Fujifilm X-T100 Review: Fujifilm expands its range with the mirrorless X-T100: entry-level system camera with electronic viewfinder

With the X-T100, Fujifilm presents for the first time a mirrorless entry-level system camera with electronic viewfinder and Fujifilm X bayonet. It largely corresponds to the X-A5, so it has to get by with a conventional APS-C sensor with 24 megapixel resolution and Bayer filter instead of the special Fujifilm X-Trans color filter. The camera has both automatic and creative programs including manual exposure. The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2.36 million pixels and is complemented by a movable touch screen. Modern connectivity with Bluetooth and WLAN is also on board.

The X-T100 is Fujifilm’s first entry-level mirrorless system camera with electronic viewfinder. [Photo: Fujifilm]

Fujifilm made the right move, in my opinion,  with its mirrorless system cameras in retro design. Not surprisingly, mid-range and entry-level cameras have been added to the top models. Among the entry-level cameras is the X-T100, which was announced in May 2018. The currently cheapest Fujifilm system camera with viewfinder has a movable touch screen. We tested the camera together with the set lens XC 15-45 mm OIS PZ more precisely with the testing software and in practice.

 

Since June 2018, the Fujifilm X-T100 is available in dark silver and black at a price of almost 600 euros (without lens). [Photo: Fujifilm]

The X-T100 is essentially an improved X-A5 in some points. The X-T100, with 8GB of DRAM, has twice as much memory, which provides longer image series, better live image display and improved scene recognition. The 24 megapixel APS-C sensor has 35 integrated phase autofocus sensors. With the algorithms of the flagship models of the X series and the improved performance thanks to the larger RAM, the X-T100 should be able to focus quickly. With combined subject and object recognition, the improved SR+ auto mode, according to Fujifilm, makes it easy for beginners to use. In addition, eleven film simulation modes and 17 filter programs are available for individualizing the shots.

The electronic OLED viewfinder has a small-image equivalent magnification of 0.62 times and a resolution of 2.36 million pixels. The rear 7.6-centimeter screen is a touchscreen that not only folds up and down, but also 180 degrees to the side for Selfies. Thanks to touch gestures, various functions can be called up directly. A customizable quick menu is also available for easy operation.

The screen of the Fujifilm X-T100 can not only be folded up and down, but also 180 degrees to the side for selfies. [Photo: Fujifilm]

In addition to the 7.6-centimeter screen with a resolution of around one million pixels, the X-T100 is Fujifilm’s first entry-level camera to offer an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2.36 million pixels on an OLED. [Photo: Fujifilm]

The X-T100 records videos in a maximum resolution of 4K, but then only with a jerky 15 frames per second. Only in Full HD resolution are there smooth frame rates of 30 and 60 frames per second. In HD resolution even 4x slow motion (120 frames per second) is possible. In addition to WLAN, Bluetooth is also available for a power-saving connection to the smartphone for connectivity.

The replaceable lithium-ion battery should be sufficient for 430 shots according to the CIPA standard and can be charged via USB not only at the power socket, but also directly in the camera via the power bank. In addition to an integrated flash unit, there is also a TTL system flash shoe for the Fujifilm flash units.

Typical for a Fujifilm, the X-T100 also offers many adjustment wheels, but has no handle. However, a small screw-on handle is included in the scope of delivery. [Photo: Fujifilm]

Ergonomics and workmanship

Pure retro feeling comes up when the photographer takes the X-T100 out of the box and looks at it for the first time. The case makes a solid impression and even has a metal top cover. However, the impression would be reinforced if it were not a diaphragm. The opposite side, i.e. the camera base, is only plastic. Despite its small size, the camera has a good grip. This is mainly due to the detachable small handle and the thumb recess on the back of the camera. The “leathering” of the T100 is of course not genuine. Both the thumb tray on the back and the small handle are made of embossed plastic. Fujifilm has only given the front a leather-look rubber coating that feels good and also looks noble. You can’t and shouldn’t expect much more from a camera in this price range (approx. 700 Euro including the 15-45mm lens).

The new standard zoom XC 15-45 mm OIS PZ is included with the Fujifilm X-T100. It has a motor for zoom adjustment and folds compactly when switched off.

