The Most Desired Camera in the World
A few weeks ago Sophia and I attended a local film photo walk in Anchorage. Neither of us have film cameras but everyone was welcome. I absolutely could not believe how many people showed up. There must have been 50 people at least. For a town the size of Anchorage, it felt substantial and almost everyone had film cameras. Something I’ve continually noticed in the film space is the sense of community. There’s an instant connection between two people who decide to use a 30 year old camera and limit themselves to the confines of film.
I imagine it’s very similar to walking into a record store and mingling with people who are willing to pay large amounts of money to own an album they could easily listen to by streaming. Something curious that I continually see about film photographers is the exploration of different cameras. Rollieflexes, older 35mms, quirky crazy 3D cameras, big 645s. People constantly trading cameras, asking questions, and overall the atmosphere simply feels to honor and enjoy the cameras like an old vintage car that someone clearly puts a lot of love into.
Experiencing this has made me realize that photography has been missing that over the years. Modern cameras like my Canon R5 or a Sony A7R5 are ultimately tools to do jobs. They all kinda look the same and basically do everything you could ask them to do. To top it off, there’s some negative connotation or prejudice against enjoying modern gear. Of course photos are made by the photographer but how you enjoy the experience of photography is completely up to you. In many ways I get it. When I run into someone shooting photos, the last thing I typically want to talk about is what Canon lens I’m using or why I love a certain brand.
So where does the Fujifilm X100VI fit into all of this? Well for one thing it’s a camera I’d love to share with a stranger who asks about it. I’m much more excited about it as an experience than I am my other more utilitarian cameras. That’s exactly what I talked about in my video about the X100VI nearly 2 years ago. It’s an experience camera first, but I’ve also realized over the last 2 years that it’s even more than that. It’s a camera that’s somehow found itself desired by people who’ve never owned a camera before and people who already own multiple cameras that they use for work.
Nothing Else Like It
The Unique Shooting Experience of the Fujifilm X100VI
You might think the X100 line is overhyped, you may not understand the desire for it, but one thing Is for certain - the camera is unique. At every price point between the other big 3 - every camera feels the same with a different brand label. Nothing like the Fujifilm X100VI exists from basically anyone else (cough, thats remotely affordable). Even if you removed the dual iconic EVF/OVF of the X100 line, the only competition for a small compact fixed lens camera is Lumix? No one else is making cameras like this and it’s absolutely one of the reasons it has been so successful.
Is it the BEST camera at this price point? No definitely not. Heck I’ve made a whole video about why you should get an Fujifilm X-E5 instead of the X100VI but I cannot deny that it has features no other cameras really possess. As I’ve been recently shooting with the X100VI again, I’m pleasantly reminded of how useful the ability to look outside your 35mm framing using the optical viewfinder. If you’ve ever composed a shot and waited around for a bird or person to enter the frame at the right place and time, being able to see it coming into frame through a view finder is fantastic.
I brush off the lack of a built in 4-stop ND in my X-E5 comparison, yet I’d be lying if I said the convenience of having it for wider apertures wasn appreciated when I need it. And yes, the X100VI lacks an interchangeable lens but in many ways thats both creatively exciting and freeing. Walk out the door or take a trip with just one camera and one focal length. You’re forced into finding images you otherwise might stop exploring by changing a lens. Sure you’ll miss many of the shots you might initially see and it might feel uncomfortable. But it will absolutely challenge you creatively or if you spend days working with infinite focal length choices - it could feel a bit freeing to not have to make those choices when you’re out enjoying photography rather than working for it.
X100VI + Wes Anderson Recipe
This camera was my gateway drug into exploring photography in a completely different way. I spent years using cameras as tools, not really putting too much emphasis on what was in my hands as long as it got out of my way. Years went by and anytime I picked those cameras up, not only did it feel like work but they never inspired me to try to let myself be uncomfortable. I’d take a trip with as much gear as I could get away with “just in case.” Eventually that wears on you and many times one of the best ways to break out of a creative rut is start challenging yourself in ways that aren’t exactly intuitive, like leaving all your choices behind to shoot with just a single lens and camera.
