There’s been a lot of negativity within the community about the new Fujifilm X half camera. A lot of positivity, too, but definitely a lot of gloom. I think it stems from a misunderstanding of who the camera is for. Understanding better the intended market segment might help to make sense of the camera. I think it’s also important to state that just because a particular model is not for you personally, doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t exist—if it becomes commercially successful (which I’m confident it will be), that is a strong argument that it should indeed exist because it obviously filled a market void, but maybe just not the particular void affecting you. It’s certainly ok to express your opinions about it, but preferably in a kind and constructive way. Not everything I said was positive because in all honesty, not everything about it is roses and rainbows; however, that doesn’t mean the camera is junk. With that out of the way, let’s get into this.
So who is the Fujifilm X half for? In my opinion, there are several primary groups. And just because someone doesn’t fit any of those groups, that doesn’t mean they won’t buy or appreciate the camera. I think this is a polarizing model that is definitely not for everyone, or even for most people. Some of you will love it, some of you will hate it, and that’s ok. This camera isn’t for everyone who regularly reads this website. In fact, the target audience most likely has never heard of Fuji X Weekly, or is maybe only vaguely familiar (but probably not).
One group is those who have recently discovered the joys of film photography, particularly those who have purchased the Pentax 17 or Kodak H35N—but not exclusively those people. Some have a 35mm point-and-shoot from the ’90’s. Some have been using Fujifilm Quicksnap disposable cameras. Film photography has seen a significant resurgence from the younger generation; however, it’s been hindered by the high cost of film and development, and sometimes the lack of availability. A camera that provides a similar experience and even aesthetic, but with the convenience of digital and with a one-time-fee entry point will be appealing to some of these people.
Another group is the digicam lovers. Surprisingly, the number one digital camera brand in Japan in 2024 was Kodak (actually, JK Imaging using the Kodak brand name). They’re selling a ton of cheap digicams that are basically 15-year-old tech and designs. Nobody in the camera world takes this seriously, but it is a sizable demographic. Retro digicams from 15 or 20 years ago are all the rage right now, too. The X half offers a graduation of sorts for those looking for a more premium option.
A third group is Instax users. Instax is the camera division’s money maker much more than the X-series is. Instant film photography is big and has been for awhile, and Fujifilm is king of the hill. At some point one can outgrow Instax; the Evo series is supposed to help with that, but it’s not a big step. So how can Fujifilm convince Instax photographers to take the leap into the X-series world? With a digital camera that offers a simple and analog-like experience with some Instax compatibility, of course!
In my opinion, those are the three main groups. That’s a pretty large umbrella, and you only need a small portion from each to sell a lot of copies. If you are not in one of those groups, you may still find the camera appealing, and might buy and love it (I might be one of those people); however, you’re not necessarily the target market for the X half. What’s fascinating—genius, really—is that this is a potential stepping stone into the system from the bottom. There’s always a lot of discussions about market share, and convincing those from other brands to join the fold. This camera is intended to bring in outsiders, and grow the brand unconventionally yet organically. Then, later, some of these people will buy an X-M5, X-T50, X100VI, etc., as their second X-series camera. I bet thousands get into the system this way.
Unfortunately, some of those who aren’t the target market have been trashing the camera online (not on this website, but elsewhere), and—much worse—speaking harshly of those who might buy it. My estimation is that the majority of sales will come from first-time Fujifilm photographers. I think it will sell fairly well to the existing X-series customer base because it’s a fun concept, but primarily it’s going to be someone’s first dip into the X-series pool. Instead of degrading these folks for liking and buying the camera, we should gladly welcome them into the community. If they have a good experience, they may just stick around for awhile, and that’s a very good thing for the brand and photography in-general. I think we need to be more welcoming and accepting of these newcomers, and not criticize them for making the purchase. I don’t think anyone here is doing that, but I’ve definitely seen it elsewhere, and it’s not healthy. It’s ok if this camera isn’t for you, but it is certainly for someone, and they’re going to absolutely love it.