The 7.6 centimeter monitor is surprisingly good. It has a very precise touch control with gesture recognition. We’ll get back to these later. The monitor can be swivelled 180 degrees to the left via an interesting mechanism and can also be tilted 90° upwards or 45° downwards. This makes it easy to create frog and bird’s-eye views in portrait and landscape format, and even selfies, without which it is virtually impossible nowadays, are no longer a problem. The resolution of the monitor is a decent 1.04 million pixels and the maximum brightness is about 510 cd/m². However, the maximum monitor brightness of the Fujifilm X-T100 is clearly below the maximum monitor brightness of the comparable Canon EOS M50.

The layout of the controls is good as expected. The number of setting wheels is also very pleasing. The camera owns three of them. The only vertical wheel on the rear is the rotary wheel, which can be used to navigate the menus just like the other wheels. The photographer does not need to press an additional confirmation key when using this rotary knob. To confirm, simply press the rotary knob downwards. The positioning of the wheels on the back and the right side is unfortunate, because both wheels are too close to each other. In addition, these wheels are intended for thumb operation, the index finger is spared for triggering. The mode dial on the right has not been included in the setting wheel count as it has a fixed function. To the left of the viewfinder is the last dial. This allows the photographer to switch through the various film simulations in the default setting. But more about that later.

In addition to the rotating wheels, there are quick selection buttons on the rear as well as dedicated function keys. Behind the prominently visible “Q” button on the back is the Quick Menu. Here you will find all relevant recording settings such as white balance, image size, image parameters and much more. Unfortunately, Fujifilm does not integrate the touch screen here. The photographer must navigate through the settings of the quick menus with a mixed operation of control pad and rotary wheel selection. The main menu of the camera is extensive, but can be navigated easily. All wheels and the speed buttons on the back can be used for navigation. The touch screen monitor is unfortunately not intended for navigation through the menus.

As already mentioned, the touch screen recognizes gestures, such as zooming in and out of images by moving the fingertips together or apart. This type of gesture is known from smartphones or tablet computers. In addition, certain functions can be activated when the photographer quickly wipes up, left, right, or down from the center of the monitor. However, the wipe speed must be set so that the camera can detect the difference between touch AF and wipe activation. This is more difficult than the theory suggests.

The electronic viewfinder of the camera has an eye sensor. Thanks to this sensor, the camera switches from monitor mode to viewfinder mode. Unfortunately, the sensor does not care whether there is an eye, a finger or another object in the sensor area. Especially in combination with the previously explained gesture selection, the photographer should consider activating the function by wiping upwards. Because often the finger or hand lands in front of the eye sensor and the camera switches to the viewfinder and then immediately back again if the sensor in question finds nothing in the area. Although this switch is relatively fast, it consumes more energy than switching between the viewfinder or monitor. Fortunately, the eye sensor can also be deactivated.

The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of a good 2.3 million pixels and, as is usual with system cameras, covers 100 percent of the image field. For eyeglass wearers, the viewfinder is a little too small, so that a specular photographer has to move behind the viewfinder to keep the full overview. Thanks to diopter compensation, the camera is able to compensate for ametropia from -4 to +2 diopters. The monitor is sharp and clear. When the viewfinder is used, the AF point can be moved step-by-step using the touchscreen.

The built-in flash is really well integrated into the case design and therefore “invisible”. The designers of the X-T100 have designed the camera so that it has the “pentaprisma hump” of a SLR camera. However, since the camera does without such a prism and the electronic viewfinder does not require so much space, the entire front part of the “hump” is the foldable flash. The flash is unlocked by a mechanical switch and then flips upwards by spring tension. The flash achieves a very respectable guide number of 6.8 at ISO 100 and one meter measuring distance. In addition, the camera has a flash shoe for Fujifilm or compatible flashes. In addition, the flash shoe can trigger simple central contact flash units.

The camera stores still images and movies on SD memory cards. It supports SDHC and SDXC cards as well as the UHS-I standard. The memory card and battery are located on the bottom of the camera. The battery is the NP-W126S, which is used in various Fujifilm X models. The battery has a voltage of 7.2 volts and a capacity of 1,260 mAh. The battery is charged via the USB interface in the camera. The underside of the camera is also home to the tripod thread, which is however not in the optical axis and so close to the battery compartment flap that quick-release plates have to be removed to remove the battery or memory card.

The upper side is equipped with the various control elements.

Since we have tested the Fujifilm X-T100 together with the XC 15-45 mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ set lens, we would like to say a few words about the lens. This lens was equipped by Fujifilm with a Motorzomm and an image stabilizer. In contrast to the camera bayonet, the bayonet of the lens is made of plastic and not metal. The light lens leaves a very “price-optimized” impression of the feeling of touch.

