Fujifilm X100F

24MP APS-C, 8 FPS, ISO 51,200
The World's Best Digital Camera
The Pro's Fun Camera (2017-2020)

NEW: Fuji X100VI (2024- )

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Fuji X100F

Fujifilm X100F (16.6 oz./470g with battery and SD card, about $915 used if you know How to Win at eBay; also at Amazon). bigger.

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Fuji X100V (2020-2024)

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Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

 

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

 

Sample Images

(more at High ISOs and throughout this review)

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First Day of School 2018 5th Grade

First Day of School, 28 August 2018. Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/4 at 1/950 at Auto ISO 400, digital zoom, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Dad in a WPOB shirt

Dad and Ryan at sixth-grade graduation from elementary school, 14 June 2019. (Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/5.6 at 1/140 at Auto ISO 200, Perfectly Clear.) bigger or full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Katie at the Park

Katie at the concert in the park, 30 June 2017. Fuji X100F, no flash, f/3.2 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 400 at Auto Dynamic Range 200%, Perfectly Clear). bigger.

 

Barn Door and Lock, Yosemite area

Barn Door and Lock, Yosemite, 21 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, f/5.6 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 200, Auto Dynamic Range at 100%. bigger or camera-original © file.

Yes, it's supremely sharp due to its magnificent lens and special sensor. Most of these are shot in the square crop mode.

 

God Beams, Base of Yosemite Falls

God Beams, Base of Yosemite Falls, 19 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, f/16 at 1/70 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. split toned print. bigger.

 

Pines and Granite near Yosemite Falls

Pines and Granite near Yosemite Falls, 19 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, f/2 at 1/58 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. bigger.

 

Fallen Log, Valley View, Yosemite

Fallen Log, Valley View, Yosemite, 20 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, FLASH ON, f/5.6 at 1/350 at Auto ISO 800, Dynamic Range at 400%. bigger.

As always, the X100F's superb leaf shutter let me shoot at 1/350, and that lets the tiny built-in flash fill-in the foreground perfectly, all on AUTO.

 

Raging Waters, Happy Isles, Yosemite

Raging Waters, Happy Isles, Yosemite, 20 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, Neutral-Density Filter IN (MENU > Camera > ND FILTER > ON), f/16 hand-held at 1/30 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. split toned print. bigger.

It's easy to brace the vibration-free X100F on a railing and shoot at slow speeds, no tripod needed.

The X100F's built-in neutral-density filter let me shoot at 1/30 in broad daylight; easy!

 

Raging Waters, Happy Isles, Yosemite

Raging Waters, Happy Isles, Yosemite, 20 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, Neutral-Density Filter IN (MENU > Camera > ND FILTER > ON), f/16 hand-held at 1/30 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. split toned print. bigger.

 

The Merced River as seen from a bridge at Happy Isles, Yosemite

The Merced River as seen from a bridge at Happy Isles, Yosemite, 20 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, Neutral-Density Filter IN (MENU > Camera > ND FILTER > ON), f/16 hand-held at 1/15 at Auto ISO 500, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. split toned print. bigger.

 

Walkway at Cook's Meadow, Yosemite

Walkway at Cook's Meadow, Yosemite, 20 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, f/4.5 at 1/140 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range at 200%. bigger.

 

Barn Door and Lock, Yosemite area

Barn Door, Yosemite, 21 May 2017. Fujifilm X100F, f/5.6 at 1/220 at Auto ISO 200, Auto Dynamic Range at 100%. Fujifilm Camera Remote app to import to Apple iPhone 7 Plus, Snapseed and then BeCasso apps. bigger.

 

The People Camera

Ryan and 5th grade teacher

Ryan meets his new fifth grade teacher, 25 August 2017. Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/2 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 400, as-shot. bigger.

 

Katie and 4th grade teacher

Katie meets her new fourth grade teacher, 25 August 2017. Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/2.2 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 400, as-shot. bigger.

When it comes to how to get the best people pictures under any random light, it's my Fuji X100F.

These two snaps are made in auto-everything mode with the built-in flash. This camera does the most amazing job of balancing flash with ambient light and giving great colors every time, the first time, under just about any kind of light.

Sure, I could get close to this with my other cameras after making a lot of settings by trial-and-error, but the reason I grab my Fuji X100F for people pictures is that I can grab these shots with everything else going on at meet-your-teacher, and the Fuji X100F gets these results right out of the camera with every shot. These are as they came out of the camera without editing.

I don't have to focus either. Face and eye recognition just finds people, assigns AF points and grabs focus. All I have to do with my Fuji X100F is point and shoot, and I look like a genius!

 

Magic fill flash and super dynamic range

Fuji X100F Bokeh

Mallorca, Spain, 22 April 2017. Flash ON, f/5.6 at 1/400 at Auto Dynamic Range 200% at Auto ISO 400, VELVIA mode, +4 Color and +4 Sharpening. bigger or camera-original © file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display full resolutions images properly).

 

Fuji X100F Bokeh

Mallorca, Spain, 22 April 2017. Flash ON, f/5.6 at 1/480 at Auto Dynamic Range 200% at Auto ISO 400, VELVIA mode, +4 Color and +4 Sharpening, bigger or camera-original © file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display full resolutions images properly).

 

Beautiful Bokeh

Ryan at the Freedom Fighters Cafe

Ryan at the Freedom Fighter's Cafe, 09 April 2017, Palm Springs Air Museum. (Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/2 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 500, Perfectly Clear). bigger.

 

World's Best Skin Tones

Katie's Fursians

Sofie and Zoey join Katie and her Fursians, 22 May 2017. Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/2 at 1/58 at Auto ISO 200, VELVIA mode and +4 color, Perfectly Clear. bigger.

This is shot indoors, not too close to a window. Katie's skin looks perfect, the fill-flash is also perfect, the catchlights in her eyes are perfect, and the Fursians look brilliant as well. This is a grab shot with no twiddling; I can't get looks this good unless I fiddle with settings on my other cameras to get the light to balance this well on the first shot in practical situations.

This is why I love my X100F so much: great people shots on the first shot with no need to fiddle, in any light.

 

Pacific Princess B-25

"Pacific Princess" B-25 Bomber, 09 April 2017, Palm Springs Air Museum. (Fuji X100F, no flash, f/4.5 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 200, Perfectly Clear). bigger, full-resolution or camera-original ©  JPG.

 

World's Best Shooting Controls

All you do to change exposure modes or set shutter speeds or apertures is to move a clicked-stop ring or dial.

If you're shooting in Program mode and need a small aperture for depth-of-field, all you do is flick the aperture dial one click from A to f/16. Done!

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter at Palm Springs Airport

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Palm Springs Air Museum. (Fuji X100F, no flash, manually set f/16 at automatically-set 1/180 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range chose 200%, Perfectly Clear. In other words, everything was on Auto and all I did for deep depth-of-field was move the aperture ring one click from A to f/16). bigger or camera-original ©  JPG.

 

Flying Tiger P-40 Warhawk

"Flying Tiger" P-40 Warhawk, Palm Springs Air Museum. (Fuji X100F, no flash, f/5.6 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range chose 200%, Perfectly Clear). bigger or camera-original ©  JPG.

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Introduction

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New   Good   Bad   Missing

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The Fuji X100F is the world's best compact camera for people and family photos because of its superior skin tones and superior built-in flash that controls any harsh light, day or night.

Its fill-flash performance is superior to any interchangeable-lens camera because it uses a nearly silent leaf shutter which synchronizes all speeds up to 1/4,000, allowing the built-in flash to have far more range than with the 20-times-slower sync speeds of focal plane shutters of interchangeable-lens cameras.

