lens but if the engineers
Can make a small light and decent say 24 To 50 F2 to 2.8 I could be converted Likewise For Ibis or Optical Stabilization I just don't need it for Stills at 35 mil equivalent and while it Is useful for video You're unlikely to Be handholding the camera at this focal Length maybe a gyro could be fitted to Implement Digital Image stabilization For video but again it's not on my wish List I've already mentioned the mod is Battery life but again I wouldn't want a Longer life if it impacted the body size And weight same for a screen that could Say angle forward for vlogging now since The focal length ruls out handheld work You'll generally be filming from a Tripod so you could always use your Phone or a separate monitor to preview The composition and also think if the Vertical tilt mechanism was swapped for A side hinge well there'd be a riot at The House of Photography in terms of Fixing what doesn't work well right now I'd say full weather ceiling without Accessories a reliable panorama mode and A reliable phone app which really only Leaves the sensor in processing which on A future model will inevitably employ The latest Parts assuming the lens can Handle a higher resolution sensor or is Upgraded to do so then the 40 megap xr5 Will certainly provide more latitude for Cropping in fact if cropping becomes
Integral to the operation a future model Could always have a slightly wider lens To start with like maybe a 28 or even a 24 equivalent so long as it could still Give a decent result at 35 and ideally 50 equivalent then I'd be very happy to Have the option of wider native coverage For both Stills and video but that's it Really the X100 V is already close to Being my ideal travel camera as I noted Above there are several ways it could be Upgraded in terms of specification but I Wouldn't personally want anything that Increased its size weight or price so Would I still buy an X100 V today well Even 4 years after launch it Remains the Best choice for my own requirements and I still think it's worth the original Retail price orbe it not the jacked up Figures that some have tried to scalp us For but I would now wait at least until Mid 2024 before buying one as surely a Success will be announced by then Allowing you to decide which model is Going to be best for you but one thing Has become very apparent over the last Few years the demand and love for the X100 series surely proves that there's a Small but passionate market for fixed Lens compacts we're always told that Phones have killed the compact Market But I still think there is demand for Premium options at a more affordable Price than say a Leica and I'd love
Other manufacturers to revive their Discontinued lines how about successors To the Panasonic Lumix lx100 or the Canon parot g1x and what about you Sony The rx17 is getting on for 5 years old Now or how about if Nikon actually put The DL 18250 concept camera into Production and as for Fujifilm itself What about a new version of the x70 I'd Love to see them all back on the market So how about you do you yearn for a High-end compact camera how much would You be willing to pay and what would you Want it to do are you one of the X100 Faithful in which case what would you Like to see on a future model I'd love To hear from you in the comments and as Always if you enjoy what I do here I'd Love it even more if you considered Following my channel thank you very much Oh and Fujifilm fans might also enjoy my In camera Photography book where around Half of the images have taken with older X Mount cameras all jpegs out of camera Thanks for watching and I'll see you Next time Bye-bye
