Photography is special it allows us to fall in love with the world's curiosities by seeing
the world around us with fresh and naive eyes i'm typically in the Canon and Sony ecosystem
but i recently picked up the Fuji X100V my first ever fuji camera it has single-handedly
reignited my love for photography i'm sitting here wishing i had found it earlier
but how does a single $1,400 camera hold such high praise and is it really that alluring? Well,
here's my review and perspective as a first time fuji owner this camera here has got real heavy
use and i was fortunate enough to take it abroad while traveling over the last month so i'll be
sharing a number of unedited snaps in this video straight from this camera here just to give you
an idea of the type of images that come out of the x100v i think i had so much fun with this camera
so much so that i created a new instagram profile dedicated to fuji shots so uh feel free to follow
that new profile it has a whole of five followers so throw out some love if you'd like to see
more travels and shots that come out of the delicious fuji film simulations more on that in a
moment though so the fuji x100v is the fifth entry into its x100 lineup which originally launched
back in 2011. the lineup is known for its fixed prime lens and retro aesthetic and let me tell you
the fuji x100v is one good looking camera the top and bottom is milled from a single
slab of aluminium and satin coated for that ultra fine finish though the lower portion is plastic
not rubber unlike its Leica equivalent this is a camera that will and has attracted a lot of praise
i had a number of friends praising its aesthetic and even had a barista ask me if it was a Leica.
because it looks so damn good it sits proudly on my office bookshelf as a focal piece
and to be clear it's not just all good looks either the compact build quality is brilliant and
a redesign from its predecessor the x100f it is now weather sealed with dust and splash protection
making it the ideal traffic companion just note though it does need a lens filter for
full production the buttons maintain a premium resistance and provide that
really great tactile experience which fuji is known for
they're complemented by a touch screen experience that is responsive i love using it to spot focus
even when shooting through the viewfinder and to pinch and zoom into photos for example the hybrid
viewfinder is a treat too we have the option to use either an optical viewfinder or an oled
electronic viewfinder with the flick of this single button here a blast for perfectly framing
your shot the good looks of the x100v makes photography that much more enjoyable and will have
you proud to be holding the camera the other draw card with the fuji x100v or any fuji camera is
hands down the film simulations i've been having an absolute blast with these film simulations are
not a marketing gimmick either and they're not your standard filters they are these sort of
powerful picture profiles based on a century of analog film color signs from
fuji themselves it's an amazing creative tool that allows you to capture these very
unique and very creative looks straight out of the camera and there are many reasons why people love
fujifilm simulations but the main reason for me personally at least is the creative freedom that
it provides typically to achieve a certain look photographers shoot in a flat raw file then sit
for hours in front of a computer in lightroom for example tweaking each photo individually
yes you can speed up the process of presets but the workflow doesn't happen until after
the photo is captured the beauty of fuji film simulations are these looks are applied directly
to the photo as you take them and this changes the game you're able to see the film sim right
after you take the photo and it means beautiful stylized photos you're able to post immediately
to your socials direct off the camera this is my first time using fujifilm simulations and i really
cannot emphasize enough how much of a game changer they are and just how enjoyable it is to use you
get your stock standard film simulations such as astia pro negative standard and my personal
favorite classic chrome but the real fun comes from completely customizing your film sims i've
tweaked one so it has a vintage true film look to it and i absolutely love it as you can see here
it has this beautiful ethereal almost dream like film look i love and this would take me
a lot of time to create if i were to process it in lightroom and it wouldn't even be the same and if
you think once you shoot in a fujifilm sim that you're locked into that look which i thought was
the case i was pleasantly surprised when i found the ability to shoot in both raw and film sims and
this sort of gives me that the choice of beautiful stylized photos that i can use immediately and
another copy in a flat profile in case i want to play around with it but film sims are pointless if
the lens itself is subpar and thankfully the fixed prime lens on the x100v is absolutely stellar
it's one of the best prime lenses i've used specifically it's a 26.1 megapixel 23 millimeter
f2 lens but just remember the x100v sensor is aps-c so the angle of view is more similar to that
of a 35 millimeter full frame camera in comparison to the x100f predecessor it has been
internally redesigned and it is incredibly sharp in comparison from what i've heard
along with sharpness contrast and chromatic aberrations have all been improved
significantly i'm able to shoot in rather low iso and aperture and still achieve a deliciously
crispy photo autofocus is also brilliant thanks to the combination the new lens sensor and processor
i've even yet to see the x100 autofocus hunt in all situations including extreme low light and
i can't say the same with my sony a73 and also a 6400 i also need to give credit where it's due
to the built-in nd filter we have a four-stop filter and it provides the ability to under expose
daylight with a completely wide open aperture just remember though it is a fixed lens though
which means you need to work for that shot and not rely on a zoom lens which can be incredibly
fun because you know you'll need to use your legs to frame your shot in my opinion this only adds to
