compact camera | FUJI X WEEKLY

Photographers Are Tired of Big Cameras

On June 11th, PetaPixel published a post entitled Photographers Are Tired of Big Cameras by Jaron Schneider, which had an intriguing premise but fell a bit flat on delivery. This article is my attempt to fix that. This is perhaps what Jaron should have said.

While sitting at a train station in Osaka, Japan, Chris Niccolls stated, “I’m thinking of buying a new camera.” This might seem extremely innocuous, a common phrase uttered by most photographers as frequently as trains depart the Osaka station; however, coming from Chris, this was nothing short of shocking. You see, as a camera reviewer, Chris is constantly using new gear. Each week he has a different camera in his hands. Since 2009, when Chris and Jordan Drake began making videos for The Camera Store TV on YouTube, he has used pretty much every model released from every brand. But he very rarely buys them. It’s highly unusual for Chris to be in the market for a new camera.

For the last few years, he has been carrying a Sony a7R V. That’s what he uses when he’s not reviewing cameras. He seemed quite content with it, even just recently. If Chris was in the market for any one camera, I would have bet on it being the a7R VI, the successor to his camera, which he had just recently reviewed. Curiously, that’s not what he had in mind. “I want something small,” Chris added.

*Studio Ghibli Scene* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5 – Provia Positive

The Fujifilm X-E5 is the camera that Chris was considering, which he ultimately purchased just recently. The two factors that he considered most important were compact size and image quality, with bulkiness weighted (pun intended) slightly more important than image quality. After much consideration, Chris decided that the X-E5 struck the perfect balance for him. It was small and lightweight enough, while also delivering image quality that met his strict standards. Of all the cameras available, most of which he has personally tried, the Fujifilm X-E5 is the one that he believes is most ideal for him at this moment in time.

There’s a noticeable trend in photography that can’t be ignored: creators crave compact cameras. According to a recent CIPA report, one out of every four cameras shipped in April was a compact fixed-lens model. That’s shocking! When you look at the most popular cameras over the last year, the majority of them are on the small side, and several of them are fixed-lens. Models like the Ricoh GR IV and Fujifilm X100VI are selling out well before they hit the shelves. All of the data available indicates that smaller gear is tremendously trendy right now.

What explains this? Nobody knows for sure, but there are a few possibilities, and it’s probably a combination of each, and possibly more. First, photographers are getting older. Across the globe since World War II, the average age for most countries has been rising. In America, nearly half of all professional photographers are over 40. The bulky gear that was no issue to carry around a decade ago is now starting to feel a bit cumbersome. Second, many influencers on social media use smaller gear because it’s easier to travel with, and that gear-of-choice tends to get purchased by their audience (that’s why they’re called influencers). Third, younger photographers often care more about picture aesthetic and user experience than spec-sheet stats. That high-end gear with extraordinary capabilities is less impressive to them than a camera that easily produces the look they’re after, especially if it can fit into a pocket or purse.

*D Y* – Grapevine, TX – Fujifilm X-E5 – Reggie’s Superia

Fujifilm and Ricoh are the two companies that seem to be benefiting the most from this trend. Fujifilm, in particular, has seen their market share increase over the last few years, thanks to the success of cameras like the X100VI, X-E5, X-M5, and X-T30 III, all of which are hot sellers. Even the much maligned X half has been a massive success in some parts of the world, especially Asia. Of all the major brands, Fujifilm might be in the best position to seize on this compact camera craze, and it will be fascinating to watch them navigate it over the next few years. Will they produce successors to the long-discontinued X30 and X70? Surely both of those would be hits if they did. Will they find ways to shrink the size of their current lineup? Will they introduce a few more pancake lenses? There’s a lot that they could do to capitalize on the trend, but they could also err on the side of caution, and not take many risks. If there’s one brand that has demonstrated a willingness to try something different, it’s Fujifilm. It will be intriguing to watch how each camera company responds to the changing market.

Now that Chris is a Fujifilm photographer, will he embrace straight-out-of-camera photography? Will he try some Fujifilm Recipes? Maybe find some that will replace RAW editing? Will Chris hop off the Fujifilm Express at the next stop, or will he ride it for awhile and see where the adventure takes him? Unlike the trains at the Osaka station, the trend towards smaller gear shows no signs of stopping.

