The Fujifilm X100VI has become something of a style icon, thanks to its classic design, retro exposure controls and uncompromising simplicity. You can stop stressing about lenses and learn to zoom with your feet, while enjoying an old-school shooting experience that other modern cameras have lost.
This is one of the best retro cameras you can buy, and one of the best compact cameras yet made. Its state of the art 40MP sensor and compact 35mm equivalent f/2 lens are a dream combination for street photography and one of the best cameras for travel. It’s also the perfect camera for style-conscious snappers to be seen with.
But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect straight out of the box. We’ve picked out a selection of accessories which will make it look better, handle better and perhaps even work better. None of them are particularly expensive, none of them are even remotely complicated to fit and use, but they can all make a surprising difference to your Fujifilm X100VI and its usefulness.
Best accessories for the Fujifilm X100VI
The Fujifilm X100VI already handles quite well, thanks to the small but useful grip on the right side of the body. However, something as simple as this little clip-on thumbgrip can make it feel a whole lot more secure, for both horizontal and vertical shooting. It weighs next to nothing, it slots straight into the X100VI’s accessory shoe, and you’re ready to go! It’s not just a handy place to rest your thumb – it looks just like an old-fashioned film advance lever, so that from a distance, in the right light, it might just look like you’re shooting with a classic film camera. The only downside is that it does use the accessory shoe. If you want to clip on an LED light or a mic at the same time… well, you can’t.
The Fujifilm X100VI is designed to be slim and elegant, so although there is a grip on the front it’s not that deep… and like most modern cameras, the grip isn’t high enough to comfortably get all your fingers around it. This SmallRig L-shaped Hand Grip solves both problems, by extending the grip forward and also adding a little more vertical height. It’s amazing how just a few millimetres can make all the difference – this really does give a firm hold. Better still, the base is Arca Swiss compatible, so it can slot straight into an Arca Swiss head without the need for a mounting plate. You even get an effective little soft-touch button for the X100VI’s shutter release.
To be fair, this is actually not any kind of weatherproofing kit for the whole camera, but it does give some degree of weather protection to the front of the lens. This kit actually comes in two parts, and includes an ARX-100 Adapter Ring and a PRF-49S Protective Filter. You need the adapter ring to mount any kind of filter on the X100VI, and it provides a standard 49mm filter thread to screw the filter into. This will all give your lens some protection from dust and moisture, dings and scratches. Many photographers do like to fit protective filters on their lenses.
Nothing says ‘retro’ like a rectangular lens hood. Made famous by Leica, rectangular lens hoods don’t just look like they belong on a classic camera, they are efficient too, blocking off any light outside the camera’s rectangular image area. The Haoge lens hood also has black felt lining to eliminate any internal reflections and comes with the adapter needed to attach it to the lens. The regular lens cap won’t fit on the Haoge hood, so you also get a rather nice custom push-on cap to match the finish – though the hood looks so good with the cap off, that you’ll probably only use it for storing the camera!
Does anyone actually NEED a soft-touch shutter release? Before you answer that, try one out – you might be surprised. They don’t actually change the weight of the shutter mechanism, but they provide a broader contact area for your index finger which gives a lot more control over the shutter action. It’s all made possible by Fujifilm’s old-fashioned threaded shutter release buttons which allow the attachment of accessories like this. This one comes with rubber O-rings for a more secure attachment.
Anyone remember the old ‘ever-ready’ camera cases for film cameras (or ‘never-ready’, according to some)? Well MegaGear’s leather camera cases are tailored for specific camera models – and this one is made to fit the X100VI perfectly. Available in black or brown, it complements the camera’s vintage looks perfectly and actually comes in two parts. You can detach the top cover to leave the camera in the bottom half-case, with the base still protected from scuffs and scratches but the camera still ready for use. The base even has a hinged panel secured by a popper for accessing the battery compartment.
Also check our guides to the best memory cards, and our rundown of the best camera wriststraps
