p.4 #1X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RustyRus wrote: RoamingScott wroteI fully agree. If the V is working for you, there is nothing materially game changing about the VI.
tuomkok wroteI am tempted but on hold for now X100VI has useful improvements but it does not make X100V redundant in any way.
danslides wroteAm I seeing more 3D pop / micro contrast, or is it just me? It’s not like full frame Zeiss or Leica pop, but I feel like I don’t remember seeing that on the x100v - granted I only had the V for a very short time.So one area that I am thinking may be a big improvement is the ability to get better AF in the OVF mode-
I love using this camera in OVF mode but sometimes struggled getting good results with AF on the X100v. This seems to be a much better match in the X100VI vs the V.
I am going to use this camera in OVF mode only tonight and see what I get. Initial use is very compelling that there is some changes or better functionality for this.
I haven’t seen any review or commentary on this at all. It’s all been 40Mpix and IBIS. This would be a big win for me since I much prefer the OVF experience vs EVF. ...Show more →
I have a VI on order (patiently waiting) and am curious about OVF AF performance as well.
Do the subject/eye/face recognition modes work with the OVF? I’ve ready mixed comments on this for the X100V.
p.4 #2X100VI first impressions + running commentary
I played with a large focus area, AF-C, and eye detect using the EVF/LCD today while out to lunch, something I haven't done on any 5th gen Fuji yet and...eh, it's fine. Lots of jumping from one eye to another erratically (i'm sure picking left or right eye would fix that but there's no guarantee that's the "close" eye). Better than nothing, but considerably worse than other brands I've used.
If I tried to just let auto AF find something that wasn't a human, it tended to focus on the closest part of the thing in the middle of the frame instead of the middle of that thing, which was very frustrating. There really seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what it would grab or stay latched to.
I figured I wouldn't use the camera like this often, and still feel that way; the amount of time I lost waiting for it to jump back to the correct eye, or to focus rack back to the thing I wanted could have been saved by a single AF point and AF-S.
Apart from AF stuff, file transfers of full size jpegs through the mobile app are slower than transfering full raw files from my Z9. Shockingly bad.
p.4 #3X100VI first impressions + running commentary
Things I love-
- AF is much snappier and sticker than the X100v-
- Reala Ace Film sim is really nice- Bright Vibrant colors SooC
- The Size-
- Really just a pleasure to use- Once you have your settings dialed in, its controls are just fantastic to use.
- Lighting fast startup- From the camera being off to using it maybe a second- Feels almost instant
-OVF seems better on this camera- Early tests for me is showing more accurate AF and if this is the case, will be what I use almost 100% of the time. Really Really good experience using the OVF so far.
Things I really dislike
- The Fuji app- It doesn’t work on an IPAD- So for a travel camera, transferring files isn’t a breeze like it should be. This is a big let down still
- The menu’s- It’s not Sony bad but these Fuji menus are just way to many endless options with no explanations on what stuff does- Comparing this to my Leica Q3- Leica has Fuji beat in spades there. Fuji should have redesigned the menu to go directly to a quick start screen for basic functions like Film SIMS!!!!! - I know this is programmable with the Q button but hit the menu button and you are just dumped into a sea of endless things
- Battery life seems, well not good or at least not any better -
-The lens can hunt if it misses focus initially and it sounds like gears grinding
Overall the pros far outweigh the cons on this and it’s a nice snappy upgrade over the V.
A few pictures SooC with Reala Ace or Acros Red-
Just a few from a neighborhood walk in bad weather
p.4 #4X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RustyRus wrote:
Things I love-
- AF is much snappier and sticker than the X100v-
- Reala Ace Film sim is really nice- Bright Vibrant colors SooC
- The Size-
- Really just a pleasure to use- Once you have your settings dialed in, its controls are just fantastic to use.
- Lighting fast startup- From the camera being off to using it maybe a second- Feels almost instant
-OVF seems better on this camera- Early tests for me is showing more accurate AF and if this is the case, will be what I use almost 100% of the time. Really Really good experience using the OVF so far.
Things I really dislike
- The Fuji app- It doesn’t work on an IPAD- So for a travel camera, transferring files isn’t a breeze like it should be. This is a big let down still
- The menu’s- It’s not Sony bad but these Fuji menus are just way to many endless options with no explanations on what stuff does- Comparing this to my Leica Q3- Leica has Fuji beat in spades there. Fuji should have redesigned the menu to go directly to a quick start screen for basic functions like Film SIMS!!!!! - I know this is programmable with the Q button but hit the menu button and you are just dumped into a sea of endless things
- Battery life seems, well not good or at least not any better -
-The lens can hunt if it misses focus initially and it sounds like gears grinding
Overall the pros far outweigh the cons on this and it’s a nice snappy upgrade over the V.
