Talk to me about the Fuji X100 series

Messages
2,812
Name
Greg
Edit My Images
Yes
I shoot with a Fuji X-T4 and absolutely love the system.

But (already small as it is) I really fancy having a ‘throw in the glovebox’ type of camera and the X-T4 is basically too bloody expensive for that.

I have a little used 18-55 which I was contemplating selling and using that to help towards an X100 of some description.

The V and the F are sadly way out of my price range but the looking at eBay the X100T might be something I could stretch to

This would be for capturing literally everything so I want the best performance that I can afford.

I know they’re well loved cameras in general, but does anyone have any experience with the X100T in particular, or any thoughts about the X100 series in general?
 
I'm a huge fan owning an original X100 and X100F, fantastic cameras and probably the last ones that I would ever sell!! They are all good, though the X100 has very pedestrian AF and overall speed compared with today's cameras, but that can be excused as the images from the original 12MP Bayer sensor are sublime.

All of them are well reviewed and many like the images from the X100S (so don't discount that!), the F and V offer higher MP and better handling, but there is nothing wrong with either the S or the T
 
Yes, just get it!

Had the X100, liked it but slow AF. Had the S for a few days but decided not to keep it, not a big enough improvement. Got the T and that was a big improvement. Even took it on hoilday to Florida and left the D750 at home. 95%+ of the time I did not feel restricted. So versitile. Now on the V and loving that too - often take that rather than the XT3 out as it is (big) pocket size. I prefer using it to the XT3 - its my favourite camera ever!

If you cant stretch to the V then get the T - the buttons and AF speed are excellent
 
I had an X100T for a while the lens is awful really soft and pretty much unusable wide open. Very disappointing, this is a known issue with all of the older models only the newer model has the improved lens and even then it’s not supposed to be anything to write home about.
 
I had an X100T for a while the lens is awful really soft and pretty much unusable wide open. Very disappointing, this is a known issue with all of the older models only the newer model has the improved lens and even then it’s not supposed to be anything to write home about.

The F definately seems sharper wide open but was not awful and certainly at 2.8 was great.
 
If you want to shoot at F2, up to the F, then it won't be for you but otherwise, they're cracking cameras.
 
Last edited:
I now have an X100V but I used to have an X20 which is definitely a glovebox camera and will fit in a loose pocket too. In general, apart from a lot of features you'll never use and the sensor size there is not a huge difference between the two in basic picture quality. All the film versions are on it if that's important. There is no touch screen but I have my 100v one turned off anyway.. The X20 is a zoom camera too whereas the 100v is prime.

I just looked at eBay and was surprised at how well they have held their value, which is a shame because I gave my X20 away, so you can tell they are pretty good quality.
 
I have the T, which became my most used camera before Covid, as I always had it with me. I think the lens is excellent (of course it's better stopped down, especially at close distances, but it's usable wide open if you get the focus right, especially at longer distances). The size is great, the hybrid viewfinder works very well, and the manual aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation dials are really nice to have. High ISO is good, though Fuji's default noise reduction algorithm tends to over-smooth skin in this situation (you can fix this when shooting raw).

Minuses: The battery capacity is too low - this is the only camera where I've managed to exhaust 3 in one day. Switching between the EVF and the rear LCD is needlessly complicated - you have to cycle through a series of modes with and without eye control to get back to where you started (two of which I have no use for) and if you want the menu when you are in EVF mode it's displayed in the eyepiece (opaquely) rather than defaulting to the rear screen as you might expect. AF-S is fine but AF-C isn't nearly as good, nowhere near SLR standards. One minor niggle with the black version is that the paint on some of the minor components (OVF selector, screw heads) isn't very hard wearing, even on a camera that has had no rough treatment. The top and bottom plates are fine, though.

It's worth spending time setting up the camera to your liking - there's no manual ISO dial, so I have a function button set up to engage ISO selection with the command dial. I've also set up the Nintendo control just to select focus points, not to double annoyingly as a set of function buttons.

The bottom line is that I'd buy one of the X100 series cameras again if this one needed replacing.
 
