Fujifilm X100V Ergonomic evaluation and score 2 April 2020

The Fuji X100V  is unusual among modern cameras in trying to blend classical styling, traditional mid 20^th Century controls and the latest in electronic capabilities.

This has made it difficult for me to evaluate from an ergonomic perspective. 

The camera can be operated either in the traditional way using the tabs on the lens barrel to control aperture, the dial on top for shutter speed and the lift-and-turn-and-drop function on the shutter speed ring to change  sensitivity.

Alternatively the front and rear command dials and to some extent other control points, can be used to change basic exposure parameters.

The key ingredient of my ergonomic score is the number and complexity of actions required to control the device.

To illustrate how this plays out in practice I will use changing lens aperture as an example. I choose this because I have found that the camera lends itself to operation in Aperture Priority auto exposure mode. In this mode the user controls the aperture, the camera selects a shutter speed and ISO sensitivity setting.

There are two ways to adjust aperture. The first is with the two tabs on the lens barrel which are used to rotate the aperture ring.

One can move the right side tab (looking down on the camera while holding it) with the right index finger and the left tab with the left index finger or both together.

One can support the camera with the right hand and gain purchase on the tabs with the thumb and index finger of the left hand. I find I can change aperture reasonably easily this way while looking through the viewfinder in landscape orientation but not so easily in portrait orientation.

Both these methods require both hands for the job. This involves several actions each of considerable complexity in the functional anatomical sense.

The second way to adjust aperture is with the front command dial.  The process of changing aperture this way requires fewer, less complex actions. In fact the aperture can be changed with just the right index finger and this is easily done while without disrupting grip with either hand and while continuously looking through the viewfinder in either landscape or portrait orientation.

But I found there is a problem. The location of the front dial makes it easily  bumped inadvertently and I found this happening frequently as I used the camera. Maybe this risk is reduced if an aftermarket accessory grip is fitted. I don’t as yet have one of these as Fuji in its corporate wisdom changed the shape of the camera slightly from the previous model so grips for the X100F do not fit the X100V.

Another issue is that when I set the camera to change aperture with the front command dial the options for exposure modes (P, A, S, M) are different from those available when aperture is controlled with the lens tabs.

So my practice is to adjust aperture with the tabs and  accept that this becomes a Prepare Phase task, not a Capture Phase task. It is something to do before going in to a picture taking situation. It takes more actions each more complex than using the front command dial but is more reliable. If I set an aperture it will stay set.

A similar problem occurs with the relationship between the shutter speed dial and the rear control dial. If the Shutter speed dial is set to the T position shutter speed can be adjusted with the rear control dial. This requires fewer actions, each less complex than reaching up to rotate the shutter speed dial.

This seems like a great idea but that dial sits directly in front of the right thumb so it is very prone to inadvertent activation.  An aftermarket thumb support will generally alleviate this problem but most of these devices impede access to the shutter speed dial, AEL/AFL button and rear command dial.

So if I want to operate the camera in shutter priority auto exposure mode or manual mode I use the shutter speed dial on top of the camera to adjust shutter speed just accept that this becomes a Prepare Phase action.

This takes more actions each more complex than using the rear command dial but is more reliable.

Note however that the shutter speed set this way is not fixed like the aperture can be. If, say, 1/125 second is set on the shutter speed dial on top of the camera then rotating either the front or rear command dial will alter that speed by up to +/- two thirds of a stop, up to 1/200 and down to 1/80 second.

This might be thought convenient or annoying depending on what you wanted the camera to do.

The ergonomic assessment and score which follows is based on

a) using the camera as supplied by Fuji, with no aftermarket add-ons and

b) adjusting aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity using the “traditional” controls. I put the word traditional in inverted commas here as although these controls might look traditional in the mid 20^thCentury style they are actually all electronic in operation.

The camera comes with a full printed Owners Manual which is nice. This appears straightforward initially but the further I got into the setup process the more complexities I discovered.

There is also a My Menu which is good but [Format] cannot be assigned to it which is strange.  There is a workaround for this which is to press the rear command dial while holding down the drive/delete button. I find this usually works but success requires holding down the first button for just the right length of time.

Part of the problem is the issues discussed above but there are other idiosyncrasies.

For instance [face/eye detect] and [photometry] which is Fuji-speak for metering pattern are found in different parts of the menu system and are mutually exclusive.

Many times I found the Manual says …do this….only to discover much later that particular feature only works if some other menu item is activated or de-activated elsewhere.

Fuji is by no means the only offender in this regard but it did take me longer than usual with most other brands of cameras to get the X100V set up so it works in what I regard as a coherent fashion.

I don’t want to bore the reader with too many details but another issue in setup is that the X100V presents the user with a proliferation of functions and capabilities which I suspect are unlikely to find much use in a camera of this type. I suspect that as the X100V has the same sensor and presumably processor as the X-Pro and X-T series it also gets the same or very similar firmware.

The user can ignore most these of course but they do clutter up the menu system.

This is decently managed once one has the camera set up to personal preference.

The Fn1 button is a good place to locate Auto ISO setting which is well implemented on this camera with three options each enabling base ISO, limit ISO and minimum shutter speed to be specified.

