“How’s the battery life on the Fujifilm X100F?” I’ve been asked that question a few times now.

It would seem to be a straight-forward question. It should say right in the camera specs what kind of battery life you could expect. But it’s much more convoluted than that. There are many variables.

The manual states that you can get 390 frames on a fully charged battery if you use the Optical Viewfinder, or 270 if you use the Electronic Viewfinder. If you use the LCD (instead of the OVF or EVF) it falls somewhere in-between, but Fujifilm doesn’t provide a specific number.

So where does actual battery life fall? A lot depends on your shooting habits. Do you constantly review your pictures? Do you use the flash? Record video? Continuous auto-focus? RAW+JPEG? Long exposures? WiFi? Just the way you handle the camera can have a big impact on battery life.

I’ve actually captured more than 390 frames on a single charge. It’s possible to do it, but you have to be highly disciplined, and not do any battery-draining activities. When you forget to bring the spare battery you begin to consider every way in which you can extend the battery life.

Road Through The Autumn Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

I’ve also experienced less than 270 frames from a fully charged battery. This isn’t hard to do because there are many options that will deplete the charge. I’ve managed less than 200 exposures on one battery more than once.

To answer the question, battery life on the Fujifilm X100F is anywhere between less-than-200 frames to more-than-400 frames, depending on exactly how you use the camera. That’s a big disparity!

I think having at least one spare battery is essential, and you might consider having two if you make a lot of exposures between charges. Spare batteries are cheap if you get a generic brand. I paid about $10 for mine. It doesn’t have quite the same battery life as the Fujifilm battery that came with the camera, but it’s not all that far off, either. I would guesstimate the difference to be around 10%. I just keep one spare and bring the charger along when I travel.

For just everyday shooting I don’t bring a spare battery with me. If I find that I’m capturing more images than expected, I simply do more to conserve the battery. If I’m travelling or won’t have access to a charger and I expect to make a bunch of exposures, I’ll definitely bring a spare battery. I’ve yet to feel like I needed two spares, but if I were to photograph a wedding I would certainly want extra batteries just in case. I try to ensure that I begin each day with both batteries fully charged.

Battery life on the X100F ranges anywhere from good to so-so. A lot depends on the user. I find battery life to be sufficient most of the time. For those times it’s not, spares can be purchased for very little money and they’re lightweight and compact, so it’s not a huge deal. I wouldn’t let it stop you from purchasing the camera. Yes, it would be nice if you could get a thousand shots on a full charge, but it doesn’t bother me that I don’t.