Episode 391: Fujifilm X Summit And The x100vi

Show Notes

Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 391 for Thursday February 22nd, 2024. In today’s episode I want to talk about Fujifilm’s Feb 20th X Summit that was held in Tokyo, Japan and their official release of the new x100vi successor to the super popular x100v.

So Fujifilm kicked off their latest X Summit this past Tuesday February 20th at 12:30AM Eastern Time and it was a HUGE event. As had been predicted by Patrick at www.fujirumors.com the event was all about the new x100vi and what it brings in an upgrade from the previous x100v, which I finally recently acquired.

As you’ve heard me talk about previously on this show both in solo episodes as well as when I had Booray Perry on a little while back, I have talked about how I felt there wasn’t much they could do to the x100v to improve on it for a new generation. Now I was somewhat wrong and the new upgrades I am sure will be popular for many folks, I can see the used market getting flooded with used x100vs once the x100vi becomes readily available, but for myself I will NOT be switching and I’ll talk more about that later in this episode. So, what did they do to upgrade from the x100v? Well here is what the x100vi has to offer.

40MP X-Trans 5th Generation Sensor

The first major upgrade in the x100vi is the brand new Fujifilm 40MP, 5th generation X-Trans sensor. Now this is the same sensor that is in the Fujifilm X-H2 as well as the X-T5 camera bodies. This new sensor will allow more latitude when shooting as you will be able to crop into your images and still have lots of resolution power in your shots, which will mean a lot to many Fujifilm shooters. It is a BSI or Back Side Illuminated sensor, which means a very high quality sensor capable of great low light performance.

Optically Precise 23mm F/2 Lens

As predicted, Fujifilm did not release a new version of their fixed 23mm F/2 lens as they one from the x100v was already pretty close to optically perfect and since you know Fujifilm already had the new sensor in mind for a while now, they had already made that new generation of this lens capable of resolving the 40MP sensor without any issues. As I am sure you are aware by now, Fujifilm always plans ahead on their next generations of cameras, so although the 40MP sensor is fairly new to us the consumer, it had most likely been in the pipeline for a few years at Fujifilm R&D.

This fixed lens is 35mm in full frame field of view as I have mentioned numerous times on this show, which is of course the PERFECT focal length for Street Photography. This focal length is fairly close to the human eye’s field of view, but more importantly, it is wide enough to be able to make a great scene for Street without being too wide and looking distorted. At 40mm which is the field of view of the Ricoh GR III X, the field of view would be too narrow to be good for Street. Don’t get me wrong, there will be incidences where 28mm would work well if you need a little more width to get the entire scene and 40mm is nice when you need to be more narrow, but 35mm is the perfect happy medium and the field of view that myself and the vast majority of Street Shooters prefer.

5th Generation Processor

In addition to the new 40MP BSI sensor, this new generation of the x100 line also sports the new 5th generation X-Trans processor that is found in the X-H2 and the X-T5, so again this camera will be on par with both of those camera in not only image resolution but also in speed and AF performance. This new processor allows the x100vi to have the same super fast and accurate AF system as those other two bodies with better performance at detecting birds and other wildlife as well as much improved Face and Eye Detect AF accuracy. The processor also allows Fujifilm to give the x100vi their new State-Of-The-Art AF Algorithm and Deep Learning AI software and capabilities so you will never miss a shot whether it’s in bright day light or the low light scene of a night club when photographing a local band.

6.2K Video

I know there are many people out there that give the x100v crap for not having spectacular video specs. I always found it silly as this camera is made for Street, Travel and Documentary work, genres that rarely lend themselves to video work. In response to these complaints and probably due in no small part to it’s insane popularity on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Fujifilm has decided to give you 6.2K video at up to 30fps so that you can shoot better video with this new “monster” sensor and processor and not have any video crop as a result. This is going to be hugely popular as it checks off another of the boxes that many people wanted from an x100v successor!

Up To 6 Stops of IBIS

The next item that Fujifilm went with in the new x100vi is IBIS as this was another one of the complaints that people had about the x100v. Since people wanted to not only use the x100 line for vlogging but they also wanted IBIS so they could shoot that video handheld without the hand shake messing up their video. Now with up to 6 Stops of shake reduction you will be able to get steady, smooth video for your TikTok, Instagram Stories or Reels, SnapChat videos or even Youtube Shorts. IBIS is going to make it so much easier for 1 person vloggers to get what they want in their content in a small form factor all-in-one premium point and shoot camera system.

