Intro

The Fujifilm X100 VI is the highly-anticipated successor to the X100 V, arguably one of the best compact cameras to date, not to mention one that’s accompanied me on multiple trips over several years. I really felt the X100 came of age with that fifth generation, resolving most issues I had with previous versions. Sure it couldn’t do everything, but reached a point where adding much more risked spoiling the core appeal. 

As such I was a little anxious to see where Fujifilm could go with the X100 VI given the biggest complaint most people had with its predecessor was simply being able to buy one. After all, the X100 V’s mid-life boost in popularity collided with a global component shortage and pandemic resulting in one of the hardest cameras to buy for some time.

Well cancel that back-order because they’re not making any more X100 V’s. The VI is its replacement and goes on sale at the end of February 2024. My in-depth reviews are in the videos below, but if you prefer to read the written highlights, keep scrolling.

There’s two major upgrades on the X100 VI, one expected, the other more of a surprise. The first is the inevitable adoption of Fujifilm’s highest resolution sensor, the X-Trans CMOS 5 HR, boosting the resolution from 26 to 40 Megapixels. Coupled with the latest X Processor V, the X100 VI also gains all the latest subject recognition enhancements, as well as improved video and the REALA Film Simulation; in fact it actually becomes the first X camera to sport that SIM, leaving X-T5 and X-H2 owners hoping for a firmware update.

The second major upgrade is the addition of sensor shift stabilisation, or IBIS for short, with Fujifilm claiming the new mechanism provides up to six stops of compensation. I’ll talk more about the sensor and IBIS in a moment. Beyond this, Fujifilm’s wisely chosen not to mess too much with a winning formula, with the X100 VI inheriting a great deal from the previous model, including the same design, controls, lens, viewfinder, screen, battery, card slot and ports.

The body, available in the same black and silver finishes as before, looks and feels essentially identical to the V. So you’re getting a compact but comfortable body with aluminium plates at the top and bottom adding some class.

The body itself is the same width and height as before, but has gained 2mm in thickness and 43g in weight to accommodate the IBIS mechanism. You’d assume it’s the main body that’s become 2mm thicker, but impressively it’s actually only half a millimeter more than before, with the remaining 1.5mm being added to the lens barrel.

If you have the VI right next to the V, you may notice it’s a tad heavier, but once in your hands, I honestly didn’t notice any difference in size or weight. The only giveaway is when it’s powered-down and you can slightly feel the disengaged IBIS mechanism as you walk with it in your hands. In fact it’s so close in size, it remains compatible with all accessories for previous models including cases and lens attachments.

This includes the lens adapter which is still required for full weather-sealing, as without it, the optics still extend a little in use. A shame it’s not fully sealed out of the box, but it would have required a redesign or larger housing.

The optics themselves are identical to before, so you’re getting a 23mm f2 delivering a roughly 35mm equivalent field of view and a 10cm closest focusing distance. Fujifilm claims it has sufficient resolution for the new sensor, and I’ll be testing that in a moment.

The controls and dials feel and operate as before which means the VI inherits an unlockable compensation dial which can still accidentally turn when the camera’s pulled out of a snug bag or pocket.

The viewfinder is identical to the previous version, so you’re getting a hybrid system with the choice of optical or electronic views, or the former with a small electronic overlay. The EVF portion remains a 3.69 million dot panel, so no boost in resolution, but in use the size means you’re unlikely to have seen much benefit with a higher resolution panel. As a long-term X100 V owner, I’m a little embarrassed to say I rarely use the optical portion of the viewfinder and when admitting as such in my long-term review, was surprised to learn many other owners are electronic only too. This lead me to wonder if a more affordable version might be possible with an EVF only, but clearly Fujifilm’s engineers feel the hybrid viewfinder is the soul of the series, so it remains the only choice. Hopefully the XE series may make a re-appearence for those who love the look of the X100 but are happy with an EVF alone.

The screen also remains mostly unchanged, so still no chance of it flipping forward for vlogging or selfies, but in a useful upgrade, it’ll now angle down further by 45 degrees rather than the modest 30 of the V. Meanwhile it’ll still angle 90 degrees upwards and fold very neatly flush back into the body afterwards.

Battery life was always an issue with the earlier models, but there’s no way to accommodate a larger pack without increasing the size and weight of the camera. So the VI keeps the NP-W126S, albeit with the newer, less power-hungry processor compensating for the IBIS. In real-life usage, mostly with the hungry EVF, I managed around 150 photos and a few minutes of video, all with IBIS before the battery started to flash.

