With the launch of the new Fujifilm X100VI, it’s hard not to get caught up in the GAS and excitement of a new camera release. It’s new, it’s exciting, it has IBIS now and a 40MP sensor. There are so many reasons to love this camera, “Should I buy it? . . . I think I shall,” dopamine surges through your veins, you wiggle with excitement, load up B&Hphoto, and then . . . that moment hits you like a ton of bricks, oh-no . . . “which color do I buy, Black or Silver?”
We sit there, hovering over the pre-order button thinking, “If I don’t pre-order in the next 10 seconds I might not get the camera until Christmas.” This haunts, you, but the decision, “black or silver” weighs heavy on your soul.
It sucks, I know, I’ve been there four times now with the X100 series, alone, but let me help you.
X100VI What Color, Black or Silver?
I know many street photographers and they usually default go with black.
Why?
Well, because they’re creepers.
Should You Get A Black Fujifilm X100VI?
Don’t get me wrong, black cameras can be cool and you can accessorize them with some colored accents and that can be cool. If that’s your reason for getting the camera, great – literally 90% of all modern cameras are black, so can’t go wrong. Right?
But, if you’re buying the camera to be “stealth” because you’re a “street photographer,” then that probably means your style of shooting is creepy AF, and wanting to “sneak” photos in, is creepy. But, you can, by the way, take street photos without being creepy.
The thing is, from my experience, nobody is ‘not’ going to notice you because you have a black camera. First of all, you’re probably a white guy who romanticizes shooting street photography in Tokyo anyway, and let’s face it, every single Japanese person will watch you as you walk down the street, because you’re a foreigner in Japan, you make up 2% of the population, 1% if you’re white.
Then the funny thing is, most street photographers today are shooting with their flash – and by the way, it’s the current trend that you have to follow as a street photographer – so you get your creepy black camera, with your creepy black outfit, with your creepy leather strap that’s way too short, to go take creepy photos of people while documenting the whole process on your TikTok, but then you use a flash.
Should You Get A Silver Fujifilm X100VI?
Silver, on the other hand, is the gentlemen’s camera. It’s classic, it’s beautiful. It holds its color and ages wonderfully. It doesn’t get dull and ugly or look like a toy camera once it gets worn down in the same way a black camera does.
People will ask you, “is that a film camera?” or, “is that a Leica?” People are interested in you as a person, they see a gentleman and a scholar, not a mouth-breathing creeper with his stealthy black camera and shifty eyes intruding on the privacy of the kind Ojiisan that just wants to bring groceries home to his sick grandkids as he walks across the Shibuya Crossing in the rain with an old damaged umbrella that he bought from 7 Eleven three years earlier. Click – *FLASH*- congratulations, you’re the first person to take a picture of an interesting old man crossing Shibuya!
What I Like About Silver
I usually buy the silver bodies; I think they look better. Silver sparkles and gleams like the heavens and is the real reason the Fuji vintage style is popular anyway. I had a black 100T. They can be cool, especially if you end up color-matching all your Fujifilm X100VI accessories, but I have never liked black cameras as much as silver. I have a Black Leica M6 (I wish it was silver), and also a black Leica MP, which I love, because it’s black paint on brass which is cool because it ages with character.
If Fujifilm did a gunmetal grey with the X100VI, I would get that over black, and I would also buy it over silver since I’ve had so many silver cameras. But for me, Silver will always be better than black, it just is. Silver is my default unless there is a compelling reason to go black, such as a limited edition, a black paint edition, or a lighter build like with the Leica M11 (I still went silver).
At the same time, I’m not of the Gen Z breed making TikTok videos in Joshua Tree with my Reala Ace film simulators. So maybe black is right for you. I love Joshua Tree btw, one of the coolest places in California – you should go.
Good luck! And let me know what camera you buy and why!
*This is just written for light-hearted comedy with a twist of absurdism, I’m not being serious, even though I secretly kind of am.