A few pictures SooC with Reala Ace or Acros Red-
Just a few from a neighborhood walk in bad weather
It is kind of incredible at how bloated and unintuitive the Fuji menu system has gotten over time. Luckily I've had cams that weren't too many gens apart so it's still familiar, but anyone new to Fuji would really struggle.
p.4 #5X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RoamingScott wrote: RustyRus wroteThings I love-
- AF is much snappier and sticker than the X100v-
- Reala Ace Film sim is really nice- Bright Vibrant colors SooC
- The Size-
- Really just a pleasure to use- Once you have your settings dialed in, its controls are just fantastic to use.
- Lighting fast startup- From the camera being off to using it maybe a second- Feels almost instant
-OVF seems better on this camera- Early tests for me is showing more accurate AF and if this is the case, will be what I use almost 100% of the time. Really Really good experience using the OVF so far.
Things I really dislike
- The Fuji app- It doesn’t work on an IPAD- So for a travel camera, transferring files isn’t a breeze like it should be. This is a big let down still
- The menu’s- It’s not Sony bad but these Fuji menus are just way to many endless options with no explanations on what stuff does- Comparing this to my Leica Q3- Leica has Fuji beat in spades there. Fuji should have redesigned the menu to go directly to a quick start screen for basic functions like Film SIMS!!!!! - I know this is programmable with the Q button but hit the menu button and you are just dumped into a sea of endless things
- Battery life seems, well not good or at least not any better -
-The lens can hunt if it misses focus initially and it sounds like gears grinding
Overall the pros far outweigh the cons on this and it’s a nice snappy upgrade over the V.
A few pictures SooC with Reala Ace or Acros Red-
Just a few from a neighborhood walk in bad weatherIt is kind of incredible at how bloated and unintuitive the Fuji menu system has gotten over time. Luckily I've had cams that weren't too many gens apart so it's still familiar, but anyone new to Fuji would really struggle.
People can argue price/performance value all they want but modern menus from both Leica and Hasslblad are very nice in regards to UX. They are loads better than any large manufacturer.
p.4 #6X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RustyRus wrote:
Things I really dislike
- The Fuji app- It doesn’t work on an IPAD- So for a travel camera, transferring files isn’t a breeze like it should be. This is a big let down still
- Battery life seems, well not good or at least not any better -
Overall the pros far outweigh the cons on this and it’s a nice snappy upgrade over the V.
I don't have the camera, but from what I read the pros definitely outweigh the cons if you are the right kind of user.
I agree with the two cons I copied above.
Given the number of people using iPads for photography with their cameras — to download files, to store them, to do some post-processing — I'm disappointed that the app doesn't work right with iPads. Honestly, it just sort of seems like they didn't take the app seriously, given that once they created it for the phone it isn't THAT much more work to make it operate correctly on iPad. (That's a disappointment no matter what Fujifilm camera you use.)
I know it is controversial, but I think that sticking with the old battery was a miss from Fujifilm. Yes, they would have had to do some redesign of the camera's internals and possible alter its form factor a little bit — and some people think that the current form factor is utterly perfect and no change is acceptable, of course — but given the much better performance of the battery used in the other newer Fujifilm cameras, it would have been a step forward that they missed.
p.4 #7X100VI first impressions + running commentary
Make sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.
p.4 #8X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RoamingScott wrote:
The main annoyance with sim bracketing is that you’re limited to Fuji’s sims…I can’t understand why they won’t allow custom sims in that menu.
Hear, hear. I intend to add to add at least a couple of my fave Kodak i.e. Ektachrome E100VS and Portra 160 so I'll just shoot one of those with RAW.
p.4 #9X100VI first impressions + running commentary
I was initially underwhelmed when I first used my x100vi (came from x100v that i sold a month ago)and wondered if I should have sold it for a used x100v but after a few days of photographing with it, I do think it’s a clear upgrade in image quality and af quality (not speed but accuracy is better) over the x100v that’s worth it. Image files look both cleaner and with more detail and processes better in raw with Lightroom - looks comparable to the xt-5 with a high quality prime like the 23mm wr f1.4. I do think the x100v images have a bit more of a vintage feel maybe due to the sensor rendering less detail.
