90 YEARS - 90 DAYS - 90 IMAGES (Part 3)
Today is the last day of the project where I limited myself to shooting the X100VI camera for a period of 90 days.
Why 90 days you may ask? When Fujifilm announced the X100VI in February 2024, they themed the launch around the 90th anniversary of Fujifilm, which started back in 1934. 90 days to celebrate the 90 years of the company founding seemed appropriate.
At the start of the project I started a specific gallery on my website (under Personal Projects), called 90 Years Fujifilm - 90 days X100VI.
While the content was dynamic with images coming and going, I've now selected the 90 final images for the project. Click here to check out the 90/90/90 project.
X100VI Limited Edition
To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Fujifilm, the company announced a serialized production run of 1934 copies of the camera; clearly a nod to Fujifilm's founding year. I personally was lucky enough to get my hands on serial nr 830 of 1934.
- Shutter button is titanium i.s.o. aluminum
- A custom made silver shutter release button
- Camera and lens cap are engraved with special 1934 Fujifilm logo
- Serial number is engraved on the hot-shoe
- Special custom made limited edition camera strap
- Special box
- History cards
Firmware the camera is identical. When I got the camera, I immediately decided to use it as my Main Street/Travel photography camera and not keep it tucked away as a "museum piece".
IMAGE SAMPLES
Since the part two of the series, I took the camera to some more interesting places and events...
But first let's look at some Street Photography shot at home in Dubai (UAE). For me shooting candid street work with a small and near silent camera like the X100VI is so much easier.
The image of these three men discussing some of the worlds problems, in the old part of Bur Dubai, is a good example of this.
Dubai Creek Harbour is a great place to shoot the Dubai skyline at sunset. These two ladies were clearly enjoying the view as much as I did!
Al Madam, a small village in the UAE Emirate of Sharjah, has become known for its abandoned village in the desert. As the place was slowly getting out of hand with "Instagrammers", the government has now placed a security post at the entrance. While it's lost a bit of the deserted feeling, it's now much cleaner and even has an interesting art installation. This "concrete bedouin tent" by artists Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petit, was begging to be photographed!
The X100VI also went flying! Shooting aerials is one of my favorite genres of photography. Both when flying as a passenger on airliners like in the image above or when flying our vintage small aircraft over Belgium below.
The amount of detail the small camera can reveal is astonishing. Some people voiced concerns that the lens possibly resolve the 40Mpx sensor resolution, which can't be farther away from the truth.
Flying our 70 year old Piper Super Cub from Belgium across the English Channel is always an adventure by itself. Documenting it with the X100VI was very rewarding.
Being so small, the X100VI is ideal as an EDC (Every Day Camera); wherever I go, it's always with me. This allows one to capture some great family images like this silhouette of my wife while on a trip in Belgium.
My last trip of the 90/90/90 project was a short layover in Paris. The city that by many is regarded as the birthplace of Street Photography. The trip felt like the perfect city to close the project.
CONCLUSIONS
After having shot over 2000 images with the X100VI in the last 90 days, it's time to reflect on the overall experience.
While I normally shoot a variety of Fujifilm cameras and lenses; limiting myself to just one, was at times limiting but a great experience. I do realize some of you only shoot a single camera and lens and probably find this laughable. Using my Bowery ONA bag to carry the camera and WCL-X100 II Wide Conversion lens around, felt liberating.
Overall I do like the new camera; especially the IBIS and additional resolution which allows for some creative cropping. I did occasionally mis the bright viewfinder found on cameras like the X-T5; especially when shooting in very bright conditions like often found in Dubai.
While at the start of the project, I was a bit skeptical about the use of the older battery (versus the X-T5), it turned out to be a non-event. A single second battery always was sufficient for a full day of shooting.
Needless to say that I will keep on using my X100VI; especially as my main Street Photography camera.
Not sure what will come out of the 90 images, but they can be found in the 90/90/90 gallery. They probably would deserve to be presented in one of my Personal project books... I guess time will tell!
BJORN
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