Last edited:
Shooting at F2 on an older X100 series camera isn't that bad, but it does indeed exhibit softness especially noticeable if shooting close to the target. But it certainly sharpens up at F2.8. These both at F2 on the X100F and I don't think I would rate them as unusable.


Swings
by David Yeoman, on Flickr


Into The Light
by David Yeoman, on Flickr
 
I don't have a Fuji but I feel the need to contribute anyway. Feel free to ignore a non Fuji owner if you wish :D

I've had a number of fixed lens compact cameras and at the moment I have a Panasonic TZ100 which is fixed lens camera but I have a (maybe) irrational fear of spending too much (whatever that may be) on a fixed lens camera in case it should suffer from sensor contamination as if it does it can't be as easily cleaned as a removeable lens camera sensor can be. Fixed lens cameras may be less prone to sensor contamination as you can't remove the lens but it could happen. Hence my fear and reluctance to spend a lot on one.

Non of the fixed lens cameras I've had have ever suffered contamination on the sensor but I did recently buy a used Panasonic LF1 on evil bay and that had three lovely big splodges which showed up in pictures with the lens wide open, so it went straight back.

If tempted by a fixed lens camera I'd take a similar removeable lens camera and lens combination if one was available. In the case of the Fuji X100 I just don't know what alternative camera and removeable lens is available and at what bulk, weight and price but I'd take a look before deciding if a fixed lens camera was worth the possible even if possibly unlikely risk of sensor contamination which may not be easy to remove.
 
I was going to get an X100, but opted for an XF10 in the end, great image quality. Not sure if I will ever go for an X100 now.
 
Sensor dust doesn't seem to be a commonly reported problem with the T, judging by forum posts. I've seen a few reports of spots on the S sensor (from new). Fuji apparently charge a fixed price of £155 for out of warranty repairs on the X100 series if the worst happens. With the X100 series you are getting a jacket pocket camera that's significantly smaller than their interchangeable lens models with comparable viewfinders.
 
Last edited:
If you don't need fast AF, and want something that produces different images to your X-T4, then I would very tempted with an original X100, whilst the AF is 'you send a postcard to focus' type and the overall camera seems very slow compared with modern offerings, the colour rendition off the Bayer sensor is in a different league, and having owned X100 (Bayer), Fuji Cameras with X-Trans1, 2 and 3 sensors and a GFX (again with a Bayer sensor), the Bayer sensors need far less fiddling about in Lightroom to get them to look right. The resolution of the original X100 is only 12MP, but certainly prints well up to A3

This is straight RAW import into Lightroom from an X100 with no slider adjustment


Vespa Alpha
by David Yeoman, on Flickr

And a green Lambo at F2.8

Lamborghini Countach
by David Yeoman, on Flickr

Since I've bought the GFX, I've started shooting more with the original X100 as the colours are just so right!

It does mono ok as well


170520 Colwyn Bay 1940s Event
by David Yeoman, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
I think over the years I've owned most of the Fuji X cameras, the X-T3 being my out and out favourite one then I had the X100F and to me that was like Now this is a camera that really gets you thinking on how to shoot sadly it went swimming off a pier. Then I got the X100V and I love it just as much as the F, either the F or the V and you will be set for some great photography. When I switched to Sony, the only Fuji I kept was the X100V.
 
Sensor dust doesn't seem to be a commonly reported problem with the T, judging by forum posts. I've seen a few reports of spots on the S sensor (from new). Fuji apparently charge a fixed price of £155 for out of warranty repairs on the X100 series if the worst happens. With the X100 series you are getting a jacket pocket camera that's significantly smaller than their interchangeable lens models with comparable viewfinders.

It's maybe just me but I'd take the Panasonic GX80 (if there is no Fuji equivalent at this size) and 20mm f1.7 and take the EVF experience over the OVF experience and accept any image quality drop going from APS-C to MFT just to be sure I wasn't going to have to pay £155 for a sensor clean even if it was a remote possibility. I do see the appeal in fixed lens cameras but it is something I'd fixate on and obsess over. Normal people maybe wouldn't :D
 
