More than a year has passed since I got the X100V.
Let me start with a rather bold statement: the X100V is the camera that changed my photography forever. It’s thanks to it that I moved to another level.
For the first six months, the X100V accompanied me every single day, without exception, as part of my one photo a day challenge. It also came with me on trips to Mallorca, Poland, France and on countless local outings. I used it before work, at work and after work, during the day and at night, indoors and outside.
It got into my bloodstream.
The shutter count as of today: 26k photos.
26,000 Photos Later: My Real Experience
Moreover, since I decided to dedicate much of the previous year to documenting the Dutch coastline (which I’m continuing, by the way), first for convenience and later for everything else, it became my main camera.
The second one (which until then had been the main camera) - the Sony A7III - was used during the year only for a few special sessions and commissions.
Skeptics will say that technically the A7III, or any of its cousins in the same price range, beats the Fuji hands down - and in some aspects they will be right.
Enthusiasts will defend it by saying that the X100V does not aspire to be a workhorse, and that its main purpose is rather to be a high-end everyday camera.
I’d say even more - the Fuji fulfills all my expectations when it comes to a hobby camera with ambitions for something more.
I’ve taken most of my favorite photos with it so far, a large portion of which made it into my portfolio, and a few into print.
The pleasure of using it has directly influenced the intensity and frequency I take photos with - and as a result, their dramatic improvement.
The camera fulfilled exactly the purpose I had in mind when I bought it: to be my everyday camera. It was with me almost all the time, and that resulted in hundreds of photographs that simply would not have happened otherwise.
Disclaimer: this is not the first compact camera I’ve owned. Until last year I had a Sony A6400, but that one definitely didn’t win my heart.
Disclaimer 2: this is not a Sony hate post - it’s a Fuji appreciation post.
why Fujifilm x100V is the one
Fujifilm design and style
I am not gonna lie - I bought it mainly because of how it looks. I like beautiful things, and this is a beautiful thing.
I love looking at it and using it. Holding it in my hand gives me pleasure, and even the famous lack of a larger grip doesn’t bother me. In fact, I think a grip would ruin the whole situation.
ERGONOMICS
See above: the lack of a grip may bother some people, but not me. I have small hands, and it fits me perfectly. Its light weight and compact size mean that it doesn’t bother me when hanging from my neck or shoulder. It’s an excellent companion when traveling light, and over the past year there hasn’t been a single trip where it didn’t come with me.
USER EXPERIENCE
As I said before, this camera has a very important quality: it practically begs to be used. This camera loves taking photos - it was built for it. You won’t find a speck of dust on mine; it’s in constant use.
That’s enough to describe my relationship with it.
EASE OF USE
Small size (though note: it doesn’t fit in a pocket), light weight, easy-to-navigate menus (certainly compared to Sony), and a native app that connects quickly with the phone (way better than Sony’s) - what more would you need?
LIMITATIONS of Fujifilm x100v
The fixed 23mm lens (35mm equivalent) has never been a limitation for me because it has been my favorite focal length since the very beginning of my photography journey. It was also the lens I used most often on my Sony A7III.
After a year of using the X100V, I think it would be difficult for me to switch to any other lens, and I don’t miss zooming at all.
FEATURES
The built-in ND filter, famous SOOC JPEGs, film simulations. I was initially quite excited about but barely use them anymore.
Film simulations: I used them a lot in the beginning, but over time I realised that I simply prefer editing my photos myself. The same goes for the SOOC JPEG colours.
The built-in ND filter and double exposure function are also things I rarely use. I don’t shoot long exposures very often, and when I want to create a double exposure, I prefer doing it in Photoshop, where I have more control over the result.
They’re nice features to have, but they’re not the reason I keep using this camera.
These are not the things that convinced me to buy the camera, and over the course of the year I’ve only used them a few times, mostly at the beginning. But they’re there, just in case you might consider them handy.
IMAGE QUALITY & COLORS
Without doubts, it’s thanks to Fujifilm that I fell in love with colors in photography. They’re fantastic. I can’t agree with the opinion that this camera leads to editing laziness. With it, I actually grew to like Lightroom. The RAW files are very pleasant and easy to edit; the colors are rich and vibrant but not unnatural.
I also realised that the X100V changed the way I think about colour. With this camera I fell in love with colour photography again, particularly the rich but natural colours of the RAW files.
TECH SPECS
Before buying it, I read several reviews of this camera on social media, and interestingly, in most of them the strictly technical aspect is often skipped.
More than the tech specs, what matters are the emotions the camera evokes.
After our first year together, this doesn’t surprise me at all.
In my other camera, aspects like the sensor, autofocus, the presence of stabilization in both body and lenses, and lens sharpness probably win that competition - but that truly has secondary importance in my case.
What bothers me about Fujifilm x100V
So it doesn’t get too sweet in here, there’s one thing I tried to ignore at first, but eventually it started to bother me a bit: lack of weather sealing on the lens.
Of course, I’ve purchased a protective kit (filter and a lens cap), but still.
Although I don’t usually baby my gear, this is a little thing. Pretty unfortunate, because I mostly shoot on the coast. The weather this year has been unusually kind and it hasn’t rained too often, but it’s been windy enough at times to keep me from taking the camera to the beach. Maybe I’m not necessarily too protective, but in this case I’d rather stay safe than sorry.
No sealing in the lens was the reason I didn’t take it with me on a trip to Ireland.
But honestly, I think that’s really it.
Why so much love for Fujifilm X100V
What Fuji wins at is something else entirely: it has the ability to make you fall in love with it. But that’s not all.
It can also make you fall in love (sometimes all over again) with photography.
The Fujifilm X100V is, for me, the definition of an everyday camera. Photographing with x100V is being closer to a simple act of creation than to a technical operation.
And this is what I love the most.
That’s why I think of it as an everyday camera - the kind you want to have with you without any special occasion. A camera that makes you want to shoot.
I know I’m not the first saying this. This camera does one thing exceptionally well: it makes the act of taking photos simply enjoyable. And through that simplicity, it adds something like a +10 to the ordinary pleasure of creating.
Looking for a similar look?
I’ve put together a small collection of Lightroom presets based on the colours and feel I like in my own photographs: