I recently received a used x100v. The images are beautiful and I love the size of the camera, but I can't help but feel let down a bit by the build and function. The shutter button and on/off switch are wobbly, the camera is slow (and loud) to switch between LCD and viewfinder, the top dials don't feel particularly nice, and it gets hot rather quickly.
I'm coming from an Xpro1 which to me feels much more solid and not really any slower given the age difference.
I'd like to know, did I get a bad (or just very used) copy? Or is the x100 series simply not as robust as the xPro? It might also just be getting used to a new camera.
I'm contemplating selling to try an x100f. I think I'd feel better about these issues if I'd paid half as much. Appreciate any thoughts you have!
The shutter button on my X100V is the same as my XT3 (a little wobble, but I think that's the same on all Fuji cameras). The on-off switch isn't wobbly at all for me. Switching between LCD and viewfinder should be instantaneous and shouldn't be loud (unless you are switching back and forth between the EVF and OVF constantly). The top dials feel great to me - what don't you like about them? There are definitely some heat issues with some X100V units, but I only ever noticed it when I was initially setting up my camera. I don't shoot a lot of video and don't shoot continuous shots that much, so heat is never a problem in my real-world use. I would give it a few weeks before you decide that you don't like the camera.
So it's not just me that finds the x100 models very underwhelming! When the first x100 appeared there was much celebration all over the web but when I discovered that an aquaintance had bought one and got the chance to examine it I could not see what the fuss was about!.....not great quality,...not great facility...not great features...not great lens....not great design .....and not great images, judging by his forgetable efforts. In short a car camera/point and shoot at twice the right price!
This put me right off Fuji for several years and was in the front of my mind when I recently bought the outgoing X-E3 new for a very good price!......It's an excellent camera and cost far, far less than an x100. Quality and design are very good,...not German (or Swedish) but quite nice to use easily and descretely. Very good image quality too.
I've come to the conclusion that the x100 models are mainly just a fad, or toys for posing at the beach etc....consumer items for, well, consumers who are not really fussed or really interested in actual photography......My dentist has one now which says volumes!
Bugleone wrote:
I've come to the conclusion that the x100 models are mainly just a fad, or toys for posing at the beach etc....consumer items for, well, consumers who are not really fussed or really interested in actual photography......My dentist has one now which says volumes!
Interesting conclusions that I can't say I agree with, but I respect your perspective and agree that the X100 series isn't for everyone. My X100V has been a great companion to my X-T3 that allows me to carry it pretty much everywhere I go and I think it's helped my photography by being a fixed-lens camera. I'm not sure why your dentist owning an X100 makes it any less of a camera.
Appreciate the responses! I agree I should give it a bit more time before jumping to conclusions.
I took the camera to an event today and the buttons, etc. are less noticeable when you're thinking about shooting. That said, the on/off switch still feels less than convincing and it does warm up. I may try to find a good used 100f and compare.
I am very happy with the xpro1 but have been disappointed with the pancake lenses from fuji (18 and 27) for their noise and slow af. Love the size of the x100 so I hope I can get over the wobbles.
The shutter button on my XPro2 appears to have been designed to wobble. The only time I notice it is when I attach an old-school mechanical cable release (I have reasons...) to the thing. I don't recall noticing whether or not that was true on the X11f that I used.
Speaking of that, I liked the way the camera felt. It impressed me as a tightly constructed, well-designed little camera for situations in which a fixed lens and small size make sense. I did not buy one, since I finally decided that my XPro plus the 27mm f/2.8 could do what I would have wanted the X100f to do.
I regard it is a sort of speciality camera, and it certainly isn't for everyone.
I can't comment on the rest of your issues, so I'll step back and let the X100... users reply.
I've come to the conclusion that the x100 models are mainly just a fad, or toys for posing at the beach etc....consumer items for, well, consumers who are not really fussed or really interested in actual photography......My dentist has one now which says volumes!
What an embarrassing comment. The X100 has been around 11 years. An 11 year fad? Hilarious.
The X100 is what started the entire X camera concept.
People who are not into photography are buying X100's keeping it going on generation after generation? Yeah, sure.
So much ignorance in so few lines. Very impressive.
The x-pro1 was too slow and feature limited compared to my x100v. Sold it. The x-pro 2 is larger, heavier, and more responsive than the x-pro1 But I still like the x100v more. It is solid high quality built with ore features than the x-pro2. Overall, I think the x100v offers great IQ and built quality for the money.
I think the X00V is a well built camera, and feels really nice in my hands with the Lensmate thumbrest.
Build-wise, the only thing I’m not totally happy with is the shutter speed dial. Does anyone else’s dial have significant play between clicks? It also click way too hard for me - I much prefer the feel of the shutter speed dial on the original X100. I wish the shutter speed dial felt like the exposure compensation dial on the X100V.
GSaleh wrote:
I think the X00V is a well built camera, and feels really nice in my hands with the Lensmate thumbrest.
Build-wise, the only thing I’m not totally happy with is the shutter speed dial. Does anyone else’s dial have significant play between clicks? It also click way too hard for me - I much prefer the feel of the shutter speed dial on the original X100. I wish the shutter speed dial felt like the exposure compensation dial on the X100V.
I agree. The camera as a whole has a nice weight, but the dials, particularly the shutter speed and the little lever on the front of the camera, still feel flimsy to me.
Really nice to hear some other impressions. I don't think I have a lemon, at least. I found a good price on a x100f. Going to try it out for a bit and sell one or the other.
I agree. The camera as a whole has a nice weight, but the dials, particularly the shutter speed and the little lever on the front of the camera, still feel flimsy to me.
Having the x-pro2 and the x100v side by side, the only difference between the OVF/EVF switch on both is the size of the plastic lever. Otherwise, the "feel" of how the operate is the same. No "flimsyness" at all. The shutter speed dial on both cameras are very close in operation and both feel solid and precise to me. Both controls operate well and reliable in real world use.
Bugleone wrote:
So it's not just me that finds the x100 models very underwhelming! When the first x100 appeared there was much celebration all over the web but when I discovered that an aquaintance had bought one and got the chance to examine it I could not see what the fuss was about!.....not great quality,...not great facility...not great features...not great lens....not great design .....and not great images, judging by his forgetable efforts. In short a car camera/point and shoot at twice the right price!
This put me right off Fuji for several years and was in the front of my mind when I recently bought the outgoing X-E3 new for a very good price!......It's an excellent camera and cost far, far less than an x100. Quality and design are very good,...not German (or Swedish) but quite nice to use easily and descretely. Very good image quality too.
I've come to the conclusion that the x100 models are mainly just a fad, or toys for posing at the beach etc....consumer items for, well, consumers who are not really fussed or really interested in actual photography......My dentist has one now which says volumes!...Show more →
This whole synopsis is ridiculous, even if you don't like the X100 series. You HAVE to be trolling.
I used x100v for about a month and mostly agree with original post. Image quality was great, and it was a very pretty camera, that's about it. Can design be considered great if you need accessories to make it comfortable to hold? Nope. And lens was noisy, and yes switching from ovf to efv was annoyingly slow and noisy as well. Camera took a lot of pictures inside of bag and settings were always not the same after taking it out of the bag because all dials and switches were too easy to turn accidentally. And viewfinder was not that great. And there was no way to turn back screen completely. There was a setting to do it, but back screen can still come back to life unexpectedly. And there was a common between fans of camera acceptance that sometimes it takes out of focus images unexpectedly. It was mind blowing hilarious.
I tried to like the camera but there were too many downsides, so I returned it (and got used x-t4 and some lenses. As luck had it all of them required some repairs. Tough #fujilove for me).
Nick Dakota wrote:
This whole synopsis is ridiculous, even if you don't like the X100 series. You HAVE to be trolling.
Has anyone had problems with front command dial getting stuck fully in? I hope the pictures make my problem clear... Quite frustrating although I can survive. Anyway ruins the resale value of my X100V if I ever want to upgrade X100VII
The V was the pinnacle of the line's build quality, and overall, it's quite good, feeling like a single block of metal with very little slop around the camera.
It's ultimately betrayed by a middling lens that has slow, grindy AF motors, the OVF/EVF lag when switching, and the patented mushy Fuji buttons. In particular, the command dials are total oatmeal in use.
The VI took several steps back around the camera. Fuji, in general, has lost the plot when it comes to build quality.
RoamingScott wrote:
The V was the pinnacle of the line's build quality, and overall, it's quite good, feeling like a single block of metal with very little slop around the camera.
It's ultimately betrayed by a middling lens that has slow, grindy AF motors, the OVF/EVF lag when switching, and the patented mushy Fuji buttons. In particular, the command dials are total oatmeal in use.
The VI took several steps back around the camera. Fuji, in general, has lost the plot when it comes to build quality.
V has still the "made in Japan" label Mine is from the very first batch that arrived in Finland, and has worked flawlessly until this problem with the command dial.
Fuji service is quite cryptic about the cost of the repair. Trying to pry it out by myself might do more harm than good??
The command dial toggle function is anyway a bit flimsy and useless. I have never used it. Front command dial is most useful for me when scrolling images in playback.
tuomkok wrote:
Has anyone had problems with front command dial getting stuck fully in? I hope the pictures make my problem clear... Quite frustrating although I can survive. Anyway ruins the resale value of my X100V if I ever want to upgrade X100VII
That is the sort of problem that _might_ warrant finding a high quality camera shop that does repairs, if one exists anywhere near you. It is possible that something has just slipped out of place. I don’t recommend it, but if you are comfortable and have some experience going inside electro-mechanical devices and have appropriate tools you _could_ try to take a look yourself. (The danger, of course, is that it is easy to end up making things worse. And it is a different story with things like electronics and similar stuff.)
If it were mine, I’d probably send to Fujifilm for repair. You may not come out ahead on the resale value issue but at least you’ll put the frustration of the broken control behind you.
We’ve had something like a half dozen Fujifilm cameras annd maybe 15+ lenses over the years and and all have been pretty solid performers without breakdowns despite heavy use — though that can happen with gear from any brand. (The worst we’ve experienced was years back when a 55-200 I had acquired for travel suffered a problem with its zoom mechanism and had to go back to Fujifilm.)
