http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 43
playback) so I’ve opted to switch
it off at the cost of losing the
aforementioned touch functions.
Thankfully not all is lost as there
are six other controls that can be
customised. Everyone has their
own way of setting up their
camera, but for me the small Fn1
function button on the top plate
is used to access metering
mode, while the often-forgotten-
about selector function that
operates on a long hold of the
toggle switch at the front of the
body, is set to employ the built-in
4-stop ND lter without affecting
the switching between electronic
and optical view nders. As for the
Fn2 button within the toggle
switch, I’ve kept this set to the
control ring setting. Being able to
quickly cycle through the lm
simulations using the control ring
to see the effect they have on the
image live is fabulous, I just wish
Fuji lm offered a way to turn off
the pesky descriptions in the
centre of the preview image.
Stellar optics
When I reviewed the camera
twelve months ago I was taken
aback by just how far the optical
performance of the new lens has
come from the previous version
without any change to its physical
size. The improvement in
sharpness at minimum focus
distance didn’t bother me too
much as I rarely shoot close-ups,
however what did interest me
was the way the lens controlled
are and how it performed
wide-open in general use. I’ve
been aware of the complaints
X100-series users have made
about the issue of are in the
past. As I’m someone who loves
to shoot during golden hour and
towards the light, this has
possibly been the biggest factor
that’s put me off buying an X100
sooner. Over the past six months
I’ve shot hundreds, if not
thousands, of shots towards the
light and am pleased to say the
way the X100V’s new lens
controls are is vastly improved
over its predecessors, even
without a supplementary hood.
Don’t get me wrong, veiling are
is still evident when it’s directed
straight at the sun, but I don’t
nd it ugly or off-putting and I
admire the sun stars it
creates when it’s stoppedSunrise at Fairfield Church
in Kent. Flare resistance
has improved compared to
earlier X100-series models
Fujifilm X00V, 1/20sec at f/16, ISO 80The way the light was
hitting this curly hair on a
small horse caught my
eye whilst out walking so
I paused for a quick shot
Fujifilm X100V, 1/320sec at f/2, ISO 200