I think I would agree with you if it wasn’t an $850 camera. I don’t think many Instax users are going to be in the market for this camera at that price. Ditto on your other examples. If it was half that, I think you would be right on.
Apparently it was supposed be $700, but due to tariffs, it’s $850, which does seem high. I would say that $700 is a fair price, and few would complain if it were that much. Due to the inflation of the last handful of years, especially the last few, and the tariffs, I’m afraid that $850 is what $500 was, and it’s the “new normal” going forward. Five years ago I believe it would have been a $500 camera… those were the days. I still believe it will be a big hit for Fujifilm (just not with the usual crowd).
The problem in Europe is the use Market, a x100v can be negotiated for 200€ more. It’s definitely a better camera, aside from the experience that is different.
For me then it’s too much restrictions for the price : you cannot have recipes. for a only jpeg camera it’s so much a downscale. since I like classic neg with boost of colours and less contrast, it’s not for me. Also you cannot choose the format. In fact for this price I would like the same semi argentic lock but with a squared sensor and then choosing between portrait square or landscape mode, just to add some fun in composition. Finally there is too much restriction with the argentic lock mode you cannot tweak during the roll, or at least switch back to digital mode.
It’s definitely not for everyone, or the best value.
I still disagree on every group you believe to a target market!
1. the TikTok gen still uses their smartphones, which have way more options and no need to transfer files.
2. the group using film WILL use film cameras, new or old and they celebrate that. They are actually to be taken seriously, spend money especially on films and development/scans. If they went for digital they would go for an x100 model, new or used, or even the xE line. 18mpx is not enough.
3. the group using older digi cams celebrate those old sensors and how bad/good they are, resolution is not the main focus. And most importantly those cameras are cheap…
4. then there’s the price for a toy camera… I paid 850€ for my XE4 body, have 26mpx, RAW (!) and many more useable features which this camera doesn’t have. So 850$ even 750$ is still too expensive. Maybe 400$ would raise attention, but I still doubt it.
So all in all I highly doubt that this camera will sell like hot cakes.
They should have rather raised the availability of the X100VI instead!
Of course just my 2c
From what I saw at X Summit yesterday, the TikTok generation (who comprised at least half the crowd) seemed to really like this camera. And us older photographers generally thought it to be a fun snapshot camera, as well, though not really *our* thing. I could be wrong but from what I saw, I came away fairly convinced it’ll be a hit.
Of course the gen TikTok was raving about this camera, cause it’s new, but will they actually buy it once it’s available? I highly doubt it…
They are already buying it. The initial sales reports are strong, talking to folks from several camera stores and Fujifilm. I’m sorry that you are having a hard time accepting that this camera will be successful.
Thanks for the report 😀
You might be 90% right, but you are putting people into really small boxes (overgeneralizing). All it takes is 2% from each group to have the most sold camera of all time. The camera will sell like hotcakes, and it will be at least half to first-time X-series customers.
Apparently the camera is being manufactured by a third party (who has made cameras for Canon and iPhones for Apple), so X100VI manufacturing is not adversely affected. Fujifilm has already delivered more X100VI units than any prior X100 model over their lifetime production runs, so it’s not like they aren’t trying to meet the demand.
I think the strategy for people who want this ….. take your vacation in Japan (everyone wants to go there) and purchase the camera there. It will likely translate to about $700 without tariffs.
If you can get it for less while traveling internationally, that’s a good option; however, that’s probably an unrealistic approach for most people.
I honestly think that this will be a big success. Sure, a 500$ price tag would have helped but still, I think even “normal” photographers will like it and buy one. I consider myself as a “serious” hobby photographer normally using a Fujifilm XT-5, a X-Pro 3 and a Leica Q3 – and I ordered one yesterday and can hardly wait to use it. It is definitely not meant as a main camera but as something different (and this is very different to any camera I know) this will be great.
