I guess I’m always going against the grain! I’m writing a blog about the Fujifilm X100F just as the X100 VI is scheduled for release on the 20th of February. The announced price is enough to make you jump: between €1600 and €1700! Much more expensive than the X100V … Oh yes, you have to pay for the 40 MP! The good thing about this is that it’s going to make a mockery of all those profiteers who have the nerve to sell their second-hand Fujifilm X100 V for more than €1,500! Yes, I’m well aware that it’s a question of supply and demand. But I’m a bit annoyed by this kind of behaviour. In any case, I chose the Fujifilm X100F because it was a relatively recent camera. I mean, it came out in 2017.
€ 860 – That’s how much I paid for this camera. I think that’s already a big investment for a second-hand camera. I didn’t hesitate with the V, which was twice more expensive on the second-hand market. I even saw a guy on Reunion Island selling his for €2200! So what makes the IV different from the V?
- More MP: 26 instead of 24 (For a guy who had a 10 MP camera, the gain is negligible)
- Faster AF (the thing I couldn’t care less about…)
- Tilt screen (another thing I couldn’t care less about …)
- A new X-trans sensor (the arms race)
- A new lens (interesting but still opens at f2…)
So there’s probably lots more, but I’m not very interested in all that. Even though I talk about GEAR quite regularly on this Blog, I don’t know much about it. In fact, the first thing I do with a new camera is to set it up so that it’s as easy to use as possible. All I need is access to the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. That’s all I need! In a pinch, I like to have the exposure memory somewhere. It’s quite useful when I start doing light & shadows. I’ve been doing it quite infrequently for a while now, but I like having the option of exposing the highlights quickly.
My Street settings for the X100F are fairly simple:
- Manual focus at 3m or 2m depending on the situation, but preferably at 3m
- Aperture f8
- AutoISO with 12800 max and minimum speed of 1/500s
Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s just zone focusing. I don’t use AF at all in the street. I used to do so with the Ricoh GRD IV because the system allowed me to use zone focusing at a predetermined distance at the same time.
So I had a few mishaps with the Fujifilm X100F … Nothing too serious, but it’s the kind of thing that didn’t happen to me with the Ricoh GRD IV.
I had engaged the ND filter (3 stops!) on my X100F by mistake. I did a session without realising it and it was when I got home that I saw that all the photos had been taken at ISO 12800 (!!!). The weather wasn’t great that day and that’s why the ISOs were set so high … I was quite disgusted because I’d taken some interesting photos and it was clear that the quality was very poor. Big beginner’s mistake.
The second problem I had was with the aperture ring. I don’t have one on my Ricoh GRD IV. Here I’d set it to f8, but I’d taken a break and put the camera in my bag. Of course the ring moved and I should have checked all that when I took the camera back to take photos. But no, it was when I got home that I realised that I’d shot with a MAP at 3m but at f2.5! in other words, everything had to go in the bin. Except for one photo where the people photographed were actually 3m away. That was my second big beginner’s mistake.
Well, apart from that, I lost my invisibility cloak with the Fujifilm X100F. It’s clear that this camera is more noticeable than the Ricoh GRD IV, which was very small and looked like a toy. The grip is pleasant despite the weight of the camera. I wear it on my wrist rather than around my neck. The camera is very responsive and it’s a nice change from the Ricoh. I shoot with the LCD because that’s also an old Ricoh habit, but it also allows me to adjust the framing by stretching my arm or bringing the camera towards me. This gives me an arm’s length of latitude (~ 0.7 m). Getting to grips with the camera was easy because I’m already familiar with the Fujifilm ecosystem. I tried the OVF and found it very interesting. I’m saving it for the photos I’ll be taking of my family. For street photography, I’m keeping the LCD.
So much for my first steps with the Fujifilm X100F. Nothing revolutionary. All the photos were taken with the Fujifilm X100F.
Cameras are ridiculously expensive, but €1,500 for a used Fujifilm X100 is insane! Anyway, you finally have it in your hands.
Sounds as though you’ll need to check each time you take it out like my camera. It’s the first thing I do, mainly because I’m looking at the light for exposure to adjust settings, but also the focus ring seems to move about when I throw it in my bag. It’s too loose on my 35mm and 28mm lenses in my opinion.
What’s going on in the last shot? Did the guy fall over or was he pushed? The man right of the frame seems fairly nonchalant either way.
The prices of the x100 were much higher some weeks ago. Around €2000… When you think that this camera was sold €1300 when it was released… Insane!
The errors I made were beginners one… I always check the focus distance but as the aperture ring has a nice click for each aperture, I didn’t check it before taking photos. I think I need to be more careful and check it from time to time, just to make sure that nothing has moved.
For the ND thing, it was on a fn button and I might have activated it without notice. I might as well have an alarm on my screen telling me that the ND was on but hey I don’t even look at all the info on the Lcd…
For the last photo. Make your own story! 🙂
The guy in beige looks as though his fists are clenched, could have punched him. That said we have the nonchalant guy on the right and the lady crossing the road is just looking down with a relaxed look with her bag slung over her shoulder. Only the witness (photographer) knows the true story, the bystander’s give no clue – à la Joel Meyerowitz!
You’re not far from the truth! The thing is I don’t know what was happening. I arrived when the guy was already lying down. I was following the nonchalant man. I made a few photos of the scenery but I still need to build as you my own story. I will skate privately with you the rest of the photos