Fujifilm X100F

Andy Westlake examines the fourth generation of Fujifilm’s classic fixed-lens rangfinder-style compact

Fujifilm’s star is now so high in the camera makers’ firmament that it’s easy to forget just how recently the firm was primarily a purveyor of identikit zoom compacts. The camera that set it on course towards higher things was the original X100, with its retro range finder-style design, fixed lens, APS-C sensor and clever hybrid optical/electronic view finder. Now, with the X100F, Fujifilm has unveiled the fourth generation of this modern classic.

As with the previous updates, the F (for ‘fourth’) remains very close in spirit to the original design, with the same 35mm equivalent f/2 lens and analogue dial-led operation. But it’s the most radical overhaul yet, acquiring most of the same updates as we saw on its interchangeable-lens big brother, the X-Pro2, last year. Inside it gains a 24.2-million pixel X-Trans III CMOS sensor and X-Processor Pro, which together promise substantially improved image quality and auto focus. Fujifilm has also made some significant updates to the control layout, which should make the X100F an even better photographic tool.

Six years after the original X100 went on sale, there’s still nothing else on the market that can match the series’ winning combination of image quality and retro charm. So the question for this review isn’t really whether the X100F is going to be a stunning camera, as we already know that. Instead it’s more about whether the updates justify its £1,249 price tag.

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