I’m pretty sure I’m last to the party today, but in case you haven’t yet heard the news, Fujifilm announced the new X100VI, the much-anticipated successor to the much-desired-but-hard-to-find X100V. There are a lot more similarities than differences between the two models, so I’ll jump right into what has changed.
For me, the big headliner is the Reala Ace film simulation. The X100VI will be the first X-series camera to get it. Apparently, Fujifilm is planning to bring Reala Ace to the other X-Trans V models—the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, and X-S20—via a Kaizen firmware update sometime in late-spring or summer (hurray, Kaizen!). If you have one of those cameras, with a little patience, you’ll get the new film sim. If you don’t have patience, try my Reala Ace Film Simulation Recipe.
For others, the big headlines are probably the 40mp sensor and IBIS. I like the 40mp X-Trans V sensor, but I actually like the 26mp X-Trans IV sensor just a tad more. More resolution can be great sometimes, but for most people, 26mp is already overkill for most purposes. The Digital Teleconverter benefits the most from the megapixel bump. IBIS is cool and all, but it does add a little weight, and for the most part is not a huge benefit for still photography on a camera like the X100VI; however, for video it can make a big difference. Speaking of video, the new camera has a nice jump in specs, but it will likely have heat dispersion issues similar to the X100V, which will limit its usefulness for cinema. In my opinion, these will help sell the camera, but for practical use, they’re somewhat minor upgrades that come with tradeoffs.
I will say this: the engineers and programers who worked on the X100VI project pulled off a small miracle of sorts. The size is “essentially” the same… the lens does protrude 2mm further out than on the X100V to accommodate IBIS. The new camera weighs only 0.1 pounds more. Most incredibly, Fujifilm claims that the X100VI gets a little bit better battery life than the X100V, even though it uses the same battery. I’m not sure if they measured with IBIS on or off, but if it is indeed with it on, that’s a significant feat that’s probably not getting enough press for how impressive it is.
Fujifilm is calling the new camera “X106” (ex-one-hundred-six). I think it’s a bit strange, but perhaps rolls off the tongue a tad easier than X100VI (ex-one-hundred-vee-eye). Fujifilm didn’t call the X100S “X102”, the X100T “X103”, the X100F “X104”, or the X100V “X105”. It was ex-one-hundred-es, ex-one-hundred-tee, ex-one-hundred-ef, and ex-one-hundred-vee. So why X106? And if you’re going to say “six” shouldn’t it be ex-one-thousand-six, as in X1006? I’m just going to say vee-eye, personally, as X106 doesn’t sound right to me. I’m sure Fujifilm put a lot of thought into it, but if there’s one area that (in my opinion) they messed up (what I’m sure will be an iconic camera), it’s the name. But it is what it is, and it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
The price of the X100VI is a little higher than the X100V, but that’s to be expected with inflation and the added resolution and IBIS. All things considered, $1,600 isn’t bad, especially since the X100V has been selling second-hand for that much or more. For a little higher price tag, you could get the limited-edition 90th Anniversary model. Hopefully, with the introduction of the X100VI, the price-gouging on the older versions will subside, and some normalcy will return to the used camera market. However, I suspect that the new camera will sell out rather quickly—if it’s not already—and will also be difficult to buy for awhile. The camera will begin shipping within the next couple of weeks, possibly before the end of the month.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Fujifilm X100VI in black: Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex
Fujifilm X100VI in silver: Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex
The only question I have about the X100VI is one I doubt anyone will test: Does its Custom Settings work like the X100V and other older Fujis, where only the “recipe” settings are saved? Or does it work like the SLR-style and newer Fujis where even things like aperture and ISO are saved in the Custom Settings?
I sold my X-T5’s because this design choice wrecks the fun of shooting Fuji for me. I’m using an XPro2, X100V, and GFX50R now, because they do Custom Settings the “classic” way. I have a X100VI pre-ordered, but if it works like the X-T5, I’ll return it.
oh, never heard of this!
@richie: is this a problem with receipes etc.?
No, no problem. On the newer cameras (I believe starting with the X-E4), the C1-C7 (or C1-C4 for X-S20) saves more than just the IQ settings… things like AF settings, sound settings, etc., are also saved in Custom Presets. It takes a little bit longer to set up initially is all.
