The Fujifilm X100VI is the latest and greatest Fujifilm camera in the small compact fixed-lens leaf shutter design with the new 40MP sensor.
The X100VI has changed only a few things, but depending on how you use the camera, those few things can give it some pretty incredible advantages over the Fujifilm X100V.
The big upgrades are the added IBIS, the 10-bit HEIF images, the new 40MP sensor, and the 10-bit video. When you pair that new IBIS system with the 10-bit video, you have an amazing synergy that makes this an incredibly fun, almost pocket video camera – something that was never practical with previous generations.
For most of this review, I’m going to pretend like you can actually buy this camera. But technically this camera doesn’t really exist, so this is sort of a novelty review.
Fujifilm X100VI – Amazon / B&H
Fujifilm X100VI Memory Card Recommendations
One of my favorite things about this pretend Fujifilm X100VI camera that you can’t buy, is the wide range of accessories available. You can personalize the way your camera looks and performs in the hand. Check the Fujifilm X100VI Accessory Guide for some of the accessories I like.
Overall Impressions: If you’re a street photographer purist and already have the X100V, the X100VI might not offer you significantly more than what you’re already getting. The tighter grain and detail are nice, and the autofocus has some improvements. Still, the battery life is worse because of the IBIS system and JPG processing of 41MP images (if you use those effects), and the image quality of the X100V was probably already good enough.
If you’re into general photography and do a little of everything, then the IBIS with the 10-bit video is a fun feature. Improvements to AF and the new film simulators make this camera a worthy upgrade.
Fujifilm X100VI Review
I will approach this review more with the idea that people know what the X100VI camera is and, again, pretend you can buy the camera. I reviewed the X100V camera and gave a more general overview of all its features. The X100VI is mostly the same camera with a few big upgrades. If you know nothing about the X100 cameras, check out that Fujifilm X100V review, where I go over the minutiae in more detail.
All The Features That Make This Camera Great
I want to quickly touch on all the great features that make the X100 cameras legendary, which are often ignored in other reviews.
Built-In Leaf Shutter & ND Filter & Flash: The Fujifilm X100 cameras use a leaf shutter built into the lens, which allows for crazy fast flash sync speeds. There is also a built-in 4-stop ND filter, so you can get creative with the flash, especially when shooting in outdoor lighting.
This built-in ND filter also makes it great for shooting cinematic outdoor videography. You can keep that shutter closer to 1/48 for more of that dreamy motion cinematic motion blur.
Hybrid OVF/EVF: The Hybrid OVF gives you some flexibility and lets you see the whole scene the way it is, but you can also flip over to a digital EVF, which is also great for image playback in bright environments.
Film Simulators and Image Controls: The Image controls allow you to simulate the colors of some of Fujifilm’s old film stocks. They also have many great color options, such as Color Chrome, Color Chrome Blue, Grain, Smooth Skin, Dynamic Range settings, Tone Curves, Color Control, and Sharpness Controls. These also work in video. You can heavily customize the output of the straight-out-of-camera JPG or HIEF files, and now that the HEIF files are 10-bit, you have way more post-editing flexibility.
IBIS: It’s not a super strong IBIS, but it works well enough to help you stabilize images at lower shutter speeds. I do use this sometimes when shooting handheld landscape scenes in low light.
Here is a shot with a 1/13 shutter. This wouldn’t have been possible on the older bodies.
Why I Canceled My Pre-Order – A little Rant
I’ve been borrowing a friend’s camera for a few months. I had an X100VI pre-order but then canceled it after using the camera for a while; now I’m thinking of doing another pre-order, but I’m still struggling to decide. This camera is, after all, kind of expensive for what it is, especially compared to older generations.
This is the problem with not having enough cameras for everyone. I had FOMO, but now it’s gone, and now I’m waiting for a Ricoh GRIV.
I canceled my pre-order because (besides being insanely frustrated that it didn’t come after 8 months) the new features have not been that relevant compared to what I’m getting with my X100V. Well, they are relevant, but maybe not worth the hassle. I still get great images from my X100V; it’s not like there was anything wrong with that camera.
