Why are the best photographers obsessed with compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI and Leica Q3?

Consider the three cameras that can rightly claim cult status right now: Fujifilm’s X100VI, the Leica Q3 models and Ricoh’s GR IV in its many guises. What do they have in common? Yep, fixed lenses.

And, what’s more, all three hit the mark with buyers from the very moment they were released – the original X100 in 2010, the Leica Q in 2015 and the first GR in 2013 (although the GR Digital series dates back to 2005, with the 35mm film model line back to the GR1 from 1996).

Of course, fixed-lens compacts were everywhere when the GR1 was launched. But the higher-end Ricoh combined pocket-sized dimensions with big camera performance – and it’s been a recipe for success ever since.

Despite being full-frame compact cameras, you’d hardly call the Leica Q series particularly compact – but they’re still pretty portable and, perhaps more notably, a more affordable option to a digital Leica M body fitted with a similar lens, along with the contemporary conveniences of an EVF and autofocusing.

Ironically, it’s the retro styling that’s helped make the X100 series such a hit. And they’re certainly a lot smaller and lighter than the Leica Qs (obviously the smaller sensor size helps here), but still pack plenty of performance – especially since the fourth-generation Fujifilm X100F.

But regardless of their design differences, the fixed lens is one of the major attractions of these cameras – and perhaps more so now than ever before.

There are a few other fixed-lens options around – mostly either rugged waterproof cameras or superzoom specialists – but if you want interchangeable lens-level features and functionality, the choice is now really limited to these three product lines.

The ongoing backorder situation attests that there’s more demand than supply and, as with both the Leica and Fujifilm series, the used prices are also holding up very strongly across all the generational iterations.

So what’s the big attraction of a fixed lens? Well, for starters, it’s fixed. Which means that the sensor is never going to be exposed to dust or moisture, as it’s safely tucked away in the heart of the camera.

But I think there’s more to it than this. For me, at least, it’s that the biggest decision – namely, what lens will I use? – is taken out of your hands, so you work with what you’ve got. And that’s actually quite refreshing. It also means that you don’t have to carry any additional lenses… you know, just in case.

With the higher-res sensors in the Q2, Q3 and X100VI, there’s a bit of a let-off in that you can crop in to fudge a longer focal length without giving away too much in terms of image quality – but there’s a very engaging challenge in just making the most of a prime lens.

You get a whole lot more inventive and creative, working the angles and making much more use of your built-in “two-legged zoom”. After all, this is what a great many photographers did when shooting outdoors before more portable cameras with lens interchangeability became available, and then the variable focal length lens.

And I think you also learn to accept that, in a given situation, you can’t always “shoot all the lights out” of it. Yep, you can see that there would be more to exploit if you had a bag of lenses with you, but you haven’t – so you relax and go with the flow.

Consequently you’re more receptive to how things might unfold, rather than always working to preconceived ideas or expectations.

I’ve also found that you then become more involved with whatever is going on rather than merely being an observer. And it also helps here that the camera is usually less intrusive – both for you and for your subject(s).

So, far from being restrictive – which is often the assumption about a fixed-lens camera – there’s actually a greater freedom and, subsequently, a whole lot of enjoyment.

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It's not just the best compact cameras that offer fixed-lens fun – if you don't want to mess around with lenses, but still want the flexibility of a zoom, take a look at the best bridge cameras (many of which have absolutely ludicrous zoom ranges!).