A Review of the Fuji X100S

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If you had told me two years ago that I would be lusting after a fixed lens, range-finder camera with a crop sensor, I would have laughed out loud. And I would have clutched my beloved full frame DSLR and lenses a little closer, in case you got any funny ideas.

Then along came the Fuji x100s.  Released in January 2013, it started popping up on the blogs of photographers I admire.  I held out for a decade or so (ok, maybe it was only a year) then took the plunge and ordered mine a couple months ago.

I bought the Fuji primarily because I wanted a smaller camera for daily images with my family and wasn’t willing to give up manual controls for a standard point and shoot.

The Fuji x100s is one of a growing line-up of mirror-less cameras.  It has a 16.3 megapixel APS-C size sensor and a fixed, 23 mm, f2 lens. (This gives you a similar field of view as a 35mm on a full frame DSLR.)  The x100s has a leaf shutter, which opens up a world of lighting possibilities.  Sync speeds of 1/1000 and beyond and a built in three stop neutral density filter make it a strobist’s dream.

The benefits of waiting to purchase new equipment is the opportunity to learn from others who have had time to figure out the quirks. I opened my Fuji box with the knowledge that it was going to take a little time to get to know this camera.  I’m just a couple months in, but there is much to love (and just a few things to lament) about the Fuji x100s.

What’s to Love? 

THE SIZE

The Fuji is a petite, retro looking camera with the aperture ring on the lens, and dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation. Though not quite pocket sized, it easily slips into a purse, even with a third party hood attached.  I am admittedly shameless when it comes to whipping out my DSLR in public, (A Canon 6d and Sigma 35mm 1.4 lens) but there is a certain appeal to being able to grab shots without alerting everyone in a ten foot radius that there’s a REAL CAMERA present.  People don’t step out of the way when I’m holding this thing. And with a completely silent shutter (you can literally turn off the sound), my camera shy seven year old often doesn’t even know I took his picture.

THE VIEWFINDER

Unlike a DSLR, which uses an internal mirror to show you the view through your lens, the x100s is a rangefinder camera. This means the viewfinder is offset from the lens.  For those who prefer an old school approach, the x100s lets you see the world in real time with an optical viewfinder. You just have to learn to compensate for the offset. For those a little less inclined to learn old/new tricks, a toggle of a switch on the front turns on the electronic viewfinder.

I am head over heels for the x100s electronic viewfinder.  It essentially gives me live view shooting through the viewfinder, with options including a live histogram and a much needed (for me) electronic level. Bonus points that it works both in landscape and portrait orientations!  I love being able to read my histogram AND see exposure changes in real time.  The one trade-off is a very slight lag in the display.

THE FOCAL LENGTH

The concept of a fixed lens concerned me a little when considering this camera, so much so that I stuck my 35mm on my DSLR for a month, no exceptions, just to see how it felt. In reality, I love this focal length.  I like being physically close to my kids in public, yet easily able to include our surroundings.  I can frame a shot across a restaurant table without having to do more than lean back a little.

I’m also getting better at looking for the environmental shot and placing my subjects in context, skills that are important for recording everyday  life.  I’ve even had to stop claiming that I’m NOT a landscape photographer, given the number of landscape images that have made their way into my portfolio.   With the Fuji, I don’t think about focal length. I think about the image to be made with what I have in my hands.

Even though the 23mm focal length is wider than that of a typical portrait lens, the x100s neatly handles an environmental portrait, and the x100s even has a fun little macro mode.

APERTURE PRIORITY AND AUTO WHITE BALANCE

Gasp! Choke! Cough! I can hear the cries now, “WHY would you let the camera make exposure decisions for you?”   But the answer is simple. Because it reliably does what I ask it to.  With a +/- 2 stop exposure compensation dial at my thumb and a handy exposure lock button, the x100s  gives me a ton of control at my fingertips. And yes, I said auto white balance.  In mixed lighting, auto white balance can more than keep up.

I could go on about additional features, many of which I haven’t explored yet.  Manual focus assist, jpegs with customizable film-emulating presets that have converted many RAW enthusiasts to jpeg-only shooting, and of course, the flash options I haven’t begun to explore.

What’s Not to Love? 

With all this going for it, what’s NOT to love about the x100s?  Why am I not ditching my DSLR and making a full switch?  The x100s does have a few quirks.

FOCUS SPEED

While good, focus speed and accuracy on the x100s don’t rival those of a DSLR.  (Though from all reports, Fuji’s latest round of mirror less cameras are catching up fast.)  With no focus tracking, I have to watch and wait for my moments.   This is not the camera I would take to my kid’s track meet.   However, with a little practice, there’s no need to resign myself to still life images.

THE FOCAL LENGTH—FOR YOU

Though I love this lens, if your favorite lens is a 135mm and stopping down past 1.4 isn’t for you, the x100s just won’t do it for you.  The macro mode, though a fun addition, isn’t going to give you compression and creamy bokeh in a pocket size lens. And while this lens is plenty sharp at f2.0, it really shines one you stop it down to 2.8 or smaller.   

BATTERY LIFE

This thing eats batteries for breakfast and lunch. But if you’re shooting all day, you’d better have a second battery handy for dinner. With the electronic viewfinder enabled and LCD display at the ready, battery life can be limited.  Fortunately, third-party batteries are incredibly affordable. I keep a charged battery in my purse and a third at home on the charger.

At the end of the day, this isn’t my DSLR.  And for that, maybe even MOSTLY for that, I love the Fuji. As a relatively new photographer, I immediately stepped into a world of gear, gear, gear.  Forty years ago, I would have had a 35mm camera and a 50mm lens and a film budget and a decade of work to figure it out. Now, before I knew the basics of composition or could reliably hold my camera steady, I knew about focal point arrays, micro-calibrating lenses, and RAW file manipulation to fix those pesky exposure errors.   The information and technology available to me with a two second search hugely exceeds my abilities.

The Fuji is less, in all the ways that truly count.  It is small, capable (but not infinitely so) and its limits well defined.  However, with a good viewfinder, decent focus, and high ISO capabilities, it doesn’t get in the way of making the kind of images I want to make.

Shooting with the Fuji makes it easy to remember that great images are created in the space between your ears, not in front of your face. There is something uniquely satisfying about making more with less.

To see some great images being created with the Fuji x100s and other x-series mirror-less cameras, check out the Fuji x Crew over at www.fujixcrew.com

Jennifer Bogle

Jennifer Bogle lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and kiddos. She has a small portrait photography business, but primarily shoots for family and friends. She loves dramatic light and flash photography, but is not at all flashy or dramatic herself. She believes all things are possible with the proper application of coffee.

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