If I could easily go down to the store and just buy the damn thing, I probably would. But Fujifilm has made buying an X100 such a nightmare that the camera almost isn’t worth it, especially since there are so many other great cameras now. For example, you can get a Nikon Zfc with a 28mm f2.8 lens for almost the same price. It’s plastic and doesn’t have IBIS, but it’s still a fun little camera. There are a few great little Sony options as well.
The new video features with the IBIS are great, but again, I just don’t use it that much. I typically use my phone, or in any situation where I want to get serious about video, I’ll use my Nikon Z8 or some other camera with interchangeable lenses.
Although the resolution has improved, with all the new AI noise reduction and upscaling tools, you can really give all those older cameras a new life.
Why I Might Do Another Pre-Order
After getting used to the Fujifilm X100VI, I’m falling in love with some of its new features, but none of them are a ‘must-have,’ at least not for my shooting style.
The New Video Features Are Just Really Nice
I would like to use a camera like this more for videos of my family’s adventures. Shooting to an SD card is much better than shooting to my phone’s internal storage, which always runs out. I couldn’t really do this with the older bodies because of the lack of IBIS.
The Improvement To Grain and Shadow Detail Is Noticeable
I also like the new grain and cleaner image from the higher-megapixel sensor. The extra detail and tighter grain allowed me to do some mega crops, which would get a little questionable on the older bodies.
Also, when shooting at night in darker environments, at least here in Japan, I always use around ISO 6400, f2, and 1/250 shutters, and the nicer grain in these ISO 6400 images is a noticeable upgrade. I don’t use my X100 cameras too often for night street photography, but I would likely use the X100VI more if I upgraded.
I know I sound a bit schizophrenic here, but I’m trying to decide if the hassle of trying to order the camera and waiting literally a freaking year is worth the mental energy and having to sit there with $1600 on hold waiting for a camera to ship. I want the camera. If I could buy one, I would, but I can’t. I am a freelance editor, and my financial situation has ebbs and flows; when I’m not working a lot, I’m less likely to make FOMO purchases for a camera I don’t really need.
I would rate this camera a 9/10, but since Fujifilm isn’t serious about manufacturing the camera to fill demand, it’s dropped down to a 4/10 because you just can’t buy them. It’s dumb. And if I’m being honest, the camera is not mind-blowing enough to justify a one-year wait when there are so many other cameras out there that you can start using now.
I could get my wife pregnant with a third child and put in a pre-order on the X100VI, and the baby would come before the camera did. It’s so stupid.
Is The Lens Sharp Enough For a 40MP Sensor?
I often see photographers say that the lens on the X100VI isn’t sharp enough for the new sensor, and you really don’t get an improvement in resolution compared to the X100V. This is not exactly true. The new sensor is just better. It has better color, shadow information & grain and slightly better detail overall. The difference individually between these little upgrades isn’t huge, but when you add them all together, you get a noticeably better image.
Here are some grain samples.
When cropping in, the grain overall is much tighter and less chunky.
The grain on the X100VI overall holds more color information and looks less blotchy.
When looking at detail, we can see some improvements.
You’ll need to click these to see the full-size comparisons.
That said, the lens isn’t super sharp for a 40MP camera. But that’s fine; this camera has its look and style, and not everything needs to be on the bleeding edge of insane detail all the time. I’ve never been a sharpness snob, and I’ve found this to be good enough for what it is, but it won’t hold a candle to something like the Nikon Z8 and the 35mm f1.8, which is just noticeably superior – Also, way bigger, and way more expensive.
The Elephant In The Room – Autofocus
Fujifilm is often criticized for its autofocus implementation on these new cameras, and for good reason. Don’t get me wrong; the autofocus is still good, but nothing compared to what all the other brands are doing now.
Here is the problem: the autofocus still feels like it has the same intelligence as my cameras from 2018, like my X-T3 or something, but with faster processing and some new detection modes. It still has all the same issues as those older cameras, where it just doesn’t feel like it has any intelligent priority system built into it.
For example, on my Nikon Z8, the Nikon Zf, the Nikon Z6 III, or any new Sony or Canon camera, the focus system will typically grab the subject closest to the center of the zone box, the center of the frame, and the subject closest to the camera. On the Fujifilm cameras, you might have a subject that’s dead center of the frame, dead center of the focus box, closest to the camera, and it still decides to focus on some person in the background. It’s incredibly frustrating when it does this, so you have to really baby the camera, constantly steer the focus system, and pay attention to what it’s doing or not doing.
