Using the Fuji X100s

Last fall I was able to spend a few hours using the Fuji X100s around my house. I was excited to use this very highly rated camera. I knew that I may never buy this camera due to its large price tag (around $1,300). The camera was coming to my house, and I waited all day for it to arrive. Imagine my disappointment when it did arrive, and the photos that I made with it were horrible. This was not the fault of the camera, but rather my fault. I was using the optical viewfinder, and it is not of the through the lens variety. My shots were not well framed, and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. I am used to looking through the viewfinder and seeing exactly what my camera is seeing. The slight distance that my glasses make between my eye and the viewfinder really makes a huge difference. At the time I wrote the camera off because of this feature. It could not be my fault, it had to be something wrong with the camera.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 16.3 mp sensor
• Full HD movie capability
• X-Trans CMOS sensor
• Ease of use
• Retro style cable release
• Makes RAW images
• jpeg quality makes shooting RAW about white balance
• Film simulation modes
• Built in ND filter

Cons

• Optical viewfinder is not through the lens
• High cost
• Fixed 23mm f/2 lens
• Fixed LCD screen
• No GPS
• No CF card
• Highest ISO only available in jpeg mode

Final Verdict

This is not a camera that I would buy at this stage of my life. This is a great camera for shooting one focal length very well. That is the equivalent of 35mm. I could get over that easily as well, but the price is very high for what I would use this camera for. I bought the Canon G16 for less than half the price of this camera. That being said if cost was not an issue I would love to have this camera to take on photo walks. It would be a great camera if you do not need to zoom. This is probably the best compact camera that I will get to use. If you have the money to spare this might just be for you. The cons that I have listed are very superficial.

Bonus Photos

Here are a couple of other photos that I made during the short time that I had the camera.