Fujifilm X100V Vs Fujifilm X100F: What's The Difference?

Over the last decade, Fujifilm has been steadily releasing fixed-lens cameras that are ideal for street photography and a few days ago, Fujifilm revealed its follow-up X100 camera with the introduction of the X100V - the 5th edition of this popular serious compact camera line-up.

As it's been a while since the release of the X100F (2017), Fujifilm fans were hoping to see some interesting additions to the latest camera joining the X100 series so to see if that's exactly what they got, we thought we'd compare the specs of the X100V with the X100F. You can also see what we thought of all of the X100 editions that came before, over in reviews, which includes the X100T from 2014, the X100S released in 2013 and the first edition of the series - the X100 which was launched in 2010.

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Before we take a closer look at the specifics, Fujifilm themselves describe the Fujfilm X100V as 'unchanged & changed' as it has a similar design/concept as the older X100 models but with a few additional/improved features which include the 23mm f/2 lens, new sensor/processor, new hybrid viewfinder, an upgraded dial control, new tilt screen, more film simulations, an aluminium top cover and weather resistance (an accessory is needed for this).

Fujifilm X100V Design

The overall vintage design of the X100 series hasn't had any serious complaints so why change it now? However, the Fujifilm designers did want to improve the look/handling of the camera so a few minor changes have been made to its design.

The over-arching design theme with the X100V was to 'enhance the beauty of the camera' making it 'simpler, sharper and of a better quality' and they've done this by adding an aluminium top plate, balancing the overall look of the camera, improving the grip and making a few changes to dials/controls.

Let's start with the grip which is more ergonomic and the "leather" effect gives a good textured area to hold on to and is slightly soft to enhance grip. It might seem like a small change but it does make the camera more comfortable to hold. The manufacturing process for the aluminium top and bottom plates has been updated, too, which further improves the feel of the X100V.

The ISO dial has been updated to make it easier to adjust the ISO speed and improve operability but the rest of the top plate looks pretty similar to the X100F. On the back, the d-pad has gone and the buttons have moved slightly as the rear screen is now tiltable (something we'll discuss in more detail further into the article). The front is, very much, the same as the X100F with its retro-inspired design, clean lines and leather-look finish. Although, it is a bit more angular, and serious, with a style that looks a little bit like a Leica.

As with all X100 cameras, the X100V feels very well made and certainly looks like a premium camera but one plus point it has over every other X100 model that's come before is that it's weather-resistant when you use the optional AR-X100 adapter ring and PRF-49 protection filter with the camera. This will be, very much, a welcomed addition for those who travel and shoot street photography in countries where good weather can't be guaranteed.

New 23mm f/2 Lens

If you just glance at the X100V, you'd think that the 23mm f/2 lens is the same as the one found on the X100F and in many ways (focal length, aperture, manual control ring) it is but underneath is a different story.

Even though the lens construction still features 8 elements in 2 groups, 2 of the elements are now aspherical which should result in more natural portraits from, what is, a rather wide lens. Fujifilm also says that thanks to the new lens structure, image resolution has been improved (see the below image) and the camera will produce sharper images with less distortion. Close-focusing distance remains at 10cm, the same as the X100F, and there's also a built-in neutral density (ND) filter which can be used to stop down 4 aperture values (the X100F could only stop down to 3 aperture values).

A Hybrid Viewfinder

The X100V offers an improved hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and for those of you who haven't used a camera from the X100 series before, the viewfinder combines an optical viewfinder with an electronic overlay so you get the best of both worlds. When using the optical viewfinder you get framing markings to show what will be captured as you see beyond the edges of the frame. With the electronic viewfinder, what you see is what you get.

As well as using each option individually, you can blend them when using the Electronic Range Finder function which will show you a smaller, electronic preview over what you're looking at via the optical viewfinder.

Improvements can be seen in the panel that's used as it's now an OLED panel rather than LCD which is of a much higher 3.69 million dots (the XF100 was 2.36 million dots). It also means that colours should be improved and your view brighter.

For those of you who like numbers, the viewfinder has a higher frame rate of 100fps, higher contrast at 1:5000 and covers 97% of the sRGB colour space. The Optical Viewfinder gives a 0.52x magnification.