It will be a big success despite the price. People will pay a premium for the unique experience only possible on with this camera.
📷 Well done Fujifilm! Still the only company producing innovative new products and having actual creative ideas. The GFX RF and this within the space of a few months! Playing it safe is not their style. (There’s no shortage of choice out there for everyone.) 😎👏🏻
I agree! Very few original ideas in the camera world. Fujifilm is pretty much the only one taking risks right now.
People thrash all sort of things on the internet and camera enthusiasts (different from PHOTO enthusiasts) are often a rather nasty crowd in this respect. Most of it is pointless, and totally divorced from the quality of the images you can get from the thrashed product du jour, and from whether or not the thrashing party is able of producing any quality image at all.
This said, I’m really not the target customer for this camera. I don’t appreciate the default portrait orientation (I shoot a lot in portrait mode, but being default is not how my brain is wired, I’m totally aware it is personal), I’m not a fan of 35mm equivalent (reason why Fuji never managed to sell me an X100, although they are extremely pretty), and I can’t forgive (as I wrote elsewhere) leaving out Raw and film simulation recipes. The latter sounds frankly stupid: they are a rather important reason why the vintage crowd went gaga on the X100, and it’s just already written software (unless they are using some rather underpowered processing to keep down the cost, and it cannot handle the flexibility required by the recipes, but it seems unlikely to me).
This said, it’s not like Fuji does not provide me, or anybody else who wants more, or different, with plenty of options. Apparently some people want basically every product to do the same job only with minor differences (which get then blown out as absolutely crucial on forums, of course). If you want what an X100 does, buy that. If you want what an X-T5 does, buy that. This one does a different thing, and it is in fact a GOOD thing that it covers a totally different segment of the market. Let’s see how it does, let’s hope it does well. I will not buy one, but so what?
It would be one thing if this camera was in a vacuum, but considering one can buy any number of other options… if it’s not for someone, they have zero obligations to buy it. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
I don’t think it’s a problem to have a primary target market… but sometimes hewing too close to that market can be a mistake.
I’m definitely not one of these target markets. I’ve got an X-Pro3, a honking big Pentax K-1ii. But I wasn’t what folks on the internet decided was the target market for the Pentax 17, either. I’ve got a handful of SLRS (Pentax manual and automatic, Nikon mechanical, a few Minolta), Rolleiflex TLR, 3D printed 6×12 camera using a large format lens (Fujinon 125mm, as it happens). I’ve seen lots of folks in comments say the Pentax 17 wasn’t a camera for someone like me.
But I was an immediate purchaser for the Pentax 17; it’s one of my favorite cameras. It’s a casual camera, to be sure, but sometimes something casual enough to be easy and hands-on enough to keep you involved is a great thing to have. I don’t always want to bring a tripod for a big medium format camera, meter precisely, and so forth. It can be a glorious experience to spend an afternoon looking through ground glass, but it’s not necessarily something I want to do every day.
So while not being the “target audience,” before seeing the actual release, I was incredibly tempted by the Xhalf. Now… less so.
Having a small compact with Fuji’s latest film sims and option as a secondary camera, something I can throw into a pocket when I don’t want to bring something big? Yeah, I still want that. Small sensor? Vertical format? No problem with any of that. The physical controls used seem good.
I don’t think there are huge flaws in the Xhalf, but with raw files, a few more possible settings for the film sims, and let’s throw in a hot shoe for an external Xenon flash that freezes motion and gives that disposable camera look…. well the Xhalf would go from a camera only designed as an Instax Upgrade, into a fantastic “get out of a rut” camera for experienced shooters as well as newer folks.
