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

Fujifilm has already launched one uncommon digital camera 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 digital camera, 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 digital camera’s 13 movie simulation modes and may solely shoot JPEG and never RAW photographs.

The title comes from “half-frame” cameras fashionable 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, nicely, half that measurement in each dimensions (8.8mm x 13.3mm) or 1 / 4 the world. It is also the smallest sensor on any latest Fujifilm digital digital camera, because the X-series makes use of the APS-C format and GFX fashions medium format. Actually, the X Half has the identical 3:4 vertical ratio as Fuji’s Instax Mini instantaneous cameras — so you can also make prints utilizing an Instax Mini printer by way of 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 possibly can 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 helps you to see the images as soon as they’re “developed” via the X Half app. It even produces a “contact sheet” format for 36, 54 or 72 photographs.

One other characteristic is 2-in-1 photographs that allow you to mix two nonetheless photographs or motion pictures into one composition in-camera for additional creative 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 very best for social media — particularly with movie simulations utilized. Additionally exuding nostalgic vibes is the “Date Stamp” perform that allows you to imprint dates within the backside proper of photographs, identical to on old-school Kodak-style movie digital camera.

On high of the principle rear 2.40inch LCD 3:4 monitor, the X Half has an optical quite than an digital viewfinder, including one other analog contact (and the accompanying parallax distortion errors). The digital camera 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 to be like prefer it may very well be coveted by social media customers or anybody on the lookout for a enjoyable occasion or trip digital camera. Nevertheless, it is costly contemplating you could simply get an Instax (or common movie digital camera and numerous movie) for lots much less. Fujifilm has positively captured the images 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 transport set to start out on June 12.