So I’ve had this weekend to play around with the X100V and wanted to set out my first impressions. Hopefully I’ll follow up in a few weeks with a further review once I’ve really put it through its paces. I’ve also provided some samples below which I hope do the camera justice, although in dreary, rainy London, I can safely say the below does not represent by best work!
Build quality and ergonomics
The X100V feels extremely solid. Coming from the X100F I can say with certainty that the X100V feels quite different, with sharper corners and a more boxy exterior. The matte finish of the silver model is truly lovely. Coming from the black version I was a bit worried that marks and scratches would be more visible on the silver model but actually, I’m less concerned considering how good the build quality is. The flip screen is also well built, and whilst I will use it, this wasn’t one of my principal reasons for upgrading.
In terms of ergonomics, the D-Pad is sorely missed, but I haven’t had an issues assigning functions to the available buttons. I haven’t enabled the touch functions at all, as a left eye shooter. I also just can’t be bothered to be honest. All in all I think that provided you are a relatively adaptable person, you won’t have issues with the lack of the DPAD.
New features
The EVF is tangibly better than that of the X100F, but I sometimes feel that the EVF has a slight hue to the colouring...My only annoyance with the EVF/Power management is that I often shoot from the hip, and have found on a few occasions that the LCD/EVF is dim and slow, and will come back to life once I’ve pressed the shutter down. After some research it seems that this is a power saving function, so I have to have the camera in boost permanently (if someone has another way of keeping the camera responsive so that shots aren’t missed, please let me know).
Regarding the new film sim, Classic Negative, I’ve pretty much shot exclusively in that and enjoy the ‘vintage’ feel to it (all below sample pics use classic negative as a base with some minor tweaking in LR). I am weary of overdoing it though, as I think that it isn’t as good as Classic Chrome for a base film sim which can be used in more scenarios in my opinion. Classic Negative definitely feels at home in cities when the weather is wintery!
From a couple of days of usage and editing, in terms of general image quality, I haven’t noticed a staggering difference from the X100F, but of course, wide open, the lens is much improved and I have enjoyed not having to sacrifice IQ at the expense of shooting at wider apertures.
AF is noticeably snappier than the X100F. On the street, I can lock focus quickly, and with the AF range limiter (which I need to test more), it is nice for a street photographer to be able to assist the camera in deciding what to lock onto. I can set this from 1-4m and know that I don’t have to worry about the camera locking onto a subject outside of these distances.
Conclusion
I think that coming from the X100F the most pleasing aspect of the X100V is that it truly is a camera for all purposes now. With the added weather resistance, I am much more comfortable taking the camera out in less-than-good weather and don’t feel that the camera is ‘delicate’. I am not one to nanny my cameras either, so I plan to use it in all circumstances! The sharper lens also means shooting wide open is now no longer something that needs to be mitigated in post, as at f2 the lens displays very good sharpness.
I think that pretty much covers my thoughts so far! Enjoy the samples.
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Instagram: isaac.a.q
Personal site: isaacqureshi.com
Build quality and ergonomics
The X100V feels extremely solid. Coming from the X100F I can say with certainty that the X100V feels quite different, with sharper corners and a more boxy exterior. The matte finish of the silver model is truly lovely. Coming from the black version I was a bit worried that marks and scratches would be more visible on the silver model but actually, I’m less concerned considering how good the build quality is. The flip screen is also well built, and whilst I will use it, this wasn’t one of my principal reasons for upgrading.
In terms of ergonomics, the D-Pad is sorely missed, but I haven’t had an issues assigning functions to the available buttons. I haven’t enabled the touch functions at all, as a left eye shooter. I also just can’t be bothered to be honest. All in all I think that provided you are a relatively adaptable person, you won’t have issues with the lack of the DPAD.
New features
The EVF is tangibly better than that of the X100F, but I sometimes feel that the EVF has a slight hue to the colouring...My only annoyance with the EVF/Power management is that I often shoot from the hip, and have found on a few occasions that the LCD/EVF is dim and slow, and will come back to life once I’ve pressed the shutter down. After some research it seems that this is a power saving function, so I have to have the camera in boost permanently (if someone has another way of keeping the camera responsive so that shots aren’t missed, please let me know).
Regarding the new film sim, Classic Negative, I’ve pretty much shot exclusively in that and enjoy the ‘vintage’ feel to it (all below sample pics use classic negative as a base with some minor tweaking in LR). I am weary of overdoing it though, as I think that it isn’t as good as Classic Chrome for a base film sim which can be used in more scenarios in my opinion. Classic Negative definitely feels at home in cities when the weather is wintery!
From a couple of days of usage and editing, in terms of general image quality, I haven’t noticed a staggering difference from the X100F, but of course, wide open, the lens is much improved and I have enjoyed not having to sacrifice IQ at the expense of shooting at wider apertures.
AF is noticeably snappier than the X100F. On the street, I can lock focus quickly, and with the AF range limiter (which I need to test more), it is nice for a street photographer to be able to assist the camera in deciding what to lock onto. I can set this from 1-4m and know that I don’t have to worry about the camera locking onto a subject outside of these distances.
Conclusion
I think that coming from the X100F the most pleasing aspect of the X100V is that it truly is a camera for all purposes now. With the added weather resistance, I am much more comfortable taking the camera out in less-than-good weather and don’t feel that the camera is ‘delicate’. I am not one to nanny my cameras either, so I plan to use it in all circumstances! The sharper lens also means shooting wide open is now no longer something that needs to be mitigated in post, as at f2 the lens displays very good sharpness.
I think that pretty much covers my thoughts so far! Enjoy the samples.
--
Instagram: isaac.a.q
Personal site: isaacqureshi.com