I’m pretty sure it will work like the X-T5, X-E4, etc., etc.. Aperture and ISO (other than Auto ISO) are not saved within Custom Settings, as they’re on the lens and top. But there are a lot of settings that must be saved within C1-C7, and not just IQ options. The best approach is to set up one Custom Preset with everything as you want it to be, then copy-and-paste it to the other six presets; then, you only have to change the IQ settings for each, as everything else is setup as you want.
thanks for the detailed infos richie. appreciated !!
The problem, as I see it, is that many settings are saved in your Custom Setting that you wouldn’t want to change when you simply want to change how your photo looks. An example probably illustrates this best:
I create a Base setting that’s Provia with nothing special. Then I set up C1 as Ritchie’s Nature Neon, C2 as Agfa Vista, and C3 as Tri-X. I’ll use his settings verbatim, and let’s say that I was in Aperture Priority, DR100, ISO 200, and Single-point AF when I created these.
Time to go shooting! I’m at home, and see my kids. I set the camera to Classic Chrome film sim for a quick snap. I set ISO to 800 and turn on face detection, and get a nice indoor photo. Then I decide I want to use my Tri-X recipe, so I change to C3. My ISO immediately drops to 200 and I’m switched to Single-point AF. I re-set my settings manually back to ISO800 and turn on face detect AF and take the photo.
I head out to a nearby park. I want to warm up some noon-day sun, so I change to my Nature Neon. My AF changes back to Single-point AF again, and ISO 200. I set DR400 to get some nice highlight rolloff, and raise the Shadows setting a little for this particular shot.
Then I decide that I want to shoot Agfa Vista again. You guessed it–I’m back to DR100, ISO200, and whatever was baked in when I created the settings.
Even more fun… if you don’t change “Keep Custom Settings”, if I NOW decide I want to shoot another Tri-X photo, my Tri-X recipe has been updated to use the ISO800 and face detection that I used early in the day!
With an X-T4 or another “old style” camera, you could crank your Custom Settings dial as much as you want, and the only thing that changes is the look of the photo…. exactly like when you change film sims.
Long story short, the new style of Custom Settings will have the camera change a variety of settings on you every time you change to a different one. My GFX100S will even change shooting mode between M and Av, and change my shutter speeds between custom settings!
The only way it doesn’t cause a problem for you is if you always shoot with ALL the same settings. Personally, I just dumped the new cameras. Recipes are a large part of what I like about my Fuji cameras, and the new method changes something fun to a chore.
If you have ISO set to 400 on the knob, when you switch to a different custom preset, it will still be ISO 400. I’m trying to understand… I have an X-E4 and X-T5, and I’m not experiencing these issues as you explained. I don’t use “Auto Update” (or whatever it is called) so that my C1-C7 settings don’t get messed with (that would drive me crazy, I think, and is maybe what caused your issues?). If you want face detection enabled, for example, that has to be either saved into your custom preset, or turned on each time that you want to use it (an fn button could be good for this). If I have it set up for one C1-C7 and not another, when I switch from one to the other it will disable it. For this reason, I have all 7 custom presets set up identically, then only change the IQ settings (and maybe the Auto-ISO settings). This way, nothing (except the Recipe) changes when I switch to a different C1-C7. Works great. I will say that it would be nice for the IQ (Recipe) settings and the other settings (AF, sound, etc.) to be disjointed (maybe have their own custom presets). The new setup is a bit more cumbersome to initially set, and confusing. But I don’t have any major issues with it, and I’m constantly shooting and changing to different C1-C7.
I’m heartened (or maybe disheartened!) that you’re experiencing this differently than me, Ritchie. Perhaps I’m not doing a good job of describing what I’m seeing?
I’ll try to distill the behavior that causes troubles for me a bit. I just grabbed my GFX100S, which is the only Fuji camera I still have that exhibits this behavior. (I’ve always wondered if I’m the only person in the world trying to shoot a 100S SOOC? 🙂 ).
My C3 is your Agfa Vista recipe. My C4 is your CineStill 800T. I started with them configured identically… RAW+JPEG (to gain access to in-camera aspect ratios), eye detect AF, MS+ES shutter, and Aperture Priority.
I changed to C4 and then changed to RAW (no JPEG), “Right Eye” AF, ES shutter, and Manual exposure mode. All of those settings then had the “red dot” when shown in my Q menu. For the sake of illustration, I saved the settings.
Now, if I rotate my mode dial between C3 and C4, I not only get the “look” settings of the recipes (ie: white balance, shadows/highlight, etc), but I also see those four settings toggle:
C3: RAW+JPEG, Eye Detect, MS+ES shutter, and Aperture Priority.
