The wait

Fuji recently announced the sixth iteration of the crazy popular X100 series. I have been an avid user of different versions of this ubiquitous camera. Some of my favorite photos were shot with these. Needless to say, I was excited about the new iteration. But hang on – there was a small problem: how to get my hands on one of them? Looking at the news, it seems that the actual demand was way beyond the wildest expectations. Imagine my joy, when our local camera store called to say they had a fresh arrival with my name on it. 🙂

X100VI – Key Improvements

The X100VI feels like a major upgrade compared to the prior iterations. My biggest gripe with the X100 was the lack of IBIS. It’s a super sharp camera and movement becomes visible with shutter speeds below 1/60th of a second. It was a bit limiting at times – especially early in the morning or during the blue hour. And here we go – the X100VI includes a six-stop IBIS. It seems to work like a charm and is super quiet.

There are other improvements that I love. The upgrade from a 26MP to a 40MP sensor is awesome and provides flexibility for cropping in post. Thanks to the additional resolution, you can now get very usable photos with the built-in crop modes. Turning the focus ring allows you to ‘zoom’ in. There are two options: 50mm & 70mm. The resolution drops to a still acceptable 20MP & 10 MP, respectively. It’s a handy tool to have when you are on the go and want to post photos on social media. RAW files have the full resolution. Transfer speeds to the Fuji X app are considerably higher. Last but not least, the autofocus seems snappier and faster overall, too.

The only ‘downside’ of these improvements is a marginal size & weight increase. You can see this when you put the new camera next to the X100V. However, never once did I feel this while out shooting.

First test run

This morning, I took the X100VI out for a morning run. Lighting conditions were mixed. The X100VI behaved as expected. Thanks to the IBIS, every single photo is tack sharp. Image quality is impeccable. Below are some of the results. Stay tuned for an in-depth report.