The retro good looks of the X100 that started it all has continued unchanged with the introduction of its successor, the X100S. But good looks can only take the "S" so far. With over 70+ improvements over the original, the true beauty of this beast of a compact camera is really in the ease of functionality and "accessability" to the commonly used features in photography: speed, aperture, compensation dial, and even the standard out-of-the-box "fn" button that controls ISO - and with the addition of the "Q" button found in his older brothers, the X-Pro1 and X-E1, photographers have even more ease of access to control his or her creative vision.  But how does one "accessorize" an already readily-ergonomic camera and make it even more functional?

Here are some of my thoughts on X-"S"ential (read: essential) "accessorization" (yup, I know...I just made up that word up)...B-)



Sexy.Beast.Of.A.Classic.

The X100S looks just fine "naked" and as-is straight out of the box. But the lens hood, the Thumbs-Up from Match Technical (I will go in greater details below), and the soft release is always on my X100S 90% of the time. The fact that Fujifilm made very small, but crucial improvements to the physical design is a blessing because the accessories that were used for the X100 can easily be transferred over to and is completely compatible with the X100S.

When the X100S is ready to go out for a day of shooting, I usually put on at least a half jacket to protect it from common scratches. Which brings us to the next image...


The.Leather.Jacket.and.The.Strap.


There are two half-cases - or half-jackets, as I call it - that I normally use.  When the camera is tucked away for storage or travel and the hood is off, I normally use the black-and-red half-jacket that came with the limited edition black X100.  The reason I like the half-jacket from Fujifilm is that it also has a body cover that conveniently protects the whole body/lens combo - the downside of this is that the lens hood must be stored away separately.  When I'm out-and-about and shooting, I much prefer the half-jacket from Gariz, a brand that gained its prominence in recent years and is based out of Korea.  I like the black-with-red-stitching as it gives a bit more character to the overall design.  What's great about the Gariz half-jackets is that it has a "hook" at the bottom that can be used "sling-style" - either with Gariz' own leather strap or with any Blackrapid straps.  I will cover this option in greater detail in another blog post.

What usually stays on for the more common neck strap, though, is the DSPTCH.  It's a local San Francisco-based company founded in 2010 and the fact that this strap can be "detached" from the camera body makes it very easily configurable, and allows for easy removal when using the Blackrapid sling.


The.Hoodie.


In place of a lens-cap, I prefer to protect the lens using the lens hood.  I like the matching color of the Fujifilm lens hood, but there are alternatives out there for a much lesser cost.  Besides the aesthetic improvements a lens hood makes, I just can't tell how many times lens hood saves my lens from getting "dinged" out in the field.


Thumbs.Up.And.Softie.


The addition of Match Technical's Thumbs Up grip product to any of the X-series not only brings an added flair to the design of this already handsome camera, but it also provides extra functionalities.  For one, the Thumbs Up allows me to stabilize my camera when hand-held just with my right hand.  Secondly, the Thumbs Up also further prevents accidental change to the manual control buttons that are fully exposed on the top of the camera.  Although I personally don't have any first hand experience with this issue per se, I can see how the compensation dial is much more protected from accidental changes with the Thumbs Up grip on.  Lastly, Thumbs Up also helps protect the contacts on the hot shoe flash.  Though this latter one is more of a trivial benefit, it is a benefit nonetheless. B-)

Then there is the soft release button, or the "softie" as I call it.  I got my Abrahamsson Silver Mini Soft Release from Popflash Photo, an authorized dealer of Match Technical products, who incidentally sells the soft release as a bundle with the Thumbs Up.  The soft release is beneficial in that it provides the photographer the ability to release the shutter with much less force, hence allowing the camera to be less exposed to unwanted vibration.  This theoretically produces sharper images.  But aside from that, I just like the feel of pressing my finger on a "softie" - it's tactile and allows for a much more engaging experience when shooting, much like the experience I get when driving my two-seater convertible using my "driving shoes"...I get much more response and feedback from the gas pedal.

Well, that's it for now on the essential accessorization of the X100/X100S.  I hope that this provides some insights that is beneficial in accessorizing your own X-series camera.  Feel free to provide feedback on your own ideas or to leave any questions that you may have in the comments.



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