The Q menu button gives access to many functions and can be configured for many or few items to appear.

Drive mode options are clearly displayed.

One of the problems inherent in traditional, classical styling is that there is not much on which the fingers can get a decent grip. The small front ridge is better than a completely flat front but falls short of providing a secure hold.

Likewise the minimalist raised right side of the body in place of a proper thumb support.

Unfortunately this is a case of style being given priority over function.

The proliferation of aftermarket grips is testament to the need for better holding arrangements. 

I give the handle 4/10 and the thumb support 4/10

The monitor screen is of good quality and gives a nice preview of the subject. It can tilt up or down but is not fully articulated.  As is the case with several other cameras exposure and other data are overlaid on the lower part of the preview image and can be difficult to see clearly with some subjects.

The viewfinder offers a choice between optical and electronic types. This is an unusual feature seen only on Fuji X100 and X-Pro types. Some user forum members say they appreciate and use both types.

I can’t help wondering however if fitting both optical and electronic viewfinders into the same space has compromised both to some extent.

The EVF has a high specification in terms of dot count but low magnification and frame coverage compared to other current model cameras. In addition I find the EVF a bit lacking in clarity compared to other EVFs with similar specification.

The viewfinder eyepiece and eyecup are quite small. I often find myself squinting more with this setup than I do with any recent ILC with a larger eyepiece and eyecup which allow a more relaxed viewing experience.

In landscape orientation the EVF locates some camera data ( aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity) below the image preview and some (focus distance scale ) overlaid on the lower part of the image.

In portrait orientation camera data is always overlaid on the lower part of the image.

The default characters are quite small. A Large Indicators mode can be selected but that disables the focus scale.

This focus scale is one of the more useful features of the X100V. It can be activated in autofocus or manual focus and on my tests is accurate. It comes with depth of field indicator which is useful but unfortunately very small and a bit difficult to see easily.

I find the focus scale particularly useful for zone focussing with manual focus.

So viewing is a mixed offering with some desirable and some not so well implemented features.

I give the monitor 7/10, the viewfinder 6/10.

My primary evaluation criterion for camera operation is that all primary and secondary exposure and focus parameters be readily adjustable while continuously looking through the viewfinder and without having to change grip with either hand.

Many modern cameras meet this criterion.

But the Fuji X100 models occupy a different conceptual space with regard to the way they operate.

A primary aim of my ergonomic evaluation schedule is to rate all cameras on the same criteria regardless of price, size or other characteristic. This is because they are all operated by humans with the same functional anatomy and same basic cognitive capabilities.

As a result the X100V gets a low score for Operation.

It does do some things well however.

The size and position of the AF frame are readily adjusted (but see below).

Manual focus us well implemented and peaking works well on this camera. 

However the alternative manual focus aids which are digital split image and digital microprism are unsatisfactory. They seem to yet another attempt by the designers of this camera to re-create operational features from manual cameras of the mid 20^th Century into a modern electronic device. In this case without success.

I want to talk about the thumb stick.  Fuji has opted in its recent models to abandon the 4-way controller in favour of the thumb stick. The design, location and haptics of this therefore become critically important to camera operation.

I have identified two main types of thumb stick.

You push the first type sideways bearing on the side of the stick with the thumb. The stick is about 4mm in diameter with a flat or rounded top.

On a camera I would have this type of stick protrude about 4mm so the thumb can readily bear on its side. That on the X100V protrudes only 1.5mm.

The second type of thumb stick is much wider, say 10mm, rough in texture and concave on top  with a sharpish raised  perimeter. The thumb bears directly down onto this type and can move the stick side to side easily because of its grippy shape and texture.

This is the preferred type as the thumb does not have to shift position in relation to the stick when moving it from side to side.  You can see thumb sticks like this appearing on recent model ILCs.

So let us see what we have on the X100V.

First up the thumb stick is not located optimally. The present location is serviceable but could be improved. It is not as inappropriately positioned as than on the X-A7 which is way too low.

On the X100V my thumb wants to find the stick about 10mm higher than its actual location.

On looking at the rear of the camera I cannot help feeling that the positions of the thumb stick and the three buttons below it look more like an exercise in styling than ergonomics.

Next the stick needs to be either taller if push type or larger if grip type.

Again I cannot help but feel that the actual configuration of the thumb stick has been determined more by styling considerations than functional ones.

The X100V does all the things I expect of a modern camera in Review Phase as do most current model cameras. In review it is easy to jump to 100% at the focus point and easy to scroll around an image and between images. No problems here.

This is a low score for a modern camera from a maker with the full arsenal of all the latest design knowledge and technology available to it.

The problem I think is that it is trying to be too many things at the same time, specifically:

A retro chic styling exercise.

A re-creation of mid 20^th Century camera operation.

A vehicle for  the latest high-tech electronic features and capabilities.

I think it succeeds at the first of these and is at best only partly successful at the second two.

I will publish a more generic user review soon which will deal with what I believe to be the camera’s main strengths, which are an excellent lens and excellent sensor and some further weaknesses in addition to those above including the absence of any kind of stabiliser, slow AF compared to current model peers and a tendency to get hot.