Fujifilm X100 Review: The Haiku of Digital Street Photography——Where Nostalgia Meets Pixel Alchemy

The Film DNA in a Digital Skin

In 2010, Fujifilm resurrected its analog soul with the X100—a digital rangefinder draped in faux-leather and brushed metal. When Thai floods stalled production, prices doubled overnight, birthing a cult. Thirteen years later, its descendants (X100S/T/F/V) remain faithful to the original haiku:

Sensor: 12.3MP APS-C (transposed from Fuji’s film emulsion wizardry)
Lens: 23mm f/2 (35mm equivalent), EBC-coated for spectral witchcraft
Hybrid Viewfinder: Optical tunnel meets EVF modernity

The Quiet Assassin

1. Whisper Shutter
The leaf shutter clicks at 1/4000s with the decibel level of a moth’s wingbeat. Street photographers rejoice; subjects rarely flinch.

2. Stealth Misfire
So silent you’ll check the LCD post-shot—did it fire? A quirk that becomes ritual.

3. Focus Gambit

AF: 2010-era sluggishness (0.8s in low light)
MF: Focus-by-wire with faux distance scales. Zone focus at 2m, pray to the bokeh gods.

Optical Contradictions

1. The 23mm f/2 Paradox

Strengths: Central sharpness cuts like katana steel; f/2 bokeh swirls like ink in water
Flaws: Corner softness at f/2 (embrace it as “character”), barrel distortion masked by in-camera voodoo

2. Low-Pass Filter Wars
The X100’s AA filter blurs pixels to fight moiré. X100S removed it, but does it matter? For Instagram poets: no. For pixel-peepers: buy a GFX.

Fuji Colors: A Love Letter

1. JPEG Sorcery
Velvia’s saturation, Astia’s skin tones, Acros’ monochrome grit—all baked into presets. Purists scoff; pragmatists shoot JPEG+RAW and never look back.

2. RAW Realities
X-Trans files in Lightroom reveal hidden dimensions:

Shadow Recovery: Pull 4 stops without noise Armageddon
Color Grading: “Fuji Green” in foliage, “Leica Rust” in brick walls

The Konica Hexar AF Reincarnated

Feature	Fuji X100	Konica Hexar AF
Lens	23mm f/2 (35mm eq.)	35mm f/2
Shutter	Leaf (1/4000s)	Leaf (1/250s)
Focus	Hybrid AF/MF	Autofocus only
Soul	Digital film sim	Tri-X in a titanium body

The X100 is Hexar’s digital ghost—quieter, smarter, equally obsessed with 35mm poetry.

Generational Drift: X100S/T/F/V

Fuji’s iterative upgrades (2013-2022) prioritized specs over soul:

X100S: 16MP, no AA filter (moiré enters chat)
X100T: NFC, classic chrome film sim
X100V: 26MP, weather sealing (finally)

Yet none improved the core truth: The X100’s magic lies in its constraints.

Who Should Buy This?

Film Exiles: Craving Provia nostalgia without freezer storage
Street Minimalists: Zone focus + silent shutter = urban ninja
Leica Curious: 80% Leica M9 vibes at 20% cost

Avoid If: You need IBIS, 4K video, or autofocus faster than a ’90s SLR.

The Unrepentant Romantic

The X100 is a digital Zen garden—rakes its own sand, ignores industry trends. Its 23mm lens isn’t perfect, but perfection is overrated. For those who’d rather chase light than specs, this decade-old rebel still whispers: “Shoot slower, see deeper.”