C4: RAW, Right Eye Detect, ES shutter, and Manual exposure
To make it even more crazy, let’s say I further change C4 to enable the 2-second timer, but I DON’T “save” the setting this time. THAT setting now toggles back and forth, too. But if I power the camera off and back on, the timer setting is forgotten!
I found the same behavior on the X-H2S, and the X-S10 and X-T5 also remembered “non-look” settings on me, as well. (I think the X-S10 was the first camera to do this.)
This REALLY messes with me when I’m shooting in a way I don’t normally shoot… I don’t even bother with Custom Settings when I am doing tripod shooting or macro, because I have to change a LOT of settings, and then “save” them in case my camera goes to sleep and discards all my changes. Having FEC bounce around when changing Custom Settings makes shooting macro infuriating!
Now, I COULD overwrite all six Custom Settings on my camera every time I wanted to change a setting, but that’s a TON of work every time I just want to change, say, AF area.
OK, I think I understand now. You would like the camera to remember the changes (AF, Shutter type, etc.) you made, when going from C4 to C3 (for example), but it doesn’t because those settings are baked into the presets, so changing to C3 activates the settings that are saved into C3, which might not be what you want. Is that correct?
That is indeed how it now works.
I have all of my C1-C7 set up identically, except for the IQ (Recipe) parameters, so that I know exactly what will happen when I change presets. What I did is program a fn button for the settings that I commonly adjust (for example, face detection, which I normally keep on, but sometimes want off), and if I want to change it, I do so via the fn button; however, if I change to a different C1-C7, or power off the camera and back on, I will have to readjust the setting because it is different than what is programmed into my custom preset. That can be annoying, but it doesn’t affect me much personally because I don’t commonly make changes to the settings, only occasionally and situationally. But if I were to commonly adjust them, I can see that being a problem.
Yes, that’s exactly it. Older cameras did not change the “shooting settings” when changing Custom Settings… they only changed the “look” settings, like shadows, color chrome, white balance, etc.
It leads to a lot of “what the heck?” moments when I change Custom Settings to find my AF point has moved, or the camera is now in M with a slow shutter speed I was using to blur a river, because that’s what I did last time I was in that mode. And “losing” settings when the camera goes to sleep (and then re-loads its Custom Settings) feels like the camera punishing me.
Anyway, I won’t beat a dead horse any more… I’m glad I seem to be in the minority caring about this, cause the VI looks otherwise great. I’ll hang onto my pre-order and hope against hope!
On a camera like the X100VI, the shooting mode, shutter, aperture, and ISO (aside from Auto-ISO) are not saved items within C1-C7 (I guess GFX is different?), so you won’t have to worry about those. But AF settings are another story.
I think it’s just the PASM cameras that put EVERYTHING in the Custom Settings… Makes sense, I suppose, because you can’t change between “A” and “M” when you have the mode dial already set to “C1”. I owned an X-S10 and X-H2S briefly, and they both worked like the GFX100S.
I guess it’ll cost me B&H’s return cost to find out how the VI works. It’s worth a shot; the X100V is my favorite camera, and all of the new features of the VI are attractive to me for one reason or another, and I’m looking forward to using some of these XTrans5 recipes you’ve been showing us!
I guess that makes sense, that is is PASM. Would drive me nuts, I think. I can see why it would be an issue.
Yes. I hate it. It’s like having 8 separate cameras all with their own settings when auto update is on, and it forgets the temporary changes on every power cycle with it off. The old way was soooooo much better. It’s infuriating. It used to only drop the temporary changes when you picked a new custom setting which was natural and made sense. The new model allows you to have temporary changes to all 7 custom settings and switch between them, but who could remember that? And they all go away if the camera powers off! With auto update, my precious saved settings get overwritten with every temporary change I make. The only workaround is using the phone app with auto update on. Then, I create a backup when the settings are all perfect and restore that when I want to know that all my settings are in the normal state. It can restore in a few seconds. It’s just painful compared to the highly intuitive way it has worked since the x-100 was originally released.
I suspect the naming convention is to suggest a minor upgrade rather than a new model proper.
A bit like Nikon adding an ‘s’.
I think the name is because past cameras where X100S for Second X100T for Third, then Fourth, then they put V for Five to not reuse the F. So this new camera should be X100Sixth but the S is already taken so they used Roman numerals again.
They could have gone with R for Roku (Japanese for 6), Z for Zeta (sixth letter of the Greek alphabet), or H for Hexa (Greek for 6, used in Latin). Any of those would have been more exciting than what they chose. Compare X100VI to X100Z, for example.
