Fujifilm X100V
A compelling update of this popular cropsensor compact gets a field- and lab test
he Fujifilm X100V is part of Fujifilm’s X-Series camera range, but a bit of an outlier. Unlike its siblings, it doesn’t take interchangeable lenses. Instead, it has a fixed 23mm f/2 lens (35mm equivalent), which offers a classic focal length for everyday use and street photography, and a design that’s slim enough to slide into a jacket pocket.
The X100V is the fifth version of this design: it has Fujifilm’s latest 26.1-megapixel X-Trans processor, a new and superior lens, and a new tilting touchscreen. There are some ergonomic enhancements, but fundamentally this is the same design that has developed a cult following amongst enthusiast and pro photographers.
The X100V has Fujifilm’s unique hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder,
Twhich you can switch between with a lever on the front, and external shutter speed and lens aperture dials straight from the ‘old days’ of film cameras. It even has an external ISO dial to go with them.
The fixed lens distinguishes it from Fujifilm’s X-mount mirrorless cameras, like the X-T3 and X-T30, but the hybrid viewfinder is shared by the Fujifilm X-Pro3. You could even think of the X100V as a slimmer, lighter and more affordable alternative to the X-Pro3, with a fixed lens rather than the choice of interchangeable ones.
Key features
There are several new features on the X100V, so let’s start with the lens. Fujifilm acknowledges that the original 23mm f/2 lens needed an update to do justice to the latest sensors, and says the new lens offers better resolution
and lower distortion. You can’t change lenses on this camera, but you can use Fujifilm’s optional WCL-X100 II wide conversion lens to get a 28mm equivalent focal length, or the TCL-X100 II tele-conversion lens for 50mm equivalent.
It’s also possible to attach an optional AR-X100 adapter ring and the PRF-49 protection filter to make the camera weather-resistant. We’re told that the camera is largely weatherresistant already, and it’s just the lens needs the extra protection. (Fujifilm says that making the lens weatherresistant too would have made it too bulky for this camera’s slim design.)
Inside, the X100V now has Fujifilm’s latest 26.1-megapixel APS-C X-Trans 4 back-illuminated sensor. This has a modest two-megapixel increase in resolution over the previous model, but the chief advantage is a big improvement to the autofocus system, faster processing speeds and the 4K video capabilities.
With video features becoming ever more important for photographers and content creators, the X100V can capture 4K at the usual 30/25/24p frame rates, but also 1080 Full HD footage at up to 120fps. For more advanced filmmaking, it can record
Build and handling
A noteworthy feature of the X100V is its flushfitting tiltable touchscreen display. 10-bit 4:2:2 quality video to an external recorder via its HDMI port.
The hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder has been upgraded in the X100V, but the biggest change to the viewing system is round the back of the camera, where the old model’s fixed screen has been replaced by a tilting touchscreen display.
From a distance, the X100V looks just like the previous cameras in this series. It’s no smaller in width or height than the average mirrorless camera, but it is much slimmer. The 23mm f/2 lens protrudes only a small distance from the body; this is a camera you could easily keep in a coat pocket.
It’s well-made, too. The top and bottom plates are milled from single pieces of aluminium, and the body has a classy-looking ‘Alumite’ satin finish. (It’s also available in black.)
Close up, the differences from previous models become obvious. The controls on the top plate have a neater look, and the ISO dial now stays up when you pull it up to change the setting – previously, it was springloaded and trickier to use. This sounds like a small point, but will be exciting news to fans of X100-series cameras.
The X100V has no D-pad on the back: the joystick and ‘Q’ button do a similar job without the risk of so many accidental button presses.
The X100V has a revised ISO dial that now stays up when you pull it and makes adjustments easier.
Detail rendition is excellent and, although it wasn’t needed for this shot, the high-ISO image quality is impressive.
Round the back, the screen sits so flush with the camera body that you could easily miss the fact it can be flipped out and tilted. There’s no D-pad on this camera, but there is a small joystick for AF point selection and menu navigation. Four-way D-pads seem to be disappearing from Fujifilm cameras (there isn’t one on the new X-T200 either), but they’re no great loss: many of their functions
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