Fujifilm’s also resisted upgrading the SD card slot to UHS-II, instead sticking with UHS-I, but this is still fast enough for all the video modes and reasonable burst depths.

The fastest mechanical burst speed remains 11fps, and when set to uncompressed RAW, I managed to capture 17 frames at this speed before it slowed to 1fps. Once I stopped shooting, the camera took 17 seconds to fully clear the buffer.

Set to Large Fine JPEG, I managed 37 frames at 11fps, after which it took around five seconds to clear. Faster speeds are possible with the electronic shutter up to 13fps at the full resolution, or up to 20fps with a 1.29x crop capturing 24 Megapixels. Pre-shot capture is also available with the electronic shutter.

And finally the ports are also the same, so you’re getting USB C for charging or data transfer, Micro HDMI, and a 2.5mm jack for a remote release or microphone input. I’d personally have preferred they’d switched the mic input to a more common 3.5mm, but then remote release shooters would be the ones needing an adapter.

Under the USB settings, you can configure the X100 VI to become a standard webcam. I tried it on my MacBook with YouTube Live where the camera delivered a 1080 60p stream over USB C, while also accepting power from the computer. Note I couldn’t change the resolution or frame rate though. I wasn’t able to try a long stream, but since I managed over an hour of 1080 recording under battery power alone with no overheating issues, I’d expect at least this as a webcam. You could alternatively capture the HDMI output.

There’s also Bluetooth and Wifi and an option to print directly to instax printers, albeit only the discontinued Wifi models like the SP3, and sadly not any of the current Link models. I’ve no idea why the instax and digital divisions of Fujifilm won’t play together anymore. There’s also support for Frame-io for those who want to upload a variety of files to the cloud for backup or collaboration. Let me know if you’d like me to make a video about Frame-io. At the time of making this review, the X100 VI wasn’t fully supported by the phone app, so I’ll wait until the next major version is released then make a new video about that.

Moving onto the lens, the optics are identical to the V, so you’re getting a fixed 23mm f2 delivering a roughly 35mm equivalent field of view with a 10cm closest focusing distance. Get close to your subject, open the aperture and it’s possible to achieve some really nice blurring in the background, and I’ll show you lots more examples during my verdict.

The mild-wide coverage is great for general-purpose use, but if you want a tighter view, the VI offers two digital teleconverter options, one delivering 50mm or standard coverage, and the other getting closer still to 70mm for a short telephoto.

Both however are simply cropping the image, and while the X100 VI’s higher resolution does provide more latitude for cropping than earlier models, the two teleconverter modes still only leave you with 20 or 10 Megapixels respectively. They’re also not doing anything to interpolate or scale the image, so in my tests the final quality was no different from just cropping yourself afterwards. So the only benefit of using the teleconverter modes is previewing the cropped coverage as you compose with the EVF or screen. Note RAW files are not cropped.

If you’re after broader coverage than 35mm, the X100 VI offers a Panoramic mode from the Drive menu. Here’s a standard single shot, and now here’s a panorama from the same spot showing a much wider view.

Like earlier models though, the resolution is decreased – in this case the total image measured just 14 Megapixels – and if you look closely there can be stitching errors. The horizon is jagged here and there’s some repetition of moving objects. 

Sometimes it can work well, but for fewer artefacts and higher resolution results, I’d suggest taking multiple frames and stitching them manually in post.

For optically wider or tighter views, the X100 VI is compatible with the WCL and TCL adapters which screw onto the barrel, and convert the equivalent coverage to 28 or 50mm respectively. Both maintain the full resolution, but add to the size and weight of the camera. 

If you regularly want to change the coverage optically, I’d recommend getting one of the interchangeable lens cameras instead, like an X-T30 or whatever its successor becomes.

Like earlier models in the series, the X100 VI employs a leaf shutter built-into the lens, which is not only very quiet but also allows you to sync flashes up to the top mechanical speed of 1/4000.

I believe the shutter mechanism is identical to the V, but was surprised to find it much quieter in use. For example, here’s the sound of the X100 V. And now here’s the sound of the X100 VI recorded with the same microphone settings where it’s much quieter.

This confused me until I checked the settings on both models. Both cameras can play an artificial shutter sound if you’d like something different or louder for both the mechanical and electronic shutter, but by default the X100 VI has its mechanical volume set to zero vs two on the X100V. 

This is why the V sounds louder as it’s playing an artificial click sound on top of the actual shutter itself. Reduce the X100V shutter volume to zero and it’ll be as quiet as the VI, or for a louder click on the new model, just increase its volume. Mystery solved!

