Fuji X100VI vs Sony RX1Rii - a real life comparison
For those who follow my wedding and commercial work, you may be aware that I only exclusively shoot with Sony cameras. I am not a Sony ambassador (although I would love to be asked to be one) and therefore I have the liberty to use any camera system I use and think would work well for me. Since I love portable cameras and street photography, I do have a special love for the Sony RX1Rii which as you may know a full-frame camera with a fixed 35mm lens mounted on a 42mp sensor. The IQ is really spectacular and when you nail the shot, it really feels special. I have in previous posts, written extensively about it back in 2017:
A year on... review of the RX1Rii... (fbalzan.com)
RX1r ii a real life review in a 1 hour street photography session (fbalzan.com)
RXRii and street photography in Gozo (fbalzan.com)
The problem with this camera is that it is now quite aged - with a rather slow autofocus, poor battery life and rather slow startup speed. Although it still creates amazing images, its a bit of a slower and aged camera. I was therefore following the hype of the new Fujifilm X100VI… and then I got lucky.
The camera that is so difficult to get - and I got a Limited edition version!
I was moderately tempted to try the new FUJI X100VI after reading the specifications and reviews… but as you all know it is now near impossible to get. The waiting lists are for pre-orders run into months. Initially, I was a bit put off due to the fact that the camera has an APS-C sensor which was something which I was not interested in. Initially the smaller sensor and the fact that the f2 aperture (which on an APS-C sensor would be around an f2.8 aperture on a fullframe) put me a bit off. But then I saw that Fuji had a limited edition version of the camera and which they were selling via a lottery system. The problem was that this was open only to USA residents and therefore I messaged a dear friend in USA and asked him if he could his name in the raffle for me. I said let me test my luck. Well… his name got randomly chosen and I had the opportunity to buy the camera - which I took! He then got the camera, UPSed me the camera and last week I had the camera in hand.
First Impressions - build quality, system, responsiveness
Now it did take me a few hours to get accustomed to the new camera and menu - but I was soon upto speed with all the settings. I set the camera to touchscreen off, continuous focus, burst mode low and autoiso (aperature priority) as I love to set my cameras and found some time to test this camera out.
After reading reviews online, I did also order for the camera two accessories as you will note in the images of the camera:
One was the Nisi UV filter which I wanted to mount as a protection to the front element of the lens. This is very small and does not add any protrusion.
Secondly is the thumb grip from JJC which is compatible also with previous models. Now that I have been using the camera for a week, I am not so sure if I really need this thumb grip or otherwise, but now that I have it I am not removing it.
To start off, I have to say the camera feels really robust in hand. I loved the vintage look of the camera and the fact that it felt so sturdy in hand. Fuji certainly know how to make a camera and the number of buttons and dials on the camera make it so customizable (I still need to get my head to customise the buttons though!). Did I also tell you that the camera has a built in flash and an option to use the viewfinder in optical mode?
The limited edition version has only minor differences from the non-limited edition version - mainly being that it has a different box, limited edition number engraved in the hotshoe and a vintage FUJI logo engraved at the top. Also to be honest with you all, I would probably preferred the black version, but the limited edition only comes in the silver version. But what I really fell in love with, is how small it is. Yes, the fact it has a smaller portruding lense, really makes a difference.
To test the camera, I went to Mellieha and then Rabat with my friend to have lunch and then we did a 1 hour walk around the village. I must say I was impressed with the camera responsiveness and focus speed! Well maybe its nothing spectacular, but the speed well matches my Sony A9 speed. Considering the size of the camera, I was not expecting this. The Face recognition is also unbelievably good for such a small camera. Another thing I loved, is the silent shutter (both using Electronic and Mechanical shutter modes) and the fact that I noticed no banding in the shoots when using it. I did have to return a previously purchased Sony A7RV because of this issue! Had Sony have a great A7RC with electronic shutter, then I would have seriously considered it too.
Image Quality
Now the image quality is something which we photography maniacs and addicts may easy lose ourselves into. In essence I think the Fujifilm X100VI is great as an every day camera especially for good light conditions and let’s be honest - normally if I am doing street photography, I would be doing this in good light at low ISO. As you can see in the edited RAWs below, the images are sufficiently sharp - unless you go pixel peeping into the image you will not notice any differences from the fullframe Sony RX1Rii. Although the camera has a 40MP sensor - I found the lense to be slightly soft when zooming in the images heavily. Maybe it was because I was shooting as I normally do, from the hip and was totally relying on the camera autofocus to nail the shoot, but still I think there is a slight difference in this aspect.
I also had the opportunity to try out the camera at night for a few shoots and as you can see in the last 2 shots above, the camera still performed adequately. Upto ISO 1600, I feel the camera is performing well enough.
Film Simulations
I have to also note that I loved the Film simulations, which in reality are a simple addition but provide a decent result. I have not as yet had the time to play around with custom recipes, but it is something I need to look into soon. For the time being I am using the Vivid recipe which gave me interesting results. As you can see below, I am comparing the edited RAW image vs the direct JPG sumlation.
Conclusion and Verdict
In the end, I feel that this camera is a great fit for me and I am considering selling my Sony RX1Rii. While sad that I may sell this camera (still thinking about it at the moment), I really wished that Sony came out with an updated version of the camera - I would buy it instantly with not much thought. The FUJI X100VI is good enough for most photography situations which I intend to take it too and I feel that the battery, speed and responsiveness improvements are sufficient to make me move from one camera to the other (albeit at a slight loss in IQ).