Never saw that connection before S econd T hird F ourth then V. It doesn’t really seem very well thought through. Either use Roman numerals or some other convention.
I don’t think that Fujifilm really believed that the X-series, and the X100 cameras in particular, would be the success that they’ve been, so they didn’t necessarily have long-term plans.
I hate the use of roman numerals, just because its both boring and expected (what everyone else does). I’d prefer something more original and exciting, personally. But, really, it doesn’t matter all that much what the name is… that’s all just marketing, anyway.
Fujifilm has used “s” in the past for the same reason (X-E2s, for example).
I think Fujifilm’s “logic” is that a lot of people (not the Fujifilm regulars, but just people) are familiar with the X100V, so they want them to easily find the next iteration. Naming it the X100VI allows those people to easily understand that this is the new camera. But the name they chose is the least exciting and imaginative of any X100-series camera. An iconic camera (the X100VI will surely be iconic) deserves a flashy name (think X100Z, X100R, etc.). However, in the end, this is such a minor thing overall.
It’s amazing they can fit IBIS in there!
It is, indeed.
I think I just gonna keep my X-E4… I’m not sur I really need all this new features
The X-E4 is an excellent camera, one of my personal favorites that I use very often. Definitely keep it.
“X106” would be “x one hundred AND six” which they’re not calling it. Grammatically there’s no problem with having two numbers side by side. Sounds worse than the letters (and out of sequence) but better than vee-eye imo. Can’t wait for that film sim tho.
Once upon a time I was an air traffic controller, and within that profession there are certain ways that numbers are stated. For example, SWA106 would be said “Southwest one-zero-six.” DAL1006 would be said “Delta ten-zero-six.” EJA100 would be said “Execjet one-hundred.” Because of this, “ex-one-hundred-six” sounds so wrong to me. But I do understand that it is my own odd problem, and not most people’s. Anyway, previous models always pronounced the letter that followed the X100 (“ex-one-hundred-tee”), so personally I will continue to do that, even if it is incorrect in Fujifilm’s eyes or slightly awkward to say due to there being two letters instead of one.
I do think the new film sim will be interesting. Can’t wait to try it!
I haven’t watched the summit yet but the best news for me is Reala will be coming to other XTrans5 cameras via firmware (whilst patiently waiting for news about P4).
The upcoming Kaizen update is huge news that kind of went under the radar. Yea, Kaizen! It’s my understanding that the X-Pro4 won’t be coming anytime soon, unfortunately… so you might need a lot of patience.
Why do you say “IBIS is cool and all, but… for the most part is not a huge benefit for still photography on a camera”?
Doesn’t IBIS let you shoot photos handheld in low light condition at ~6 stops lower without introducing noticeable motion blur? Eg I can get a clean handheld at 1/8 vs 1/250
So there’s an old “rule” that I learned 25 years ago in Photography 101 is that the slowest shutter speed that one should use in order to prevent camera shake (motion blur from the photographer, not motion blur from things moving within the frame… a fast shutter speed is required to prevent that, IBIS or not) is a number similar to the focal length of the lens. For example, on the X100-series, 1/30 shutter should prevent camera shake blur (unless the photography is being careless or is extra shaky). I can get 1/20 on my X100V without much trouble using good techniques. I’ve gotten a sharp picture handheld as slow as 1/4, but it took several tries.
In theory, with six stops IBIS, one should be able to get a sharp picture handheld on the regular with a two-second exposure. I don’t buy that in the slightest, but I’ll be sure to test it and see (I’ve been wrong before many times). My guess is that 1/8 or maybe 1/4 will be the lower limit for most, and with good technique a sharp one-second handheld exposure might be occasionally possible.
The question is: how many people are using (or desiring to use) the camera with that slow of a shutter speed handheld, and how often? My guess is that it is a small group, and fairly infrequently. So for most people, it is not a huge benefit. For some people it will be, but not for the majority of those who buy the camera. So that’s what I mean by what I said. It can certainly be a beneficial feature, but is far from an essential feature on a camera like the X100-series. Generally speaking (for still photography), IBIS is most useful with telephoto lenses, where camera shake is magnified.
I respectfully disagree. IBIS was part of a reason why I sometimes prefer shooting with my GR III. Sure, good technique is important and all but sometimes I just need to get a quick shot and not miss the moment, and IBIS gives me sharper photos than I would have gotten otherwise. The addition of IBIS is a gamechanger I’d say. Maybe you can call me a photographer with bad technique, and I’ll take that any day, as long as I can get those shots!