So how’d I do? Did I improve on Jaron’s article? Is this version better or worse than what was published on PetaPixel? Let me know what you think! I enjoyed this writing exercise. I mean no disrespect to anyone—Jaron, if you read this, please know that it was all in good fun.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-E5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira

Why Fujifilm made the GFX100RF so small and lightweight

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Ritchie Roesch

PetaPixel posted a couple of articles relating—directly and indirectly—to the Fujifilm GFX100RF, which I found quite interesting. In the first, Every Design Decision on the Fujifilm GFX100RF Was Made to Keep It Compact, they interviewed Makoto Oishi, a Product Planning Manager at Fujifilm, to discuss the ethos of the new camera’s design. In the second article, Compact and Interchangeable Lens Camera Demand Is Diverging, PetaPixel looks at a BCN+R report about market trends between fixed-lens and interchangeable-lens models.

Makoto told PetaPixel, “[O]ur first priority was how to make it smaller and lighter weight.” That’s pretty much the entirety of the article, as the rest is simply explaining why the camera does not have IBIS or a larger maximum aperture than f/4 and other design choices. It’s worth reading, if you are curious about those things. The main point: Fujifilm set out to make it as small and lightweight as possible. Interestingly, they did create mockups of versions with IBIS and larger apertures, but it required the camera to be significantly larger and heavier, which went against their “first priority” of small size and less weight. IBIS alone, according to this interview, would have doubled the camera’s size, because the lens would have to project to a much larger area.

The lens is pretty remarkable in that it is extremely compact for medium-format, and it barely covers the sensor. That’s why IBIS wasn’t practical, as it would have required a different and much larger lens. That’s why the maximum aperture is “only” f/4, as a larger aperture would not only have required a larger lens, but it would likely begin to show vignetting and corner softness when wide open. All of the design choices make sense when viewed through the prism of Fujifilm’s top priority: size and weight. The engineers succeeded, and did so quite fantastically.

*Driveway* – Charleston, SC – Fujifilm GFX100S II & 30mm f/3.5 – Superia Negative Recipe

Now you might disagree with the “first priority” that Fujifilm gave the GFX100RF team. You might not appreciate that the GFX100RF is the smallest, lightest, and cheapest digital medium-format camera-lens combo that has ever been made. You might have wished that Fujifilm’s top goal was to make this as premium of a camera as possible, or balanced somewhere in-between premium and size/weight/cost. I think that’s where a lot of the criticisms are found. There are some (quite) vocal critics who disagree with the design ethos, and wished that this camera was different.

This is where the second PetaPixel article comes in. Interestingly, interchangeable-lens camera sales are declining year-over-year, while fixed-lens camera sales are increasing because of a renewed interest in compact cameras. Who is leading the fixed-lens camera market? Kodak. Surprised? It’s JK Imaging selling cheap point-and-shoots on Amazon under the Kodak PixPro name—cameras that are basically 15-year-old tech digicams. Second is Fujifilm, thanks to the massive success of the X100VI, which has already outsold all of the previous X100-series models, and also the Instax Evo line. Canon is third—largely because of their nine-year-old (but still in production) ELPH 360 digicam—but declining (the PowerShot V1 will certainly change that trajectory to some degree). Kenko Tokina is fourth with their tiny toy cameras and digicams. Panasonic is fifth and on the rise, due to the sales success of the DC-ZS99. Ricoh is sixth, thanks to the GR III and GR IIIx, and would probably rank higher if they manufactured those cameras at a higher rate to meet the current demand. Most of the fixed-lens cameras that are selling like hotcakes right now are cheap point-and-shoots; the exceptions are the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR III/GR IIIx.

If you are trying to understand why Fujifilm chose to make size, weight, and cost the priority for the GFX100RF, that’s why. Simply, it’s market trends. By making the camera as small, lightweight, and affordable as possible, Fujifilm gave it the best chance for market success. The early indicators seem to show that it was the best choice, but only time will tell. That’s not going to make those who wish that Fujifilm had made other aspects—like stabilization and maximum aperture—more important feel any better, but I hope it sheds some light on the why, even if you disagree.

With the massive success of the X100VI, if sales figures for the GFX100RF are good, and if Fujifilm were to release some other fixed-lens option (say, the half-frame camera that’s been rumored), it’s quite possible that Fujifilm will find itself at the very top of the fixed-lens market, which is a growing segment. But, I think it’s also quite possible that, as the months pass by, more and more fixed-lens cameras will be released by other manufacturers, heating up the competition, and making it more difficult to stay on top. Getting quality (and exciting) products out ahead of competitors is going to be a big long-term win for Fujifilm in my opinion; however, predicting the future is impossible, and I’ve certainly been wrong plenty of times before, so who knows? It does seem like smart moves to me, though. Overall, the GFX100RF is likely only going to be a small contributor to Fujifilm’s fixed-lens sales numbers (it’s a $4,900 camera, after all, and GFX models don’t move nearly as quickly as X-series), but it will probably do well for the company’s bottom line, which is good if you’d like to see them continue to make interesting cameras well into the future.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm GFX100RF in black:
Amazon, B&H, Nuzira, WEX
Fujifilm GFX100RF in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Nuzira, WEX

Fujifilm X30 — Fujifilm’s Forgotten Retro Compact Zoom

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

The Fujifilm X30 is an amazing and fun little camera. All it does is create wonderful pictures. It was quite surprising, and just blew away my expectations! I bet some of you aren’t even aware that this camera exists.