Frame.IO Camera to Cloud

The final new item that the x100vi includes is the newer Frame.IO Camera to Cloud capability. This is newer technology that is in all of Fujifilm’s latest cameras such as the X-H2 line, the X-T5 as well as the X-S20 and allows creators to immediately upload their content to Adobe’s Frame.IO platform for a more robust workflow when shooting content whether you have a team like many of the larger Content Creators or you are a one person show you can leverage this new technology to make your workflow and your life easier. Now you can shoot and immediately upload your content to the cloud so your editing team can start working on it right away instead of having to wait until you return from the field or on location shooting. The Adobe Frame.IO will make your workflow better, faster and more efficient and I know that will make a lot of people happy as well.

What Didn’t Change In The x100vi?

23mm F/2 Lens

As I mentioned at the beginning of this episode the x100vi sports the exact same 23mm F/2 prime lens as the previous x100v that I have does. This lens was already optically near perfection so why mess with a good thing. The close focusing distance was already good and the lens is super sharp through-out the Aperture range from F/2 to F/16 and you know the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. Since it is the same lens as the x100v it has that sexy leaf shutter built-in which means the lens will be fast and the shooting fairly quiet. It also means that you can still use a Speedlite or Monolight with much higher shutter speeds and allow yourself to add fill light to a subject while knocking down any ambient background light at the same time.

Since Fujifilm was most likely planning their 40MP sensor for a few years now and doing the R&D on it you know they had already factored that into the 23mm lens on the x100v and that is why they didn’t need to update the lens once more for the x100vi. This will of course make everyone happy as the leaf shutter is one of the major items in the x100 line that makes this camera so powerful and awesome, even though many people on Social Media most likely have no idea what a leaf shutter is let alone the benefits of what having one means to their photography.

4-Stop ND Filter

Another item that didn’t change, which bummed me out a small amount is the built-in ND filter from the x100v. Having the 4-Stop ND in camera makes things so much easier for those that want to again knock down serious sunlight when shooting outdoors in the summer time. The ND filter can also help make your skies look better whether its in your still photos or videos so I am happy to see that is remains in this new model. I would have preferred it if they had bumped it up to 8-Stops so it would be used more for daytime long exposure photography, which is another of my favorite genres, but with my external ND filters and a nice, quality set of Step-Up rings I can still use the x100 line for that kind of photography, it just would have been easier with 8-Stops built-in, which would mean less to carry and less to fidget with when out in the field.

1.4X and 2X Digital Convertors

These features that were in the x100v are going to be much more useful in the new x100vi since it has that larger 40MP sensor. Now you can use the 1.4X and get to 50mm focal length or 2X and get to 70mm focal length and not lose as much of your sensor resolution like you would when we had the 26MP sensor from the x100v. This added flexibility will allow you to get more versatility from your x100vi and allow you to get compositions that weren’t as feasible. You need that 50mm for a portrait or that 70mm for just that little bit of extra reach when out shooting and now you’ll have it!

WCL-X100 II & TCL-X100 II

For those of us who on occasion want the wider 28mm or the narrower 50mm full frame field of view, we can still use the fantastic Fujifilm WCL & TCL X100 II conversion lenses for this new x100vi camera! In addition to the magnets that allow the camera to “see” these lens conversions and automatically set the camera accordingly, you know that sicne Fujifilm had known for some time that they were going to release that new 40MP sensor, you know that those conversion lenses will work with that new, higher resolution sensor just like the current 23mm F/2 lens does. That will also make people happy as they won’t need to buy another generation of these lens convertors to be able to use them with their new x100vi.

NP-126S Battery

Now another of the items that did not change for the x100vi that will probably have a lot of people complaining is the battery. The new camera will sport the same NP-126S battery as all of the previous generations of the x100 line and the X-Pro line as well. I have talked about this recently here on the show and in my Youtube videos that the battery would not change for the simple fact that if they added the larger NP-W235 battery from the X-T and X-H line Fujifilm would have had to significantly change the design and size of the camera body to accommodate that much larger battery.

Remember when Fujifilm released the new X-S20 vlogging body they added the new NP-W235 battery to this new generation and they had to make the hand grip much larger to handle the larger battery. There was no way that Fujifilm was going to do that to the x100 line as it would have totally killed the cameras design and ruined its  primary purpose as a Street and Travel camera. I know I personally would not want the larger, bulkier x100 camera as the camera is perfect in size and shape the way it has been since the original x100 was released back in 2011. The x100vi has to stay a sleek and sexy range finder design like the Leica Q2 or Q3 and adding bulk just for a larger battery would not make sense.