Equipment

The X-T100 is a very impressive piece of equipment. In addition to the usual semi-automatic timers and aperture controls, the camera also offers a completely manual mode. If the photographer does not feel like making settings, he can use an automatic program. There are also different scene modes and automatic scene mode control. While the photographer has to choose a certain preset program for the scene programs, the camera analyzes the subject in the automatic scene mode and adjusts the shooting and image processor settings to the determined use. A total of ten different scene mode programmes can be selected, including portrait photography mode. All of the above modes are found on the mode dial. However, since it is a rather large rotating wheel, there is even room for frequently used scene mode programs such as landscape, night and sports shots. Another position of the mode dial is marked with an “Adv.”. Who now suspects that this is an operating mode for advanced users is unfortunately wrong. This setting “only” hides special effects, such as HDR, miniature and fisheye effects.

The panorama function is also located on the rotary wheel. Panorama photography has lost some of its popularity since the popularization of HDR photography. That’s actually a pity, because it was never easier to take panoramic pictures. With the X-T100 this is also no different. The camera uses a so-called “motion panorama” method. The photographer only chooses whether he wants a large or a “normal” panorama. In addition, the swivel direction can also be specified. Pressing the shutter button is enough to start recording. While the photographer slowly turns the camera, the shutter rattles and takes the pictures as continuous shots. Internally the camera merges the images and the panorama is ready shortly after the end of the last shot.

On the camera bottom you can see the offset tripod thread close to the battery compartment flap.

The hybrid autofocus system is almost a standard feature of Fujifilm system cameras. Even the X-T100 is no exception. In addition to the usual contrast autofocus for system cameras, the camera also has phase comparison sensors that are mounted directly on the 24 megapixel APS-C sensor. In contrast to the contrast autofocus, the phase comparison autofocus is significantly faster, but somewhat less precise, especially in poor lighting conditions, which is why the contrast autofocus is always used to help, which is why the system is also called hybrid autofocus.

A further disadvantage of the phase measuring sensors is the higher technical effort to accommodate them on the image sensor. The camera has a total of 91 measuring points arranged in a 13 x 7 grid around the center of the image. In addition, areas can also be selected from measurement fields. These can then be moved on the image field using the control pad or touchscreen. A “Track” mode is also available. This can track objects moving in the image field. Unfortunately, the camera did not perform convincingly with this function.

Fujifilm buyers should watch out, because hidden deep in the menu, the option “trigger priority” is also activated in AF-S mode at the factory. Actually one would like to have a focus priority in single autofocus mode and a trigger priority only in AF-C mode. After the corresponding conversion, we measured a shutter release delay with autofocus of 0.58 seconds in wide-angle and 0.57 seconds in telephoto. The times lag far behind Fujifilm’s promise of fast autofocus and also behind the competition. The pure release delay, on the other hand, was a fast 0.06 and 0.07 seconds respectively.

On the left side of the X-T100 there is only the connection for the optional cable remote control or the stereo microphone.

In video recording, the X-T100 tries to score with 4K resolution, unfortunately it only manages a frame rate of 15 frames per second. Fast movements and also simple pans become a visual torture with this small picture change. It gives the impression that the decision to implement a 4K video function in the camera was more of a marketing measure. A good video function should produce at least 24 frames per second. When shooting in 1080p (FullHD) and 720p, the camera achieves a maximum of 60 frames per second, which allows very smooth recording of motion sequences. The maximum recording time in all recording resolutions is 29 minutes. In addition to the 4K video function, there is also a 4K series recording function and a 4K focus stacking function based on the Panasonic model. The latter allows the photographer to select the focus area after taking the continuous shot.

As already mentioned, the camera has settings to simulate classic Fujifilm footage. The colour rendering and also the gradation of the films are simulated as authentically as possible. By default, the camera is set to Provia, a well-known slide film. In addition, the legendary Velvia film can be simulated, which shows its strengths especially in landscape photography. The Astia is also included and is softer in colour and contrast. In addition, the black and white and sepia modes can also be found here.

Playback functions include standards such as red-eye correction, image rotation, image reduction, an evaluation function, and more. The camera also offers presentation aids such as a slide show function. The typical Fujifilm photobook function is also available and offers space for six different photobooks. In addition, the photographer can convert raw data in the camera if no computer is available.

The USB and HDMI interfaces are located on the right-hand side. You can also see the screw for loosening the handle.

