The Fujifilm X100VI—the most in-demand camera of 2024—has a fixed 23mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) f/2 lens. It’s not an interchangeable-lens camera, which limits its versatility; however, Fujifilm has provided a couple of options to increase its flexibility. First is the built-in Digital Teleconverter, which is a zoom-by-cropping. Second, Fujifilm offers two conversion lenses—a wide-angle and telephoto—that screw onto the end of the fixed-lens. We’ll talk a bit about both of these solutions in this article, but mostly we’ll focus on the two conversion lenses. Specifically, I will answer this question: is the Fujifilm X100VI combined with the WCL-X100 II and TCL-X100 II conversion lenses a practical small kit for travel photography?

MPB is the sponsor of this article. They loaned me a Fujinon WCL-X100 II Wide Conversion Lens and Fujinon TCL-X100 II Tele Conversion Lens 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!

One thing that I love about the Fujifilm X100VI is its compactness. The camera is small enough to fit into a large pocket, and its lightweight enough to carry around all day without being burdensome. The photographs that the X100VI produces straight-out-of-camera are incredible, and can be very film-like. I’ve said many times that this is my desert-island camera—if I could only ever have one for the rest of my life, it would be the X100VI. But, the fixed-focal-length lens is somewhat limiting, so I often suggest that it pairs well with an interchangeable-lens body. I will always bring the X100VI along with me when I travel, but I will almost always have another camera, too.

The Digital Teleconverter helps to make the X100VI more versatile. The 50mm (full-frame equivalent) Digital Teleconverter produces a very usable 20mp image, while the 70mm (full-frame equivalent) Digital Teleconverter produces a much less usable (but still usable for social media) 10mp image. I use the 50mm option somewhat regularly and don’t think twice about it, but I rarely use the 70mm Digital Teleconverter because it is more for emergency-use-only. This does add some versatility, but only a little.

By screwing one of the two conversion lenses—WCL-X100 II and TCL-X100 II—onto the end of the fixed-lens (where the filter adapter attaches), you essentially turn the X100VI (and the older X100 series models, too) into an interchangeable-lens camera. The WCL-X100 II has 0.8x magnification, turning the 23mm lens into 18mm (28mm full-frame equivalent). The TCL-X100 II has 1.4x magnification, turning the 23mm lens into 50mm (full-frame equivalent). Interestingly, there is actually a small focal-length difference between the TCL-X100 II and the Digital Teleconverter, despite that they are both supposedly 50mm equivalent—the TCL-X100 II is actually slightly more telephoto than using the 50mm Digital Teleconverter. I didn’t notice any reduction in image quality when using either conversion lens (amazing!); however, the distortion can do some weird things, which you are likely to only notice when photographing brick or tile walls.

Probably the largest drawback to the two conversion lenses is that they add noticeable size and weight to the camera. The WCL-X100 II is 1.5″ (long) x 2.2″ (diameter), and weighs 0.33 pounds, which isn’t terrible. The TCL-X100 II is a little larger and heavier: 1.8″ (long) x 2.8″ (diameter), and weighs 0.39 pounds. While the WCL-X100 II is a little less inconvenient to have attached, I personally liked the TCL-X100 II a little more. I feel like the conversion lenses contradict the camera’s philosophy (one-camera-one-lens; small/lightweight) to a degree, but at the same time, they do make for an extremely small and lightweight kit. I carried both conversion lenses and the X100VI in a Peak Design Sling, which was an amazingly compact kit for travel!

You can combine the Digital Teleconverter with the conversion lenses to increase the versatility even further, achieving 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, and 70mm (full-frame equivalent) focal-lengths without resorting to the 10mp crop. I didn’t find the Digital Teleconverter combined with the WCL-X100 II lens particularly useful, personally; however, I did utilize the Digital Teleconverter a handful of times with the TCL-X100 II lens. I think it would be interesting if Fujifilm offered a 0.7x magnification (24mm full-frame equivalent) WCL option and a 2x magnification (70mm full-frame equivalent) TCL option in addition to the two they already have—I think this four lens (plus the 23mm fixed lens) kit would be extremely compelling for travel photography, if it were available.

I was invited to be a part of Fujifilm’s Create With Us event in Austin, Texas, last month. It was such a great time, and it was wonderful to meet many of you in-person. The only camera that I brought along with me was my Fujifilm X100VI, plus I had the WCL-X100 II and TCL-X100 II conversion lenses. I left the interchangeable-lens models at home. It was so nice to have a compact three lens kit—which stretched into a faux four lens kit utilizing the Digital Teleconverter—that all fit into a small sling bag. When you travel, oftentimes less is more, as space is a premium.

It was good to have three lens options available: the fixed lens (23mm), WCL-X100 II (18mm), and TCL-X100 II (32mm). There were definitely times when each came in handy. While the WCL-X100 II was a little less detrimental to the X100VI experience than the TCL-X100 II, I found myself using the TCL-X100 II more. I don’t know that either of the two are essential. For the most part, one can take a couple steps backwards instead of using WCL-X100 II, and one can take a few steps forward (or utilize the Digital Teleconverter) instead of using the TCL-X100 II. Obviously that’s not always practical (or the same result), so having the conversion lenses available was appreciated.

I think the conversion lenses are an interesting concept. Having used them on this one trip, I was left both impressed and confused simultaneously. I utilized them a lot more than I think I would have if I had not been testing them out for this article. If someday I did buy them, they’d likely only get occasional use; however, for those occasions when they do come in handy, it’s great to have them available, as they’re pretty darn good. More than anything, I think if you’re a bit nervous to pack light for fear that you’ll miss out due to not having the “right” lenses available, the two conversion lenses will give you a bit more confidence. Even if they’re largely left unused in your sling, it’s probably still better than lugging around a bigger and heavier bag with a larger body and a couple lenses to go with it. In that sense, the two conversion lenses are completely worthwhile accessories to go along with your X100VI camera.

The above photographs are all camera-made JPEGs captured using my Fujifilm X100VI, utilizing a Fujinon WCL-X100 II Wide Conversion Lens and Fujinon TCL-X100 II Tele Conversion Lens for many, while traveling to Austin, TX, last month.

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
Fujifilm X30 — Fujifilm’s Forgotten Retro Compact Zoom
Close Up with the Fujinon XF 30mm F/2.8 R LM WR Macro