Fujifilm’s X Half is an $850 digital digicam with an analog movie aesthetic

Fujifilm has already launched one uncommon digicam this yr within the GFX100 RF medium format compact, but it surely’s newest mannequin will be the most offbeat but. The $850 X Half is an 18-megapixel digital compact digicam, but it surely makes use of half of a 1-inch sensor to shoot 3:4 vertical images. To drive dwelling the retro vibe, it has a rear display devoted to displaying the digicam’s 13 movie simulation modes and might solely shoot JPEG and never RAW photos.

The title comes from “half-frame” cameras well-liked within the ’60s, just like the well-known Olympus Pen F, that use a 35mm movie body sawed in half (18mm x 24mm in measurement). The backside-illuminated sensor on Fujifilm’s X Half is, properly, half that measurement in each dimensions (8.8mm x 13.3mm) or 1 / 4 the world. It is also the smallest sensor on any current Fujifilm digital digicam, because the X-series makes use of the APS-C format and GFX fashions medium format. In reality, the X Half has the identical 3:4 vertical ratio as Fuji’s Instax Mini on the spot cameras — so you may make prints utilizing an Instax Mini printer through the brand new devoted X Half smartphone app.

The X Half naturally makes use of Fujifilm’s movie simulation and grain impact modes. Among the many new ones are “gentle leak” for a blown-out high quality that occurs when movie get uncovered to gentle inadvertently, “expired movie” and “halation,” an impact brought on by gentle bouncing off movie emulsion layers. To essentially get you into that analog movie temper, you’ll be able to change to the brand new Movie Digital camera Mode that limits your view to the optical viewfinder, makes you pull a body advance lever for every new shot and solely enables you to see the images as soon as they’re “developed” by means of the X Half app. It even produces a “contact sheet” format for 36, 54 or 72 photos.

One other characteristic is 2-in-1 photos that allow you to mix two nonetheless photos or films into one composition in-camera for further inventive prospects (utilizing the movie advance lever once more). That additionally means the X Half can shoot video in addition to images, with a vertical or sq. measurement (as much as 2,160 x 2,160) that appears splendid for social media — particularly with movie simulations utilized. Additionally exuding nostalgic vibes is the “Date Stamp” operate that permits you to imprint dates within the backside proper of photos, identical to on old-school Kodak-style movie digicam.

On prime of the primary rear 2.40inch LCD 3:4 monitor, the X Half has an optical reasonably than an digital viewfinder, including one other analog contact (and the accompanying parallax distortion errors). The digicam itself is sufficiently small to slip right into a pocket and weighs simply 210 grams (7.4 ounces). Different options embrace a built-in flash, large 880 body battery life and SD UHS-I card slot.

The X Half appears prefer it could possibly be coveted by social media customers or anybody on the lookout for a enjoyable celebration or trip digicam. Nonetheless, it is costly contemplating which you could simply get an Instax (or common movie digicam and lots of movie) for lots much less. Fujifilm has positively captured the pictures zeitgeist earlier than with fashions just like the X100 VI, although, so I would not be stunned if it turns into a success. The X Half is now on preorder for $850 (in black, charcoal silver and silver) with delivery set to begin on June 12.