Also, check out this guide if you’re shopping for the best memory card for the Fujifilm X100VI
| **This website contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on purchases made through these links. Some of the links used in these articles will direct you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. |
The title hooked me and your write up did not disappoint. Thanks for the chuckle. Silver FTMFW if you ask me!
You make some great points. Funny but also correct. The image you paint of the creepy photographer sneaking around in attempt to be unnoticed and then flashing in somebody’s face is pretty hilarious. Already ordered black though; bummer.
Thanks Kevin, Black is still cool though. Looks nice with the right accessories.
I like my black Zf. But I guess the brass dials will age eventually.
I always preferred Sony silver over the Fuji silver cameras too..
Eventually. But they might have another chome-like layer over the brass for the anodization process, so you have to wear down past that to get the brass color – I think. That’s how the old black Leica cameras were.
Sadly I am left eye dominant and don’t like 23mm aps-c field of view, so I continue to sit outside the x-100v(i) rangefinder trend! But at least I have a silver x-t30, and my self-respect. And because three years ago me finding your website, I have the lovely Meike 35mm 1.7 mm lens to play around with – thank you for showing me the beauty in that lens. I wonder what you or your readers might recommend for a similarly character-rich, similarly compact, wide angle-but-not-23mm lens? I have and love the fuji 16mm 1.4 but I wondered if there weren’t something smaller and lighter.
There are not many, I have a few 12mm but they are not super compact. Still looking for the perfect 18mm that’s small and fun. I’m not sure why nobody will make fun 18mm lenses for APS-C.
The apertures were so narrow on the ones I saw. I did just receive the Viltrox 13mm 1.4 and am looking forward to learning my way around it. It’s not a behemoth, but no one could call it compact!
Say, Alik – Lately I’ve been looking into the Voigtlander 27mm f2 – and they also offer a Voigtlander 18mm f2.8. Both are compact — pancakes. Although they don’t have autofocus and don’t have OIS and aren’t cheap, they DO have electronics that communicates with fuji bodies. Do you know anything about these lenses, or had a chance to try them? I’m looking at the 27 but I’d hate to be a victim of hype!
I have a lot of Voigtlander lenses but not those. Potentially with the electronic contacts it might report to the camera the focus position so potentially it could improve IBIS 5-Axis instead of just 3-Axis with a standard manual lens.
Voigtlander lenses are pretty decent, but they aren’t significantly better than many of the third-party brands out there, 7Artisans, TTArtisans, etc., which have gotten pretty good lately; you’re probably just getting some better coatings at this point; quality control will be about the same.
I like both colors and would give a slight edge to silver with everything else being equal.
That said – I ordered the black version as I figured I’d see it sooner.
Good tactic. I wonder if there is a difference in resale value between black and silver. Some of the Leica lenses are like that.
enjoyed this Alik, thank you. I don’t really like silver cars but have had a few because they stay cleaner longer (well obviously they don’t but they show dirt less). Dark grey is my second favourite (so yes it would be great for the six as you say). somebody below went for black because it might be quicker. my uk supplier says the ‘reserves’ for black are much longer than silver. So for that reason I have taken the silver route. Looking forward to it (whatever the colour to be honest). like you black paint MP silver M11 with sky blue leather. yeah, I realise, a bit cheesy but it actually looks good IMHO 😉
Buying a black camera for stealth is dumb.
one reason that makes more sense is just avoiding people constantly asking if it’s a film camera. I get that. But for me, it’s silver all the way. It looks way better. I’d rather have a rich griii instead because it’s so small. Fuji needs an x80. I would pre-order that.
pathetic
The write up?
I’m neither a gentleman nor a scholar, but thanks to you I feel like one now, having just received my silver X100VI
Yes ha ha!
So needlessly disparaging: ‘creeper’ ‘white guy’ ‘gen z breed’. There is a time and place for all approaches to street photography. One doesn’t need to be sneaky but one doesn’t have to announce oneself either. Robbie McIntosh who does brilliant work describes himself as a ‘dancing ghost’. I like that.