The X100F also has a selectable, completely silent electronic shutter. The completely silent electronic shutter goes to 1/32,768 — but flash only works with the leaf shutter. The X100F has a Mechanical + Electronic Shutter Mode which swaps seamlessly between them as needed for speeds above 1/4,000.

The X100F is crafted of all metal to the same or better standards as a LEICA. The X100F is a jewel of precision, not a plastic turd like most cameras today. It looks like an old 35mm camera; people are always asking me "Is that a film camera?" which is good because camera-shy people aren't afraid of it.

The X100F's fixed 23mm f/2 ASPH lens and APS-C sensor do the same thing as a LEICA 35mm f/2 SUMMICRON-M ASPH does on the LEICA M10, and shot in the X100F's square crop mode, the 23mm lens has the same picture shape and angle as a 6 × 6cm Hasselblad with its classic 80mm f/2.8 Zeiss Planar!

The X100F is smaller than an interchangeable-lens camera, and most importantly already comes with the one superior, fast, all-purpose lens you need: the extraordinary FUJINON 23mm f/2 ASPH with the same sharpness and better bokeh than the LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35mm f/2 ASPH.

The X100F has a dual optical and electronic finder (EVF). The front lever lets you swap between these, and even crazier, you have the option of putting a small, live, electronic focus-assist window in the corner when using the optical finder! This innovation leaves LEICA back in the 1950s.

The X100F's fast face recognition lets it select autofocus points magically as you shoot from any position, so even though it sports a new AF point selection nubbin, you don't need it: just point and shoot!

Fuji's image sensors are unique in using a special pixel arrangement that eliminates sharpness-robbing anti-alias filters, and genuinely leads to sharper pixel-to-pixel images than Sony, Nikon, LEICA and other camera sensors using a traditional pixel layout. The disadvantage is that not many software programs can decode the raw files from Fuji cameras.

Fuji's cameras, and this X100F, have color palettes strongly optimized for skin tones and portraits. People look great in any light with the X100F, but I dislike the Fuji's rendition for places and things, for which I prefer bolder colors not available in the X100F. This is as I shoot JPGs straight out of the camera; if you shoot raw then you most likely can create any look you like in your software.

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

New since X100T

The X100F is the 2017 version of 2014's superb X100T. It's the same great camera with tweaks to many details. It looks, feels and shoots just like the X100T; it's just many small details that have changed:

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 24 MP sensor, up from 16 MP.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New, smart "Digital Teleconverter" mode lets me turn the lens ring with the shutter unpressed for 50mm- and 70mm-equivalent angles of view. It's smart enough that the smaller resolution settings work with no loss of sharpness or resolution— exactly as if you had 35mm, 50mm and 70mm lenses on a LEICA. With the shutter half-pressed, this same ring gives manual focus.

Ryan gets his 6th grade diploma

Ryan gets his sixth-grade diploma as seen from back in the cheap seats, 14 June 2019. (Actually, there are no diplomas for sixth grade; he got a handshake. Fuji X100F, no flash, f/2 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 2,000, Perfectly Clear.) bigger.

 

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New front control dial.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New thumb nubbin, called a "focus lever" by Fuji, is an AF-point selector, menu navigator and playback controller. AF is so good you rarely need to use it for AF; its real benefit is that it makes playback so much faster and easier. It's a better way to do what you also can do on the existing rear multi controller.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New ISO dial inside the shutter-speed dial, just like 1970s SLRs. Lift the shutter dial and turn to set ISO.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New Fn 2 button: press-in the front viewfinder control lever. It usually selects what the lens ring does but you can program it otherwise.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Battery gauge now has five segments which makes it useful; the old X100T had a relatively worthless three segment indicator that only let you know when the battery was almost dead.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Rear buttons all moved to the right side, or at least reachable with the right thumb, for one-handed shooting. This also means that your thumb no longer pokes you in the eye when you hit PLAY, since the play button is no linger under the eyepiece, thank goodness.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com The shutter dial now rotates through 360.º

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com "C" position on the exposure compensation dial covers ±5 stops with the front command dial in case the directly selected ±3 stop range of the dial clicks isn't enough.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Silent electronic shutter now can expose as long as 30 seconds, up from 1 second in X100T. It also works from ISO 200 ~ 12,800, up from ISO 200 ~ 6,400 in the X100T. Neither of these electronic shutters work at ISO 100 and neither works with flash; you have to use the nearly silent leaf shutter for that.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 8 FPS versus 6 FPS of X100T, but still only in a goofy locked-focus and exposure mode.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 60 frame buffer at 8 FPS versus 25 frame buffer at 6 FPS of X100T in JPG; similar gains in raw.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Now uses the larger NP-W126S battery and BC-W126 charger common to most other Fuji cameras.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com The AF illuminator LED is now behind a small window in the top cover to make this camera look more like a LEICA's classic optomechanical rangefinder system.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New ACROS B&W film simulation mode, in addition to the usual B&W modes. Both these have three additional options to simulate the use of a Yellow, Green or Red filter.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com New anti-scratch tape on the top cover near the strap lugs.

 

Extra

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com WiFi for use with Fuji's app for transferring images and controlling the X100F remotely.

 

Bad

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Changed, but still no real improvement in Fuji's obtuse menu structure. For instance, Format Card is hidden at Menu > Wrench > User Setting > Format.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com No easy way to select between ISO 25,600 and ISO 51,200. You have to program the H setting of the ISO dial to be one or the other at Menu > Wrench > Button/Dial Setting > ISO Dial Setting (H) > (set 25,600 or 51,200).

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Recorded audio sounds like mono; the two well-separated stereo mics of the X100T have been reduced to either one mono mic, or two mics separated by only a half inch (1 cm) and sound the same as mono with little to no separation.

 

Missing

Nothing serious, just fluff I don't need:

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No AF Lock. Yes, there is an AFL button, but I've never been able to get it to work on any of my Fuji X100 series cameras. No worries, I just flick the X100F's AF Mode slide switch to M and I'm locked even better. A tap of the AFL button will make the camera focus once and lock when in Manual focus mode.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No second card slot.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No GPS.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No flip screen.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No 4K video.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No headphone jack, but does have a 2.5mm Mic In jack.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com There's a level for roll (tilting a.k.a. Dutching), but no display for pitch (up/down).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No flash ON/OFF buttons or slide switch like the Nikon 35Ti; instead you have to fiddle with flash modes with a control button and dial that takes too many clicks just to turn the flash ON or OFF.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No more internal memory for image storage. Older models used to have about 10 MB of spare internal storage so you could take just a few photos if you forgot to put in a card, but now you always need a card to take pictures.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com While there is a new thumb nubbin, new Fn 2 button and a new front control dial, gone is the left-side Fn (Wi-FI) button, and the dedicated DRIVE MODE button has now moved to take up the top button of the four-way rear controller. While we still have a DRIVE MODE button, we've lost the programmable top rear-controlled button that I never used anyway.

 

Specifications

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I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

Type

Fixed-lens digital camera.

Completely silent electronic shutter and/or nearly silent electronically-controlled mechanical leaf shutter.

Optical and electronic viewfinders, and a rear LCD, any of which may be used for shooting and for playback.

Die-cast magnesium top and bottom body plates.

"X-Processor Pro high-speed image processing engine."

 

Lens

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

Permanently attached, fixed 23mm f/2 lens.

Reversed (male) 49 × 0.75mm filter thread; demands an adapter to use regular filters.

3-stop (8x or 0.9 D log10) ND filter.

Sees the same angle-of-view with the X100F's sensor as a 35mm lens sees with a full-frame sensor or on 35mm film.

The lens moves in and out several millimeters inside the outer barrel to focus.

