I managed to have a quick hands on with the newly launched Fujifilm X100VI at Artishutter X N4 Camera store, where they had a demo unit available for touch and try. I was happy to find out that finally Fuji included 5-Axis Image Stabilization into their latest iteration of X100 series. The lack of any form of image stabilization in the previous X100 incarnations was one of the few complains I had with the camera, which held it back from being a truly great street shooting machine. If you have truly experienced the reliability of powerful image stabilization and how much it can improve your photography, you won't use a camera without one. I took this opportunity to test the 5-Axis IS in the X100VI out during my brief session with the camera, and I made a video to share my findings, as well as my initial thoughts on the camera here (click).
I have to admit right from the start that I am not a 35mm shooter. The X100 series cameras have an equivalent fixed lens of 35mm classic focal length, so if you love it, you will love it, but if you don't, you are stuck with it and there is no way to change lens, or zoom away from it. I acknowledge the importance of 35mm lens, as many greats and even my friends have produced excellent results with that focal length, which is wildly popular among street photographers.
The new X100VI has a few notable improvements, two main ones being the inclusion of 40MP X-Trans image sensor (same one from X-H2?) and also the 5-Axis IS. I have no way to test out the image quality, as I did not bring the camera out for real life shooting, and even if I did, there was only so much I can do with the little time I had with the camera. The 5-Axis IS, as I have reported in my video, was quite impressive. Fujifilm claimed the stabilization to have 6 stops EV effectiveness, and I have proven that in my quick test to be true. I can hand-hold the camera freely without any support or aid down to 1 second shutter speed. For the intended purpose of X100 series cameras in street photography specifically, that is more than sufficient, and if you want to induce motion blur for creative reasons, the stabilization can help in opening more opportunities, preventing the image from being completely blur due to camera shake. Kudos to Fuji for finally adding in the stabilization, and for this reason alone, many people will upgrade to, or buy the X100VI.
Everything we love about the X100 series is still there - the classic beautiful look, the mechanical dials and controls, with dedicated aperture F-number ring, and the hybrid OVF/EVF, also with the tilt screen (with touch operation) LCD which was first introduced in X100V, now all this combination made this X100VI to be the almost perfect machine for street photography. What else is there to ask for? I am just surprised it took Fuji this long to include the image stabilization, they should have done this 2-3 generations ago.
Of course, there is much to say but I cannot do so without having fully tested the camera in real life. Maybe by some miracle or chance I can get my hands on one for my own shutter therapy session, who knows, you will see something review something X100VI reported here! We shall see.
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Interesting parallel between Fuji adding IBIS to the X100 for the first time and Panasonic adding PDAF to the G9 -- and both apparently hitting a home run on their first try! I guess late-comers to the party get the benefit of all the tech development before them. I enjoyed your in-store video on this!
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