When you think you know your target audience, and really limit the specs because you think they won’t want these features, that really limits the market. With the Sony ZV-1f, that was an oddly half-tempting camera for a stills shooter. 20mm equivalent isn’t the most common focal length, but it can work, and be pretty dramatic for street shooting. There’s a great book of Portland, ME street photography from the 70s mostly taken Canon FD 20mm lens, Take It Easy. But the camera can’t shoot raw, and there’s no reprogramming the zoom rocker (which is only DIGITAL ZOOM with the prime lens of that camera) into a custom function. Those are two little things that probably could have been done by software, and would dramatically increase the use case for the camera. Throw a cold-shoe accessory tunnel OVF on there, and it’d be an interesting compact. Instead, the camera felt actively hostile to anyone maybe wanting to use it as a stills camera.
Maybe it would have been too expensive to get the processor on the Xhalf faster, and maybe hot shoe connection internals would have been too bulky… but not having a few more options for film sim settings and raw probably wouldn’t have been. It could have been a two-way street, where seasoned X-Mount shooters grab one of these for a casual and fun experience, as well as beginners upgrading from Instax to this to X-Mount. But with the lack of a few tweaks, it feels like Fuji blocked off half the road.
I was thisclose to really wanting the camera from ~outside~ the so-called “target market.” I’m not one of the continual price whiners who say they wouldn’t buy this at $425. I have no issues with the GFX100RF’s slow lens or lack of IBIS. I don’t hate film sim dials. I’m not someone who is typically this down on a Fuji product. I could accept most of the limitations the Xhalf has.
Maybe that’s not accurate. I do kinda think the focal length would be too wide for me as a vertical cameras (I enjoy 32mm as landscape orientation, but default vertical? perhaps too much). Maybe it doesn’t make sense with current finances and cameras I already own. Maybe I wouldn’t have preordered anyhow. But I was almost a huge supporter of this camera, and the more I look at it, the gloomier I get about it.
I just think it’s a mistake when camera companies decide that a camera is casual and really gut it. A casual shooting experience can be really tempting to more serious photographers, too, and there isn’t a tonne more required to make “beginner camera” into a crossover hit.
I think the camera could have been really epic and massively successful with some changes. In an effort to attract certain people, it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I’m ok with that, although simultaneously disappointed. The camera won’t be as successful as it could have been (IMHO), but it will still be very successful, and I’m certain that it will accomplish what Fujifilm hoped it would.
I guess what bugs me in the end is that the things I wish were there wouldn’t really interfere with the TikToc crowd targeted.
A few more JPEG options (to match the final JPEG recipes on big-brother Fuji cameras), being able to shoot RAW, possibly better video and a nicer flash (I say nicer, but what I mean is more like a disposable camera, harsh and bright).
The overall simplicity and stripped-down nature doesn’t really bother me. I would like a small, casual snapshot Fuji. I’m totally fine with a smaller sensor and overall IQ loss and much wider depth of field. But it kinda feels like some of what was cut was the look, and the look of a Fuji is why I want a Fuji compact.
Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if they make a proper X30 successor.
If they ever make a v2, I wonder if they’d improve on some of those things. The lack of RAW doesn’t bother me personally, but I understand why it would be a problem for others. The video mode and flash choice are more problematic… the lack of a hotshoe, too. The inability to use Recipes (lack of IQ options) was probably the biggest disappointment to me, personally. If they fixed those “problems” in a future X-HF2, I think that would be welcomed. Some of those things could be addressed on the current iteration via a firmware update, but I’d be surprised (pleasantly) if they did that.
I imagine if there are more camera that use the 1″ sensor, they probably won’t be quite as stripped down as this one. I could see an X50 potentially coming next year.
As one of the few who’ve had the opportunity to try out this camera, I don’t have a particularly strong opinion either way. For what it offers (particularly the side-by-side large Instax print capability), it’s certainly fun to use and the film sims, of course, look great. And at yesterday’s Fuji-X Summit in LA there was no shortage of folks enjoying the camera.. that said it isn’t really for me but I imagine it’ll be a pretty big hit with influencers, casual shooters (with a little cash to spare..) and retro fashion aficionados.
