The hotter-than-hot cakes Fujifilm X100VI has made endless headlines for its popularity. However, most of those headlines have been caveated by the fact that the audience is primarily the TikTok and content creation crowd – along with hipsters and fashionistas.
So it may come as some surprise that is officially being adopted by pros, to capture their professional work… but this also comes with a caveat.
If you're thinking that a compact camera – even if it is the best compact camera – isn't really the best tool for a professional photographer, you're absolutely right. And there's the rub; the X100VI is being used by professionals in creative fields outside photography.
"We ourselves started to notice that the community of phtography, especially the community of Fujifilm users, was beginning to change considerably," said Fujifilm's Victor Ha.
The vice president of Fujifilm's North American Electronic Imaging Division and Optical Devices Division was a guest on the Fujilove Podcast. Among many other topics, he discussed how the X100VI had been changing trends.
"And what we were noticing online was a lot more photographers interested in photography that weren't necessarily calling themselves photographers. It would be reductive to call them hobbyists, it would be too simple to call them enthusiasts, but I think it’s a type of creative that maybe they are a primary creative in another space.
"Maybe they're a chef, maybe they're a hairstylist, maybe they're a professional in another creative field, an independent creative in another field, and they utilise photography or video as a way to show other people what they’re doing, or to differentiate themselves from other folks."
Ha referred to the emerging audience of 'multi-medium' users; people who draw attention to their primary business using a combination of media, which increasingly involves photography and video.
It's an interesting thing to chew over. Traditionally, the only people who needed professional cameras were professional photographers – but now professionals in any creative industry might need a pro camera, and this is going to change what we understand by the term. In fact, it's already happening.
So the next time you see someone who is "only" using a compact or a point-and-shoot to photograph their work, don't be so quick to judge!
Take a look at the best professional cameras in a more conventional sense. And if you're intrigued by the fancy Fujifilm but not so much the fancy price tag, check out the best Fujifilm X100VI alternatives.