In addition to a Micro-USB interface that works with USB 2.0 standard, the X-T100 also offers a HDMI interface of type D (Micro). In addition, the camera has a 2.5 mm jack socket, with which not only the optional cable remote control RR-90 can be connected, but also a stereo microphone for video recordings. In addition, the X-T100 offers wireless transmission methods in the form of WLAN and Bluetooth connections. The Bluetooth connection is used, on the one hand, to set up the WLAN connection and, on the other hand, it allows a permanent connection between the camera and the smart device in order to store position data from the smart device in the images on the camera.

The WLAN connection is required to use the smart device as a comprehensive remote control for the camera. In addition, image data can be transferred to a smart device using the WLAN connection. However, since the connection from the smart device to the camera does not work without special software, Fujifilm provides suitable apps free of charge in the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes. The setup of the app including the connection to the camera is quite simple and can be done quickly by hand. The Live View remote control is also self-explanatory and allows access to the camera’s settings. The live preview on the connected camera has an amazingly low latency (delay) on a connected mid-range smartphone.

Picture quality

In the entry-level class, Fujifilm dispenses with the special color filter arrangement of X-Trans CMOS technology and uses a conventional Bayer color filter. This does not have to mean anything bad, because it is standard with all other manufacturers. We have tested the image quality of the X-T100 with the XC 15-45 mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ in our test with the testing software.

The X-T100 has a combined memory card battery compartment.

The X-T100 achieves the highest resolution with the XC 15-45 mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ at aperture 4 in wide angle, which corresponds to a focal length of 22 mm equivalent to a small image due to the 1.5-fold crop factor of the APS-C sensor. These 61.5 line pairs per millimeter are a good value for the 24.2 megapixel APS-C sensor. The resolution also remains similarly high in the medium focal length and is slowly reduced by closing the aperture. The upper focal length, on the other hand, only achieves about half the resolution of the lowest focal length with the same aperture setting.

The camera sharpens the image results significantly. Indications of this can be found in the sharpness artifacts and the very high texture sharpness. The ideal value for texture sharpness is 1.0. If the result is less than 1, the image becomes increasingly blurred. For results above 1, the image is oversharpened. The result of the X-T100 is about 1.4 at ISO 100 and about 1.2 at the native sensor sensitivity of ISO 200. Only at ISO 6,400 does the texture sharpness drop below 1. The camera obviously sharpens even at high ISO settings, after the noise has “destroyed” details. It is possible that Fujifilm has programmed the camera’s image processor to apply different degrees of sharpness to ISO sensitivities. Image noise is no problem due to a small grain size up to ISO 6,400. The color noise is not visible across all sensitivities.

With the input dynamics, the camera is at about 9.5 f-stops and is in the normal range. In the tonal value transmission, bulbous curves appear which raise the mid-tone range. This is a typical tuning for cameras whose image results are to be used immediately. The output tone values at ISO 200 are about 7-bit, which is a good result. Starting from ISO 3.200, the output tone values drop to an acceptable level and beyond that.

The X-T100’s color display shows no significant color shifts. Nevertheless, in the magenta-red range, for example, colors are shifted slightly from the magenta to the red range. Very strong green tones are also slightly shifted in the direction of yellow-green. These small shifts are typical for “shoot to print” cameras and should provide a subjectively pleasing picture result.

The metal bayonet of the Fujifilm X-T100 is easily recognizable. [Photo: Fujifilm]

Bottom line

The Fujifilm X-T100 with XC 15-45 mm lens is undoubtedly a successful entry-level camera with great potential for photographic experiments and demanding photography. The autofocus speed is fine in practice, but you shouldn’t rely on the camera when tracking your subject. Operation via the touch screen and the other control elements is good. Unfortunately, Fujifilm failed to integrate the touch screen into the menu navigation. On the other hand, the gesture recognition of the touch screen works very precisely. Wiping” as a function activation or selection, however, takes getting used to, as the photographer has to hit a certain speed range with this function. We especially didn’t like the wipe to the top, because we often got into the sensor area of the eye sensor, which then switched to the electronic viewfinder.

The image quality is very aggressively adjusted to “Shoot-to-Print”, but the presettings for the JPEG shots can be adjusted and with the raw data format the photographer has anyway free hand with the adjustment of the images. The simple coupling of the camera with a smart device is convincing and easy to manage thanks to Bluetooth. The 4K video function does not spill fame at 15 frames per second. If filming in 4K is to be part of the camera’s application profile, then it makes more sense to use a camera with a higher frame rate in this video resolution.

Fujifilm X-T100 Datasheet