Half frame digital: the Fujifilm X-HF1?

Godfrey said:
I've been thinking about this camera a bit lately. I have tons of nice compact film cameras, but finding a decent compact digital camera not cluttered up with a bazillion silly features and functions I'd never use has proven difficult. I have way more pro grade equipment than I need or want to carry every day.

What I'd like is the functional equivalent of my Minox 35GT-E or Rollei 35S: very compact, very light weight, a single fixed lens, pocketable, with enough pixels and nothing excess. This Fuji X Half is almost on the money except it's a JPEG-only camera ... I'd buy one in a second if it supported raw capture.

I think the closest I've found to what I want is either this or the Leica X1/X2 models. I had an X2 some years ago and it was delightful, it got traded off for something else at one point or another along the way, and I've actually missed it's utter simplicity and compact size, light weight.

But I do like this camera for what it is. Hmm hmm hmm ..

G
Click to expand...
I remember when the X1 came out I was quite excited about it - but life at the time wouldn’t allow one. I didn’t realize that the EVFs off my M240 and M246 would also work on the X2, but to be honest an X1 with an optical VF would probably fit the bill plus would be a lot cheaper. Almost like a digital version of my old If.
 
Bingley said:
What is the point of a "half frame" digital camera? Especially since the m4/3 system is so good...
Click to expand...
The point is size... and gimmicks... people like this stuff. M43 has been stagnant. Another point is that fuji is making a camera because that is part of their business. Imagine that. They don't make M43 cameras. They can exist at the same time.
 
I like how it forces the vertical format. I have fond memories of life with a borrowed Olympus back as a very young teen, it’s a different way of seeing that has become more accepted in this day of phone screens. I wonder if it will inspire others to offer the format. I could see Fuji putting a vertical crop into their existing cameras as a start.
 
Ken Ford said:
I remember when the X1 came out I was quite excited about it - but life at the time wouldn’t allow one. I didn’t realize that the EVFs off my M240 and M246 would also work on the X2, but to be honest an X1 with an optical VF would probably fit the bill plus would be a lot cheaper. Almost like a digital version of my old If.
Click to expand...
When I had the X2, I also had the EVF for it (the Leica EVF was identical to the EVF accessory that Olympus had at that time, and the Olympus version was findable for less than $50) ... and found that the EVF simply wasn't all that useful for me. I mostly used the camera with a Voigtländer 35mm accessory viewfinder fitted on top: it worked beautifully that way.

The design of the X1/2 body does feel an awful lot like a Leica I or II, other than the fact that the aperture selector is on the top deck rather than the lens. The X typ 113 diverged from this basic shape and size, which ultimately led up to the Q series which are more M-ish than the X1/2.

Hmm hmm hmm .. Many good memories of the X2. Hmmm.

G
 
Bingley said:
What is the point of a "half frame" digital camera? Especially since the m4/3 system is so good...
Click to expand...
JohnGellings said:
The point is size... and gimmicks... people like this stuff. M43 has been stagnant. Another point is that fuji is making a camera because that is part of their business. Imagine that. They don't make M43 cameras. They can exist at the same time.
Click to expand...
Ken Ford said:
I like how it forces the vertical format. I have fond memories of life with a borrowed Olympus back as a very young teen, it’s a different way of seeing that has become more accepted in this day of phone screens. I wonder if it will inspire others to offer the format. I could see Fuji putting a vertical crop into their existing cameras as a start.
Click to expand...

I think the notion of "half frame" is just a nod to the classic half-35 compact cameras of the past, like the Olympus Pen series, which had this same 'horizontal film transport, left corner viewfinder, vertical orientation framing when held in the normal fashion' meme. My Fujifilm GS645S Wide 60 does the same thing, on 120 roll film; it presents a different way of seeing. Of course it has little to do with the size of the capture sensor. 😉

As I said before, if it supported raw capture, I'd be on it in a second. But it only supports JPEG capture, and at the price, I think finding a nice used Leica X1/X2 makes more sense for me as that includes raw capture and a similar minimalist feature set.

G
 
wlewisiii said:
I haven't looked at this but wouldn't a "half frame" digital be m4/3? 😉
Click to expand...
Quarter frame - ish. It took me years to realize that APSC (manf. variances notwithstanding), is 1/2 the area of "full-frame" and m4/3 half of that. Again, "ish." Roughly. I think that there was serious effort by marketing departments to avoid those comparisons.

Or perhaps I missed your joke? Ooops!!
 
I have good memories of my X1. That was a fun camera. I had to cancel my trip to the USA in July due to life getting in the way, so I cancelled my X-Half order. I tried to get one in Chile but they are sold out. I will buy one eventually when one shows up somewhere I can buy it.
 
Am using a Fujica Half. Must have a 36 exposure roll in it as counter has passed 48.... The meter still works for auto exposure! Will take roll to Huntsville for processing... when it is finishes at 72 🙂 [2.8f 28mm/focus 2feet to infinity, not a rangefinder but good enough]
 
To be honest, I haven't tried to edit them at all. Both of those are straight from the camera except for cropping in a little bit to eliminate the dead space taken up by the stage at the bottom (I was on the front row). I had the exposure compensation set at -2EV on the first photo, and -1EV on the second. I actually kind of like the no-RAW thing a bit because it keeps me from being tempted to tweak things in post. I have plenty of other cameras for that kind of thing.

One thing I did learn is that the microphone in the camera will not handle concert-level volume when recording video 🤣
 
Good luck with it, John! 😀

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Leica X1/X2 that I've acquired as a consequence of following this thread. Something about a small, fixed lens camera which is simple to operate and produces excellent results really works. The Fuji X Half inspired my spending for this stuff, but as much as I might just use JPEG, I could not bring myself to spend that amount of money without getting raw capture. I also looked at the Ricoh GRIIIx, which is very appealing and even better on resolution. But the Leica Xs have a simpler, more traditional control layout.

onwards!
G
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom