Because it has a sensor that’s the same size as the chips in many interchangeable lens cameras, the Fuji X100V can’t be super-small, but the 23mm f/2 lens is impressively dinky, helping to give the camera a slim profile and enabling it to fit in a coat pocket.
The overall feel of the camera is excellent, but you’d expect that at the price. Fujifilm has milled the top and bottom plates from aluminium for extra durability and a touch of class. My only concern is that the front and rear grips are a bit on the shallow side. If I were to invest in the X100V, I’d look into getting a third party grip to make it feel a bit more secure in my hand.
Taking Control
Like previous X100 models, the X100V has traditional exposure controls – there’s a shutter speed dial on the top-plate, with a sensitivity (ISO) dial integrated within, an exposure compensation dial and an aperture ring on the lens.
In a small but significant change from the X100F, the X100V’s sensitivity dial isn’t spring loaded, so when you lift it to adjust the setting it stays up and ready for adjustment until you push it down.
The exposure compensation dial is conveniently placed on the back-right corner of the top-plate and as it has no lock you can adjust the setting quickly and easily. However, you need to check the setting if you carry the camera in a bag between shots. Thankfully, I didn’t find the dial gets moved easily when the camera is carried on a strap over your shoulder or across your body.
In a significant change from previous models, the Fujifilm X100V doesn’t have a navigation pad on its rear. This means that its shortcuts options have been lost but there’s also more room for your thumb on the back of the camera. You can also reach the features you want very quickly via the Quick Menu which is accessed by pressing the Q button.
The Autofocus point selection and menu navigation duties are carried out by the mini joystick on the back of the camera. This is also present on the X100F but it seems like a duplication when the navigation pad is also present.
I’m happy with Fujifilm’s decision to bin the D-pad.
Read our Fujifilm X-Pro3 review
Screen and Viewfinder
At first glance you might miss that the X100V has a tilting screen. The slim 3-inch 1,620,000-dot is flush with the back of the camera so it doesn’t spoil the profile or bulk-out the body at all.
A small tab towards the bottom left of the screen gives you a hint, it’s just a case of slipping a fingernail under and flipping out the screen.
I found that the tilting screen transforms the way I use the X100V. With previous X100 cameras I have shot almost exclusively using the viewfinder, with the X100V, I swapped between the screen and the viewfinder depending upon what I was shooting. The screen is ideal for composing low-level landscape orientation shots for example and it makes the camera that bit more versatile.
Although I wouldn’t want to get rid of physical controls, I like the option to use touch control. Fujifilm hasn’t made the X100V’s main menu touch-controllable, but the Quick menu is, which is handy.
While I prefer an electronic viewfinder because it shows the impact of the camera’s settings, there are some photographers who prefer an optical viewfinder. The Fujifilm X100V has both and you can swap between them with the flick of a switch on the front of the camera. The optical viewfinder has bright lines that indicate the framing, which can take a little getting used to, but it means you have the advantage of being able to see objects that are outside of or about to enter the frame.
Because the optical viewfinder is the direct view type, there can be a little parallax error, but it’s not a big issue. The electronic viewfinder shows the image from the lens formed on the sensor. It shows and accurate preview and has plenty of detail.
Read our Fujifilm X-T4 review