DSP compensates for diffraction at small apertures.

Fuji Fujinon 23mm f/2 diagram

Fujinon 23mm f/2 ASPH. huge. Light comes from left, sensor on right.

 

Fuji Fujinon 23mm f/2 diagram

Fujinon 23mm f/2 ASPH. bigger. Light comes from left, sensor on right.

8 elements in 6 groups, the same extraordinary lens as in the X100T, X100S and X100.

The sixth element is a glass-molded aspheric with two aspherical surfaces.

One convex element is made of high refractive glass.

HT-EBC Super EBC (Electron-Beam Coated) multi coating.

Except for the aspherical element, this FUJINON seems like an homage to the world's first high-speed wide angle lens, the Nikon W-NIKKOR•C 35mm f/1.8 of 1957, right down to the 9-bladed diaphragm and the same extra-large rear element:

Nikon 3.5cm f/1.8 W-NIKKOR C
Nikon 3.5cm f/1.8 W-NIKKOR C

Nikon W-NIKKOR•C 35mm f/1.8 (1957-) and its internal diagram. click to enlarge.

 

Focal Length

This 23mm lens sees the same angle-of-view on this camera's sensor as a 35mm lens sees on a 35mm or full-frame camera.

In its square crop mode, the X100F just happens to have the same picture shape and angle as a 6 × 6cm Hasselblad has with its classic 80mm f/2.8 Zeiss Planar.

 

Close Focus

Rated 4" (10 cm).

Measured 5½ inches (14 cm).

See also Macro.

 

Diaphragm

9-blade rounded.

Electronically-controlled.

Third-stop clicks via the aperture ring

Stops down to f/16.

 

Stabilization

None.

 

Autofocus

Contrast detection and phase detection.

13 × 7 (91) AF point array, claimed up to 325 AF points.

The center 40% of the image has 49 focus points and is also covered with phase detection AF pixels.

Rated down to EV -3.

LED AF illuminator.

Single and Continuous modes.

 

Image Sensor

24 MP "X-Trans CMOS III."

15.6 × 23.6mm "APS-C."

1.5:1 aspect ratio.

1.52× crop factor.

 

ISO

Sets on top dial: lift shutter speed dial collar and turn.

 

Still image ISO

Auto and ISO 200 ~ 12,800 sets right on the top dial with any shutter selection.

One must go into the menus to assign only one of ISO 25,600 or ISO 51,200 to the H position on the dial.

Also allows ISO 100 (L), ISO 25,600 (H) and ISO 51,200 (H) with the mechanical (normal) shutter.

 

Video ISO

Auto and ISO 200 ~ 12,800, only.

 

Auto ISO

Adjustable high and low limits from ISO 200 to ISO 12,800 in third stops.

Minimum shutter speeds adjustable from 1/4 to 1/30 in full stops, and in third stops to 1/500 for still photos.

There's no option to track the zoom setting because the lens doesn't zoom.

 

White Balance

Automatic (scene recognition).

Daylight.

Shade.

Incandescent.

Fluorescent (Daylight, Warm White, Cool White).

Degrees Kelvin.

Underwater.

Custom (gray card).

 

Still Image Formats & Sizes

JPG and/or RAF raw.

NORMAL or FINE JPGs.

Uncompressed or losslessly compressed 14 bit RAF raw.

 

JPG

EXIF 2.3.

sRGB or Adobe RGB color spaces.

 

Full Gate Images Sizes

6,000 × 4,000 native LARGE (24MP).

4,240 × 2,832 MEDIUM (12MP).

3,008 × 2,000 SMALL (6MP).

 

16:9 crop image sizes

6,000 × 3,376 LARGE (20MP).

4,240 × 2,384 MEDIUM (10MP).

3,008 × 1,688 SMALL. (5MP).

 

Square crop image sizes

4,000 × 4,000 LARGE (16MP).

2832 × 2832 MEDIUM (8MP).

2,000 × 2,000 SMALL (4MP).

 

Swept Panoramas

Camera held vertically

2,160 × 9,600 LARGE (21MP).

2,160 × 6,400 MEDIUM (14MP).

 

Camera held horizontally

9,600 × 1,440 LARGE (14MP).

6,400 × 1,440 MEDIUM (9MP).

 

Video

Resolutions & Frame Rates

1,920 × 1,080

59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p, 24p or 23.976p.

36 MBPS.

14 minutes maximum take length.

 

1,280 × 720

59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p, 24p or 23.976p.

18 MBPS.

27 minutes maximum take length.

 

File Formats

.MOV file holding MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video and 48 ksps linear PCM stereo audio.

 

Audio

Recorded only along with video.

Stereo microphone built in, but sounds like bad mono due to a lack of spacing or directionality.

Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.

 

Finder

The X100F has a brilliant finder system with one peephole that sees through either of an optical, electronic, or combined finder!

 

Optical (OVF)

Reverse Galilean.

0.5× magnification.

Framelines show about 92% coverage.

Framelines are very cleverly generated electronically to correct parallax and magnification, displayed using the EVF's LCD, and then optically composited to show as the framelines of the optical finder. Brilliant!

 

Electronic Finder (EVF)

0.48" LCD.

2,360,000 dots.

100% coverage.

-2 to +1 diopters, or -4 to +2 diopters, depending on where you read it. I measured mine and it's -2 to +1 diopters.

15mm eyepoint.

Auto brightness control.

 

Shutters

Selectable Leaf ("mechanical") and/or Electronic shutters.

 

Frame Rates

The high frame rate options with the DRIVE button allow selections of 3, 4, 5 or 8 FPS.

 

Frame Buffer

At 8 FPS: 60 frames JPG, 25 frames lossless raw, 23 frames uncompressed raw.

At 5 FPS: 68 frames JPG, 28 frames lossless raw, 25 frames uncompressed raw.

At 4 FPS: 73 frames JPG, 29 frames lossless raw, 25 frames uncompressed raw.

At 3 FPS: 81 frames JPG, 32 frames lossless raw, 27 frames uncompressed raw.

 

Leaf Shutter

The leaf shutter is electronically timed. Fuji refers to it as the "mechanical shutter" to differentiate it from the electronic rolling shutter below.

1/4,000 top speed, but only from f/8 to f/16.

1/2,000 top speed, but only from f/4 to f/16.

1/1,000 top speed at all apertures.

As we expect from a leaf shutter, flash sync at all speeds (to 1/1,000 at all apertures, 1/2,000 f/4~f/16 and 1/4,000 f/8~f/16.)

1/4,000 to 4 seconds in Program mode.

To 30 seconds in other modes, to 60 minutes (3,600 seconds) in Bulb.

"Time" (T) mode on dial is really only a way to set shutter speeds from 2 to 30 seconds.

Rated 100,000 shots.

 

Electronic Shutter

Flash does not work with the electronic shutter.

The Electronic shutter is completely silent. It isn't a "flash" capture like the leaf shutter, it's effectively a rolling slit just like a focal plane, so pictures with motion may look bent.

1/32,768 top speed.

Fixed at 1s at Bulb setting.

30 seconds maximum time.

 

Mechanical + Electronic Shutter setting

This setting uses the mechanical shutter all the time, only working in electronic mode if the shutter speed needs to go above the current limit of the mechanical shutter.

 

Remote Release

Standard threaded cable release (mechanical and the best way).

Remote Release RR-90 (electrical).

Third-party 2.5mm remote controls (electrical).

 

Self Timer

2s or 10s.

Only found as a menu option and in the Quick Menu.

To stop, tap shutter halfway or hit DISP-BACK.

 

Intervalometer

1 second to 24 hours.

Up to 999 frames.

