Fujifilm X100VI Review

Fujifilm took four years to update the X100 series, and the X100VI arrived looking almost indistinguishable from the X100V it replaces. Whether that constancy delights or disappoints is a matter of taste — the substance is all inside the classically styled body. The result speaks for itself: a "very good" (1.2) lab verdict, 2nd of 28 premium compacts in the current rankings, and 1st of 36 outright when first tested in March 2024.

The heart of the upgrade is the 40-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and X-Processor 5, borrowed directly from Fujifilm's top mirrorless X-T5 — a dramatic step up from the predecessor's 26 megapixels.

The lab measurements show what that transplant achieves. At minimum ISO the X100VI resolves 2,631 line pairs per image height in the centre (stopped down twice to f/5.6) — remarkable because it nearly matches the Leica Q3, whose 60-megapixel full-frame sensor manages 2,699. At ISO 400 the two stay effectively level in the centre; only from ISO 800 does the Leica pull ahead. Even at ISO 3,200 the Fujifilm still resolves a very good 2,216 line pairs centrally.

The corners are the honest caveat. At minimum ISO, sharpness falls from 2,631 to 1,988 line pairs at the edges — a drop of 643 — and between 440 and 730 line pairs go missing from centre to corner at every ISO up to 3,200. Landscape photographers should expect visibly softer frame edges.

Noise, by contrast, barely registers: test shots stay very clean through ISO 1,600, a first hint of colour noise appears only at ISO 3,200 under 100 per cent magnification, and A3-sized prints remain flawless even at ISO 3,200. Measured detail retention earned "very good" (1.0) at minimum ISO and "good" (1.5) at ISO 1,600.

The X-Processor 5 also brings the fastest autofocus the premium-compact line has seen, with deep-learning subject recognition that tracks not just human faces and eyes but animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, aircraft, trains, insects and drones. In the practical test — shot around Cologne and Düsseldorf, largely in the contrast-rich Acros black-and-white film simulation — the eye detection proved dependable enough in AF-C to leave focus entirely to the camera and concentrate on composition.

The bigger first is in-body image stabilisation, newly engineered to fit the X100's compact shell. Fujifilm claims up to six stops; the practical test managed sharp handheld exposures of 2.5 seconds, equivalent to roughly four stops at the 35 mm-equivalent focal length — short of the claim, still a genuinely good result. Remarkably, IBIS costs almost nothing in bulk: the body grew about three millimetres deeper and 43 grams heavier than the X100V, at a measured 521 g.

The signature hybrid viewfinder returns, switching between optical and electronic views via the front lever. The 3.0-inch touchscreen now tilts up to 45 degrees, though it still won't flip forward for selfies or vlogging. Manual-control fans get the combined shutter-speed/ISO dial, the aperture ring on the lens (f/2 to f/16), and a configurable lens ring for functions such as film simulations; navigation falls to a joystick, as Fujifilm again omits a d-pad.

The fixed Fujinon 23 mm f/2.0 II lens — an eight-element, six-group design equivalent to 35 mm full-frame — keeps the gently wide perspective that makes this series so versatile, equally at home with landscapes and cramped interiors, and the X100V's optional wide and tele converters remain compatible. The electronic shutter reaches an extraordinary 1/180,000 second, exposures stretch to 900 seconds, and a small built-in flash plus hot shoe round things off.

Continuous shooting holds 11 frames per second with the mechanical shutter — now at 40 megapixels — while the silent electronic shutter manages 13 fps against the predecessor's 20. In exchange, buffer depth more than doubles: 80 JPEGs or 38 RAWs in sequence.

Video takes the biggest generational leap: from the X100V's 4K ceiling to 6.2K recording (with a 1.23× crop), plus oversampled 4K derived from the 6.2K stream for extra sharpness. Uncropped, oversampling-free 4K is limited to 30 fps, while Cinema 4K in 17:9 and Full HD slow motion at up to 240 fps extend the toolkit. Film simulations, the AI autofocus and the stabiliser all work in video too. The one clear miss: audio input uses a fiddly 2.5 mm jack rather than the standard 3.5 mm.

Battery life is the trade-off for so much sensor in so little body: 360 photos or 86 minutes of video per charge is modest.

The scoring is dynamic — the class leader defines the benchmark, and everything re-scores as the field moves. Launched straight to 1st of 36, the X100VI now sits 2nd of 28 with its grade easing from 1.1 to 1.2: still elite two and a half years on. Its price assessment, however, is bluntly "expensive" (4.0) — this has never been a value pick.

At the time of writing, Amazon UK lists the X100VI in black at £1,599.00 — exactly its UK launch price — new from a marketplace seller with only a handful in stock, while John Lewis carries the same £1,599.00 listing but currently shows it out of stock. Two years after launch, demand still runs ahead of supply, so expect to shop around rather than pick a colour and a delivery slot.

The X100VI is that rare update that changes almost nothing visible and nearly everything that matters: X-T5-grade resolution that embarrasses cameras twice its price, the series' first stabiliser, genuinely intelligent autofocus and a 6.2K video mode — all inside the same beloved hybrid-viewfinder body. Soft corners, modest battery life and a stubbornly premium price are real, but they are the footnotes to one of the finest fixed-lens cameras ever measured in this class.

Why is the X100VI so popular? Because it puts genuinely flagship imaging — the 40 MP sensor of Fujifilm's top X-T5, resolving nearly as much as a Leica Q3 in the lab — into a classically styled fixed-lens compact with the series' signature hybrid viewfinder, and adds the first in-body stabilisation the line has ever had. Supply has trailed demand ever since launch.

What lens does it have — and can it zoom or change lenses? A fixed Fujinon 23 mm f/2.0 II (a 35 mm full-frame equivalent), with apertures from f/2 to f/16. There is no zoom and the lens does not come off — though the optional wide and tele converters made for the X100V remain compatible.

Can the X100VI shoot video? Yes, seriously: up to 6.2K at 30 fps (with a 1.23× crop), oversampled 4K derived from the 6.2K stream, Cinema 4K in 17:9, and Full HD slow motion at up to 240 fps — with the film simulations, AI autofocus and stabiliser all available while recording.

When did the X100VI come out? It launched in early 2024 — the test here dates from March 2024, where it entered the rankings 1st of 36 premium compacts outright.

Where can you buy one, and when will it be back in stock? At the time of writing the honest answer is: patchily. Amazon UK carried it at £1,599.00 — exactly the UK launch price — as marketplace stock with only a handful of units, while John Lewis listed the same £1,599.00 but showed no stock. Two years on, demand still runs ahead of supply, so expect to shop around rather than pick a delivery slot.