For this reason I would recommend the Fujifilm X100VI to anyone shooting professional, semi-professional, or even as a serious hobby. It’s the perfect camera to step away from your work and enjoy photography in a completely different way. By picking up this camera you commit to exploring creatively, giving up a lot of control, and letting go of needing the best or highest megapixels. Plus, it’s so small and compact that you’ll likely want to take it everywhere.
The “Non-Photographer”
X100VI taken by Sophia (i think)
The irony is everything I just described is likely not the reason this camera is sold out. It’s because this camera is trendy, fashionable, and the perfect camera for people who don’t consider themselves photographers. If you’re in your 20’s and are interested in getting a camera to take pictures with more intention than just using your phone, this is one of the best options out there - at least when it comes to new cameras. Now I’m no beacon of fashion but to me it’s pretty obvious that walking around with a cute retro inspired camera like the Fujifilm X100VI has more style points than something like my Canon R7 which makes me look like that one Dad who takes all the photos at the kids rehearsals.
Frivolous fashion points aside, the X100VI’s simplicity and unique experience is what draws in new photographers. When you’re first starting out, the choices of brand, camera, focal length, and lenses can be overwhelming. Having a camera with no lens choice can help with the decision fatigue you might encounter when starting a new hobby. Especially when all you’re really looking to do is take photos and make memories (at least to start).
New to Photography?
If you’ve stumbled upon this article and are just getting started, I’ve got a great written guide and cheatsheet to get you started, plus a video! Learn however is best for you. If you find it useful, leave some kind words in a comment down below :)
This exact philosophy is why older point & shoot cameras have made such a massive resurgence in younger populations. They want something that isn’t their phone that takes stylized images without a lot of fuss. The X100VI does exactly that, albeit the learning curve to use it might be a little heavier than a standard point & shoot camera but that ‘s the beauty of the X100VI. You can set it up to essentially take images like a point & shoot. Set all your physical dials to “A” for automatic and learn what a focus mode is, then you’re off to the races!
Overtime maybe you want to start controlling the aperture, exploring movement with shutter speed, or adding recipes to the camera. It has a lot more room to grow when it comes to learning photography than an older point & shoot. Not to mention it carries some beautiful features like the hybrid EVF/OVF that we talked about earlier. Is that worth such a premium price? That’s totally up to the buyer. Considering the camera is still sold out over two years after it’s release, it’s clear that the price is worth it for enough people.
X100VI + Kodak Gold200
Speaking from experience, I bought the Fujifilm X100VI so that Sophia had a camera she could use without having to edit. That’s a massive selling point over something like a Sony or Canon which all greatly incentivize needing to learn to edit your images. What if you don’t want to? Or what if you are a photographer who already spends plenty of time behind a screen and you want your “fun” camera to require less work.
Regardless of why, the fact that the X100VI or the entire lineup from Fujifilm has a myriad of options to produce tasteful images without needing to edit is a massive selling point to both new or veteran photographers alike.
Community
Recipes take Fujifilm’s built in film simulations a step further and give a bit more control to your images. This is one of the best ways to utilize any Fujifilm camera if you’re looking to spend less time behind a computer. Doing so also taps you into a bit of the magic I started this article off talking about; community.
Not only can you find recipes that suite the look you’re hoping for in your images, you can meet others shooting on Fujifilm cameras and exchange some of the recipes you’ve either discovered or created yourself. Share your photos online, discuss what your settings were similar to utilizing different film stock to capture images in different ways. It might sound arbitrary to those of you who are reading and spend time editing. However if you remove that aspect of photography which many simply don’t want to do, it opens up a little world into another hobby you can tinker within.
It breathes new life into a camera you might have gotten bored using or allows you to express yourself in a way that represents what you want. Plus it connects you with others that might be exploring the same world you are and that social aspect is sorely missed in modern photography (especially for me). The beauty is you can participate with basically any of Fujifilm’s cameras, it doesn’t have to be the X100VI.
The key takeaway here is that the Fujifilm X100VI (or similar models) will be remembered as an iconic moment in photography. It’s a reminder that not every camera has to do everything, that photography can simply be for fun or leisure, and that community is more important than ever in a world where we never spend time together anymore. It’s a camera that blends all experience levels, does nothing the best, carries harsh restrictions to push our creativity, and remains uniquely in a league of its own which is exactly why it’s the most desired camera in the world today.
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