In August, I purchased a second-hand Fujifilm X100VI. I part-exchanged my X100F for the newer model, and the crazy thing about the popularity and scarcity of the X100 series these days is that I got slightly more money for the X100F than I paid for it in 2020. When I purchased the X100F, I was actually looking to buy a new X100V, but in the end opted for a second-hand X100F for half the price of a new X100V.
Moving forward nearly five years, I suppose the X100VI could be called an impulse purchase because at the beginning of August, I wasn’t even thinking of changing the X100F. It was whilst watching a video by photographer Thomas Heaton, in which he was talking about having been awarded an X100VI and how he had enjoyed using it, that I thought I would have a look around suppliers to see what second-hand stock they had for the X100V. I thought as there is still a wait for new X100VI’s that there would be no or little second-hand units available, which is why I was looking at X100Vs. I must stress at this point (in case my wife reads this) that at the time I had no inclination to change my X100F. I guess in the end I must have got caught up in the thrill of the chase, or perhaps it was just another bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) as – I reiterate – I was more than happy with the X100F.
However, as I was looking at what was available in the X100V model, I noticed that the second-hand X100VIs that were available were coming in at roughly £200 more than the equivalent X100V. However, for a couple of hundred quid, you get the X100VI’s 40.2MP sensor, built-in 5-axis image stabilization (IBIS) and an improved autofocus with subject detection. It was at this point that GAS took over, and I wondered what I might get for my X100F if I part-exchanged it.
Things moved very quickly from there, and I contacted MPB, who had a healthy stock of VIs, got a quote, as mentioned, and decided to sell the X100F for the VI. I agreed on the quote with MPB, and they put a reserve on the only silver VI they had in used stock. My X-T5 is silver, as was the X100F, and I really like the X100 look in that colour. The new camera was designated as “as new” by MPB and when it arrived, I could see that it certainly was. The box was as new, the manual didn’t look as though it had been opened or even flicked through, and the camera itself was absolutely immaculate.
My first impressions of the camera were that it was slightly heavier than the F, felt more robust, and its controls felt tighter and of better quality. The lens, of course, is the MKII version of the 23mm f/2.0 that was on the X100 range up to the X100V so I am looking forward to seeing the results.
The next step was to get a camera grip. All my Fuji cameras have a grip and Arca plate and I got a silver one made by Small Rig to match the new camera. A bonus with this grip was that it came with a shutter release button (something I have on all my cameras) and a replacement hot shoe cover engraved with Fuji’s sound wave pronunciation and the founding year “1934”. A Hoage square lens hood completed the final accessory to be added.
So there we have it, a new camera, and I can’t wait to get out there and take some photographs with it.
A Sensored-View 