Awesome that you got to try it out! It looked like a fun event, I really wanted to go.
I sense that the FHalf’s Film Mode feature will make its way to an XPro model IF Fuji’s ever releasing one in the near future. It will make, hmmm…a lot of…uhu…sense. Pun intended. As for the FHalf, it’s worth the trip. BUT price is kind of unjustifiable. I just hope that it’s cheaper here where we live since we’re supposedly not affected by the tariffs.
I do know that Fujifilm is working on the next X-Pro and has been for at least a year now. My guess is that it will be released in the spring of next year. I’d love to see the Film Mode make its way into another model or two, it sounds like so much fun.
I am none of these target groups and I want one really badly! I haven’t shot analog, myself, because I just can’t get behind gathering physical film (I do shoot Fuji for a reason) but this would have the look and feel of film without the issues I have with it.
I think as long as the expectations are realistic, it can be a fun camera. It’s not going to emulate the look of 35mm film particularly well (aside from perhaps disposable), but if the expectations are more similar to a smaller format like Advanced Photo System, 110, Disc, or something like that, then I think it’s a solid alternative.
I think the negativity comes from the price which doesn’t match the camera’s performance and inferior hardware. For example, having to wait a few second for an image to be recorded before taking the next picture is not only un-acceptable but doesn’t mimic the “film” experience. I think it is a great idea, but the price is ridiculous, especially compare to the amazing X-M5+kit lens that can be had for the same price, and also in a very small for factor. If it was a few hundred dollars cheaper, I would absolutely buy one, but not at this price… I think Fuji is taking advantage of its success with the X100 series and the X-M5…
On X-series cameras, if Clarity is set to anything other than 0, there is a storing pause. Even GFX is pretty slow. I think most cameras are actually too fast for most people and situations, and slowing down helps to be more deliberate, which helps to produce better photos. If you need speed, a camera like the X-H2s is probably the best bet within the Fuji system. The X half was never going to be about speed.
As far as the X-M5, at least here in the US, I expect the price to increase substantially before the end of the year. My best guess is body-only will be $999 and the kit will be $1,100 or $1,150. I suspect that Fujifilm will announce price increases this summer; Canon, Nikon and Sony have already stated they will be raising their prices. The X half will stay the same since it already reflects the tariffs.
While $850 is definitely high, by the end of the year, it won’t seem so bad relative to all the other cameras, which will be more expensive. That is, unless the tariffs are negotiated lower, which very well might happen; if it does, the X half could go down in price.
I played for couple of hours with X-Half. It is really fun!! 😀
And it’s so small and pocketable!.
I ordered one within hours of appearing on the webshop listing. As I expected it to be running out of stock very fast – and indeed it does here in Europe, if you order now you have to wait for a long time before you will get one in your hands. X100vi all over again. But this is not the reason (obviously to you I hope) to order this camera.
I ordered it because of the specific features it has. Its output I will use mainly for social media posts, standard portrait mode, film simulations and connection to my mobile phone are a big help and time saver. But no, shooting with my mobile and its endless catalog of photo apps doesn’t fulfill my satisfaction of photography. I prefer a camera.
I have the x100f, super happy with it – still to day. I never upgraded to the x100vi as that one is 1899 euro in Europe in stores, yes widely available right now, no need to go to scalpers. I think I will have more fun by adding the x half to my collection then upgrading my x100f. I do not need the best or newest camera of today. It will be old tomorrow anyway. I want a camera that is fun to use and gives my happiness. (As I am still happily using my Olympus EPL-1 frequently). I think the x half fulfills this. I appreciate the bold moves fuji made by creating this camera and I think it can be the ‘perfect’ camera in the right hands and creative mindset.
The X half is very much a camera for social media. It’s a lot of fun, and I’ve been immensely enjoying it. But the IQ is definitely not great compared to the APS-C models. So you have to be OK with that going in, I think. Those who want exceptional IQ will be disappointed.