 

Double Exposures

Two-shot multiple exposure option. It can display the first shot on the LCD so you can check how it will blend with the second frame.

 

Flash

Synchronization

Sync speed: syncs at any speed up to 1/4,000 with mechanical shutter.

First or second shutter sync (there are no curtains; it's a leaf shutter).

Works only with mechanical (leaf) shutter and only in Still Image Drive Mode.

Doesn't work at all with the electronic shutter.

Doesn't work at all at high frame rates (Continuous Drive Mode).

 

Built-in Flash

GN 15'/4.6m at ISO 100.

Effective range 0.6~10' (0.2~3m) at ISO 200 (1.6~29.5' (0.3~9m) at ISO 1,600).

 

External Flash

TTL hot shoe only for Fuji shoe-mount flashes EF-20, EF-42, EF-X20 and EF-X500.

The hot shoe must be activated in a menu for use with non-Fuji flash.

Uses different contacts than Nikon, Canon or LEICA.

No PC sync terminal; use a hot-shoe adapter if you need one.

 

Flash Modes

TTL (Auto on/off, Standard or SLOW sync).

±2 stop compensation adjustment in TTL.

Manual power setting in full stops only from full power to 1/64 (-6 stops).

Commander.

Flash off.

 

LCD Monitor

3" (75 mm) diagonal.

1,040,000 dot TFT.

100% coverage.

1.5:1 aspect ratio.

Fixed; does not swivel.

No anti-reflection coating on the plastic cover.

 

Live View

Of course; all mirrorless cameras always show Live View.

 

Connectors

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

2.5mm stereo mic jack, also works with RR-90 remote release.

Micro-D HDMI

Micro USB 2.0 for data and/or power.

 

WiFi

IEEE 802.11b/g/n.

Infrastructure Access mode, works with Fuji's app for geotagging, image transfer, remote camera control, PC Autosave and printing to Fuji's Instax instant printers.

 

Storage

One SD slot.

Takes up to 2GB SDHC, 32GB SDXC or 256GB UHS-I.

 

Body

Magnesium alloy top and bottom plates.

Plastic battery door.

Metal everything else.

 

Quality

Made in Japan.

It's marked on the bottom right rear of the camera, as well on the certification sticker hidden inside the connector door.

 

Power & Battery

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

Fuji NP-126S

Fuji NP-W126S.

New NP-W126S Li-Ion. Same as used with X-T3 and X-T2; it's a newer version of the NP-W126 of the X-Pro1 and X-E1.

Rated 270 shots with EVF, 390 with optical finder — or — about 80 minutes of video, with no face detection.

 

Charger

The X100F can charge its battery internally via USB, or externally with the included charger:

Fuji BC-W126 Charger

Fuji BC-W126 Charger.

BC-W126 (same as comes with X-T2, X-Pro1 and X-E1).

Corded, uses common "∞" shaped plug end.

100~240V, 50-60 Hz.

Made in China by JET.

Rated 13~21 VA input, 8.4VDC 0.6A output.

 

Size

2.94 × 4.98 × 2.06 inches HWD (1.26" minimum depth).

74.8 × 126.5 × 52.4 millimeters HWD (32.0mm minimum depth).

 

Weight

16.591 oz. (470.4 g) with battery and card, actual measured.

Rated 16.5 oz. (469g) with battery and card, 14.8 oz. (419g) stripped.

 

Environment

Operating

0 ~ 40º C (32 ~ 104º F).

10 to 80% RH, no condensation.

 

Included

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F and included metal lens cap bigger.

X100F camera.

Li-ion battery NP-W126S.

Battery charger BC-W126.

Shoulder strap.

Metal lens cap.

Metal strap clip and clip attaching tool.

USB cable.

Owner's manual.

 

Announced

19 January 2017.

 

Available Since

April 2017.

 

Price, USA

12 March 2024

About $915 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

14 July 2022

$1,798 at Amazon.

About $900 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

14 December 2020

$799 new on closeout at Adorama in silver, $1,299 in black.

$899 at B&H, $1,399 at Amazon.

About $650 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

01 Dec 2020

$749 new on closeout at at Adorama.

 

10~23 March 2020

$1,099 new at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield (price dropped after it was raised to make new X100V look like less of a ripoff).

About $700 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

04 February 2020

$1,299 new at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield (price raised to make the new X100V look like less of a ripoff).

About $700 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

01 February 2020

$1,099 new at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield (days before the X100V announced).

 

September 2019

$1,170 new at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $900 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

July 2019

$1,299 new at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $900 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

June 2019

$1,199.

 

January 2017 ~ April 2019

$1,299.

About $900 used if you know How to Win at eBay, April 2019.

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

 

Optional Accessories

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Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

Performance   Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

Grips & Cases

I use the JB Camera Designs Made-in-USA half case. It protects the bottom of the camera, gives me a bigger spot to grab, and lets me get to all the doors, tripod socket and connectors without having to remove it.

If you want foreign-made leather, Fuji sells a nice LC-X100F case in brown as shown and in black. (I haven't tried either of the leather cases; I'm unsure if you have to remove them for any connections or not.

Fuji LC X100F Leather Case

LC-X100F. Comes in brown as shown and in black.

 

Straps

I leave Fuji's included strap in the box for resale time.

I use the genuine MADE IN GERMANY LEICA strap. It's perfect for cameras this size. Sure, the German LEICA strap costs more than $2, but you'll be using it long after you've forgotten about this camera. I'm still using the same strap I had even before my first X100 arrived back in 2010!

Fuji also offers a GB-001 Wrist Strap if that's your thing.

 

Caps, Filters and Opticaps

I never use the fancy original metal Fuji cap. I leave it in my box for resale time.

In fact, I don't use any lens cap: I use an "Opticap," a bulletproof clear glass filter instead of a cap. I use the fantastic Hoya HD2 49mm protection filter. Not only is there no problem with ghosts, it really doesn't get dirty. Even if I put my thumb on it, no fingerprints stick! It's made of extra-tough glass, so I throw my X100F around and am always ready to shoot. I never have to futz with a lenscap like an amateur. I beat on this glass filter as if it's a cap — but it's a cap through which I can shoot.

Fuji sells a PRF-49S filter.

The X100F has a deliberately reversed thread so Fuji can get lazy people to pay $70 for the Fuji LH-X100 filter adapter and hood.

I'm cheap and resourceful, so I use an empty 49mm filter ring and mount the filter backwards to do the same thing:

Fuji X100F Filter attachment

Hoya HD2 UV 49mm filter and JB Camera Designs Made-in-USA half case.

The filter might fit backward without the empty 49mm spacer ring, but the empty ring adds space for the lens to move forward to focus at macro distances.

I took an old Tiffen 49mm UV filter and unscrewed the retaining ring. I took out the glass and saved it for later. I removed the X100F's front trim ring, screwed the empty 49mm Tiffen filter ring on backwards, screwed my 49mm Hoya HD2 filter backwards on top of the empty ring, and put the X100F's silver trim ring back on the reversed filter. Done.

Most people will prefer the $15 JJC Fuji X100 Filter Adapter and Hood instead. It's well made, dull black on the inside and silver on the outside to sort of match the X100F (these adapters also work on the X100, X100S and X100T). This adapter is well machined and works fine; I doubt Fuji's Fuji LH-X100 is any nicer.

The $8 EZPhoto X100S Adapter feels like junk by comparison; forget about it and splurge for the $15 JJC Adapter. The JJC comes in a nice box, the $8 EZPhoto Adapter comes in a plain white box, and is all black, not matching the camera. Worst, the EZPhoto Adapter feels rougher and grittier, especially when attaching either the filter adapter to the camera or the hood to the filter adapter.