There are many times when I go out to shoot that I might travel from town to town and do Street Photography. I might start in Roxboro and then move on to Durham and then Raleigh and then maybe up to Danville, VA as well in a single day of shooting and guess what, it doesn’t matter if the NP-126S doesn’t have massive capacity because I can easily charge it via USB-C in my car as I drive just like I would with my iPad Pro 4th so I don’t need to worry about battery life or carrying spares. The only time I carry spares is if I am going to be out shooting all day and not have ready access to a USB-C power source, but on those occasions I can also carry one of my three power banks or even use my tri-panel solar charger out in the field to keep my camera charged as I hike or whatever else I am doing that would prevent me from using my cars power.

Full Specs

So, now let’s talk about all of the x100vi’s specs so you know the entire skinny on this new Fujifilm camera and what it can offer you for your shooting experience.

Resolution: 40.2 megapixels

Sensor Size: 23.5mm x 15.7mm (APS-C)

Sensor Type: X-Trans CMOS 5 HR with primary color filter

Image Processing Engine: X-Processor 5

IBIS: Image sensor shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation - 6.0 stops

Image Size: 7728 x 5152 pixels

ISO Range: Iso 125-12,800 (expandable to ISO 64-51,200)

Metering System: TTL 256-zone with multi, spot, average & centre-weighted options 

Shutter Range: 15mins-1/4000sec (mechanical), or; 15mins-180,000sec (electronic) 

Continuous Shooting: Approx 11fps when using mechanical shutter at full resolution. Approx 20fps when using electronic shutter (1.29x Crop). 

Exposure Modes: PSAM

Exposure Compensation: -5.0EV ~ +5.0EV ~ 1/3EV step (Movie -2.0EV ~ +2.0EV 1/3EV step) 

Monitor: 3.0 inch tilting touch-screen color LCD monitor - Approx. 1.62 million dots 

Focusing: Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast AF / TTL phase detection AF) with single, continuous, or manual options 

Video: 6.2K(3:2) (6240 x 3150)/29.97p at up to 200Mbps 

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C, HDMI type D,
ø2.5mm microphone/shutter release input and hot shoe 

Storage Media: SD (-2GB), SDHC (-32GB) or SDXC cards (-2TB) with support for UHS-I (sold separately) 

Dimensions: (WXHXD) 128.0mm x 74.8mm x 55.3mm 

Weight: Approx. 521g 

So, now that I have given you all the details on the new x100vi from Fujifilm, will you be running out to your local camera store to buy one or have you placed your pre-order already? If not please consider using one of my Affiliate links to pre-order yours. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but it does help out the show and would be greatly appreciated.

And for the question I am sure you are asking at this point, “Will I be buying the new x100vi?” and the answer is “No!” I am sure you are probably asking, “Why not?” and I will share that now. Even though the new x100vi is a fantastic upgrade from the previous x100v that I currently own, it doesn’t give me ANYTHING that I need in this camera. I am hoping to borrow one from Fujifilm US and I have already emailed my contact Daniel to ask him if he has any for me to try it out.

Although all of the upgrades are things that many people were clamoring for in a new x100 line camera, I was not one of them. I personally think that the 26MP is all I need for a dedicated Street, Travel and Documentary camera. I don’t need the IBIS as I NEVER shoot video with my x100v as it’s not made for that purpose and I don’t need it for stills photography.

Would I love to have the new X-Processor 5 for even better and faster AF performance, sure but it’s not a deal breaker for me. I would have personally rather have had the new 26MP Stacked sensor and the X-Processor 5 from the X-H2S as it would have seriously increased the x100’s low light capabilities. Do I need the new Frame.IO camera to cloud capabilities, nope so that doesn’t do anything for me either.

I do want the new 40MP sensor and X-Processor 5 but I want them in the X-T5, which I am planning to buy at some point later this year. I would rather have that larger sensor on an interchangeable lens camera than on a niche camera like the x100 line. If I really want to shoot high resolution Street I can use my larger, 50MP GFX 50R with the  GF 45mm F/2.8 lens, which is 35mm full frame field of view. The GF 45mm F/2.8 is $1700 so I don’t have one but when I do want to shoot 50MP Street I can use my GF 35-70mm set to 45mm and still get the 35mm field of view.

But, what do you my listeners think? Are you planning to buy the x100vi? Have you already placed your pre-order for one? If so let me know if the comments for this episode in the Facebook Group or shoot me an email. Are you like me and perfectly happy with your x100v and not planning to upgrade, you can let me know that in the comments as well. The bottom line is although some people are already complaining in some of the Fujifilm X Groups I am in on Facebook, this upgrade will make a lot of people happy as it ticks all their boxes except for a larger battery and they will be thrilled to pay $200 more for the x100vi but I am sticking with my x100v!

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