From Digital Camera World · · 2m
The Fujifilm trap: not every X Series has the magic
Used Fuji prices are climbing, but some X Series bodies never had the sensor that makes the look.
In brief
Used Fuji prices are climbing, but some X Series bodies never had the sensor that makes the look. Before buying a used Fujifilm, check whether it has an X-Trans sensor and which Film Simulations it carries. Originally reported by Digital Camera World.
Fuji owns the feed
While Canon, Nikon and Sony chase specs, Fujifilm went the other way: small, pretty, retro bodies. That choice made it the most talked-about camera brand on social media.
“Fujifilm has refused to compete. Instead, it's doubled down on what it does best.”
The X100VI started it
A 40.2-MP APS-C compact with real character, small enough to live in a bag. Two years after launch it is still hard to buy.
Scarcity pushed buyers backwards
High RRP plus thin stock sent photographers to the used market hunting that Fuji feel. Prices on decade-old bodies shot up as a result.
“even Fujifilm cameras over a decade old have become sought after”
What the Fuji look is
The color science rests on X-Trans sensors, which use Fujifilm's own color filter array instead of the Bayer filter nearly everyone else fits.
“The X-Trans sensor is at the heart of Fujifilm's beloved color science”
Not every X has X-Trans
The original 2010 FinePix X100 shipped with a Bayer array. The series only got X-Trans with the X100S in 2013.
The Bayer list to know
Also on Bayer: the whole X-A line, the X-T100 and X-T200, the XF10 compact, and the new X Half.
Then there are EXR sensors
The X10, XF1 and X-S1 use EXR sensors, a third option again. The FinePix X100 gets misfiled here because it has an EXR processor, not an EXR sensor.
Even X-Trans varies
The 16-MP X-Trans I appeared only in the X-E1, X-M1 and X-Pro1. Some fans rate its filmic rendering above every X-Trans generation since.
“considered by some Fuji fans to possess the best color science of any X-Trans sensor”
Count the Film Simulations
Film Simulations predate the X Series, arriving in 2003 on the FinePix F700, and the list grows with each generation. Older bodies miss Classic Chrome and Classic Negative.
Check the spec, not the vibe
Nobody is saying skip the non X-Trans bodies. Just know what sensor and which simulations you are paying for before the used listing tempts you.
“consider the sensor before you buy a Fujifilm X Series camera”
In short
Before buying a used Fujifilm, check whether it has an X-Trans sensor and which Film Simulations it carries.