Oh, and the X100 VI also keeps the built-in four-stop ND filter which is activated in the menus for photo or video. Here I’ve fixed the sensitivity to 125 ISO and the aperture to f4, and without the ND, the camera’s metering a shutter around 1/105. After activating the ND filter in the menu though, the camera now meters ⅛, confirming the four stops.

Not only does this let you shoot wide-open under any conditions, especially when you also have a top electronic shutter speed of 1/180,000 at your disposal, but also lets you deploy some longer exposures in daytime.

Here’s a shot I took with the previous X100V where, at f16 and 160 ISO, I was able to achieve a one second exposure thanks to the ND filter, which is now just about hand-holdable on the VI thanks to IBIS. Without the ND, I was stuck at 1/15 with little to no blurring in the water. It’s even more useful for video as I’ll show you in my separate review of the movie capabilities.

Moving on, by adopting the latest sensor and processor, the X100 VI inherits all the subject recognition of other recent X cameras. So while the X100V only offered human face and eye detection, the VI gains an additional menu with options for animals, birds, cars, bikes, planes and trains.

Obviously with a mild-wide angle lens, some of these subjects are going to be too far and small to be recognised, so when it comes to birds, you’ll only really exploit it for large and tame specimens like Steven Seagull here, rather than those in flight. For animals, also think less in-the-wild and more staged pet-portraits at close range. As for cars, it certainly works, although I’m not sure how much I’d use it.

Human detection though is a different matter, and like its predecessor, the X100 VI does a good job at recognising and tracking a person, locking onto their closest eye if set to Auto. You’ll also enjoy a little blurring in the background at f2, especially when the subject is at head and shoulder distance. I’d prefer if human and the other subject types were all on the same menu though.

I wondered whether having the latest sensor and processor would speed up the autofocus over the previous versions, so recorded the VI pulling focus between the foreground bottle and the background shutters here. There’s occasional wobbles to confirm, but it gets the job done.

For comparison, here’s the older X100V using exactly the same settings and, to me anyway, it looks pretty much identical in terms of speed. I’ve seen X-bodies with high-end lenses focusing faster, so clearly the 23 f2 lens of the X100V and VI is a limiting factor. That said, it never held me back in day to day use and I think it’s fine for this camera – just don’t expect the VI to be noticeably faster than the V at focusing.

Ok, now for my image quality tests with one of the headline upgrades being the switch from 26 to 40 Megapixels by employing the same sensor as the X-T5 and X-H2. 

You can record images in the choice of three resolutions with five aspect ratios for each, the option to record compressed files, RAW files or both, the choice of storing those RAW files uncompressed, losslessly compressed or with lossy compression, and thanks to the new processor, the choice of JPEG or HEIF.

There’s also the current collection of Film Simulations, including the latest REALA ACE. The VI is the first new X camera to inherit this sim from the GFX 100 II, but it’ll now also be added to the older X-H2, X-H2S, X-T5 and X-S20 with a firmware update. 

The Film SIMs are responsible for great-looking out-of-camera JPEGs, but it’s important to look beyond the influencer hype and realise they aren’t exclusive to the X100 series. 

First, a selection of Film SIMs are available on all Fujifilm cameras, not just this one, and secondly, most other brands also have good-looking profiles. I may personally like Fujifilm’s profiles, but they’re not a magic bullet to success, nor a mystical recreation of actual film.

The big question for me though is whether the X100 VI is recording meaningfully greater detail than the V. 40 Megapixels sounds a lot more than 26, but actually only equates to about a 25% boost in linear resolution, plus there’s the factor of the lens as well.

So here’s a view of Brighton Pier I shot with both cameras side by side, starting with the X100 VI. I’ll zoom-into the image and put the X100 VI with its 40 Megapixels on the left and the X100V with its 26 Megapixels on the right.

If you’re pixel-peeping, you will notice the VI on the left is a little crisper with ever-so-slightly finer details resolved than the V on the right, but it’s far from night and day.

I showed some similar comparisons in my first-looks review, where you might assume it’s the lens that’s holding the VI back. But again remember 26 to 40 Megapixels only represents a 25% increase in linear resolution.

To further illustrate this, here’s a close-up comparison from my X-H2 review with the 40 Megapixel camera on the left vs the 26 Megapixel X-H2S on the right, both fitted with a very sharp lens, and even with these optics, the difference is quite mild.

So I’d say the lens on the X100 VI is certainly capable of exploiting the resolution of the sensor behind it, but that the difference between 40 and 26 in real life isn’t as much as you think. That said, as I’ll demonstrate in a moment, the presence of IBIS can make a significant difference to the quality in use.

