Fujifilm X100V and Capture One – first thoughts
Fujifim simulation – Classic Chrome
I will start by saying that I have never owned a Fujifilm camera. I should also mention that for the past 10 years I have always used a combination of Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and the Silver Efex Pro Plug-in specifically for black and white processing.
Regular readers will probably know that during the past 6 to 9 months I lost my enthusiasm for photography and making new images. After this break my desire to be creative again is returning. It doesn’t do any harm to spend time recharging the batteries. It is also said that ‘a change is as good as a rest’ so I have decided to invest in the new Fujifilm X100V. The fifth model since 2010 in the X100 range and by all accounts a big step up from its predecessor the X100F.
I have pre-ordered the camera, a black version, and with luck I will pick it up later this month. I like the rangefinder form with its fixed 23mm f2 lens. For the first time this camera is weather sealed providing you attach the filter adapter ring and 49mm protection or UV filter. But one aspect that really appeals are the in camera Fujifilm film simulations. I won’t go into any detail here but they do provide excellent creative opportunities without having to spend time in front of a computer screen. I particular like the menu option which allows you to shoot RAW and at the same time create up to 3 different JPEG versions of the same image. You simply pre-select the film simulations of your choice and the camera does the rest. Brilliant.
The Monochrome or Acros film simulations can be generated with a simulated Yellow, Green or Red filter. In addition a warm or cool tone can also be applied in camera. As a black and white photographer this versatility at the time of taking the image is fantastic.
The form factor of the X100 is excellent as well. A 26mp APSC sensor in a relatively lightweight and well constructed body. The controls are all readily to hand and I shall enjoy customising the camera to suit my shooting style. The choice of using either an EVF or the optical viewfinder appeals as well.
Yes, I have high expectations of the camera and it should be great fun to use, but the title of this post also refers to Capture One; an alternative by Phase One to the Adobe pair of Lightroom and Photoshop. “What’s wrong with Lightroom?” I hear you ask.
After a little online research it soon became clear to me that LR is not the preferred choice for converting and editing Fuji RAW files. It has something to do with the sensor but I don’t want to get technical here. Suffice it to say that Capture One and Fujifilm have a close working collaboration, to make the most of the Fuji RAW files. Apparently the Lightroom algorithms can generate some unwelcome artifacts when processing certain images – I gather this problem doesn’t exist in Capture One.
This collaboration has been taken one step further in Capture One. They provide a completely free download of Capture One ’20’ just for Fuji cameras. They call it the ‘Express’ version. (They do a version for Sony as well). It doesn’t offer all the functionality of the full or ‘Pro’ version but it is free, not just a 30 day trial. The ‘Pro’ version for Fuji is £129 and I shall decide whether or not to go down this route in the future.
I downloaded the free version yesterday and so far I am very impressed with the ‘Express’ version. The download process was very straightforward and the interface soon made complete sense. The ‘learning hub’ on their website is great, providing an excellent range of videos to help find your way around the software. In addition the online Capture One User Guide, is easy to search and find the answer to most, if not all the questions you might want to ask. There are also links direct from the Capture One software to relevant articles in the user guide. Very helpful and much easier to access, learn and problem solve than Adobe (in my opinion).
You may now be wondering how I managed to lay my hands on some Fuji RAW files when I don’t yet have the X100V. A very simple answer. On Monday my local camera shop, London Camera Exchange in Chichester, (great service by the way) had a Fuji representative in the store with pre-production examples of the X100V, the newly released XT4 and a demonstration XPRO3 which was launched at the end of last year.
Given the sensor and processor are to all intents and purposes the same in all three cameras I had taken a memory card with me in the hope I could take some shots and bring them home to download and play.
So this is how I ended up with the ‘lady on the bike’ who just happened to look towards me as I stood outside the shop door trying the XPRO3 with the 56mm f1.2 lens. I am no street photographer but as a test shot for use in Capture One it did the job very nicely.
