The Fujifilm X-HF1 is a camera that came completely out of left field. But just because nobody asked for it, doesn't mean that nobody needs it – because in a world of status quo cameras and endless specs-chasing, this is the kick up the backside that the industry desperately needed.
In case you missed it, the Fujifilm X-HF1 (also known as the Fujifilm X Half) is a fixed-lens compact camera. Which on the surface seems like a bit of a redundancy, given that the manufacturer already rules that segment with the Fujifilm X100VI. However, this camera is a completely different proposition.
You see, the Fujifilm X-HF1 is a half-frame camera. Not a half-frame film camera, but a half-frame mirrorless camera. Basically, Fujifilm just invented a completely new product category.
If you're wondering what is a half-frame camera, historically it's a kind of 35mm camera that only exposes half a frame of film each time the shutter is fired. The result is that you get a vertical photograph that's half the size of a horizontal 35mm frame.
These previously extinct cameras have surged back in popularity recently for two reasons: 1) film is expensive, so getting twice as many shots from a roll makes it less painful, and 2) vertical photos suit the social media generation of content creators.
So how does that work with a digital camera? The Fujifilm X-HF1 features a smaller 1-inch sensor (which is a bit bigger than half the size of an APS-C sensor) that is positioned vertically instead of horizontally – mimicking the shooting setup of a half-frame film camera.
But what exactly does that do, aside from give you worse quality pictures that are the wrong way up? It transforms the way you shoot.
Like its forebears, the Fujifilm X-HF1 encourages you to shoot diptychs – two half-frame images that are presented side by side. This gets you composing and considering your scene in a completely different way than firing off individual, independent frames – and is a technique that is a pure joy to experiment with.
Perhaps my favorite party trick of the Fujifilm X-HF1 is that it offers a Film Camera Mode that apes the 35mm half-frame tradition, locking you into a set number of exposures on a single Film Simulation – just as if you'd put a roll of film into an old camera.
You don't get to chimp your photos after you've taken them; in fact, you can't even look at them after you've taken all the shots on your digital roll. Instead, when you're done, your photographs are sent to the app on your phone to "develop" – a trick I loved on the Flashback One35.
This reminds us that photography isn't a mindless, throwaway, take a million shots and forget them all process; it should be a mindful experience, something to be savored and enjoyed. In short, the Fujifilm X-HF1 does for taking photographs what vinyl does for listening to music. And I, for one, couldn't be happier.
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