MPB is the sponsor of this article. They loaned me a Fujifilm X30 to try out for a couple of weeks. For those who don’t know, MPB is an online platform where you can buy, sell, or trade used photo and video gear. “At MPB, there’s something for everyone who wants to try something new, hone their skills, or pursue their passion—and it won’t cost the earth.” If you’re in the market for used camera gear, be sure to check out their platform—you can learn more about MPB here. Thank you, MPB, for making this article possible!

The Fujifilm X30 is a compact fixed-lens zoom camera with a tiny 12MP X-Trans II sensor. The third iteration in the series, the X30 was already a bit dated when it was released in 2014. With its discontinuation in 2016, Fujifilm abandoned the series altogether. The camera has a 28mm-112mm full-frame-equivalent f/2-2.8 lens, so it covers a lot of focal lengths. It has pretty good close focus capabilities and even optical image stabilization. There’s a lot to like on paper, but the 2/3″ CMOS sensor is just really small, and I think it’s hard to take a camera seriously with such a tiny sensor—especially when that tech is a decade old or more. That’s all on paper, of course, and real world use is what actually matters.

Despite the tiny sensor, the Fujifilm X30 is actually a similar size (just a tad smaller) to the Fujifilm X-E4 with the Fujinon 18mm f/2 pancake. The camera is not nearly as compact as I had expected. I had anticipated the dimensions to be more similar to the Fujifilm X70—perhaps even be pocketable—but it’s actually noticeably larger. In place of the usual Shutter Dial is a PASM Dial (which was common on Fujifilm’s lower-end models at the time); otherwise, the X30 looks and functions like many other Fujifilm X-series cameras. Because of the tiny sensor, it has significantly lower high-ISO capabilities than the APS-C models—I think it’s best to keep the camera at ISO 800 and below, but I did use ISO 1600 in some low-light situations and it was ok enough.

I programmed seven Film Simulation Recipes into the camera’s C1-C7 Custom Presets: Classic Kodak Chrome, Kodachrome 64, Pro Film, Lomography Color 100, Provia Negative, CineStill 800T, and Monochrome Red. This is a good set that covers most situations. Also, because each one uses a different White Balance type, the camera will remember the White Balance Shift for each. On the older cameras, which aren’t capable of saving a WB Shift within the C1-C7 presets, the experience is much improved if each Recipe uses a different White Balance type. I used Kodachorme 64 the most, and Classic Kodak Chrome second most—at one point or another, each of the seven came in handy.

*Fujifilm X30 – Classic Kodak Chrome Recipe*

*Fujifilm X30 – Lomography Color 100 Recipe*

The pictures from this camera are amazing! They have a ton of character—I especially love the lens flare. I think the photographs are the selling point of the X30. It doesn’t have a ton of resolution, so you probably can only print up to 11″ x 14″ and not likely any larger; however, the files are plenty large enough for web and social media use, which is how most pictures are seen nowadays. I could see myself using this as an everyday-carry. Just grab it while heading out the door on ordinary outings.

Once again, a big “thank you” to MPB for loaning me a Fujifilm X30. It definitely is “outdated” in 2024, but the images that it creates are surprisingly wonderful, which makes it worthwhile to own and use. I think this could also be an excellent option for someone just learning photography. Even though the X30 is an easy to overlook model—especially since compact zooms have largely been forsaken by the industry—the retro design of this camera and especially the nostalgic photographs that it makes are easy to love.

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured on a Fujifilm X30:

Previously in this series:
Fujifilm X-Pro2 — The camera that got away (again)
Fujifilm X-T50 + Fujinon 23mm F/2 = Interchangeable-Lens Fujifilm X100VI??
Leica Q2 from the perspective of a Fujifilm photographer

Up next: Close Up with the Fujinon XF 30mm F/2.8 R LM WR Macro

BTW, in the top picture the camera is sitting on Kyle McDougall’s book An American Mile. An excellent photoessay, and great for inspiration—I highly recommend it.