Each works as well and is all metal and the same size and shape, but the hoods don't quite interchange between them. The filter adapters are useful for anyone lacking a spare empty 49mm filter ring, and each of the hoods bayonets the same way.

NEW: NiSi dedicated front protective filter for all Fuji X100 series cameras, also in silver.

Weird but true; this is a protective filter in a special backwards mount, so no adapters are needed.

 

Hoods

Fuji sells a LH-X100S hood in silver and a LH-X100 B in black

I don't bother with these. They block the built-in flash and optical finder.

If I wanted a hood, the all-metal JJC Fuji X100 Filter Adapter and Hood mentioned above does the same thing for $15.

 

Flash

I use the built-in flash all the time. It's wonderful.

I use no external flash. Why would I want to crud-up my camera with more junk I don't need? The built in flash is flawless.

If you must,

The EF-X20 is a tiny flash designed for the X100F. It takes 2 AAA cells with a guide number of 65'/20m.

The EF-20 is a small flash that takes 2-AA cells with a guide number of 65'/20m. If I got a flash for my X100F, I'd get this EF-20 since I prefer common AA cells to the puny AAAs.

The EF-42 is a huge DSLR flash that takes 4 AA cells with a guide number of 42m/137' and a zoom head. We don't need a zoom head with the X100T, I wouldn't put this thing on my X100F — but it will do a great job for heavy-duty daylight fill.

The EF-X500 is even bigger.

 

Lens Attachments

I don't ever use these; they don't do much and waste the whole point of the simplicity of a compact camera.

Nikon 3.5cm f/1.8 W-NIKKOR C
Nikon 3.5cm f/1.8 W-NIKKOR C

The WCL-X100 II only converts the lens to about a 28mm versus 35mm equivalent; not enough to worry about.

The TCL-X100 II only converts the 35mm lens to 50mm equivalent, not enough to worry about. Making this lens even sillier, the X100F includes a digital converter that does a great job of giving the equivalent of 50mm and 70mm lenses — for free!

If you do get either of these, advantages are that the camera should recognize them and draw the appropriate frame lines in the optical finder. The EVF of course always shows what's going on regardless of attachments. Fuji also claims that the X100F automatically tries to correct for optical aberrations when either is attached.

Again, who cares? Neither of these lenses makes much difference; the WCL-X100 II isn't much wider and the TCL-X100 II isn't much longer.

 

Screen Protector

I use a generic cut-to-fit screen protector.

Use any of them and simply cut it to fit and you're done.

In my case, I'm still working off a set of ten protectors I bought on close-out for the Palm Pilot of the 1990s. They don't go bad in storage.

 

Stereo Microphone

For better audio for video.

 

Remote Release RR-90

I use a standard $10 threaded cable release.

 

Tripods

I use no tripods. They went out with Kodachrome 200 back in 1986.

If I need a time exposure, I rest my X100T on a ledge.

If I do use a tripod, it's the lightest, simplest one I can find. Only someone wanting to sell you a tripod will tell you to buy an expensive one.

 

Legal USA Version

(for USA only)

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

Performance   Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

Fuji USA Warranty

Fuji USA Warranty Registration Paperwork. bigger.

US versions include two printed manuals, one in English y uno en español.

Most importantly, there should be two square sheets of coated (glossy) paper as shown above in the plastic bag with the manuals. Each mentions the USA specifically. Canada may also be mentioned.

If you don't have these, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. I'd get my X100F at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield in silver or in black. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

If a gray market version saves you $300 it may be worth it, but for $200 or less saved I wouldn't risk it.

Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem, but if you take the risk of getting yours elsewhere, be sure to check everything while you still can return it.

 

Performance

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

Performance   Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

 

Overall   Autofocus   Manual Focus   Bokeh

Distortion   Ergonomics   Exposure   Falloff   

Film Simulations   Finder   High ISOs   Auto ISO

Auto White Balance   Flash   Macro   Mechanics

Movies   Sharpness   Sunstars   Rear LCD

Playback   Data   Power & Battery   Clock Accuracy

 

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

Overall

Performance          top

The X100F is a marvelous camera, getting great shots the first time in any light. It's about the same as the X100T and earlier models, all of which are also excellent.

 

Autofocus

Performance          top

Autofocus is excellent because of the great face-recognition system which finds people, finds their faces and then finds their eyes and focuses on them — all automatically with no need to fiddle selecting AF sensors manually.

There is a dedicated slide switch to select among AF-S, AF-C and Manual. Bravo!

No longer do we have to select AF points manually or locking focus and recomposing; the X100F just focuses and you're good.

The X100T was just as good; this new X100F shows you on which eye it's focusing where the X100T did not — but I see no difference in the pictures.

The X100F finds multiple faces anyplace in the frame. It draws green boxes around them and you're good.

A bad thing is that the X100F on rare occasions will not be in perfect focus, giving a soft image, even though it claims and thinks it is in focus.

Sometimes with a close subject the X100T won't see the close subject — even if it's in the middle of the picture — and instead focuses on the background. To work around this I have to grab the manual focus ring and get the X100T in the general range of my intended subject, and then it works fine. I probably also could try to select a point manually, but it takes too many clicks to swap from auto select/face recognition to manual selection.

The AF Lock (AFL) button doesn't work, but a tap of the AFL button will make the camera focus once and lock when in Manual focus mode.

 

Manual Focus

performance          top

Just grab the focus ring with the shutter half-pressed for manual-focus override.

 

Bokeh

Performance          top

Bokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is beautiful. Backgrounds go soft without distracting — but as a medium speed wide lens, backgrounds never that that far out of focus except when focussed very close and shot at f/2.

Fuji X100F Bokeh

Davis 6250 weather station, May 2017. bigger or camera-original © file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display full resolutions images properly).

 

Distortion

Performance          top

There's no significant distortion; straight lines stay straight.

If you go out of your way to put a ruler on something you'll see just a tiny bit of waviness that Photoshop's lens distortion filter won't be able to correct.

 

Ergonomics

Performance          top

Just like the older versions, ergonomics are superb once you get the menus all set. The X100F is designed for photographers, not computer programmers. The X100T has all the dials and controls we need right at our fingertips, not buried behind a function button.

The aperture ring has third-stop clicks, and has slightly deeper detents at the full stops so we can set them by feel. LEICA still can't do this; their half-stops are all the same as the full stops.

The X100F's little ears for the aperture ring are the best aperture adjusters available today, the same as the X100T. These ears are copied from the LEICA SUMMILUX 35mm f/1.4 of 1960.

The exposure compensation dial is easy to use, but lacks a deeper detent at 0. The in-finder compensation display makes the scale brighter when the dial is set away from zero, and gray otherwise, but the scale is still so small that you'll not notice it if you have compensation set accidentally.

Oddly the AEL/ AFL button does not lock focus, except in Manual Focus mode where is it a spot-focus button.

The shutter dial rotates through 360.º

With the rear buttons all accessible from your right hand, you now can shoot and play with just one hand, and your thumb no longer pokes you in the eye hitting Play as it did on older models.

The power switch has no lock.

None of the X100 series has ever had a YRGB histogram. No worries, its huge dynamic range eliminates the need for one.

 

Exposure

Performance          top

Exposure is marvelous. It's consistently perfect in any condition. This is one of the things that make all of the X100 series so great: getting the perfect exposure on the first frame, not having to look at a playback and adjust compensation for the next shot.

It seems smart enough to base exposure on the auto-selected faces, which is a huge help in getting the correct exposure instead of too-dark backlit faces. Bravo!

 

Falloff

Performance          top

I don't see any light falloff (darkened corners) at any aperture setting.

