Fuji X100F
As a seasoned DSLR user who also dabbles in mirrorless shooting, I found Fujifilm's X100F delightful in its simplicity and versatility. This compact rangefinder-style camera's all-metal construction gives it a luxurious feel, and I love the classic 35mm film camera vibe it gives off. Beyond cosmetics, shooting with the X100F was seamless, intuitive, and fun — particularly once I'd studied the manual and gotten familiar with the menu options.
A built-in lens that lets you capture more light
The X100F boasts a high-quality fixed 23mm f/2 lens that's great for creating radiant low-light images and crisp portraits with beautifully blurred backgrounds. Its 35mm equivalent focal length lets you capture landscapes and street scenes as well as close-ups and detail shots. As an added bonus, the lens has a built-in three-stop neutral density filter to make it easier to shoot wide open in bright light.
Committing to a single focal length is a great exercise for developing your composition skills. I found myself getting pretty creative in order to get shots I might have used other lenses for. The X100F's lens has a minimum focus distance of 1.6 feet in normal mode, and just 3.9 inches in Macro mode, so you can change up perspectives by getting extra close to your subject.
The X100F's built-in fill flash cuts out shadows and makes colors pop.
Fantastic fill flash
I normally wouldn't be touting the benefits of any camera's built-in flash, but the X100F's flash capabilities came as a very pleasant surprise. I'm glad I did my research before testing out this camera, because I might not have tried the flash otherwise.
As it turns out, a really cool advantage of the X100F having a fixed lens is that the flash can sync at all speeds up to 1/4000 seconds, giving you a much greater range than you'd get with an interchangeable-lens camera (where flash sync speeds normally top out around 1/250 seconds). I found my results with this camera's built-in flash to be a lot smoother and more natural-looking in general than previous attempts at using my DSLR's pop-up flash.
Experience the real joy in making photographs
I've never had a camera that made it so easy to switch between manual and automatic settings before. The X100F's engraved metal dials let me adjust settings without having to take my eye away from the viewfinder.
The X100F's OLED electronic viewfinder can display all your settings and show you what your final image will look like. I loved that it can function as an optical viewfinder too, and a dedicated switch makes it just as easy to toggle between electronic and optical viewfinder modes. You can even get a live electronic focus-assist window in the corner when using the optical finder.
If you prefer framing your shots on the back of your camera, the X100F's touchscreen offers an equally intuitive experience, similar to shooting with your phone.
Outstanding performance for stills and video
The X100F's 24.3-megapixel APS-C sized sensor and high-speed processing engine combine to give your photos and videos exceptional color reproduction with high ISO sensitivity and low noise. This camera records video in Full HD resolution. A 2.5mm microphone input lets you add an external mic so you can capture high-quality audio.
An advanced autofocus system
The X100F's high-speed processing power gives it improved autofocus performance over previous X Series models. For subjects on the move, AF-C Custom settings let you optimize autofocus according to the type of movement for extra-precise tracking.
Awesome color reproduction
As a renowned manufacturer of color and black-and-white films for over 80 years, the folks at Fujifilm have a deep understanding of the role color plays in creating memorable photos. The X100F's 15 different film simulation modes — including the popular Provia and Velvia film types — let you use different tones and gradations to add texture, depth, and atmosphere to your photos and videos.