Review: Fujifilm X100F point-and-shoot mirrorless for travel

As a truly compact point-and-shoot mirrorless camera, the Fujifilm X100F has a top reputation for creating impressive travel photography. Genevieve, who works as a Graphic Designer at MPB Brighton, usually shoots with a Canon EOS M10 . But, on a recent trip to Jamaica, Genevieve packed the Fujifilm X100F instead. Learn more about Genevieve’s experience moving from the M10 to the X100F and check out those images. What did Genevieve make of those famous Fujifilm film simulation presets? Let’s find out.

I’m a novice, but I’ve had a few cameras over the years. At the moment, I usually use the Canon EOS M10. It’s a simple mirrorless camera, with many ‘creative’ presets that look like Instagram filters. So while relying on those presets was fun when I was younger, I wanted to create my own look and have a few more straight-out-of-camera options.

Going from a camera with a zoom—the M10—to a fixed prime on the Fujifilm X100F, I had to work harder to frame some of the images. I’d run backwards and forwards to check framing. But that was mainly for tourist attractions. Shooting casual images or scenery felt easier, and I tend to prefer capturing scenery.

I liked being able to use the toggles to pick a focus point on the viewfinder and the screen. The Fujifilm X100F also shows you a bounding box so you know what’s in the shot. Being in Jamaica, with lots of greenery scenes, this was perfect.

I particularly appreciated the exposure compensation dial, which helped make the image lighter or darker to account for the contrast of sunlight and darker skin tones. Plus I love the look of the camera, which combines vintage looks with modern tech.

I don’t normally edit my images, so using the built-in Fujifilm presets helped me get images I liked straight out of camera.

Changing the preset settings was simple enough. The different presets made it easy to quickly point and shoot. Being able to use the viewfinder and the screen definitely helped too. After a few days, I knew which way to shoot different subjects.

The Fujifilm X100F is bigger and heavier than my Canon EOS M10. Initially, I thought it was fine—until I started carrying it around. While it didn’t affect my picture taking, I do like to run around and shoot things, so that increase in size and weight wasn’t really ideal. But it certainly wasn’t a deal-breaker. Overall, I loved using the X100F. 

As a beginner, my advice is that you don’t need to know everything about every setting. Try a few things at a time, and roll with that. If you like something, go with it. You don’t need to do what everyone else is doing.

Thanks, Genevieve. Read morecamera gear guides on the MPB content hub.