Category: Reviews

The X-Half, also known as the X-HF1, is a pretty unique product and, honestly, one of the most unusual digital cameras we’ve seen in recent years. It’s probably Fujifilm’s most experimental release in 2025, and it clearly targets a very different crowd compared to the usual X-Series shooters.

As the title suggests, I’ve only spent one week with this little camera. So unlike my usual lens reviews where I give things at least two weeks, everything here is based purely on seven days of real-world use.

Intro

The X-Half was announced on 22 May 2025 and officially released in mid-June 2025. Like the X100 and X70 series, it features a fixed lens, this time with a 10.8mm focal length, which translates to approximately 32mm in full-frame terms. On paper, the focal length seems alright for me since I am a 35mm lover. But how does it actually feel in daily use?

First, let’s talk about the name. The word “Half” comes straight from the film era, when film was expensive (and honestly, it still is, maybe even more so now). Half-frame cameras used only half of a standard 35mm frame (18×24mm instead of 24×36mm), effectively doubling the number of shots per roll. A 36-exposure roll could suddenly give you 72 photos. These cameras were typically compact, economical, and often encouraged vertical shooting. The results were usually scanned as pairs or as individual frames.

Once you understand this idea, Fujifilm’s intention with the X-Half becomes much clearer.

Design, Build Quality, Handling & The Shutter…

Fujifilm sticks to its familiar retro rangefinder-style design here, but with a slight twist. The X-Half definitely looks like it belongs to the X-Series family, but does it feel the same to use?

The first thing that hit me when I saw it in person was just how small it is. It’s been a long time since I’ve handled a truly compact camera like this. That said, once you pick it up, the plastic build doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Yes, cameras like the X-M5 are also plastic, but this feels different. The X-Half feels closer to an Instax-style plastic than a traditional budget-friendly X-Series body like the X-M series.

Handling isn’t great either. There’s no hand grip at all, which makes it a bit awkward to hold, especially for larger hands. The Frame Advance Lever does help a little and gives you something to rest your thumb on, but it’s still not ideal. Having said that, 240 grams of lightweight is well distributed across the body, making it a good, balanced camera.

The shutter, on the other hand, is completely silent. No sound, no vibration, almost like nothing happened at all.

There’s also a small aperture ring lever, which is a nice idea since the aperture ring itself is small and might have a challenge changing the values if needed.

Menu and UI

I don’t usually spend much time talking about menus and UI, but the X-Half deserves a mention because it does things differently. The interface is not the same as other X-Series cameras. It uses a combination of a touch bar and a touchscreen, and it took me a few minutes to get used to it.

That said, Fujifilm did a decent job making the touch bar feel logical alongside the touchscreen. There’s a small learning curve, especially if you’re coming from the X-Series, but most people will probably get the hang of it pretty quickly.

You’ll also notice that the menu is heavily stripped down. Many familiar X-Series options are simply gone, which makes sense since the camera itself doesn’t support those features anyway.

One important thing to note: there’s no RAW support at all.

Sensor and Processor

The X-Half uses a vertically-oriented 1-inch, 18-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor with a base ISO of 200. This is the first Fujifilm camera to use a sensor like this. As for the processor, Fujifilm hasn’t said what’s inside, but it’s definitely not the X-Processor 5 found in cameras like the X-T5, X-E5, or X-M5. (My guess is it could be EXR Processor II or X-Processor Pro) 

Honestly, that’s not surprising. The latest processor would be overkill for an 18MP sensor, especially when there’s no RAW shooting. You can also feel it in real use: sometimes the camera takes a few seconds to process an image before you can preview it, and startup time is noticeably slower than other X-Series cameras.

A quick side note: you can preview your last shot by pushing the Frame Advance Lever, which is a fun idea, but it’s slow. Pressing the Play button is still the faster way to check your images.

