First Outing With My New Fujifilm X100VI. A Few Preliminary Thoughts.

I made this image for my "Just for the Color" project.  The subject of this image is color.  
I see blue, orange (brown), green, yellow, red, teal,
purple and white.  All in one relatively uninteresting composition.  (click to enlarge)

As you may have read last week, after almost a four month wait, I took delivery of a silver Fujifilm X100VI.  A birthday gift from my wife!  After spending quite a bit of time configuring the camera and reading the user's manual (which I highly recommend to all of you to do when you get a new camera), I took the X100VI out for the first time Saturday morning.  Not a major outing but just a short photo walk in the small historic downtown in the town in which I live.  I just wanted to start the process of getting to know this new camera. 

I'm posting a few of the images I made on this first outing.  None are special.  I made images of everything and anything I saw that would allow me to test different aspects of the camera’s operation, the idea of having only one focal length with which to work as well as lens and image file qualities.  No portfolio images here today.

This was a very contrasty scene as it was directly backlit by an unobstructed sun.  I was able to
bring down the 'blown' highlights in the upper right edge as well as the flowers behind the fence.
What surprised me is that this image is a JPEG file, not raw, which would have given me even
more elasticity for editing.  (click to enlarge)

First, the camera is a solidly built as any camera I've owned.  It really feels good in my hand.  It feels all metal, the controls are laid out logically (for a Fujifilm user, at least) the dials are such that they have exactly the right resistance (to me) so settings aren't accidentally changed nor take too much effort to change them.  For example, in some other cameras I have owned it took a combination of my thumb and index finger to adjust the exposure compensation dial.  I can move this one with only my thumb.  I like that.  Very similar feel to Olympus/OM cameras, if you are familiar with them.

I found the setup is very much like my X-T5’s as well as the other Fujifilm cameras I've owned.  There are some differences in menu items and features, but all in all, it was familiar.  I think, however, it is time for Fujifilm to take a good look at their menu system and potentially reorganize it.  OM did that and their new menu system is exponentially better than their old menu system.

Since I intend to shoot JPEGs along with raw files on this camera, I configured some of the custom settings (C1-C7) for a variety of situations I may encounter.  For example, I configured a group of settings for sunny days with natural color.  Another for very high contrast scenes.  Another for very overcast days where the contrast is low.  Also one for black & white with a red filt.  Another for vivid color and deep shadows.  Finally, one for a 1950s-1960s Kodachrome look as I admire the work of Saul Leiter and Fred Herzog.  I'm sure these will get modified in the future as I explore my surroundings and encounter a wide variety of scenes but I’ve made a good start.

For this first outing, I had the camera configured for raw plus JPEG as I wanted to see how well the JPEG files stacked up against the raw when it comes to color, resolution, sharpness, ability to be edited, etc.  some of the images posted here are from raw files, others from JPEG files.

I am pleased with the faithfulness of the reproduction of the colors
as well as the detail in this image. (click to enlarge)

My intention was to use the LCD for composition and framing.  That didn't work so well my first time out.  I'm kind of OCD (i.e., very precise) about my framing and when editing my images, I found many were not quite framed as I had thought.  But that is a 'me' issue, not a camera issue.  I will continue to work on that but for now I plan on using the EVF, which is excellent.  As for the OVF, I most likely won't use that.  I shot Leica rangefinder cameras for many years starting in the mid to late 1990s and I never really gelled with rangefinder-type focusing, imprecise composition and the handling of Leica M cameras.  

As far as the X100VI is concerned, the image files look excellent, as would be expected.  The same sensor and image processor as is in my X-T5 is in this camera.  So, I really see no differences in color or resolution.  I think the lens is excellent.  I used it wide open, stopped down as far as f/11, close up and at distances and all images met my expectations.  No issues whatsoever with the AF system—so far.  We'll see if any crop up or if Fujifilm has finally fixed them.

If you 'crane' your neck long enough, it may just break!  Pun intended, of course.
This is from a JPEG file with some minor editing. (click to enlarge)

On the other hand, I find some of the buttons a little too flush with the camera's body.  I am a back button focus (BBF) advocate so I have configured the AE/AF Lock button for AF-On.  That said, it is pretty flush with the camera body and not as easy to find and press so I will add a little dab of Sugru, a moldable glue and silicone rubber adhesive that can be shaped in any fashion one chooses, to the surface of the button.  I've used it for most of my cameras to raise a button's height to be a bit higher than from the factory.  I find it allows me to easily find a button and to easily distinguish between two buttons that may be close together.  Also, although it sticks nicely to the top of a button, when it is time to sell the camera, it is easily removed with no damage to the button or the painted name on it.

The flower is about a meter in front of this red English telephone booth.  I 
utilized f/2 just to see how shallow the depth of field would be as well as the
quality of the bokeh.  It may not look it here, but the center of the flower was
several stops brighter than the red of the booth as well as the shadowed area
behind.  I was able to capture all of the flower's detail, which surprised me
a bit.  (click to enlarge)

The other button I find far too flush with the camera's body is the Q-button.  I find it actually difficult to push and activate the menu even when trying.  There is no danger of accidentally pushing the Q-button.  I'm not sure if I'll add a dab of Sugru to that as well.  I do use the Q-Menu so I’ll keep its function as is.

The shutter button is, in my opinion, extremely sensitive.  I’ve used cameras with sensitive shutter buttons in the past (like the Panasonic LUMIX G9 and the Fujifilm X-H1), but this is the most sensitive button I’ve encountered.  Already, I have a number of accidental exposures taken when I don’t remember even having my finger on the button.  As with everything else, it takes time to acclimate to new things.

The biggest difference between using this camera and my other cameras is my mental attidutde when using it.  I intend to use this camera in a very casual manner, for the most part.  I intend to just go out and enjoy the experience and not worry about getting any images that are visually compelling or portfolio worthy.  Just have fun with it.  It’s too early to tell how much I will like using this camera or how I will bond with it.  However, so far, so good.

This is a 2.6mp (~6.5%) crop of the full 40mp image below.  JPEG file.  I'm satisfied with the lens' 
performance. (click to enlarge)

This is the entire image of the above. (click to enlarge)

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, please leave them below.  More about this camera and my adventures with it in the near future.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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