The Fujifilm X100
March 2011
A compact with a fixed 23 mm lens and an APS-C sensor, styled like a 1950s rangefinder, with a hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder and real dials.
How it began
In 2010 Fujifilm, which still made film, showed a digital compact that looked like a classic rangefinder such as the Leica M3. It went on sale in 2011.
How it works
A fixed 23 mm lens on an APS-C sensor gives the view of a 35 mm lens on full frame. Its viewfinder can switch between an optical view with frame lines and an electronic view of the sensor. Shutter speed and exposure are set with dials, not menus.
Why it mattered
It showed there was demand for cameras designed around the experience of photographing. Fujifilm built its X system on it, and its film-simulation colours, based on its own films, became a selling point.
Limits and what replaced it
The first model was slow to focus and had quirks. Later versions fixed most of them, and the line continues.
Today
Now in its sixth version and often sold out; it revived dials and film-like colour across Fujifilm’s range.