I presume the X100F is compensating for it electronically.

 

Film Simulations

performance          top

I've never been that impressed by film simulations. They don't look like film, but if they give you a look you want, great. They work for JPGs; they don't change the raw files.

Here's a decoder for the camera's icons:

Icon
Film Trade Name
Description
STD
Standard slide film
V
Vivid slide film
S
Lower color & contrast (Soft) slide film
Cc
none
"Classic Chrome," generic slide film
NH
Negative film for portraits with slightly more vivid colors
NS
Negative film for portraits with softer colors & contrast
A
Fuji's B&W negative film
B
none
This was Fuji's earlier B&W preset, still in the X100F even with the newer "ACROS" B&W preset.
SEPIA
none
Sepia (brown) toned

The color options look similar; nothing is particularly saturated like real VELVIA 50. They're all rather dull, perfect for portraits and why the Fuji cameras excel at portraits.

There are two very similar B&W options. The B&W option was in earlier X100 cameras, and the ACROS option is a newer one in light of Fuji's ACROS brand B&W film.

Missing is an option for a delicate selenium or similar subtle split tone on the B&W options, and the filtered B&W options don't look that exciting either; the filter effects are too subtle. When I shoot real B&W I shoot real ACROS film in my Hasselblad with real filters.

Here are samples. Click any of these images for the camera-original files. I always shoot at COLOR +4 and SHARP +4, which is how these have been shot

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

Fuji X100F Film Simulation

 

Finder

Performance          top

Fuji X100F Electronic Finder (EVF)

Actual view through Fujifilm X100F electronic viewfinder (EVF). bigger. The green square is a face, and the yellow square is the selected eyeball.

The combined electronic (EVF) and optical finder (OVF) is amazing. Just pull the front lever toward the side of the camera to swap between them.

The optical finder frame lines are generated electronically, so they are very smart. The optical finder additionally offers many of clever data display options that you can edit to taste, and they rotate as you rotate the camera.

The optical finder also claims a setting for a changeable-magnification electronic focus preview in the bottom right corner. This small EVF window can display 100% field of view as well as 2.5x and 6x magnifications. You can also check exposure and white balance in this EVF window, making it the ultimate viewfinder that provides all the benefits of the EVF while shooting photos through the OVF, which of course offers a live real-time optical view.

The EVF is wonderful: bright, sharp and colorful. The diopter adjustment stays set. The biggest flaw of the EVF is imperfect auto brightness control; it's not always as bright or as dim as you'd like since it only seems to set itself based on what's in front of the camera.

The EVF's colors are a little more saturated than they should be, and shadows are a little too purple. It's not as accurate as most LCDs, but sure looks delicious.

The EVF is rated to update at 60 FPS in any light, meaning it always looks live, not jumpy.

The EVF lets me see through the lens as I compose, for zero compositional error compared to an optical (off-axis) finder:

Ryan and Dad in the spinner of a Bonanze

Dad and Ryan in the chrome spinner of a Twin Bonanza, Palm Springs Air Museum. (Fuji X100F, no flash, f/5.6 at 1/220 at Auto ISO 400, Auto Dynamic Range chose 200%, Perfectly Clear). bigger.

 

High ISO Performance

Performance          top

No surprises here, all looks well at every setting.

At web sizes as seen below, it looks the same at every ISO setting. Highlights and shadows are all good, which is excellent.

These images look dark because I shot them at -1 stop exposure compensation to keep the dark (zone IV) wood dark and to keep the white clock face from washing out. I'm shooting for the highlights.

 

High ISO Image Sample Files

Complete Images

Click any for the camera-original © files as above to explore on your computer; mobile devices rarely show the full resolution files properly:

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

 

Crops from the above images

These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window. If they are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same magnification. If they are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 80 ×120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same magnification.

As expected, the most detail is seen at the lowest ISOs, and images get softer at higher ISOs.

ISO 100 is a "Low" setting and has higher highlight contrast than the other ISOs. You'll see the white clock face wash out at ISO 100 in this particular case below, but otherwise it is ultra sharp.

The very highest ISOs are softer and murkier at high magnifications as shown below, which is exactly what digital cameras are supposed to do. This is noise reduction at work which makes five-figure ISOs possible.

Click any for the same camera-original © files as above to explore on your computer; mobile devices rarely show the full resolution files properly:

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

Fuji X100F High ISO Sample Image

 

Auto ISO

Performance          top

Auto ISO works great; it's easy to program the minimum and maximum ISOs and the slowest shutter speeds.

Even better, when setting ISO in a menu, which is easy to assign to a dedicated rear button, it's easy to select among three preset Auto ISO settings.

 

Auto White Balance

Performance          top

Auto White Balance is marvelous, always seeming to nail perfect color in any crazy mixed light. Of course the X100F's relatively low color saturation helps with this, and overall I get perfect shots on the first frame almost every time, which is mandatory for great grab shots.

 

Flash

Performance          top

The built-in flash system is the best in the business. Fill flash is almost always flawlessly exposed in any light from direct sunlight to pitch black nights, and at any distance even inches from the lens.

Fill flash is critical to great images, and the X100 series is unbeaten.

Just as important is the exposure control running the show. Here's a typical example of the X100F flash perfectly balancing itself with all sorts of ambient light:

Ryan and his MacBook Air

Ryan playing on his MacBook Air in the desert, 22 April 2017. Fuji X100F, flash ON, f/2 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 400, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original JPG to explore on your computer.

Ryan saw my Fuji X100F and asked "Why does anyone use a camera like that anymore when we have iPhones?" I explained it's because iPhones don't have strong enough flash, and snapped these with my iPhone 7 Plus to show him:

Ryan and his MacBook Air
Ryan and his MacBook Air

Shot with iPhone 7 Plus. bigger.

Shot with iPhone 7 Plus, flash ON. bigger.

The iPhone flash isn't bright enough for most lighting, but it also has no reflector to direct the light at the subject. It makes a great flashlight because the iPhone flash shines equally in all directions, but you'll see that it lights up Ryan's arm much more than his face because it's closer. Camera flashes are directional, and put more light forwards to light faces.

The best results from the iPhone are to run the non-flash shot through Perfectly Clear, which does a pretty good job of automatically making faces look as they should. Here's what it does to the non-flash iPhone image above:

Ryan and his MacBook Air

Ryan and his MacBook Air. (iPhone 7 Plus at 4mm at f/1.8 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 40, Perfectly Clear). bigger.

The iPhone without flash and Perfectly Clear give a pretty good image, but for most people photos in every kind of light you need fill flash, and the X100F has a fill-flash system superior to any other camera.

The flash can sometimes take a moment to recycle, but I've never lost any photos waiting for it.

The worst thing about flash is that it takes too many clicks to turn it ON or OFF. I have to assign a button to flash control, then hit it, move the rear control dial left or right just the right number of clicks to select between OFF or TTL, and I'm done so long as I didn't accidentally select Manual or other modes. There should be a slide switch, but it's missing.

A reason that the X100F is so much better than any interchangeable lens camera is that its mechanical leaf shutter synchronizes at every speed up to 1/4,000, which is ten to twenty times faster than any interchangeable lens camera. This lets its tiny flash be as effective as a flash ten to twenty times as powerful on an interchangeable lens camera.

So yes, Ryan, the iPhone is usually all you need for 80% of the pictures we take, but the other 20% require larger cameras for serious fill flash or very long exposures or special lenses or whatever.

 

Macro

Performance          top

My X100F focuses continuously down to 5½ inches (14 cm). There is no separate macro mode.

