The Fujifilm X half* is an odd little thing. It leans so heavily into nostalgia that Fujifilm is clearly hoping you won’t focus too much on what it lacks.
Imagine going back in time and saying, “Fujifilm is about to release a camera that doesn’t shoot RAW, has a vertical 1-inch sensor, minimal physical controls, all for just $849.” Most people would assume the company had lost its ways.
But this doesn’t seem the case. The X half isn’t aimed at professionals or even enthusiasts like myself. It’s meant for a new kind of user: someone who wants more than what a smartphone offers, but less than what traditional cameras demand. These users don’t care about RAW files or editing in Lightroom. They want instant, aesthetic results. They want fun.
My only worry is that the X half is chasing a trend that might fade as quickly as it arrived. I fear these cameras will be bought in a wave of excitement, then slowly forgotten, left to gather dust in drawers as their owners drift back to the convenience of phone photography.
Still, I want to believe Fujifilm knows what it’s doing. I hope this isn’t a one-off experiment, but the beginning of a quirky, creative new chapter. The X half may not be for me, but I genuinely hope it finds its people, and a future.
*this is how the product name is written.