I also had a Leica q3 before and I think that camera resolves more detail from looking at some photos I took in the past but i think the x100vi is generally a better camera due to form factor and af. As for menus, I don’t think it’s meaningfully better or worse than Sony and Leica as the two reference points I have. Overall, I think I’m happy with the purchase although it’ll be competing with my Leica 35mm for usage.
p.4 #10X100VI first impressions + running commentary
i would be interested of your experience. the versatility to switch lenses on a compact full frame is attractive for travel.
Tapper wrote:
My silver X100VI just arrived, and I'm taken aback at how pretty it is. Fuji really nailed the aesthetics. I owned an X100F a few years ago, and IMO the VI is even better looking.
And yes, I know cameras are "just tools" etc, but photography is an aesthetic endeavor so nothing wrong with appreciating a beautiful object even if it is a camera. :-P
Now, the plot thickens because I also now have a silver A7CII + 40mm f2.5 G coming this week. I have been struggling to decide between these 2 cameras for a high quality compact prime lens setup that I want to use and take along (Leicas are far beyond my affordability threshold), and in the end I feel I need to compare them myself in person to really choose the right one for me....Show more →
p.4 #11X100VI first impressions + running commentary
I too have a Sony a7CII with both 35mm Zeiss f2.8 and 40mm f2.5 Sony G as well as my new X100VI. I am working on a small travel kit for a trip to Ireland next month and England in the summer. My idea is to have 2 cameras as I travel around, in general I like to shoot with wide lenses but sometimes I like to shoot with a portrait lens. So the combo of X100VI with it's 35mm equivalent and a Sigma 90mm 2.8 on the Sony makes a really small kit that fits in a Billingham Hadley Pro small and think also a Bellroy 10L camera sling.
p.4 #12X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RoamingScott wrote:
Step 1...unbox, hold, configure, find a cat...complete.
+ Feels as tightly constructed in hand as the V, joystick has noticeably less play, but this could simply be my V being broken in.
+ AF, shutter response time, menu navigation all noticeably better than the V.
+ All of the familiarity of the V is still present
+ Increased resolution is immediately noticeable in post on files where I'm not running a mist filter/custom sim that softens them.
+ 4:5 and 4:3 are very welcome additions...you're just missing the most important one now, Fuji, cmon!!!
- Command dial presses feel as squishy as ever, terrible tactile feedback.
- They flipped the SD card slot around (label faces rear now), so goodbye muscle memory from the V.
- Battery door considerably scratched. Sadly, I've read that this part is NOT sourceable by Fuji, so I'll have to live with it. Chalking it up to an early production unit from China.
- There is a lot more slop in the media door, and the spring is much weaker than the V. Again, I'm chalking up any "tolerance" differences to the V to the country of manufacturing and the QC in those facilities.
- IBIS does not park when camera is off, and the amount of clunking is very unsettling. Time will tell if this thin IBIS unit turns out to be robust or not.
Other observations, neither good nor bad...
~ VI's increased weight is immediately obvious in hand, not bothersome in any regard, but...it's there.
~ Shutter sound is completely different, both in tone and volume. Much quieter than the V and the smoochy "kiss" sound the V makes is completely gone. Outdoors it's hard to tell if you actually took a photo because it's so quiet. The focus motors are louder than the shutter now.
~ The lens is as slow as ever, and makes all the same fun grindy noises as it focuses.
~ Returning to OVF mode from playback is quite slow, but I'm not sure if this is the same/better/worse than the V as I'm in EVF almost all the time.
~ The sensor sits farther back in the VI, likely due to the IBIS unit...I'm curious how they compensate for this with the lens
~ The MSC switch requires much less force to move (actually kind of nice because the V had a tendency to jump from S to M and vice versa).
First hour impression is that it's exactly what we thought it would be, and coming from the V, a bit underwhelming. Anyone new to the series, or coming from an F or older will love the updates.
More thoughts to come soon.
First round of test pics, first two pics are the only "clean" pic with no mist/sim applied just as a test of sharpness close up...very nice.
Awesome, thanks for the review. Mine doesn't arrive until Monday. I was out of town this week so had to have the shipping delayed (insert sad face and tiny violin playing).
