Getting to know the X-Half.

First outing with the Fujifilm H - Half camera.

Up to a few weeks ago, I had no notion to entertain the purchase of a new camera, most of the latest offerings as good as they are these days, are simply overkill for my style of photography.

Initial rumours of something very different on the horizon from Fujifilm left no initial impression, my thinking being that since they had released their recent medium format fixed lens camera, it would likely be another premium flagship offering of some description.

How wrong could I be, when details of the ‘X-half’ began to flood the internet, I was keen to learn more.

Cutting a long story short, the ‘half’ ticked a lot of boxes, especially since a couple of my older digicams like me, are exhibiting signs of wear, tear and age.

While some reviewers lamented the Jpeg only output, to me, it was a selling point, as I have not only simplified my photography but also my editing workflow.
The majority of reviews were very positive about the pseudo film camera mode while others felt uncomfortable in not being able to look at live exposure data or subsequent images, others suggested it was merely a gimmick.

Looking for shape and texture (as usual)

Gimmick or otherwise, Fujifilm have dared to buck the trend and attempt something different in a world of ever increasing pixel counts and AI based tech.

Today was the first outing with my X-half, where the first hour or so entailed familiarising myself with the touch screen and settings.

I was very keen to immerse myself in the ‘film mode’, since this was after all one of the cameras biggest features.

At first, it did feel strange not having a visible display of exposure settings and such like but this apprehension soon abated when I had to remember to ‘wind the roll forward’ for the next frame.

Shooting with the renowned acros film simulation, I set the camera for 36 ‘exposures’, which on the familiar ground of my home town were soon used.

What photographer does not like a sweeping curve?

Once out of film mode, I was keen to experiment with the nostalgic negative film simulation, one which I had not had access to on older fuji cameras I had owned, those images will be a topic for another post.

Once at home, I was keen to see the film mode images, once I had negotiated access via the Xhalf app.
I like the way the images ‘develop’ in a contact sheet style, as they are transferred to whatever device is selected.

I decided to experiment with editing via snapseed via my Android tablet, then export the images to Google photos, a workflow that will work well for me if I am on my travels and do not want to carry a laptop in my luggage, or indeed if I do not want to fire up the PC.

Editing adjustments were nothing more than highlight / shadow / contrast / exposure settings, the cameras acros film sim producing some lovely images to my taste.

Today was all about familiarising myself with the basics, the next few outings will be experimenting more with some of the in camera filters, such as light leaks or expired film looks.

Sometimes, a big purchase can cause buyers remorse, in this instance there was none, just a feeling that this particular camera was perfect for me.

My first diptych image, something for me to experiment more with for sure.