Scenes Seen: FUJIFILM X100VI… ACROS w/ Red Filter Film Simulation.

A recent four way film and digital black and white side by side comparison inspired me to try something.

Four Camera Comparison – Two Fujifilm… Two Actually Film: Durham Downtown Side By Side.

The motivating factor for that post was the FUJFILM X Half camera.

Not Really A Review. An Appreciation Post For A Camera I Did Not Understand At First: The Fujifilm X Half.

Some factors are at play with this camera that make it a fun camera to use.

I will set aside the portrait orientation part.

Novel, but nothing I could not accomplish by turning any camera on end.

I will also set aside the in camera diptych half frame trick.

Could accomplish the same by stitching two photos together in post. A neat feature. But nothing I could not replicate myself.

I will also set aside the film camera mode with faux winder.

Fun. But I am not sure how often I would use it.

But there are other tricks at play to emulate a film camera experience. Namely…

OVF.
- Yes, you can compose with the back screen, but the viewfinder is strictly an optical viewfinder affair.
JPEG Only.
- Forces you to commit to a look when combined with…
Film simulations.
- A long celebrated FUJIFILM feature that takes on more significance when you have to commit since RAW is not on the table.

But during this comparison, I realized something. Those last three are also available with the X100VI.

I know this because I used the OVF, switched to JPEG only, and also used the same ACROS w/ red Filter that day.

I recently decided to use JPEG and ACROS with a red filter again. Used the EVF this time around. Here are the results.

Thoughts.

Bluster, gimmicks, and hype set aside, this camera is a versatile performer. There is no perfect camera, but with this last X100 I think Fujifilm has stumbled upon a formula that includes all my favorite elements from other cameras I like.

Sony’s competent AF, IBIS, and EVF.
A built in flash I like having, that none of my other cameras have. Allows for some fun pics I would have needed to carry a flash for with other cameras.

A leaf shutter that allows flash sync up to 1/4000s is a unique feature. I look forward to playing around with that, especially with more powerful on camera flashes and off camera flash.
While not as small as a GR I did fit it in my front trouser pocket… (That sounds off, but I will ignore this and go on.)… when it was time to stop taking pictures and sing this last Saturday. That is something I tried and failed to do with the A7CII and a remaster slim lens.
Feels good in hand like my Leica did. I really like the knurled texture and metal moving bits.
40MP is proving to be a near-perfect fixed lens resolution compromise. Plenty of detail, so crop modes are actually useful in a pinch in place of a zoom lens.

So you get Pixie dust stuff I actually use occasionally, like the ACROS film simulation, that when combined with a digital crop allowed me to fake a 69mm focal length with 10MP JPEG image in a pinch like this.

All with a quick flick of a Q menu setting and a spin of the focus dial that acts like a fake zoom ring when using AF. Could I have cropped later? Yes. Certainly. But it was nice to have available.

Then, with another quick flick of a Q menu setting and two dial spin I was set up for my on-the-go captures on the long drive home through the sticks.