I am very much looking forward to the call from LCE to say the Fujifilm X100V is ready for collection………more news on this and on Capture One in the coming weeks and months. Exciting and fun times ahead.
alan frost photography 
30 Responses to “Fujifilm X100V and Capture One – first thoughts”
Always fun to get a new ‘toy’. I hope it arrives soon so you can explore and present some results online.
(I suppose you’re counting the days 🙂 )
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Yes indeed! I hope it might be next week but no one can confirm…..they just tell me it will be in the Spring!
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Can you please tell me why you have chosen to go with the X100V with its fixed lens which somewhat restricts its use as opposed the X-T4 which is only £250 more? Admittedly you have to pay out for the so called 18-55mm kit lens as well (which is an F2 excellent lens) but the potential uses of this lens are far greater than a fixed lens.
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Can you please explain to me why you are choosing to purchase the X100V with its fixed lens with limited use as opposed to the X-T4 which is just £250 more? Yes you have to buy the so called 18-55mm f2.8 ‘kit’ lens for £499 (which by the way does not deserve to be called ‘kit’ lens) which will give you a far greater potential usage. Alternatively you can buy a X-T3 + 18-55mm for £1648 (£348 more than X100V) & have all that extra versatility of the 18-55 lens.
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Hi Paul. There are many reasons why, so I will only mention the main points. Firstly I think you are trying to compare apples with pears. The X100v including the lens weighs just 478g. The XT4 with the 18-55 f2.8-f4 lens weighs 917g so is almost twice the weight and it certainly wouldn’t fit in a coat pocket. The body and lens are physically much larger. The constant aperture 18-55 f2.8 lens is still a stop slower than the X100v, is even larger, and weighs more than the XT4 body on its own (655g).
I wanted a camera which I could take anywhere at anytime but still have an excellent sensor and processor. It will never replace my principal Leica cameras and lenses which incidentally are even heavier than Fuji given their construction.
I also much prefer shooting with a prime lens – I don’t even own a zoom lens. My view is that you can be more creative with a prime lens and I have learnt to zoom by moving my feet instead of turning a ring on the lens.
Yes you could argue the XT4 and one of the kit lenses offers better value for money but as the old saying goes, ‘the best camera is the one you have with you’ ….and I know that the X100v will be with me most of the time when an XT4 would still be in a camera bag at home. Shot missed!!
Hope this helps to answer your question.
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Interesting thoughts & reasons for buying the X100V. I was curious as to your reasons for selecting this camera. I have been looking at something in particular with this camera & cannot find the answer. When you look through the viewfinder are you seeing exactly what the lens is seeing or are you seeing what is off to the left side of the lens as the viewfinder is set off to the left? I think that it has live view by the looks of things but not 100% sure.
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The X100v has both and electronic viewfinder (what you see is what you get) or can be switched to an optical viewfinder with framelines like any rangefinder camera. Even in the OVF mode there is some shooting information overlaid onto the screen. Using the OVF also uses less battery. If you visit the Cameralabs website there are excellent reviews and videos explaining all the features of many cameras including this one.
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Many thanks for all your info Alan. Look forward to seeing the images from this new camera.
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My pleasure Paul.
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Sorry about there being two comments (did not show the first one had been saved) but the second one does contain a bit more info.
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Sounds like you’re going to have some fun with this new camera.
I like the Xpro1 as a travel camera along with my Nikon 35ti when I want film.
I have used the Fuji version of SILKYPIX for raf file conversion and output tif files for Lightroom, seems to work ok.
The downside is no real catalogue facilities which means I have to be vigilant when downloading from the camera unlike Nikon nef file software.
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I have to say I am looking forward to it. I will particularly enjoy the small form factor and pocketability.
I handled the new XPro3 which also impressed me but for different reasons. Similar in many ways to the feel of my Leica M Monochrom. My all time favourite camera but getting more quirky by the day compared to the cameras being made today.
I shall look into Silkypix but so far so good with Capture One.
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With reference to your initial statement “After a little online research it soon became clear to me that LR is not the preferred choice for converting and editing Fuji RAW files.”
