Fujifilm X100VI

Fujifilm X100VI is a fixed-lens compact camera that has been sold out everywhere since it launched. Waiting lists at camera stores are 4 to 6 months long, which is unusual for a $1,600 camera in a market where most people use their phones. Lens is a 23mm f/2 (equivalent to 35mm in full-frame terms) and cannot be swapped. Seems like a limitation but is actually a design decision that eliminates the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) problem that afflicts every photographer with an interchangeable lens system. Film simulations are what set Fujifilm apart from Sony and Canon. JPEG files that come out of the camera with simulations like Classic Negative or Nostalgic Neg applied look so good that many photographers never bother shooting RAW. It Is a reversal of the typical digital photography workflow. I have been borrowing 1 from the photography lab and the experience of shooting with it is different from my phone in ways I did not expect: the optical viewfinder makes me slow down. The manual aperture ring on the lens gives me physical control over depth of field. Shutter sound is quiet enough that I can photograph in a library without anyone looking up. Switching between optical and electronic with a lever on the front. The hybrid viewfinder is a feature unique to this camera line and 1 that makes the shooting experience feel like a conversation between analog and digital traditions. But the hype around it concerns me. Waitlists and the resale markup have turned the X100VI into a status object as much as a tool. People on social media posting photos of the camera more often than photos taken with the camera, which suggests that owning it has become part of the appeal independent of actually using it. Image stabilization is new to this generation and it works well enough for handheld shooting in low light, opening up situations that the previous version couldn't handle without a tripod. Body is milled aluminum with a leatherette grip, and the retro styling references Leica rangefinders without being a direct copy. Fujifilm has also added a 40-megapixel sensor, up from 26 in the previous version, and the files are detailed enough for large prints while maintaining the film-like grain structure in the simulations. I don't think I will buy 1 at full price, but if I find a used X100V for a reasonable number I'd take it. Lens and form factor are the same and the older sensor is still excellent. You stop thinking about what lens to use and start thinking about where to stand.