But first a noise comparison. The sensor in the X100 VI has a slightly lower base sensitivity of 125 ISO vs 160 on the previous generation, so I’ll start with that before zooming-in for a closer look. 

As before the 40 Megapixel VI is on the left and the 26 Megapixel V is on the right. These are all JPEGs out of camera, although I have RAW comparisons in my X-H2 photo review which apply here too.

Starting with both cameras at their respective base sensitivities, you can again see a mild boost in detail from the VI on the left, but nothing too significant.

As I increase the sensitivity one stop at a time, you’ll see the image on the left gradually soften its ultimate detail, while I’d say the V on the right is doing a better job at retaining details.

In particular as I approach the highest sensitivities from 3200 onwards, I’d say the V on the right begins to match or even exceed the detail of the VI on the left. Again though this is serious pixel-peeping and I wouldn’t notice that much difference at more common reproductions.

But in a key benefit over its predecessors, the X100 VI becomes the first model in the series to sport built-in stabilisation, which in my tests really did deliver five to six stops of compensation under a wide variety of conditions.

I found I could easily handhold exposures of half a second on the X100 VI, and if I was careful even one or two seconds. You’re looking at a two second exposure I shot handheld with the X100 VI where IBIS has kept the image nice and sharp.

What this means in practice is that you can keep handholding the VI at its lowest sensitivities under much dimmer conditions than the models before it.

Let’s say you needed 1/30 to handhold the X100V without shake, which under dim conditions meant boosting the sensitivity to 3200 ISO. Well under the same conditions, IBIS could let you handhold the X100 VI at, say, one second, allowing you to use the base sensitivity of 125 ISO.

So here’s the VI on the left at 125 ISO and the V on the right at 3200 ISO where there’s now a significant difference in quality. Of course terms and conditions apply. A one second exposure means anything in motion is going to become blurred, so it’s not going to help you if you need a fast shutter to freeze action. But if the subject is static, or you can embrace motion blur for creative effects, IBIS will allow the VI to maximise its potential quality under a wider variety of conditions.

Here’s some handheld shots I took around dusk or under dimmer conditions at between ⅛ and half a second, all of which allowed the camera to stay at 125 ISO for very crisp and clean results.

In fact I became so confident with the IBIS that I reprogrammed the slowest shutter speed in Auto ISO to be ⅛, and even that was being conservative. Again if you need to freeze action or even minor movement when photographing people, there’s no substitute for a faster shutter speed, in turn forcing higher ISOs depending on the lighting.

But if your style of photography can exploit IBIS, it’s a game-changer on the X100 VI. And while I was initially sceptical over its value in steadying a 35mm view during composition, it actually made a visible difference.

Here’s the view when composing without IBIS where it’s wobbling a little. Not hugely, but it will impact how accurately you can handhold a precise composition. 

Now go into the menus to enable IBIS and return to a much steadier view. I personally find this really useful when lining-up very precise compositions, and missed it when returning to the X100V.

IBIS also finally makes the X100 useful for handheld video and I’ll talk more about that in my review of the movie mode. Oh and note if you’re holding the camera when powered down, you may feel the IBIS mechanism wobble a little inside the body. This is however normal for any camera with IBIS, and it stops as soon as you power them up.

Oh and by squeezing IBIS into the smallest X-series camera, I think it’s a safe bet we’ll also now see it on all models in the future.

Moving onto dynamic range with the new sensor, here’s a shot I took of Brighton Pier where exposing for the upper side means the lower section is in shadow.

You can see from the histogram that the shadows are clipped, but adjusting the Shadows slider in Adobe Camera RAW allows you to retrieve a decent amount of detail in this area if desired.

At the other end of the scale, here’s a view of a brightly backlit window where the details on the outside roofing and distant trees are saturated.

Reducing the highlights slider in Camera RAW though can retrieve some of that previously lost detail, so clearly there’s latitude at both ends if you’re into post processing RAW files.

Before wrapping-up, a quick note on Multiple Exposures, accessed from the Drive Menu where you can initially select the ways the frames will be combined. Here’s some examples using two frames on each, but different composite settings.

When shooting multiple exposures, the X100 VI lets you capture up to nine images, previewing the combination so far in a ghostly version so you can better align the next shot. 

If you don’t like the one you’ve just taken, you can delete it and try again, or just exit the capture process when you’re finished. RAW files of each separate frame are also recorded.

