FujiFilm X100S Pro Reviews

The Fujifilm X100S is a very good camera, geared toward photographers who really want control over almost every aspect of still image quality. Street photographers in particular will find this camera appealing. The 35mm f/2.0 prime lens is really sharp, we love the aperture ring and the Hybrid Viewfinder, and responsiveness is top notch. It looks and feels like an old film camera and delivers results that are very film-like, which is very cool. Our only biggest complaint is the price and other issues we detailed earlier. If these things don’t bother you, then by all means order away. After using this X-series camera for a while, it’s easy to see why Fujifilm remains a force in digital photography. We give it an Editor’s Choice award but only for the right kind of shutterbug – those looking for something basic should keep searching.

The Fujifilm X100S is a hugely likable, very capable camera with some useful tricks up its sleeve. Almost all of the bugs from the X100 have been ironed out, and image quality from its 16MP X-Trans sensor is excellent.

A luxurious camera with the features and quality to back up its premium design and price

Don't be fooled by the Fujifilm X100S's retro exterior; it's a modern, full-featured digital camera that impressed us enough to earn our Editors' Choice award.

A stunning design and jaw-dropping image quality – worth the high price

ReviewWhile not made for everyone, the Fujifilm X100S is an amazing rangefinder-type model. With unparalleled image quality and performance, this is a must have for the right group of photographers.

During my entire time with the X100S, I've struggled with who exactly this camera is for. It's not a camera that an average buyer can easily pick up and use, and its $1,299.99 price will keep most of those buyers away anyway. And for the hardcore photography enthusiasts with deep pockets, the Sony RX1 offers better controls and full-frame image quality — albeit at twice the sticker price. But the X100S does have its own charms, and its unique viewfinder and special features like high-speed flash sync may be just what some particular photographers are looking for. Furthermore, its strong picture quality and dense level of control make it a suitable companion for a pro photographer that doesn’t feel like toting their DSLR rig around all of the time. And really, can you get over those drop-dead gorgeous retro looks? For me, however, I'm holding out hope that Fujifilm will be able to offer a full-frame camera and a slightly better control scheme in the next iteration of the X100.

While it may not appear to be a massive leap from the Fujifilm X100, the Fujifilm X100S has improved in most of the areas it needed to while keeping the charm that made us fall in love with the Fujifilm X100 in the first place.

When you hold the Fujifilm X100s, all you can think about is just how much power you have in a small package. And depending on your hand size, it overall might be too small or just right for you. Put the camera up to your eye, focus and shoot--and you'll be astounded at just how simple it is to capture great images. The X100s has all the marks and traits of being a constant companion. In fact, we're a bit sad to have to send it back to the company. The X100s boasts excellent image quality, blazing fast AF in the right situations, faster processing, a small size, an excellent lens, and wonderful ergonomics. I was trained on Leica cameras, and this thing reminds me of my old film Leica cameras very much. In fact, I believe that it is everything that the Leica X2 should have been but isn't. The image quality is more than good enough to also be considered professional. The user can attach PocketWizards to it and take advantage of the leaf shutter, plus they can use conventional flashes with nearly no issues at all.

The Fujifilm X100S builds on the success of its predecessor, the X100, with a new sensor, faster, more accurate focusing and a raft of other improvements. Fujifilm has concentrated on improving what needed it and fixing (most of) what was broken, while leaving what what best and most loved well alone - namely the X100's retro styling, composition and traditional controls. Those who came to appreciate the unique qualities of the X100, will like the X100S even more and it's a fair bet that it will continue to appeal to enthusiasts looking for a high quality advanced fixed lens compact as well as those casual photographers with an eye for beautiful design as well as cash to spare. The joy of using the X100S was only slightly marred by the occassional reluctance of the controls to respond, particularly when waking from sleep mode. And, though it goes against the retro grain, it would be nice to see built-in support for Wi-Fi and GPS. Those fairly minor criticisms aside, the X100S is a great success that will undoubtedly prove to be even more popular than its predecessor and comes Highly Recommended.

There's no denying that £1099 / $1299 is a lot of money to pay for a compact camera with a fixed lens, but the Fujifilm X100S offers so many improvements that if you ever found yourself looking longingly at its predecessor, there's very little reason not to take a much, much closer look at this new version. Quite simply the new Fujifilm X100S is one of the best cameras that we've ever reviewed and joins its illustrious predecessor as a worthy winner of our coveted Essential! award.

When it comes to buying a specialist camera there's a lot to dissect and chew on. As we alluded to in our opening words of this review, the X100S isn't going to be suitable for a huge audience - but that, in some regard, is part of what makes this high-end compact so appealing. We've got a lot of praise for the X100S, but that comes with a sprinkling of negatives too. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first: we wish the X100S had a slightly smaller design, larger LCD screen, firmer exposure compensation dial and more steadfast accurate autofocus system. The inability to use wide apertures in macro mode - both from a preview focus point of view as well as in the resulting soft images - is a bit of a shame, although with that APS-C sensor such a tight depth of field in close-up shots would be best avoided. There are also other mechanical limitations which mean the full range of the shutter isn't usable at the wider apertures - but nothing can be done about that. Then on to the good stuff: the X100S's image quality, when it's on point, is grand. The 35mm f/2.0 lens is sharp, particularly when stopped down a touch, the camera's build is second to none and the speed improvements compared to the original X100 model are definitely welcome. The hybrid viewfinder - unique among a handful of Fujifilm models - is quite something to behold too, and manual focus options, ignoring the camera's use of wide-open apertures in preview, are among the best we've seen in a compact camera of this type.

There's enough improved in the X100S over the X100 that I think it's worth the extra money over the now-reduced-price model: it delivers better performance, photo quality and usability. While the photo quality and lens can't match that of the Sony RX1, it's still a great camera at $1,000 less. And though I haven't yet tested the Nikon Coolpix A, that camera lacks a viewfinder, which for some folks may merit the X100S' extra cost.

The Fujifilm X100s improves quite dramatically over the Fujifilm X100, with a new 16 megapixel sensor that delivers excellent noise performance and detail in photos. The X100s gives the same familiar controls as the original X100 as well as a higher resolution electronic viewfinder, that when combined with the hybrid optical viewfinder, makes this camera a unique proposition. With retro styling and handling, thanks to the two-tone silver and black design, the camera feels great in the hand, and with a large number of external controls you have direct access to aperture and shutter speeds making the X100s feel like a "real" camera, with responsive controls. The camera has a bright f/2.0 35mm equivalent lens and as long as you are happy with this focal length then the camera would make an excellent choice, delivering extremely high quality photos. The Fujifilm X100s is priced somewhere in the middle of APS-C compact cameras, and for many happy X100 buyers, the X100s will deliver many useful updates, including better image quality, a better EVF, quicker controls and response, although the price is likely to put some people off. For those that have the money the Fujifilm X100s is highly recommended.