Why the Fujifilm X100VI lives in my hand

I'd been shooting everything on my phone, then we picked up the Fujifilm X100VI and remembered why I loved a little bit of photography in the first place. It's small enough to carry all day, lovely to use, and the photos come out looking like that straight out of the camera. It barely leaves my hand when we're out exploring new places and experiences.

Why I chose it

Three things. The size, it's a proper camera that genuinely fits in a small bag or even a large jacket pocket. The film simulations, you pick a look (Classic Chrome and Reala are my go-to's with my own tweaks within my settings) and your shots already feel finished, no heavy editing, if any at all. And the fixed lens, it sounds limiting but it makes you move, compose and actually think about the shot.

How I shoot with it

I leave it on a film recipe, aperture priority, auto ISO, and just shoot. Golden hour is its happy place. Because it's so quick to pull out, I catch the real moments instead of fumbling with settings. Most of the photos in my guides are straight off this camera.

Here are my most used recipe settings. Keep in mind to go into the white balance settings and adjust blue to "-2" and red to "+2". We call it C1 in our camera, and the photos below are all taken with this recipe, just played with the lighting in each setting.

Straight off the camera

A few favourites shot on this recipe, no editing.

Is it worth it

It's not cheap and they sell out constantly, so it's an investment. But if you're serious about your travel photos and want something you'll actually carry every day (the heavy kit always stays in the hotel, let's be honest), this is the one I'd recommend without hesitation.

More of what's in my bag, plus every discount code, is on my links page. And if you want the trip itself sorted, my free guides have you covered.