Capable of shooting at half the size of 35mm film, the X half has a vertical optical viewfinder and LCD monitor optimized for vertical composition photography, and a lightweight body weighing only 240g.

The “X half” is a compact digital camera that uses a 3:4 aspect ratio, different from the 3:2, 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios commonly used in many digital cameras, enabling the capture of still images and videos in a vertical composition… a solution that suggests the type of users Fujifilm appears to seduce with the new model: smartphone users and a generation used to shoot vertical photos and videos for social media.

The vertical viewfinder may sound like something new… but it is not: in fact, although for other reasons, Fujifilm used vertical viewfinders in models from the GS645 series of compact medium format cameras, released in the 1980’s. The three models – GS645 and GS645S and GS645W – due to their design, feature a viewfinder in, as Fujifilm said then, portrait format orientation, instead of the common landscape orientation used in most viewfinders. I know that because I own a GS645S and when I want to shoot landscapes with it, I’ve to rotate the camera vertically. Now, for the X half, the portrait format orientation returns, but in digital format and for a new type of photographer/videographer.

There is another reason for the vertical viewfinder orientation: this camera is an evolution from the concept of classic half-frame cameras, film cameras capable of shooting at half the size of 35mm film. In the past, Fujifilm introduced various film cameras, including the “FUJICA Half” released in 1963, sparking a timeless passion for photography.

Olympus PEN F was the first half frame SLR

The world’s first SLR camera able to shoot double the frames on a 35mm film, though, was the Olympus PEN F, which allowed photographers to shoot 72 frames on a 36-exposure roll of 35mm (or 48 on a 24 frames roll) creating vertical 18x24mm frames. Fujifilm and Canon followed the popular model with their own versions, FUJICA Half and Canon Demi, in 1963.

With the X half Fujifilm recreates the same logic but goes one step further, thanks to the magic of digital technology: besides having a vertical optical viewfinder and LCD monitor optimized for vertical composition photography, the camera also features the new “2in1” function, which enables the combination of two vertically composed photos into a single image, allowing for the creation of story-driven works that fully utilize the vertical aspect ratio. The result is a photo collage composed by dividing the 3:2 aspect ratio screen at the center and arranging still images/videos with a 3:4 vertical composition on the left and right.

Furthermore, it includes “Film Simulation” – a regular feature in modern Fujifilm cameras – which allows users to enjoy various color tone expressions as if they were changing photographic films, and “Grain Effect” which reproduces the unique graininess of film photos. Additionally, new shooting filters such as “LIGHT LEAK” and “HALATION” have been adopted, enabling diverse shooting expressions tailored to subjects and scenes… and replicating digitally problems that affect, sometimes, film emulsions.

Shooting without the LCD monitor

Fujifilm also notes that the new “Film Camera Mode” revived the shooting experience of a film camera. In this mode, shooting is possible using only the optical viewfinder without the LCD monitor. After each shot, the Frame Advance Lever is operated to proceed to the next shot. The operation feels similar to advancing the film in a film camera. The images can only be viewed after the specified number of shots have been taken, adding an element of excitement and anticipation for the captured images.

This is an interesting feature and one that I tried, years ago, on some of my photography workshops, inviting participants to shoot a whole “roll of film” with their digital cameras, by not using the LCD to view photos after each capture, but instead only looking at the images after the end of the assignment, on a computer screen. It was an interesting challenge but unfortunately few seemed eager to accept it, so I wonder if many will use this new feature from Fujifilm.

The new Fuijifilm X half also includes a Frame Advance Lever on the camera’s top plate that looks like the film advance lever from the past but now is used for other purposes. When in “Film Camera Mode”, after taking a photo, the next shot can be taken by pulling the Frame Advance Lever. Once the set number of photos has been taken, the shooting data can be transferred to the dedicated “X half” app to perform digital development, enabling photos to be viewed, edited, and shared within the app. A contact sheet is also saved simultaneously after digital development.

Some smartphones offer more features

Fujifilm also notes that “by pulling the Frame Advance Lever between shots, it becomes easy to create a composite photo combining two vertically composed images, similar to a half size camera, with the “2in1” feature. Photo sequences can also be created by combining videos with videos or videos with still images. Additionally, the dedicated “X half” app enables the creation of collages. Furthermore, within the app, elements such as changing the color and size of the dividing line or swapping the left and right images can be easily and intuitively edited.”

Designed with a focus on lightness and product design, the X half” features a compact 240g body that evokes the charm of a classic film camera. It can be carried anywhere and used anytime for casual shooting. Additionally, the dedicated “X half” app allows the transfer of still images and videos to a smartphone, viewing captured images in gallery and album format, and printing them using the smartphone printer instax Link series, greatly expanding the ways to enjoy and express creative work, Fujifilm claims.

Equipped with a back-illuminated 1-inch sensor with 17.74 million pixels and a 32mm F2.8 (35mm equivalent) prime lens, a focal length matches that of the One-Time-Use camera QuickSnap, enabling shooting with the same familiar angle of view, the “X half” has a mechanical shutter able to run
from 15min. to 1/2000sec and can shoot FHD videos at speeds between 1/2000 and 1/24. Fujifilm says this new camera is the perfect companion for both photography enthusiasts and newcomers exploring the world of digital cameras for the first time. One as to ask, though: aren’t smartphones these days able to offer more features?

The price, $849, and lack of features like a rotatable screen or 4K video may, somehow, make it not very interesting for audiences beyond TikTok, even if it manages to attract audiences in that social media platform. As the FUJIFILM GFX100RF, the first GFX series digital camera with a built-in lens, 28mm f/4, and a 102MP large-format image sensor, the lightest model in the GFX series, that costs… $4899, the X half may well be a camera that “combines Fujifilm‘s history of contributing to the development of photography culture through the provision of a wide range of products and services over many years with cutting-edge technology and design”… but, as we wrote for that other model, the Fujifilm X half  “may not be the camera of choice for many users.”