It rarely wants to focus this close in autofocus; I usually have to half press the shutter and rotate the manual focus ring to get the focus in the right range, from which the AF system can then take over and fine-tune.

Fuji X100F Macro

Cactus Flowers, April 2017. f/5.6 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 1,600. bigger or camera-original © file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display full resolutions images properly).

 

Mechanical Quality

Performance          top

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

This is another area in which the X100F excels: it's all metal. The only things that aren't metal are things like the battery door and buttons; the top and bottom covers and all the knobs and levers are all metal, and most of the markings are engraved — just like a LEICA.

Bravo!

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

There is no longer any bottom sticker; the serial number and other data is hidden inside the connector door:

Fuji X100F

Fuji X100F. bigger.

Made in

Japan.

 

Movies

Performance          top

AF works while rolling, and usually finds and tracks slow subjects.

While claiming a stereo microphone, the two elements are so close and non-directional that instead of sounding like stereo, it sounds like a bad mono recording run through a broken analog tape machine. It sounds like a mono image spread randomly across about 30,º not an enveloping 180º or 360º sound image.

 

Sharpness

Performance          top

Fuji X100F Sharpness

Cook's Meadow, Yosemite Valley, 1:02 PM, 20 May 2017. Fuji X100F, f/5.6 at 1/800 at Auto ISO 400 at Auto Dynamic Range 200%, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file from camera-original © Normal JPG to explore on your computer. The full-resolution file is a 16 MB progressive JPG that will be soft until it downloads completely.

Yes, it's super-sharp at all settings.

The special sensor really is sharper than the usual sensors used by Nikon, Canon and LEICA. It uses a different arrangement of colors that yields sharper pixel-to-pixel images.

The JPG images viewed at 100% are ultra sharp, with none of the usual anti-alias flittering needed.

With the superb fixed lens of the X100F, sharpness is unbeaten.

 

Sunstars

Performance          top

The rounded 9-blade diaphragm doesn't do mush to make sunstars on brillaint points of light. Even at f/16 they are weak and soft.

Here's what happens looking directly at the sun. Click any to enlarge:

Fuji X100F Sunstars

Fuji X100F Sunstars

Fuji X100F Sunstars

Fuji X100F Sunstars

Fuji X100F Sunstars

Fuji X100F Sunstars

 

Rear LCD Monitor

Performance          top

The rear LCD is not that interesting; it's not that big, it's fixed and has no auto brightness control. It's there, but nothing extraordinary.

I only use the LCD for grab shots from odd angles. I use the excellent EVF to set my camera, shoot and playback, so I rarely use the LCD.

Turn the brightness all the way to +5 and it looks great outdoors.

 

Playback   

Performance          top

Playback zips quickly among the images as you go forwards and back. It takes a moment to get sharp after going forward or back to an image, but the images advance or go back very quickly.

The new thumb nubbin is a huge improvement for moving around a zoomed playback image, as well as selecting images.

There is no diagonal scroll using the rear 4-button controller, but there is if you use the thumb nubbin.

Scrolling is a little slower than I'd like.

 

Data

Performance          top

Cards are incorrectly formatted as "Untitled," not properly as "FUJI100F" or likewise.

There is no BASIC JPG setting, just NORMAL or FINE. Therefore 24MP JPGs run about 10MB, which is a larger file size than I prefer.

The SHUTTER COUNT is wrong, as has been the case in earlier models. It usually reads about twice the correct number because it counts more things than just taking pictures as a count.

Mine has counted:

Actual Shots Displayed Shutter Count
103 actual shots 200
253 and 288 actual shots 400
427 actual shots 700
487 actual shots 800
838 actual shots 1,300

 

Power & Battery

Performance          top

The new battery seems to last quite a while. I've made hundreds of shots and never been caught with a dead battery.

It charges in-camera via USB or outside the camera in the included charger.

It draws 830 mA while charging via USB.

 

Clock Accuracy

Performance          top

Every sample will be different.

My X100F gains 10 seconds per month, which is about average.

It has no GPS so you always have to set and correct it manually.

 

Compared

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Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

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I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

NEW: Canon 90D vs LEICA vs iPhone vs Fuji Shootout.

 

Versus earlier X100 versions

The X100 (2000-1013), X100S (2013-2014) X100T (2014-2017) and this newest X100F (2017-) are all very similar, with the same lens, same great flash performance and great image quality, especially optimized for people photos in any light.

While Fuji constantly updates details, most basic things, like foolish menu organization, only one card slot, great construction quality, the world's first combined EVF/OVF and great shooting controls, remain the same.

Most of Fuji's updates aren't to anything that really matters; what really needs updating isn't adding more crazy viewfinder modes, but basics like organizing the menu system so it makes sense and to get the AF Lock button to work. It's weird but true that Japanese camera companies seem to have real problems and take many years to get their menu systems to make sense.

 

Versus the X100T (2014 ~ 2017)

While there are many little changes, the X100T is 95% the same camera. I love the new digital teleconverter of my X100F, but otherwise unless that or some other feature really grabs you, it's the same as the X100T with a few more pixels. Everything pretty much handles and looks the same.

The X100T has the same great face recognition AF system. While this X100F also shows you which eye it's selected, I see no difference in performance between the two.

If you already have the X100T there's no reason you need the X100F, but if you shoot it every day, you ought to. See Is It Worth It and All Fuji Cameras Compared.

 

Versus the X100S (2013 ~ 2014)

The X100S lacks facial recognition, which means you have to select AF points manually for best results. Facial recognition in the X100T and X100F is a huge time saver since you can point and shoot with no AF locking, recomposing or AF point selection needed. Since all the Fuji cameras are optimized for people photos and the lack of facial recognition really slows real-world people photography, I'd pass on the X100S.

See also All Fuji Cameras Compared.

 

Versus the original X100 (2010 ~ 2013)

The original X100 lacks facial recognition, as does the X100S.

The X100 works more slowly overall than the newer cameras and has less sensor resolution, but honestly even the original X100 has the same great lens, the same great flash system, the same great leaf shutter, and makes the same great images with superb exposure and fill-flash performance in any light.

While the original X100 takes a bit longer to get the shot, if you get it, it's still essentially the same camera and gives the same great results — if you're on a budget.

See also All Fuji Cameras Compared.

 

Versus Fuji Interchangeable-Lens Cameras

All I need is the fixed 23mm f/2 ASPH lens of the X100F. I have no interest in Fuji's interchangeable lens cameras, all of which use an inferior focal-plane shutter and much larger and clumsier lenses.

While the X100 series all have combined optical and electronic finders and great built-in flashes, many of Fuji's interchangeable lens cameras lack optical finders or lack a built-in flash.

The interchangeable-lens cameras are completely different. They are bigger and clumsier and have much poorer flash performance due to a completely different kind of shutter.

I prefer the X100F's superior leaf shutter for ultra fast flash sync to 1/4,000. Fill flash is critical to people shots in every kind of situation, and the ultrafast sync of the X100F lets its tiny flash significantly outperform every other Fuji interchangeable-lens camera, every DSLR and every other mirrorless camera brand.

Because the interchangeable-lens cameras use a focal plane shutter they can't sync flash any faster than 1/250, so their built-in flashes rarely have enough power for daylight fill and thus give inferior results unless you also lug a big shoe-mount flash.

All the Fuji cameras are optimized for people photos and people photos need flash to lighten faces and put catchlights in the eyes under every kind of lighting. I don't see much point in the interchangeable lens Fujis, but others love them.

See All Fuji Cameras Compared.

 

Versus Sony

Sony's cameras are completely different.

I prefer Sony cameras when I'm photographing anything other than people as Sony's color rendition is better suited to landscapes, architecture, travel, nature, architecture, places and things — everything other than people.

