Testing the Fuji X100s - Part 1/2
The Fujiifilm x100v has been on my mind ever since I first saw it thanks to the fact that it was a compact camera and had Fuji’s film simulations. Compact cameras are wonderful for street photography because they are incredibly easy to blend in with rather than a full size mirrorless camera. The only problem with this style is the fact that it has a fixed lens so I can’t swap for a wider or longer lens and am stuck at 35mm. The Fuji x100v is $1,400 new (at the time of writing) and is largely affected by supply chain issues as everything else so it’s been on backorder ever since I’ve wanted it.
In come the older versions of the x100; this includes the x100, x100s, x100t, and x100f. There really is small differences between all of them and choosing one really just depends on which features you want. I decided on the x100s because the very next model only had another b&w filter called acros that I didn’t think I would care about because I had never shot in b&w until I got this camera.
Another feature that has me still thinking about the x100v is the flip out screen. It is the only model with it and I didn’t think it would be something that I really cared about or would miss. I was also wrong on that because a flip out screen would make it much easier to get photos that are close to the ground such as flowers (which look wonderful in vivid mode) or a low perspective shot of someone.
On to the film modes. The x100s has film simulations such as vivid, b&w, pro-neg, and astia. Other cameras such as my Sony a7r have different “modes” built in but they are nowhere near the Fuji’s film simulations that don’t feel gimmicky at all. The colors of vivid are amazing, b&w has amazing contract or flatness depending on which filter you choose, and astia works great as a default with muted colors.
Lastly I wanted to touch on the street photo aspect of this camera. I didn’t get many images of people on this first outing but the ones I did get proved this camera could put in some work. This has me falling in love with b&w photos again because it really drags the focus to the subject person. B&W also forces one to focus on the lighting because it changes the mood as seen between the image above of the gentleman playing games compared to the skater below. This camera is definitely becoming my street photography camera and may take over as my run-and-gun camera as well. There will be a part two of this post later featuring street photography that I did in Seattle near Pike Place Market.
