The new Fujifilm X Half is weird, but it combines my favorite cameras into one retro compact

After a series of teasers, Fujifilm has finally lifted the veil on the brand’s newest camera: the Fujifilm X Half.

But with a working frame advance lever, in-camera diptychs, two rear screens and a film mode that limits shots to a “roll,” the X Half is probably the weirdest camera in the brand’s lineup. But weird isn’t necessarily a bad thing – and the X Half actually feels like a hybrid mashup between my favorite Fujifilm cameras.

The Fujifilm X Half has some of the retro dials of X-Series mirrorless cameras, including an aperture ring around the lens and a left-side viewfinder reminiscent of the X-Pro3. But the camera’s built-in light leak effects, halation and expired film filters remind me of the Instax Mini Evo, a hybrid digital instant camera.

Factor in the 32mm equivalent lens that offers a similar angle of view as Fujifilm’s disposable cameras, and the X Half is clearly a mish-mash of the company's three product lines: the X Series, Instax and QuickSnap.

The sensor inside, however, feels more middle-ground. The Fujifilm X Half uses a 1-inch sensor, a popular size for advanced compact cameras like the Sony RX100 VII that is far larger than a smartphone sensor but smaller than that of a mirrorless camera. This sensor has a 17MP resolution and 1080p video.

The sensor and bright f/2.8 lens are more 'advanced compact camera' than 'cheap budget camera'. But I think this is what Hayato Ueno, the camera’s designer, alluded to in a pre-launch interview when he said, “Specs and tech aren’t always everything.”

The one-inch sensor is better than a smartphone or a cheap compact (and also better than the upcoming Yashica camera with a film advance lever). But Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras – and the X100VI – have better specifications. However, that's not what's important here.

The experience trumps the tech

The Fujifilm X Half is more about the experience than the specifications – and that’s what has me itching to try out the new camera.

The X Half has a film mode that actually locks users into a “roll” of film, locking in the film simulation for 36, 54 or 72 shots. The camera’s frame advance lever, much like an analog camera, needs to be used between each shot in this mode.

Playback is also disabled until the “roll” is finished, so photographers can’t see the shots until they’ve finished the full set.

The camera also has a light leak mode, which immediately reminded me of the Instax Mini Evo. The Evo is my favorite Instax series camera because it has several creative tools built in, like light leaks and double exposures.

The X Half feels like a more advanced version of that, with a larger sensor and more film-like controls, but without the built-in printer.

While features like the retro controls and film simulations point to inspiration from existing Fujifilm cameras, some of the X Half features feel entirely new.

The back of the camera, for example, has two screens. One displays the film simulation mode, much like the window on a film camera meant to show what roll was inside. The other is a more traditional LCD screen – except that it’s vertical.

That vertical screen makes it clear who the X Half is for, besides retro camera fans looking for digital convenience: content creators. The screen isn’t the only thing that’s vertical, either. The X Half takes 3:4 vertical images, inspired by half-frame film cameras, and the viewfinder is also vertical.

Creatives can still take horizontal images but must turn the camera to do so, whereas with most cameras the opposite is true. With the popularity of vertical video on social media, the odd vertical sensor arrangement feels like a nod to both half-frame and current trends. Content creators will also appreciate the built-in Bluetooth and WiFi to send images to the mobile app.

The other nod to half-frame inside the X Half is the ability to create one image file with two separate images side-by-side. Fujifilm calls this feature 2-in-1, though the term commonly used with half-frame film cameras is diptych. The 2-in-1 can be used with both stills and videos, including combining a still photo with a video.

With both retro cameras and compact cameras trending, I’m predicting that the X-Half could be an exceptionally popular option. The camera weighs just 0.53 lbs / 240g, too.

The Fujifilm X Half is missing features like burst mode and 4k

With the smaller sensor, the X Half is more consumer than professional – although I can see pros using it as a secondary travel camera for the film-like experience and small size. Beyond the smaller sensor, there are a few other specs in the list that point to a more entry-level camera.

The X Half doesn’t have any weather sealing or stabilization. The camera doesn’t have a burst mode at all. The shoe slot is a cold shoe for continuous lighting, not a hot shoe with electronics for flash (although it does have a flash built-in).

Video tops out at FullHD, the mechanical shutter maxes out 1/2000 sec, and autofocus is contrast-detection rather than the hybrid type found in Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment with the Fujifilm X Half announcement is the price – the camera is expected to list for $899 / £699 / AU$1,349. But I was originally worried that tariffs would prevent the camera from coming to the US at all, after Fujifilm paused pre-orders of some cameras.

While the X Half isn’t exactly a cheap compact camera, the price is in line with some other compacts with similar sensor sizes, like the Sony ZV-1 and Canon PowerShot V1 (though the latter has a larger 1.4-inch sensor).

The X Half is also more affordable than the 1-inch sensor Sony RX100 VII's new higher $1,699 US list price, which sells for £1,049 in the UK and AU$ 1,569 in Australia. All three of those comparable cameras, however, offer zoom, 4K, burst shooting, and other more advanced features, where the X Half does not.

The Fujifilm X Half focuses more on the experience of shooting than the technical specifications – and that may just be the bit of uniqueness that the camera market needs right now. I just wish the price better reflected the list of what’s missing.

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