Fujifilm X100VI
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It was an open secret and Fujifilm today announced the sixth iteration of its APS-C sensor and fixed focal length body, the X100VI. An expert camera that was the subject of regular leaks until it was almost completely revealed last weekend. This one has the heavy task of succeeding a device which has become the reference of the genre.
The design is not for nothing in the success of the X100 line.
A favorite of discreet photographers, the X100V launched in 2020 has experienced an explosion in its reputation thanks to TikTok, a network on which a multitude of influencers have (re)discovered the virtues of real cameras. For almost two years, the X100V has been out of stock and previous models are selling for high prices on the second-hand market.
The complete family of six X100s, from the first “FinePix X100” model launched in 2011 to this X100VI from 2024. © Fujifilm
The perfect time for Fujifilm to announce the successor: the X100VI (pronounced six).
Super defined sensor and finally stabilized
The X100VI receives a sensor stabilization mechanism that works like that of Fujifilm’s hybrids (here, the mechanism represented in the X-T4 body). © Fujifilm
The new compact expert equipped with an APS-C sensor still offers a fixed 23 mm f/2.0 lens equivalent to a 35 mm at 24×36. The big news is of course the sensor which has finally been stabilized. If the increase in definition from 26 Mpx to 40 Mpx will delight lovers of cropping and large prints – sensor inherited from the X-T5 – we especially remember that five years after the GR III from Ricoh, Fujifilm finally agrees to integrate mechanical stabilization into its high-end expert compact.
The 40 Mpx sensor will bring with it increased image quality. We have no doubt that the optics, inherited from the X100V (which introduced the first design change since the first X100), are up to the task. In addition to more beautiful and richer RAW and JPEG files, we will also be entitled to 4:2:2 10-bit HEIF and an internal 8 or 16-bit TIFF conversion.
But photographers will notably benefit from mechanical stabilization up to 6 EV. This should drastically reduce the rate of waste caused by the photographer’s parasitic movements up to an exposure time of 1 second.
The electronic platform of the X-T5 and X-H2
With the same sensor/processor pair as the X-T5 and X-H2, we are entitled to expect the same level of image quality and performance. © Fujifilm
In terms of image quality, the X100VI takes over the electronics from the brand’s high-end hybrids, the X-T5 and X-H2. The X-Trans CMOS 5 HR and X-Processor 5 sensor pair produce 40.2 Mpx images and 6K videos. The photos will therefore be 50% richer in pixels, which will facilitate the use of cropping modes (50mm and 70mm). And what doesn’t hurt is that the X100VI recovers all of the simulation filters of its big brothers, i.e. no less than 20 emulsions including the latest Reala Ace.
The X100V benefits from 20 film simulations. © Fujifilm
In addition to the jump in image definition, we appreciate the lowering of the native sensitivity from 160 to 125 ISO (or even 64 ISO with the low extension) to produce even less noisy images in broad daylight. Which should please lovers of landscapes and architectural photography. But what we expect most from this electronic platform is a gain in autofocus, which has always been a natural weakness of these bodies.
Here, electronics have proven themselves in hybrid boxes and provide new algorithms for acquisition and monitoring of subjects trained to recognize land animals, birds, cars , motorcycles, bicycles, planes, trains, insects and drones. Let’s hope that Fujifilm has also given a little boost to the optical motorization to match this additional extra power on the electronics side.
This new electronics also allows you to switch from 4K video to 6K30P video. While this is certainly appreciable progress, it remains a bit anecdotal on a body whose very appearance is an invitation to take a real photo. On the target side, however, there is nothing new. Fujifilm is renewing the 3.69 Mpx hybrid optical/OLED viewfinder as well as the 1.62 Mpx adjustable screen with a 3/2 ratio. An improvement in aiming could have been interesting, but it would have had an impact on price and energy consumption.
Limitations and improvements
Reading a technical sheet often allows you to get an idea of the gaps and weaknesses before even taking the device in hand. Our first regret is undoubtedly the buffer memory which remains quite modest. At its maximum no-crop capture speed of 13 fps, the X100VI can only capture two seconds of lossless compressed RAW burst (24 frames).
If the X100 range is not intended for sport or competition tracking, that is still quite little. And in uncompressed RAW, it remains at the level of X100V (17 images). We can therefore regret that Fujifilm has limited itself to a card slot always placed below the device and always limited to UHS-I.
In terms of energy consumption, the X100VI uses the same NP-W126S battery as its ancestor. It displays a CIPA autonomy of 310/450 images (electronic viewfinder/optical viewfinder) compared to 350/420 for the X100V. While components such as the sensor are much more efficient, the impact on autonomy is limited and the return of Eco mode makes it possible to push to 360/450 images.
The X100 Mark VI will be available from February 28 in two colors: metallic gray or all black at €1,799.
And for fans of Fujifilm, which is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding in 1934 this year, the company will offer a limited edition of (quite logically) 1954 copies. A more expensive edition – 2 199 € – but which will have a unique serial number, will be branded with the original logo of the company and will be delivered Packaged in a special box containing, in addition to the case, a strap, a trigger button and documentation on the history of the product.