Shutter sound change is odd. Could be related to the leaf shutter sitting in a different location, the guts having been moved around inside, and generally more stuff in there to muffle the sound. I'm guessing you don't have a shutter sound effect turned on for the V. I thought for a while Fujifilm was setting that to be on by default.
p.4 #13X100VI first impressions + running commentary
Well, I’m a doofus! Yes, the V had the “sound 1” set
highdesertmesa wrote: RoamingScott wroteStep 1...unbox, hold, configure, find a cat...complete.
+ Feels as tightly constructed in hand as the V, joystick has noticeably less play, but this could simply be my V being broken in.
+ AF, shutter response time, menu navigation all noticeably better than the V.
+ All of the familiarity of the V is still present
+ Increased resolution is immediately noticeable in post on files where I'm not running a mist filter/custom sim that softens them.
+ 4:5 and 4:3 are very welcome additions...you're just missing the most important one now, Fuji, cmon!!!
- Command dial presses feel as squishy as ever, terrible tactile feedback.
- They flipped the SD card slot around (label faces rear now), so goodbye muscle memory from the V.
- Battery door considerably scratched. Sadly, I've read that this part is NOT sourceable by Fuji, so I'll have to live with it. Chalking it up to an early production unit from China.
- There is a lot more slop in the media door, and the spring is much weaker than the V. Again, I'm chalking up any "tolerance" differences to the V to the country of manufacturing and the QC in those facilities.
- IBIS does not park when camera is off, and the amount of clunking is very unsettling. Time will tell if this thin IBIS unit turns out to be robust or not.
Other observations, neither good nor bad...
~ VI's increased weight is immediately obvious in hand, not bothersome in any regard, but...it's there.
~ Shutter sound is completely different, both in tone and volume. Much quieter than the V and the smoochy "kiss" sound the V makes is completely gone. Outdoors it's hard to tell if you actually took a photo because it's so quiet. The focus motors are louder than the shutter now.
~ The lens is as slow as ever, and makes all the same fun grindy noises as it focuses.
~ Returning to OVF mode from playback is quite slow, but I'm not sure if this is the same/better/worse than the V as I'm in EVF almost all the time.
~ The sensor sits farther back in the VI, likely due to the IBIS unit...I'm curious how they compensate for this with the lens
~ The MSC switch requires much less force to move (actually kind of nice because the V had a tendency to jump from S to M and vice versa).
First hour impression is that it's exactly what we thought it would be, and coming from the V, a bit underwhelming. Anyone new to the series, or coming from an F or older will love the updates.
More thoughts to come soon.
First round of test pics, first two pics are the only "clean" pic with no mist/sim applied just as a test of sharpness close up...very nice.
Shutter sound change is odd. Could be related to the leaf shutter sitting in a different location, the guts having been moved around inside, and generally more stuff in there to muffle the sound. I'm guessing you don't have a shutter sound effect turned on for the V. I thought for a while Fujifilm was setting that to be on by default.
p.4 #14X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RoamingScott wrote:
Make sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.
Can you not connect the camera directly to iPad using usb-c to usb-c and transfer photos?
p.4 #16X100VI first impressions + running commentary
nepali wrote: RoamingScott wroteMake sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.Can you not connect the camera directly to iPad using usb-c to usb-c and transfer photos?
I don't think so - there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of the MacOS Image Capture utility under iPadOS
p.4 #17X100VI first impressions + running commentary
AZ Photo wrote: nepali wroteRoamingScott wroteMake sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.Can you not connect the camera directly to iPad using usb-c to usb-c and transfer photos?I don't think so - there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of the MacOS Image Capture utility under iPadOS
So, when you connect it via usb-c, does it not show up in Files app to browse, copy, move, etc. as an external storage? With my A7CR, if I have to edit on the go, I just connect it to my phone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) via usb-c and the camera shows up as external storage in Files. I then copy photos I want to edit and open them up in Lightroom Mobile. I am hoping X100VI works the same way. It also comes in handy to backup photos to cloud while on the go.
UPDATE: Found the section on X100VI's manual for connecting directly to phone/iPad using USB-C. https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x100vi/connections/usage_usb/#gsc.tab=0. The top part talks about Android phones but it should work with iPhone 15 series/iPad Pro as well since the series supports OTG via usb-c.
p.4 #18X100VI first impressions + running commentary
RoamingScott wrote:
Well, I’m a doofus! Yes, the V had the “sound 1” set
highdesertmesa wroteRoamingScott wroteStep 1...unbox, hold, configure, find a cat...complete.
+ Feels as tightly constructed in hand as the V, joystick has noticeably less play, but this could simply be my V being broken in.