Last edited:
It's maybe just me but I'd take the Panasonic GX80 (if there is no Fuji equivalent at this size) and 20mm f1.7 and take the EVF experience over the OVF experience and accept any image quality drop going from APS-C to MFT just to be sure I wasn't going to have to pay £155 for a sensor clean even if it was a remote possibility. I do see the appeal in fixed lens cameras but it is something I'd fixate on and obsess over. Normal people maybe wouldn't :D

The X100 series have many other advantages other than having an OVF, a few that come to mind are:-

A proper focal length - ie 35mm :)
A lovely leaf shutter
Built in ND filter
Tactile Manual Controls - its just a lovely thing to shoot with
Fuji Film Simulations (if that floats your boat)
 
I’ve had the original x100, the x100t and now the x100v. I think the best way to sum it up is if my x100v was lost I’d be really upset. Any other camera I own I’d claim on insurance and move on. It has its faults but it’s the only camera I own I love using
 
I have a 100T and it's great. But...

It has some quirks which are infuriating at times, and it's not the fastest at focusing.

Can't bring myself to get rid of it though. If I do it'll be to swap it for a 100V.
 
The X100 series have many other advantages other than having an OVF, a few that come to mind are:-

A proper focal length - ie 35mm :)
A lovely leaf shutter
Built in ND filter
Tactile Manual Controls - its just a lovely thing to shoot with
Fuji Film Simulations (if that floats your boat)

All in the plus column for some (but the GX80 doesn't need an ND and has the "advantages that the EVF brings and if you don't like the 20mm lens mount a 17mm f1.7/1.8 lens for an equivalent FoV of 34mm) and in the minus column... the possibility of contamination.

I just thought the issue was worth mentioning and I'd say the same regardless of brand or model. This is not Fuji or X100 bashing. This may not bother many or even most but it seems to be something that bothers me.
 
All in the plus column for some (but the GX80 doesn't need an ND and has the "advantages that the EVF brings and if you don't like the 20mm lens mount a 17mm f1.7/1.8 lens for an equivalent FoV of 34mm) and in the minus column... the possibility of contamination.

I just thought the issue was worth mentioning and I'd say the same regardless of brand or model. This is not Fuji or X100 bashing. This may not bother many or even most but it seems to be something that bothers me.

X100's have an EVF as well as an OVF - its switchable :)
 
If tempted by a fixed lens camera I'd take a similar removeable lens camera and lens combination if one was available. In the case of the Fuji X100 I just don't know what alternative camera and removeable lens is available and at what bulk, weight and price but I'd take a look before deciding if a fixed lens camera was worth the possible even if possibly unlikely risk of sensor contamination which may not be easy to remove.

Alan makes a good point here. I had a similar decision to make recently and I went for an X-E2 with the 27mm f/2.8 mk 1 "pancake" lens. Rangefinder style, same as the X100, fits in my pocket, has more buttons than most of the others (separate F-Lock and E-Lock), and the lens is a 40mm equivalent, ideal for my kind of street photography as well as general photography. Plus I get to lug around more lenses, if I choose to.

Having said that, my next purchase is most likely to be an X100, and I like the sound of an X20 carry-around, too.

Not an easy decision, is it?
 
I have a 100T and it's great. But...

It has some quirks which are infuriating at times, and it's not the fastest at focusing.

Can't bring myself to get rid of it though. If I do it'll be to swap it for a 100V.

Yup, would only get rid of my F if I upgraded.
 
Another member of the fan club. Have had the original, skipped the S and have had a few T's and now an F. Other than very close up, the lens is fantastic, even at F/2.

Personally, I'd buy either an original (so frustrating to use at times but when it works, unbeatable) or the latest version that the wallet allows for. The incremental improvements along the way have all added something but they haven't made a bad one so you're not going to go very wrong. Among all the other mod cons, USB charging of the T onward is pretty handy on this type of camera.
 
Yet another fan. I’ve have the original and love the results. Yes it’s slow but fabulous pictures. I’ve had the F. Much faster to use especially with the joystick.
Probably get the V sometime..maybe. Every time I nearly buy it I pick up my original..
 
I’ve only had the F and now the V (alongside my x-T3 and T4), and absolutely love it. By far my favourite camera to just go out and shoot with.