The IBIS on the GR III (and, yes, I have that camera) is barely even useful. It’s a very basic IBIS system, and the camera is very wide-angle, making it even less necessary. For example, just on the regular, anyone should be able to get handheld shots with that camera at 1/20 *without IBIS*, and 1/4 should be doable with good technique (again, without IBIS). Maybe the IBIS gives you confidence, but in practical use, it isn’t giving you much of a boost. It’s more of a placebo, I think. With or without IBIS, you’d get the same shot almost always. Also, IBIS doesn’t fix bad technique. It can only account for a tiny amount of shake, like from your heartbeat or regular breathing. If you are being careless, IBIS won’t fix that.
I know it’s your favorite camera Ritchie, and I can understand why (it’s gorgeous and the quality is undisputed) but the X100 series, I long ago discovered, is not something for me. If you compare this to, say, the XT5 with a 27mm pancake attached to it, the latter for me is a much better deal: only slightly higher weight and size, better handling and of course it’s an ILC, thus offering much more flexibility. Even the price of an X100VI comes close (too close, I’d say) to the XT5. I do have to say, for me the 40MP sensor is a major upgrade and the main reason why I switched from an XT4 to an XT5. I recently shot a music gig but could not get close enough to the stage. Most images needed to be cropped and I still ended up with images of > 20MP with a lot of detail and resolution. Saved!
There are certainly people who greatly benefit from more resolution. I would say, generally speaking, it is a small percentage. But it’s great that you have an option that works well for your photography needs. The X-T5 is a nice camera, no doubt about it. However, if you watched the latest SOOC Live broadcast, you’ll see where it failed me, but the X-T4 came to the rescue. 😮 Granted, that was a unique situation….
So, something to think about. As I now have a XT-5, coupled with the XF23mm 1.4 LM WR. Is it possible, or probable, or a given the the X100VI with its 40mp and 23mm lens will visibly outperform the 23mm 1.4 LM WR? With theXT-5? Is the X100VI actually providing sharper corner to corner sharpness? I hate getting on a sharpness bent and I usually really don’t, but I’m wondering what can the X100VI do that my XT-5 can’t. The XT-5 is a small camera too.
I don’t think the “benefit” of the X100VI over the X-T5 is the fixed lens vs the 23mm f/1.4. I don’t think the X100VI’s lens is “better”, unless perhaps comparing corner sharpness at f/2 on the X100 vs wide-open on the 23mm f/1.4 (which isn’t a fair comparison); otherwise, I’m sure they are very similar in IQ.
What the X100VI can do that the X-T5 cannot are other things: leaf shutter (silent mechanical shutter with high-speed flash sync), built-in fill-flash that just seems to work really well, built-in ND filter, hybrid viewfinder, rangefinder design (viewfinder on the corner… nose doesn’t smudge the screen), and just a little smaller and lighter.
That doesn’t make the X100VI a “better” camera than the X-T5, only that there are some things that are different, aside from the lens. One might be preferable to a particular person, and the other preferable to another. There’s no right or wrong answer, just whatever works best for each person, and we’re all different. They are both extremely excellent cameras.
I hope that is a helpful answer.
I’m much the same, I had the X100s but just needed the extra width and flexibility to change lens and ended up with an XT20. Perfectly fine for my needs. The X100V/VI is however aesthetically pleasing and that combined with superb features (and the film recipes) makes it hugely attractive to influencers. And when that happens boom! A few years ago I was within striking distance of a Mamiya 7. Then it became a ‘thing’ with influencers. Then a huge price increase as demand soared. Now well out of reach!
The only thing (except maybe the Nost. Negative simulation) that would trigger me to upgrade was if the AF/tracking ACTUALLY was improved vs X100V. But I fear the lens is too slow to keep up with the improved algorithm and real life difference wouldnt be that substantial. Guess I will have to wait for users to report on this, but then the VI might be sold out already 😀
I think it is already sold out, from what I’m hearing.
I don’t do much subject tracking continuous AF (I use other techniques for moving subjects), but when I tested it on my X-T5, it does seem to be better than on previous models. I’m not sure if the AF system in the X100VI is quick enough to really take advantage of the improved algorithms, but I’m sure it is improved over the X100V, at least by a little. That’s probably not enough of a reason on its own to upgrade from the X100V, but maybe from an older model?