Fujifilm X100 VI movie mode

Moving onto video, the X100 VI offers uncropped 1080 or 4k from 24 to 60p in 16:9 or wider DCi shapes. There’s also over-sampled 4k HQ or 6.2k in 24 to 30p albeit both with a 1.23x crop, reducing that equivalent field of view to around 43mm.

Here’s some footage I filmed with the X100 VI, first in 1080 at 25p, followed by the standard 4k mode at 25p which I believe is not oversampled. Next here’s 4k HQ mode which oversamples from 6.2k’s worth of detail, albeit with a crop in the field of view. And finally here’s the 6.2k mode again at 25p and sharing the same crop as before.

Now let’s briefly return to 1080 at 25p before switching to the High Speed mode here filming 1080 at 200p and encoded in-camera at 25p for an eight times slowdown. The top frame rate is 240p which when played at 24p gives you a ten times slow down.

IBIS again transforms the use of any of the video modes, but additional digital stabilisation is also available for the standard 1080 and 4k modes, incurring a mild 1.1x crop. This isn’t available for 4k HQ or 6.2k.

So here’s a 4k clip I filmed handheld without IBIS on the X100 VI, where the footage is wobbly. This is why handheld video on earlier models was of limited use.

Next here’s the same view but with IBIS enabled and the view has become much steadier. If your technique is better than mine, you could easily get away with this, but if you need some additional help, here’s digital stabilisation working alongside IBIS to steady the view further, albeit with a mild reduction in the coverage. Note the digital stabilisation is not available for 4k HQ or 6.2k, as they’re already cropped.

And finally for the optional Movie Boost IS enabled, which is designed to further lock an image when you’re not panning or walking. Here you can see it’s visibly keeping the view very steady, and almost snaps into place when you recompose.

Filming in front of the camera remains a challenge though as the screen doesn’t face forward and the lens isn’t wide enough. Here I’m holding it as far as I can, and you’re still faced with my floating head of doom.

And if you were to attempt to walk while handholding in a vlogging style, you’ll see the IBIS isn’t up to task even if the lens were wider. It’s just not designed for this kind of filming. 

But if you’re behind the camera, the X100 VI represents a huge step-up over the V and earlier models for videographers with a raft of quality, feature and usability enhancements. Oh and it even managed to record an hour and 19 minutes of 4k 25p without overheating on a full charge before the battery ran out. In the better quality 4k HQ mode, it managed almost 32 minutes before overheating. Compare both to the X100V which limits 4k clips to just 10 minutes and in my tests overheats after around that amount of filming anyway.

Fujifilm X100 VI verdict so far

The X100 VI builds upon the hugely popular X100V, enhancing both its photo and video quality without compromising the core appeal. It shares the same design, controls, lens, viewfinder, screen, battery and ports, but upgrades the sensor and processor, and remarkably squeezes IBIS into a body that’s only barely thicker and heavier than before. As a long-term X100V owner, I could hardly tell the difference in size and weight once it was in my hands.

In my tests so far, the higher resolution sensor didn’t make a huge difference to the real-life detail over the X100 V, and the usefulness of subject recognition at 35mm is debatable. 

But the presence of IBIS transforms the potential photo quality in lower light, allowing you to handhold much slower shutter speeds in order to keep the ISO low and the quality at its best. I managed to handhold sharp results as slow as a second, and found one quarter was very achievable. Of course this won’t help if you want to freeze motion in low light, but if your subject is static or you can embrace some motion blur, it’s a useful improvement.

IBIS also makes video considerably more usable on the X100 VI over its predecessors, and while the focal length and lack of flip-screen mean you still won’t be handheld vlogging in front of the camera, you will be enjoying far superior results from behind it.

And while the retail price is a couple of hundred more than the X100V when it was launched, that model has rarely been sold for that in recent years, so arguably you’re now getting IBIS for free. Oh and by squeezing IBIS into the smallest X-series camera, I think it’s a safe bet we’ll also now see it on all models in the future.

As for availability, Fujifilm has built a new factory in China for the X100 VI, and while this means it’s the first in this series not to be made in Japan, it should mean you stand a much greater chance of actually buying one. I hope that’s the case, but if you’re interested in the camera I’d certainly consider putting in a pre-order sooner than later; there’s links in the description to the latest prices.

Oh and if you fancy something more exclusive, there’ll also be a special edition with a soft shutter release, dedicated strap, box and history card, as well as the serial number on the hotshoe and the original Fujifilm logo from 1934 engraved on the top and cap. Appropriately it’s limited to 1934 models and costs £1934.