The X100F in Paris

CAUTION: This is not a product review!

I’ve had the privilege to be one of the Beta testers of the recently announced Fujifilm X100F since November. I don’t write reviews, it’s not my style. But there are many good product reviews out there by some of my X Photographer friends. Guys tend to geek out with new gear, I don’t 😉 I can recommend this review from my good friend and former workshop student Ian Mac Donald, a fellow Fujifilm X Photographer in Canada.

The problem with Beta testing is that you can only use the gear ‘in secret’ until the product is announced so I wasn’t able to travel with it much. Thankfully, the X100F was announced the day before my Paris workshop started last week so it accompanied me on the streets of Paris for a few days.

As you know, I was a Fujifilm photographer well before I became an official ambassador in 2015. My love affair with the x100 series started with the S. It was the best camera I had ever owned (previously a Canon 5D Mark II shooter). The X100T surpassed it and, Fujifilm made an even greater product with the X100F. I’m more in love with it than ever!

What makes this camera so special? From my personal experience, it has become an extension of my vision. I don’t even have to think about it, it’s so intuitive that it almost feels like a part of me. The latest version is very impressive. Here are some of the features that I particularly enjoy: The faster auto focus, the added Acros film simulation, the focus joystick, the faster minimum shutter speed in auto ISO, the longer-lasting batteries. It also has the much sought after 24.3 mp X-Trans CMOS III sensor. The improved ISO ceiling of 12,800 (vs. 6,400 on the X100T) wasn’t a big deal for me but some people may find that useful. There is a boatload of other new features that I have yet to use. Remember, this is not a review, only my honest opinion.

So the question is: Should you get this camera? As long as you keep in mind that the only way a new camera will make you a better photographer is if it takes you out to shoot more, then YES! And this may well be the camera that is going to take you on more photo walks because it will also become an extension of you.

Conclusion of my findings: This is one sweet piece of gear. I loved its predecessors but you will find that the jump in improvements from the T to the F is much bigger than it was from the S to the T. The X100F is very noticeably faster and better and I couldn’t be more proud to have had the privilege to be one of the first photographers to experience its magic.

Here are a few sample jpegs taken in Paris this month. The color photographs were shot in Classic Chrome, The B&W were shot in Acros film simulation setting. Very little, if anything, was done in LR, slight exposure adjustment if needed, a tiny bit of straightening and a tiny touch of clarity on the B&W. I must have shot as much in color as I did in B&W this time.

Here are a few of the pics I shot with the X100F during my weekend in Paris…

Paris in Classic Chrome…

Paris in Acros…

 

This fun lifestyle video clip was shot for Fujifilm USA by photojournalist and friend Dustin Scholl in Minneapolis in November 

 

Tags: Acros, ClassicChrome, FujifilmX_US, Hit the Streets with Valerie Jardin, street photography, X100F

• January 25, 2017
• Acros, Classic Chrome, FujifilmX_US, Hit the Streets with Valerie Jardin, Paris, Street Photography, X100F
• 31 Comments