That being said, once I’m used to using this camera, I don’t miss focus too much. I just can’t go out there and start shooting blindly and confidently like I do on my Nikon Z8 or any other modern camera.
I’ve written a guide to improving your autofocus on the X100V or X100VI cameras that you can check out. What’s cool is that these cameras have something called a Focus Limiter, which allows you to preset a focus range so the camera only looks in that range. It’s very useful if you’re shooting portraits or close-up street photos and don’t want the camera to look for anything past a set distance.
It would be great if you could instantly preset Focus Limiter to snap between preset distances like the Ricoh GRIII, but you can’t. Changing between any of the focus modes on the Fujifilm X100VI is kind of a pain. You can’t really quickly toggle between them like you can on a Nikon camera, and no matter what you’re doing, a menu interface pops up to change between the focus modes. This should all be reworked. Nikon cameras, by far, have the best user interface here. It would be best if you never had to hit a menu screen to change focus settings on the fly.
Slow AF Lens
The lens used on the Fujifilm X100VI is the same as the X100V, which is still very slow at focusing. It will struggle with quick-moving subjects; overall, you must slow down your technique with this camera.
What I Like About X100VI Autofocus
On the X100V, I mostly turned off all the subject detection and kept the focus system simple, using mostly zone focus boxes.
The improvements with the X100VI are good enough now that I am using subject-detection or the tracking mode, and while it’s not perfect, it is a pretty noteworthy upgrade compared to the X100V.
New Film Simulators
If you frequently use film simulators, the 10-bit HEIF files with the X100VI upgrades will be massive. Having 10-bit image files now with Fujifilm simulators is huge.
The new looks are cool, with REALA ACE being my favorite new addition. NOSTALGIC Neg is also great for a super retro feel. But I don’t see BLEACH BYPASS as useful.
I don’t often use film simulators to make JPGs; however, I sometimes use them as my base profiles when paired with my presets, especially ACROS. However, I’m mostly only ever using Provia, Astia, or Classic Chrome. Remember, you can also use them for video, which is pretty cool.
Battery Life Is Bad
One thing I immediately noticed about the Fujifilm X100VI was the poor battery life. This is caused by the inclusion of IBIS and the fact that the JPG engine now has to process 41MP files compared to the older cameras.
At first, my battery life was abysmal, but after I turned off the JPG effects, it’s now actually pretty good. So, if you’re concerned with battery life, turn off those JPG effects.
Fujifilm X100VI Review – Bottom Line
The camera is cool, and I like it a lot. I am confident Fujifilm will figure out its autofocus system, and now the processor and sensor are powerful enough to handle any firmware upgrade that improves autofocus. The issue is not the hardware, except for the slow-focusing lens. We saw Nikon make some pretty big strides with their focus system between the Nikon Z9 initial launch and where it is today, and I expect Fujifilm to do the same.
But none of these issues hold you back from taking great pictures. It is a solid little camera and an insanely powerful little package.
I highly recommend this camera if you want something better than your phone and want to get a little more serious about photography. It’s great for street, lifestyle, and even travel photography. It can also be a powerful little video camera if you can work within the video record time limits. For me, these cameras have been the perfect Dad cams.
I’ve recommended these cameras to many people and will continue to do the same with the X100VI. It’s just an awesome camera. But if you want to pre-order one, expect to wait a year, and make sure you have $1600 sitting in your account ready to go at all times.
Fujifilm X100VI Sample Images
I typically shoot with diffusion filters on this camera. I’m using two: the Bloom Gold Filter by Firecrest at 1/8 power. I really like this filter.
I also shoot with the Kenko/Hoya Black Mist Filter No0.5. It’s a black mist filter, but it’s probably a little too aggressive for night photography.
I’ve noted what filter I used in the file name. So, if you click on the image and view it in a new tab, you can see which filter I used by checking the file name.
For this set I’ve typically color the images with my Presets, often with Adobe Color or Provia as the base profile.
When I shoot at night, I typically use a manual shutter set to around 1/250, a manual aperture at f2 or f2.8, and an ISO on auto, but limited to 6400. You don’t really want to go higher than that on these APS-C cameras. If it’s too dark, I just lower the shutter, and then the IBIS comes in handy.