Focal Length

The fixed 10.8mm lens gives you a 32mm full-frame equivalent field of view. That’s slightly wider than my favorite 35mm focal length. In day-to-day shooting, I didn’t really have any major issues with it, though occasionally it did feel just a bit too wide for my framing style. Overall, though, it’s still a very usable focal length.

Image Quality

Image quality is decent and perfectly usable when shooting wide open in good daylight. Once you move into low-light situations, things start to fall apart a bit, images get softer and noisier. Still, for social media use, the results are more than acceptable. At the end of the day, this is a 1-inch sensor.

Contrast is good, and I didn’t really notice any obvious vignetting or chromatic aberration. Sunstars are present, but they’re nothing dramatic.

Performance

Startup time is slow. I didn’t measure it exactly, but it’s definitely much slower than any other X-Series camera I’ve used. If you’re trying to grab a quick snapshot, there’s a good chance you’ll miss the moment before the camera is ready.

Autofocus performance is fine in good light, but it struggles in low-light environments. More strangely, I also noticed occasional focus misses even in daylight. This happened regardless of lighting conditions, which was a bit puzzling. Hopefully, this is something Fujifilm can improve with firmware updates.

Minimum Focus Distance

One pleasant surprise: the minimum focus distance is just 10cm. That’s great if you enjoy shooting close-ups with a wide-angle perspective.

Battery Life

The X-Half uses the NP-W126S battery, and honestly, it’s more than enough for a camera like this. I shot over 400 photos, transferred hundreds of them to my phone, and still had more than half a battery left.

For travel, carrying one spare battery should be more than sufficient.

Feedback

The camera comes with a cold shoe, which surprised me, and a lot of other reviewers too. That said, I do wonder why Fujifilm didn’t just include a hot shoe instead. This isn’t a cheap camera, after all. I understand that the target audience may not care, but it’s always nice to have the option.

Another odd choice is the LED flash instead of a xenon flash. It works fine for close subjects, but it’s not powerful enough for full-body portraits. I understand that a xenon flash would consume more power, especially with the NP-W126S battery, but it’s still worth mentioning.

The optical viewfinder is also very small (very much like that from the Instax camera). You’ll probably only use it in analog shooting mode. I really wish Fujifilm had gone with a semi-hybrid solution, something that shows at least basic shooting information, without needing a full X-Pro or X100-style hybrid viewfinder.

Others

The X-Half offers two standout shooting modes.

The first mimics shooting two exposures on a single 35mm frame. It can be fun and creative for storytelling if you know how to use it properly; unfortunately, I’m not very good at it.

The second mode is the analog film camera mode experience. You choose a film simulation, select how many exposures you want (36, 54, or 72), and start shooting. In this mode, you can’t preview your images, and you must use the Frame Advance Lever after every shot, just like a real film camera.

Once you finish the “roll,” the camera shows a film rewind animation and asks you to preview and download your images through the X-Half app on your phone. It sounds troublesome, but it’s still far easier than dealing with real film development or scanning at home.

The camera also comes with a USB-C port for charging and file transfer, which is always welcome.

Who is this for?

The X-Half is clearly a tribute to the good old days, wrapped in a modern digital package. It gives photographers a taste of how shooting used to feel.

If you love nostalgia and enjoy using analog film cameras, this camera might be for you. Beyond that, it’s honestly quite hard to justify owning it.

Price Point

At 649 USD/999 SGD, the price feels steep for such a limited shooting experience. If you really love the size and concept, I’d recommend waiting for a sale.

Conclusion

The X-Half is a unique camera with a very unique and somewhat awkward, priced position. Personally, I think it’s a fun camera to bring along to parties, casual gatherings, or events. Its small size makes it easy and approachable for almost anyone to use, and it can work as a street camera if image quality isn’t your top priority.

What excites me most, though, is Fujifilm’s move to a 1-inch sensor. This opens up a lot of possibilities for future cameras, maybe even a revival of something like the X10 series. Will we see that happen? I really hope so.

Thank you for reading.

If you are interested in this lens, head down to this affiliate link to purchase yours. 
Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
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