New Tilt Screen

Previously, the X100 series cameras didn't have tilting screens as Fujifilm didn't want to spoil the design of the camera but the designers have worked hard to create a screen which can tilt but still sit flush to the back of the camera and we have to compliment Fujifilm on this as the screen is very thin and doesn't stick out from the back of the camera, keeping the rear of the camera slim and stylish looking. It's just 4.4mm thick and when you compare it to other cameras with tilting screens, it really is impressive as it doesn't stick out and can definitely be described as being thin.

The tilting touch-screen tilts up, and down, and will be a very welcome addition to those street shooters who want to 'shoot from the hip'. You can use the touch-screen to set the focus point, as well as change settings.

New Film Simulations

Fujifilm cameras have always had built-in film simulations so you can apply effects to your photos but now, you can shoot 4K 30p video footage with film simulations applied. A 'Classic Neg' mode has also been added to the film simulation list for stills shooting.

New Image Sensor

The Fujifilm X100V has the latest 26mp BSI CMOS sensor built-in which is slightly higher resolution than the 24.3MP sensor found in the X100F.

Availability & Pricing

The X100V is priced at £1299 and will be available in silver from 27 Feb 2020, or black from the 12 March 2020 while the X100F is currently available for £899 over on Amazon UK.

(Clicking the above Amazon link takes you to Amazon UK, which helps keep ePHOTOzine free to use.)

Comparison Table

Fujifilm X100F	Fujifilm X100V
Manufacturer		Fujifilm	Fujifilm
Lens
Max Aperture	f/2 - f/16	f/2 - f/16
35mm equivalent	35mm	35mm
Optical Zoom	0x	0x
Image Sensor
Pixels	24.3Mp (Megapixels)	26.1Mp (Megapixels)
Pixels (W)	6000	6240
Pixels (H)	4000	4160
Sensor Type	CMOS	Back-lit CMOS (B.S.I.)
Sensor Size	APS-C	APS-C
Sensor Size (width)	23.6mm	23.5mm
Sensor Size (height)	15.8mm	15.6mm
Aspect Ratio	3:2 16:9 1:1	3:2 16:9 1:1
LCD Monitor
LCD Monitor	3in	3in
Screen resolution	1040k dot	1.62m dot
Touch Screen	No	Yes
Focusing
Min Focus	10cm	10cm
Focusing modes	Autofocus Manual Multi	Autofocus Manual Multi
Exposure Control
Shutter speeds shortest	1/32000sec	1/32000sec
Shutter speeds longest	30sec	30sec
Bulb mode	Yes	Yes
Exp modes	Program Manual	Program Manual
Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot	Centre-weighted - Average Multi Pattern Spot
ISO sensitivity	100 - 51200	80 - 51200
White balance	Auto Manual Bracket Outdoors/Daylight Incandescent Fluorescent Shade Underwater	Auto Manual Bracket Outdoors/Daylight Incandescent Fluorescent Shade Underwater
Exposure Comp	+/-3	+/-3
Shooting Options
Continuous shooting	8fps	30fps
Video
Movie mode	Yes	Yes
Video Resolution	1920x1080 FullHD	1920x1080 FullHD 4K
Video FPS	60, 50, 30, 25, 24fps	60, 50, 30, 25, 24fps
Stereo Sound	Yes	Yes
Optical Zoom with Video	No	No
Other Features
Image Stabilisation	No	No
Interface
HDMI	Yes	Yes
USB	USB 2	USB-C
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Storage
Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC	SD SDHC SDXC
File Type	RAW JPG RAW + JPG	RAW JPG RAW + JPG
Power Source
Battery Type	NP-W126S Li-ion battery	NP-W126S Li-ion battery
Battery Life (CIPA rating)	390shots	350shots
Box Contents
Box Contents	Li-ion battery NP-W126S, Battery charger BC-W126, Shoulder strap, Lens cap, Metal strap clip, Protective cover, Clip attaching tool, USB cable, Owner's manual	Li-ion battery NP-W126S, USB cable (type A to C), Lens cap, Hot shoe cover, Metal strap clip, Clip attaching tool, Protective cover, Shoulder strap, Owner's manual
Dimensions
Weight	469g	478g
Width	126.5mm	128mm
Height	74.8mm	74.8mm
Depth	52.4mm	53.3mm
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