Have you ever suffered from G.A.S.?
I’m talking about the so-called Gear Acquisition Syndrome. That terrible affliction so many of us photographers have, where we lust after the lastest and newest gear just because it is the latest and newest – never mind whether we need it.
The Fuji X100V is the fifth iteration of the Fuji X100 series which started back in 2011. And it is GORGEOUS. It looks so cool, as you can see.
I don’t know about you, but that looks like a real pro camera to me and it screams class and quality. It’s almost like the much revered Leica brand, but significantly more affordable. That’s not to say it’s cheap – it’s about $1,400 at launch so it’s still a good chunk of money for most people. But it looks like it’s expensive.
And for some people, just holding a camera like that will make them feel better. Much like wearing stylish clothes – it doesn’t change who you are, but it might change how you feel about yourself. Will it improve your photography? Possibly, if your previous camera wasn’t as flexible, fast to use or convenient. But in general terms it won’t improve your shooting style. It just might make it easier to take certain photos that you’d have tried to take before.
The specs are all over the internet so I won’t just repeat a full list of them there. What I will say is that photo samples I’ve seen on the web and review sites suggest that the lens is quite a bit sharper than the X100F – which itself was no slouch.
Whether that extra sharpness, especially in the corners, really matters depends on your style of photography. For street photography – and the X100V looks ideal for that – it may not be ultra important. For portrait work (with this 18mm lens??) it’s not usually so critical to have extreme corner sharpness. For landscape? Again, probably not ultra critical, but definitely nice to have.
In the last few days I’ve seen a spate of used X100F models come onto the resale market. It suggests that many people will be “upgrading”. From X100F to X100V I would suggest that there is not likely to be a massive difference in your work. Many of those people will see marginal, if any, improvements in their output. For many, it’s a case of G.A.S. and chasing the shiny object.
What thaat means for the rest of us is that now is a great time to buy an X100F! The prices have dropped on used models and they represent good value at the new prices they can be found at. I am seriously tempted to get one myself, since I love shooting street photography. But the truth is that I wouldn’t get better pictures than I do now. Using the X-E3 with the XF 18mm lens I have virtually the same features as the X100F and X100V. The slight differences would probably make no difference to my output.
And yet….and yet I still feel drawn towards getting an X100 series camera. If it’s true that the best camera is the one you have with you, it’s also true that the one you are most likely to have with you is the one you like the most. Would I take out a big, heavy DSLR for a day or random walking the streets of London? Almost never. Would I pop the X-E3 (or the much underappreciated XF10) into my pocket for the same random walk? You bet.
In truth I’d probably still take the X-E3 of XF10 in preference to the X100V, simply by virtue of the smaller size. Convenience would trump the slight differences. Why not just use a smartphone then? Well for many of us there is something almost visceral about using a camera, compared to pushing an on-screen button on a smartphone. The whole physicality of using a camera is something that makes the experience different. Even holding the camera to your eye gives a different experience compared to using a smartphone screen.
Ultimately, we all have to buy and use what we want. It’s nobody else’s business, so if you get an X100V good for you. I’ll be mildly jealous! But if you’re like me and have to consider costs carefully you may find a good used X100F – or an X-E3 or XF10 – a more affordable and almost as good alternative. That said, both the black and the silver versions of X100V look stunning – I still want one!
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