the charm of the x100v you do get the choice of digital zoom however but yeah this small
yet powerful lens truly is widely versatile and it is a large reason why it doesn't disappoint
as a one-stop camera and why i choose to take it practically everywhere another department with
the x 100 feet is extremely versatile is in its accessories this thing is an absolute accessory
monster so far i've added into the repertoire an additional backup battery this leather camera
neck strap from moment that perfectly complements x100v aesthetic far better than the stock standard
fuji strap and then a custom soft release button which not only looks great but also adds to the
overall photo taking experience i was considering the ever popular hogue square metal lens hood
i believe that's how you pronounce uh hogue if not please correct me down in the comments below but
honestly i didn't want the additional bulk to the lens and the entire body the stock size right here
is absolutely perfect for my use case i'm able to slip it into my bag no problem and sometimes even
my pockets there are so many accessories to up the look and usability of the x100v
and i'm considering a cinebloom diffusion filter to achieve the film-like aesthetic while retaining
the convenience of digital and again if you're interested in these future snaps i'll be sharing
these on my secondary ig profile dedicated to you know just casual just for fun type snaps the
battery life is rated at an average of 420 images when the optical viewfinder is used and 350 images
when the electronic viewfinder is being used it's funny i thought the backup battery was necessary
while traveling but i didn't even use it once i made it through every day on the single battery
given i wasn't shooting every single moment and switched off the camera after i captured
the moments i wanted to capture thankfully the camera is charged via a usb c port which allows
for in-camera battery charging or you could power and run the camera over usb too now i know i've
given the x100v extremely high praise which is well deserved though like practically everything
it has its pitfalls and boy does the fuji app fall into an absolute pit there's a good reason
why this god awful app has a rating of 1.3 and 1.6 respectively on the apple and google app stores
it is single-handedly the worst camera app i've used simply because it is me unusable it's not
intuitive in use it's cluttered and the worst part is the connectivity between app and camera
has a mind of its own there are times when the bluetooth connection breaks after a single photo
is transferred other times the photo previews don't even load i found myself wasting close to
an hour at night while traveling trying to import a batch of photos in which i eventually gave up
fuji has promised updates to fix its usability but have yet to deliver on these promises so
it really is a blow to the x 100 feet experience beyond the app there are a few other minor quips
the stock strap we get is of lower quality than the canon and sony straps in my opinion
and the camera is known to get rather warm when in use it doesn't overheat to the point where
it shuts down but it's very evident in hand and there's something that doesn't feel quite right
that slightly bothers me the heat generation is due to the camera's electric circuit board and
battery being right underneath the hand grip fuji has acknowledged the heat and says it generally
does not affect the camera performance which i can confirm after use in thailand but nonetheless
it is a little uncomfortable and because it was so sunny in thailand i was constantly
changing the lcd brightness so an automatic shift in lcd brightness would have been a
great feature and still would be a great future for future renditions of the x100 also some
argue that 26.1 megapixels isn't enough on the x100v when the leica equivalent the q2
features 47.3 megapixels but i think unless you're shooting for extremely large prints the
significantly more affordable x100v more than suffices by the way it was extremely tricky
getting my hands on one of these at the time all silver fuji x100vs were sold out and i mean
all of them i rang at least 10 stores and was told the silver variant is extremely popular
but i think stock should now be eased up by now good things do come to those who wait there is no
solid single reason why i like photography so much i just do i like the different styles and angles
and i like the memories i make with my camera this camera gives me a reason to love photography
that much more it gives me unique tools and looks to seamlessly capture beautiful moments in a dang
good looking package so yes the fuji x100v lives up to all the hype for good reason despite its
minor pitfalls the fact this camera alone has drawn me deeper into the craft of photography
and explored a unique side of photography through film simulations is worth the price tag alone
rather than taking away from my trip to thailand the camera added another layer of enjoyment to the
trip without taking away from the moment something i can't say that i enjoy with other cameras nearly
as much this camera truly is my favorite camera to date and the perfect travel and everyday companion
i hardly ever even reach for my iphone now because i'm just reaching for the x100v instead it's truly
that portable and it's truly one of the most enjoyable purchases i've made as of recent
by the way yes the x100v shoots 4k video too but i've been so enamored by its photography that i've
yet to touch the video functionality and i think i'll be sticking with the sony a73 for videography
anyway if you're either someone who's looking for a step up from an iphone or even a step down
from a more serious setup like i personally did then the x100v will truly not disappoint and i
truly cannot recommend it enough the joy that this thing has brought is unexplainable so give
the new gram like i mentioned some love if you like to see more shots from me and if you made it
until the end of the video comment the code word aesthetic and i'll give it a like drop this video
a like as well and subscribe for more tech and business content as always thank you for watching