It sounds like you aren’t wanting to stretch to the V but I would say I’m contrast to even the F, it’s such an improvement -the lens, the weather sealing, articulating touch screen and the overall fit and finish of the camera (straighter, sharper lines, smooth top plate, new ISO adjustment etc) - basically it feels a much more premium camera to hold and to use.

I think any X100 you go for, you’ll enjoy if it is just an everyday glovebox camera BUT the V is a worthwhile investment IMO, if you can stretch - and essentially the same IQ as your T4 with the benefit of built in ND (the new lens in superb btw).
 
I’ve only had the F and now the V (alongside my x-T3 and T4), and absolutely love it. By far my favourite camera to just go out and shoot with.

It sounds like you aren’t wanting to stretch to the V but I would say I’m contrast to even the F, it’s such an improvement -the lens, the weather sealing, articulating touch screen and the overall fit and finish of the camera (straighter, sharper lines, smooth top plate, new ISO adjustment etc) - basically it feels a much more premium camera to hold and to use.

I think any X100 you go for, you’ll enjoy if it is just an everyday glovebox camera BUT the V is a worthwhile investment IMO, if you can stretch - and essentially the same IQ as your T4 with the benefit of built in ND (the new lens in superb btw).

Shhhhhhhh - I dont want to hear about it, Love my F but would probably see what the next version is and upgrade then!
 
Shhhhhhhh - I dont want to hear about it, Love my F but would probably see what the next version is and upgrade then!

I like the sound of the V as well but it's so much more expensive at present. Double what I paid for my F. I'm inclined to stick to always being a generation behind. Although I must admit, I'd love to grab another original version at some point. I know it would never happen but it would be glorious if Fuji stuck an X100 sensor in an X100V body.
 
I had an F and couldn't get on with it. Nothing more than the form, I just don't get on with rangefinder type cameras, despite my first proper camera being an Olympus Trip when I was 15. Loads of people love them though, but I would consider getting hold of an X-T20 body and using that zoom on it.
 
I have more cameras than you can shake a stick at and one of my favourites is my X100T. Fabulous build quality, superb colours and comfortable to carry, admittedly not as sharp as my Sony RX1 but it is a question of settings as at f4-F5.6 there is little discernible difference.
For what they currently cost, you will struggle to find better value than a well looked after X100T.:)
 
Recent x100v user here. It’s taken me a few days to get it set up how I like but now I’m cooking on gas. I’m used to mechanical rangefinders (film and digital) and put off buying an x100 for a long time considering it to be a poor ‘imitation’ of a rangefinder. In actual fact it’s everything I hoped it would be and I really enjoy using it (or will, when I can get out properly). In my opinion it seems to blend the best thing ms about a RF, DSLR and P&S into one attractive and nice feeling instrument.
 
So, to update this thread a bit I managed to get a little used X100T on FB marketplace a few days ago.

I’ve not used it much but so far I’m really enjoying it. I have a neoprene pouch coming tomorrow which will mean it can come with me more and get thrown in the cars glovebox as needed.

In terms of AF etc it’s clearly not comparable to the X-T4, but I accept that and for it’s intended uses I think it’s going to be perfect.

The only quirk so far is that C1 doesn’t allow access to the film sims when shooting RAW. It’s not a biggie, but still a bit of a strange decision by Fuji/C1.
 
The only quirk so far is that C1 doesn’t allow access to the film sims when shooting RAW. It’s not a biggie, but still a bit of a strange decision by Fuji/C1.

It's possible that On1 Photo Raw does. It not only lets me choose film sims with my X-E2 raws, it even includes Eterna-Cinema, which my X-E2 doesn't have! I'm hoping that a future upgrade will include Eterna Bleach Bypass, Classic Neg, and Acros. I can't say how accurate the On1 results are compared to C1, because I've never used C1, but to my eye they look close enough.

If you'd like to chuck me an RAF, I can give you back copies with Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Pro Neg Hi, Pro Neg Std, and Eterna-Cinema applied and no other adjustments, so you can see if you want to shell out the £89.48 current price. It's an excellent alternative to Lightroom, especially at that price, but if I say any more you'll start to think I work for them. (I don't.) :)
 
The film simulations are here:
Fuji's own Raw File Converter based on Silkypix also supports them.
 
Back
Top