+ AF, shutter response time, menu navigation all noticeably better than the V.
+ All of the familiarity of the V is still present
+ Increased resolution is immediately noticeable in post on files where I'm not running a mist filter/custom sim that softens them.
+ 4:5 and 4:3 are very welcome additions...you're just missing the most important one now, Fuji, cmon!!!
- Command dial presses feel as squishy as ever, terrible tactile feedback.
- They flipped the SD card slot around (label faces rear now), so goodbye muscle memory from the V.
- Battery door considerably scratched. Sadly, I've read that this part is NOT sourceable by Fuji, so I'll have to live with it. Chalking it up to an early production unit from China.
- There is a lot more slop in the media door, and the spring is much weaker than the V. Again, I'm chalking up any "tolerance" differences to the V to the country of manufacturing and the QC in those facilities.
- IBIS does not park when camera is off, and the amount of clunking is very unsettling. Time will tell if this thin IBIS unit turns out to be robust or not.
Other observations, neither good nor bad...
~ VI's increased weight is immediately obvious in hand, not bothersome in any regard, but...it's there.
~ Shutter sound is completely different, both in tone and volume. Much quieter than the V and the smoochy "kiss" sound the V makes is completely gone. Outdoors it's hard to tell if you actually took a photo because it's so quiet. The focus motors are louder than the shutter now.
~ The lens is as slow as ever, and makes all the same fun grindy noises as it focuses.
~ Returning to OVF mode from playback is quite slow, but I'm not sure if this is the same/better/worse than the V as I'm in EVF almost all the time.
~ The sensor sits farther back in the VI, likely due to the IBIS unit...I'm curious how they compensate for this with the lens
~ The MSC switch requires much less force to move (actually kind of nice because the V had a tendency to jump from S to M and vice versa).
First hour impression is that it's exactly what we thought it would be, and coming from the V, a bit underwhelming. Anyone new to the series, or coming from an F or older will love the updates.
More thoughts to come soon.
First round of test pics, first two pics are the only "clean" pic with no mist/sim applied just as a test of sharpness close up...very nice.
Shutter sound change is odd. Could be related to the leaf shutter sitting in a different location, the guts having been moved around inside, and generally more stuff in there to muffle the sound. I'm guessing you don't have a shutter sound effect turned on for the V. I thought for a while Fujifilm was setting that to be on by default.
Too funny. I thought I recognized the sound from the description. Two shots in a row with that shutter sound effect sounds like a cowboy calling his horse to come over
p.4 #19X100VI first impressions + running commentary
nepali wrote: AZ Photo wrotenepali wroteRoamingScott wroteMake sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.Can you not connect the camera directly to iPad using usb-c to usb-c and transfer photos?I don't think so - there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of the MacOS Image Capture utility under iPadOSSo, when you connect it via usb-c, does it not show up in Files app to browse, copy, move, etc. as an external storage? With my A7CR, if I have to edit on the go, I just connect it to my phone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) via usb-c and the camera shows up as external storage in Files. I then copy photos I want to edit and open them up in Lightroom Mobile. I am hoping X100VI works the same way. It also comes in handy to backup photos to cloud while on the go.
p.4 #20X100VI first impressions + running commentary
AZ Photo wrote: nepali wroteAZ Photo wrotenepali wroteRoamingScott wroteMake sure that 1) your X app on iOS is updated and 2) your VI is updated to 1.01
If you're serious about editing on an ipad, you should already have an SD dongle reader as it's faster than any wifi transfer protocol and doesn't waste your camera battery for the transfer process. Best $10 accessory I've ever bought.Can you not connect the camera directly to iPad using usb-c to usb-c and transfer photos?I don't think so - there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of the MacOS Image Capture utility under iPadOSSo, when you connect it via usb-c, does it not show up in Files app to browse, copy, move, etc. as an external storage? With my A7CR, if I have to edit on the go, I just connect it to my phone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) via usb-c and the camera shows up as external storage in Files. I then copy photos I want to edit and open them up in Lightroom Mobile. I am hoping X100VI works the same way. It also comes in handy to backup photos to cloud while on the go.
UPDATE: Found the section on X100VI's manual for connecting directly to phone/iPad using USB-C. https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x100vi/connections/usage_usb/#gsc.tab=0. The top part talks about Android phones but it should work with iPhone 15 series/iPad Pro as well since the series supports OTG via usb-c.Yes - you're right - but you have to use the Apple Photos app - the camera won't show up as an external drive in the Files app