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Fujifilm\u2019s X100V became so wildly popular that it felt like the camera was endlessly backordered at every camera retailer around. On the secondary market, prices for the rangefinder-style mirrorless camera shot up into truly silly territory after it had a big viral moment on TikTok. The X100V was so in demand that Fujifilm could\u2019ve taken the easy route for a successor and still been guaranteed to have a hit on its hands. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The new model, being announced today, looks practically the same on the outside, but the X100VI includes meaningful improvements that will make it a more capable camera \u2014 in far more shooting environments \u2014 than any previous entrant in the X100 series. The flip side to those upgrades is that the price has climbed by $200 to a new MSRP of $1,599. That\u2019s not far off from the X-T5, but the two cameras serve very different purposes: the X-T5 is an interchangeable lens system, whereas here, you\u2019re getting a 23mm f\/2 fixed lens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Like the X-T5 and X-H2 before it, the X100VI has jumped up to a 40-megapixel sensor, which provides greater cropping leeway and editing flexibility. Having more resolution to work with is great and all, but a more impressive upgrade is that Fujifilm has built in-body image stabilization (IBIS) into this camera. You get up to six stops of stabilization help for those scenarios where you want to keep the shutter speed as slow as possible while preserving image sharpness. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But Fujifilm hasn\u2019t upgraded everything<\/em>. The X100VI sticks with a UHS-1 SD card slot \u2014 pretty slow for a camera this expensive \u2014 and it uses the same battery as the X100V rather than the bulkier (and much longer-lasting) battery that\u2019s present in the company\u2019s other models. The latter choice was made to preserve the X100VI\u2019s overall size (it\u2019s just a bit thicker), but it means you\u2019ll want to have a spare battery on hand whenever you\u2019ll be out shooting for a full day. The electronic viewfinder and rear LCD also have the same resolutions as last time, at 3.69 million and 1.62 million dots, respectively. You still have the freedom to choose either the optical viewfinder, EVF, or a hybrid of the two when shooting, and the X100VI continues to offer an internal four-stop neutral density filter when needed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fujifilm has equipped the X100VI with its latest X-Processor 5, which makes the new camera \u201calmost\u201d twice as fast as the X100V. Along with the speed boost, you\u2019re getting much-improved autofocus that uses the company\u2019s latest algorithms for subject detection. And the X100VI will come loaded with 20 Fujifilm film simulations, including the Reala Ace sim that was previously exclusive to one of the company\u2019s pricey medium format cameras. Ask any Fujifilm shooter, and they\u2019ll tell you one of the company\u2019s core strengths is JPEG processing: there are entire websites<\/a> devoted to tweaking these film sims and getting the best possible straight-out-of-camera results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As for its construction, not much has changed: the X100VI has an aluminum body designed to withstand some bumps and go everywhere with you. But as before, you\u2019ll need to outfit the lens with Fujifilm\u2019s sold-separately adapter ring and protective filter to achieve true weather resistance. In a departure from its made-in-Japan predecessor, the X100VI will follow other recent Fujifilm cameras in making the switch to China-based manufacturing. Some might view this camera as having less photography \u201cmystique\u201d as a result \u2014 there\u2019s a ton of history and heritage to cameras being produced in Japan \u2014 but shifting the process to China should allow the company to get many, many more X100VIs off the assembly line and into camera shops. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The X100VI will be available in silver or black and is expected to start shipping in early March. Alongside the standard model, Fujifilm will release an extremely<\/em> limited-edition version of the camera that\u2019s \u201cengraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm\u2019s founding in 1934.\u201d Priced at $1,999, \u201ceach unit bears a unique serial number,\u201d and the company says \u201cthese numbered X100VI units are packaged in a special, soft-release box that includes a special strap and Fujifilm history cards.\u201d You\u2019ll only be able to order the LE directly from Fujifilm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If the X100V is any indication, there\u2019s going to be a ton<\/em> of interest in this camera. For anyone willing to learn how to use them, the X100VI\u2019s dials and manual controls offer a glorious reprieve from auto-everything smartphone shooting and the growing prevalence of computational photography. And those Fujifilm JPEG colors are just as good as people say. Stay tuned for more impressions from both Becca Farsace and myself in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n