A Slow to Focus Masterpiece.
This article was originally published on my Medium, here.
Preamble
Throughout my photography career, I’ve owned and operated many different cameras. Further I’ve worked with several sensor sizes. I started with an APS-C camera I’d borrowed from my mom. From there, I worked my way over to a full-frame DSLR I bought used with everything I’d saved. With that I could do take senior portraits and document all of the travelling I did.
After college and several years with the D800 I was ready for an upgrade. I finally went mirrorless. The Sony I bought was a workhorse and took great photos. Eventually a healthy dose of G.A.S. afflicted me and I purchased a Medium Format mirrorless camera, the GFX 100S.
That camera is, without hesitation, the best camera I’ve ever used. There’s no aspect of that camera usage that I don’t wholly adore. When I put that camera in front of me it becomes a part of me. It is a truly complete experience — and the photos I take with it show that. I really don’t see myself needing to replace that camera.
However, it’s not my favorite camera.
That revered title belongs to the star of this article, the Fujifilm X100V. There are several reasons that I love this camera, and throughout the rest of this article I’m going to dive into what I think are the seven strengths that make this camera great.
Strengths
Portability
The first and most obvious strength this camera has over my other cameras is the form-factor. There’s a pretty well-known quote within the photography community by Chase Jarvis, “The best camera is the one that’s with you”. When I first heard that quote it put me on a quest to find a small camera I could keep on me at all times.
I first tried with a Sony A6000 and a 20mm pancake lens. After the initial glow of having a camera on me at all times wore off — the boxy form factor wore on me. I began bringing the camera around less and less. After a few years — it was sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
Then in May 2021 I went ahead and bought a Fujifilm X100V, and my world was changed. This camera’s footprint is flatter than it is boxy, and it fits in most of my pockets. In coats and light jackets, it can fit no problem, but even some of my larger pants fit it comfortably. This portability has allowed me to have a good “camera that’s with you” in countless occasions where having a fully sized camera wouldn’t be practical. I’ve taken it skiing several times, out for dinner and drinks with friends, to family gatherings, on runs, the list goes on.
“Fuji Colors”
I know that this is a strength more attributable to the brand than the camera, but it still merits mentioning. Each time I take a shot with this camera, I can’t help but come away with an image with stunning tones and colors. The Fujifilm Color Science team has truly knocked it out of the park with each of their different film simulations. The only camera brand out there that I’ve used which even came close would have to be Nikon, but even those are still ways behind the shades consistently by Fujifilm cameras.
The life the colors this camera produces has always (in my experience) brought abundant emotion to the images I’ve taken with it.
Auto-Exposure
Another thing that I love about this camera is the way that it chooses to expose images when used in the fully automatic mode. I know many cameras have this functionality, but I tend to find that when handed off for someone else to use (say if I ask someone to take my photo) the people using it tend to have an easier time with this camera than with others that I’ve handed off.
Ergonomics
There’s no image attached to this section, but it’s got to be said that the controls of this camera are so satisfying to use. The aperture ring in the front of the camera has an indescribably satisfying “click” as you spin through the different aperture settings. The ISO / Exposure dial is also just flat out cool. I love lifting the outer ring to swap the ISO setting on the inner dial. It’s great looking directly at the settings that I’m going to use as I’m dialing the exposure in.
Image Quality
As I mentioned above, the lens has an incredibly satisfying to use Aperture ring but beyond that it’s also tack sharp. When you nail focus the image is fantastically sharp and has more than enough details. Some of the images I’ve taken with this camera have been printed large (13’x19′) and have looked fantastic.
Durability
Again, this section has no image, but the Fujifilm X100V (at least my model) is a bloody tank. I’ve dropped it a few times and it’s been scuffed up, but it just keeps working. I’ve used it in the rain and in the snow and it’s never had a problem operating.
Conclusion
Making A Good Camera A Great Camera
If you’ve been particularly observant, you may have noticed that I said there were seven strengths we were going to discuss but I’ve only so far mentioned six. The final strength is only around as it is the culmination of all the other strengths.
The Fujifilm X100V has an inherent spirit that none of my other cameras have. It’s not perfect, but it makes photography fun and brings joy to an art that can otherwise become somewhat rote. It also copies a strength over from film photography — imperfection.
There have been a handful of times where images taken with the camera were a bit blurred as it sometimes shoots at low exposure or misses
focus.
When it happens on an image of a moment, especially with people it adds a quality to the image I’d never want to lose
