Rangefinder cameras are a league of its own, they are neither here or there but a form some photographers would swear for it. Only a handful of brands are into this category, and today, Fujifilm launched its fifth generation X100V.
Rangefinder-style cameras mostly have the old school look and feel, Fujifilm X100V has kept the designed close to the original camera of the old days with modern digital features. The design of the mechanical buttons, dials and lever sit neatly on the top plate. There are some enhancements from its predecessor and here we take you on a quick spin to see what’s new about the Fujifilm X100V. Here are some vital statistics for your digestion:
- 26.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Fixed 23mm lens at F2 (or 35mm in Full-frame format)
- 2-way tilting touch-screen
- Hybrid viewfinders
- Fujifilm’s film simulation mode
Design
This is the first X100 Series camera that uses aluminium for its top and bottom plates. The aluminium property has been milled into shape to make the X100V looking sharp while fine blasting treatment has been applied to the surface for a smooth texture. In this fifth generation of the X100 series, for the first time, it features a two-way tilting rear LCD monitor that enables various shooting styles from high and low angles with excellent touch-response performance and operability.
On the top of the camera, you will find an ISO dial, built into the shutter speed dial, allowing you to check and adjust various settings without having to turn the camera on. When adjusting ISO sensitivity, you can pull the outer rim of the Built-In ISO Dial up to lock for added convenience. The ultra-thin LCD monitor is so thin that it becomes a part of the seamless integration design.
As for the handling, the grip was shaped for a comfortable hold and various buttons optimally positioned for easy operation, promising a great shooting experience.
Image Quality
The X100V uses the back-illuminated 26.1MP “X-Trans™ CMOS 4” sensor and the “X-Processor 4” high-speed image processing engine. They are combined with Fujifilm’s unique colour reproduction technology to produce “memory colours”. With this state of the art sensor and processor, the X100V is paired with a fixed Fujifilm’s newly developed prime lens with the focal length of 23mm (equivalent to 35mm in full-frame format) and the wide aperture of F2. The lens uses two aspherical lens elements to delivers edge-to-edge sharpness in high resolution and high contrast.
Viewfinder
The X100V features the world’s only “Advanced Hybrid Viewfinder,” allowing you to instantaneously switch between the optical viewfinder (OVF), which captures your photo subject exactly as it is, and the electronic viewfinder (EVF), which reflects exposure and other shooting conditions as you make adjustments.
The EVF uses a high-resolution 3.69-million-dot organic EL panel with a maximum luminous intensity of 1500 candelas and high contrast to display even intricate details in highlights and shadows when in the EVF mode. In the OVF mode, the viewfinder offers the Electronic Rangefinder function to display a small EVF window at the same time. The feature has been developed to bring out the maximum viewfinder potential, allowing you to capture your subject as it is while enlarging the focusing area in the small EVF. This function provides added convenience when taking snapshots.
Other Features
Phase-detection AF – The use of the latest algorithm enables the camera to perform fast and accurate phase-detection AF at the minimum luminance of -5EV when our naked eyes can’t really see anything. The Face and Eye AF has also been improved. The Focus Limiter function, which limits the range of focal lengths for using AF, assists a smooth shooting experience with AF.
Film Simulation modes – The X100V offers a total of 17 Film Simulation modes to provide versatile tonal variations. You can enjoy a high contrast finish with three-dimensional definitions with the “CLASSIC Neg” mode, which simulates colour negative film traditionally chosen for snapshots of day-to-day scenes. The “ETERNA” mode, which simulates the colours and tonality of Fujifilm’s motion picture film, allows you to record video in subdued colours and rich shadow tones. The “Grain Effect” function for reproducing distinctive graininess seen in photographs taken with film cameras now can be adjusted with size and strength settings to control the degree of grain strength and coarseness.
Video – The camera is capable of recording smooth 4K video at 30fps. In the Full-HD modes, video can be recorded at 60fps for premium video quality.
There are some cool optional accessories you may want to look at to enhance the usability of the Fujifilm X100V. The use of the adapter ring “AR-X100” and the protection filter “PRF-49” makes this camera dust and moisture resistant for all-terrain shooting. There are also two conversion lenses available to “force-change” the camera’s focal length without compromising its optical performance or f-stop value, the Wide conversion lens “WCL-X100 II” to convert the fixed lens to become a wide-angle 19mm (equivalent to 28mm in the full-frame format), or the Tele-conversion lens “TCL-X100 II” to this covert the 35mm to become a 33mm (equivalent to 50mm in the full-frame format), ideal for portraiture or general street photography.
The Fujifilm X100V comes with the retail price of RM6,288. The pre-order is on-going now until 16 Feb 2020 with many freebies thrown in by Fujifilm Malaysia. For detail specification, please visit Fujifilm Malaysia.
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