As a result of your statement which I had not heard about before & not had any issues myself, I have made some enquiries about this with friends that use Fuji cameras & several of them have told me that this is no longer a problem with LR. Apparently Fuji have supplied some info to Adobe about their sensors & as such LR has been updated to cure this problem. Once again this is the old problem of info on the web being out of date which I personally find very annoying as what you come across cannot never be relied on as not being out of date.
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Hi Paul. I didn’t know you shot with Fuji but I assume you do?…..I don’t belive everything I read on the internet either but it can be a useful source of information from which you need to draw your own conclusions. If you are happy wth the results in LR then that’s all that matters irrespective of what anyone might say…including myself! One of the articles I read was this one if it’s of interest to you. – https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2020/1/the-best-way-to-process-fuji-raw-files-in-2020
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Interesting blog (I note it is a recent one – great that Thomas date labels his blogs). His frequent statement of “subjective” is very true & can be applied frequently when it comes to photography. Have a good weekend & I hope the new camera turns up soon for you. Look forward to seeing the photos.
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As you say Paul, much of this is subjective and the differences are probably at ‘pixel peeping’ level. In the real world there are probably more important things to worry about. Have a good weekend.
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Or if you prefer watching videos – this one has more of the same – by Thomas Heaton – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPtPxH4IpsM&t=618s
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It depends on what version of LR is in use.
Since they went subscription and it seems after LR6 no further one off payments, the info is still relevant for lots of people.
Which is why I use Fuji’s own development software and output Tif files.
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Thanks David. I have the subscription – LR Classic and PS – which may well be fine for the Fuji RAW files although I do begrudge paying nearly £10 per month for updates I don’t really use or need. The free version of Capture One has obviously cost me nothing, so it has to be worth giving it a try and making a judgement later.
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I got the free version of C/One, it’s sitting on my main computer, never used it but will give it a try. Your links persuaded me to be a little more adventurous with Raf files.
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I’ll be interested to learn how you get on with Capture One and how you think it compares to Fuji’s own RAW convertor by Silkypix. Can’t do anything yet as I don’t have the camera!
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The thing I like with Silkypix is that you can scroll over the image with a lot of the development options and it temporarily changes the image as you scroll. I don’t use in camera jpegs but it has all the Fuji film options even if outputting a Tif. It also recognises Fuji lens distortion correction algorithms.
It gets a lot of flac from people as an editing software, but I think it’s from those who have not taken the trouble to appreciate what it can actually do with raf files. It’s free and I’ve not seen the need for the paid version, especilly as I have LR6. I keep the raw files for scans, nef and raf then a copy of the edited tif and any jpegs I use on the Internet.
Fortunately storage is cheap these days 🙂 I’m a little paranoid when it comes to digital copies. I still prefer hard copies either film or print.
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I’ll certainly give Silkypix a try. Like you I much prefer the print to a digital file. There is something more permanent and tangible when you have a photograph in your hand. I don’t do as much printing as I should but it is certainly my intention to look back through my library and print more of my favourite images.
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You will love this camera, Alan. The fact that it packs so much into a small form factor is exactly what makes it perfect for everyday concealed carry.
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Thanks very much Darius. Your words sum up very nicely the reason I have decided to buy this camera. I can’t wait for it to be in my hands.
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Exciting times! I bet your going to love that camera. I nearly bought a X100T not that long ago. I’ve been a Fuji guy of and on (recently back on haha) and I agree that being able to shoot raw and 3 sims is awesome. That is exactly what I am currently doing. And another nice thing is you can make any film simulation picture out of the raw file in camera after you have shot the photo. Anyhow, I hope you love your new camera when it shows up!
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Thanks Rob. Exciting times indeed! Just heard that I will be able to pick up the X100V this Thursday. Counting the hours……
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Nice! Your gonna be having a ball this weekend 🙂
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[…] my last post I mentioned the ‘in camera’ Fuji film simulations and how this particular feature […]
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[…] a red, yellow or green filters. You may wish to read some of my other posts about the X100v – Fujifilm X100v and Capture One first thoughts and The Fuji X100v has arrived – first […]
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