Fuji's images are superior for people photos. Skin tones look fantastic in any light, while Sony's skin tones are about average.

Fuji also usually does fill-flash better.

 

Versus Canon and Nikon DSLRs

DSLRs are completely different kinds of cameras.

I prefer my Canon or Nikon DSLRs for shooting action or anything other than people.

DSLRs handle much faster for action and sports, and can focus and set exposure for each frame when running at high frame rates. The X100 series' high frame rate options are sort of a hoax, all shot at locked focus and exposure.

Canon and Nikon DSLRs have superior color rendition for every kind of subject other than people. I get brilliant, bold eye-catching colors right out of my DSLRs as camera-original JPGs when I set the DSLRs to high saturation, while Fuji's people-optimized cameras only output relatively dull colors. The Fujis are superior for people photos, but inferior for everything else.

Fuji's images are superior for people photos; skin tones look fantastic in any light, while Nikon and Canon's skin tones are good to excellent, depending on how you choose to set them. The Fuji gets great looks automatically under any light, while it takes more fiddling as conditions change with my DSLRs.

Due to its ultra high speed synchronizing leaf shutter and superior programming, the X100 series has superior fill-flash under a broader range of conditions than any DSLR. While I can get the same great results with my DSLRs, I need to fiddle with their settings under many conditions to get what the X100 series always gets automatically in the first shot. With people photos, often the first shot is the only one that matters.

 

Usage

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I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

Fuji's X100F Owner's Manual.

 

The X100F runs and shoots great once you've set it up, but its obtuse menu system makes it more time consuming than it should be to get it set up in the first place.

 

Cases, Caps, Straps & More

See Accessories.

 

Charging

Either plug into USB, or pull the battery and use the included charger. In both cases a green LED lights while charging, and turns off when done.

If you have two batteries, you can charge two at a time this way.

 

Battery Percentage Indicator

There is a percentage indication, but it is very well hidden.

The only way to see it is only on the rear LCD, only when the camera is ready to shoot (not on playback and not in menus), and only in the one data screen that comes up as you press DISP BACK to change the screen functions.

If you can get the percentage to display, it will be in the top right of that screen.

Subscribe for more videos.

 

Format Card

Format Card is hidden at Menu > Wrench > User Setting > Format.

The format menu can be displayed by first pressing and holding the “trash/delete” button for 2-3 seconds, continue to press/hold, and then press the center of the rear command dial. You must do this exactly in the specified sequence for this to work.

For video, Fuji suggests a Class 10 or higher card.

 

Exposure Modes

There's no need for PSAM selections. All you do is set the aperture or shutter rings to A if you want the camera to select that value for you.

For Program mode where the camera selects both automatically, set A on the aperture ring and on the shutter speed dial.

Easy.

 

Exposure Compensation

Just turn the top dial.

If you need more than a ±3 stop range (you don't), set the dial to "C" and use the front dial to set compensation as far as ±5 stops.

 

ISO

Lift the shutter dial and turn to set ISO.

Only ISO 200 ~ 12,800 works with the electronic shutter or movies; use the regular leaf (mechanical) shutter for the full range from (L) 100 to (H) 51,200.

If you want to set ISO with a command dial similar to a DSLR lacking a dedicated ISO dial, set the ISO Dial to “A” and set MENU > WRENCH > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > ISO DIAL SETTING(A) > COMMAND. If you leave this at its default of AUTO then the top ISO dial sets the ISO.

 

Focus

Hold the shutter button halfway and the focus ring allows instant manual focus override, otherwise without the shutter pressed this ring usually is the digital zoom.

The AF Lock (AFL) button is ignored in either AFS or AFC modes. To lock focus, slide the AF mode switch to M (Manual).

In Manual focus mode, the AFL button is a spot-focus button: tap it and the X100F will autofocus once and lock! Just tap and the X100F does its thing; you don't have to hold the AFL button.

Often in Auto Area AF select (as I shoot it), the X100F won't see a subject right in front of it and instead will focus on the background. If this happens, keep holding the shutter halfway, turn the focus ring to bring the subject roughly into focus manually, then release and again hold the shutter button halfway and the X100F will take over and fine-tune the focus.

 

Three Lens Turret: Digital Zoom

Want the same performance as a trio of the LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35mm f/2 ASPH, LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm f/2 ASPH and the LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-M 75mm f/2 ASPH?

All you do is rotate the focus ring without pressing the shutter, and the X100F magically synthesizes these lenses for you.

It's even easier than the LEICA poser dropping his lenses on the ground while he tries to change them; all you have to do is turn the lens' ring and you've instantly got your lens — and your shot.

I love that a $1,297 camera can replace $15,000 worth of lenses, and include a better camera than anything LEICA has ever dreamed. Heck, LEICA still hasn't graduated to autofocus; those $15,000 lenses are still manual focus; good luck!

 

Flash

Leave it ON all the time unless you have a strong reason not to. It works flawlessly under all conditions from moonlight to daylight and at any distance.

Flash doesn't work at all with the electronic shutter, be sure to use the mechanical shutter at at MENU > CAMERA > SHUTTER TYPE.

The flash also works in the M+E (Mechanical + Electronic) shutter mode so long as the camera has selected the mechanical shutter.

Flash doesn't work at high frame rates (the Continuous Drive Mode), use Still Image Drive Mode, set with the DRIVE MODE button.

 

Button Assignments

Use MENU > Wrench > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > FUNCTION (Fn) SETTING to define what each of the many buttons do.

Hint: just hold any for a few seconds and a menu will pop up to program them.

 

Playback

"Autorotate playback" simply displays vertical shots as small vertical images on the horizontal screen. Other cameras call this "rotate tall." It doesn't rotate the image if you turn the camera, so I leave this option OFF. This setting is not in the Playback menu; it's hidden at MENU > Wrench > Screen Setup > AUTOROTATE PB.

 

LCD

The LCD is fine in most light, but dim in daylight as it has no auto brightness control.

No worries; set it to +5 and it looks great outdoors. Do this at MENU > Wrench > SCREEN SET-UP > LCD BRIGHTNESS > +5.

 

Recommendations

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

Performance   Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

Get one; I did. I've owned all of the X100 series as each came out, and have always chosen them as my favorite family and people camera because of their unbeaten image quality for people photos in every light. The X100 series has an uncanny ability to nail the perfect exposure, fill-flash, auto white balance and skin tone on the very first shot every time. I can get similar results with other cameras, but too often they may need a second adjusted shot to get it right, and with people, there is often no second chance.

My X100F is what I grab first when I need a people shot, need it right, and need it right the first time.

My iPhone 7 Plus is almost as good, but sadly has no real fill flash under most conditions. Fill Flash is critical to people photos, and the X100 series has the very best fill flash performance of any camera.

If you already own an X100T there's no immediate need to update unless you deserve the best, but the earlier X100 and X100S lack facial recognition. The X100T and X100F are able to lock-on to faces magically anywhere in the frame and just nail the shot, even shot overhead or underhand from strange angles where we can't see or set AF areas manually.

I find the JPG color rendition of all Fujis fantastic for people, but too dull for everything else. If I want a light camera for nature, travel and landscape shots I'll use the Sony RX100 Mk V or a small DSLR like the Canon T6, SL1 or Nikon D3400.

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Fuji does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

More Information

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Specifications   Accessories   USA Version

Performance   Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the X100F used at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), and I'd also check Amazon.

 

Fuji's X100F brochure.

Fuji's X100F page.

Fuji's X100F Owner's Manual.

Fuji's X100F Press Release.

 

© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. To us draughts reserves. Al le Recti viripotent.

 

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