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Last Updated on 06/11/2026 by Chris Gampat

The Fujifilm X Half is one of the very first cameras that did something completely different for me as a reviewer of over 15 years. For the first time ever, every single woman that I’ve been around in the past week or so of testing has been incredibly curious about it. Where a man would say, “It’s so small,” a woman would say so with excitement and internal quiet adoration. I’d see excitement and smiles in faces that I’ve really never seen before. So while lots of photographers might complain about the price tag or some of the features, I have to be very frank here. This might not be the camera for you.

The Fujifilm X half takes the idea of a point and shoot and modernizes it into something that’s completely unique. It’s the most appealing camera that I’ve used in a very long time, as far as the idea of an everyday carry is concerned.

Yes, I know the title of this article is odd for me to write. The Phoblographer has had years where our reviews team has mostly been made up of women. In fact, I’m proud of say that we’re the only surviving photo publication that’s had that. But as of the publishing of this article, that’s not the case.

For the record, I’m a straight man – but growing up, they would’ve called me a metrosexual. I’m not afraid of gender bending if it suits a cause and within my levels of comfort. Heck, I’ve toted around a pink film point-and-shoot camera because no one takes it seriously. And therefore, I focus on simply having fun with it. The X Half is no different here.

A black camera with a lens cap rests on a magazine featuring a close-up of a womans face. — Fujiiflm X Half product image

A black camera with its lens cap off sits on an open magazine next to a black cup on a wooden surface. — Fujiiflm X Half product image

When you’re using the Fujifilm X half, you need to be really careful with taking the time to use it and to learn it. And if anything, this might be the thing that makes people not want to use it all that often. The screens (yes, there are two displays that interact with one another) require swipes, the menus require careful reading, and there are lots of things that people probably won’t be able to figure out unless they’ve got a lot of time to dedicate to playing with a camera. Fujifilm takes the X-series system and bundles it into an interface that’s still mostly designed for photographers rather than the casual shooter.

The women I showed this camera to mostly had no real experience with photography. And like them, I’d pretty much refuse to use this camera on anything else but Program auto mode. But I wouldn’t expect any of them to know what that means because if I were starting out today, I’d have no real idea what it means either. Instead, if any of them bought this camera, they’d end up texting me about this.

More importantly, this goes for the women I was around during leisure time. I took it to a networking event, and everyone was instead, really amazingly focused in on just that instead.

These folks will most likely need to experiment with the camera and learn a lot. I mean, how many people who are brand new to real digital cameras will really know what expired film looks like? The X half does a good job of making the images look like the film was kept in your desk and not in the fridge. But the other filters are hit or miss.

And there’s a lot to process with this camera. The idea of a diptych is something that I believe most photographers won’t be able to mentally process. Let alone, there’s the multiple exposure feature — which is something that I’m very familiar with despite so many others not being so. But on top of that, unless you’re using a film simulation, the digital filters are just that – a really digital look. The halation filter, for example, looks like an extremely digital attempt at trying to make CineStill. But you can’t combine it with a film simulation, or at least I couldn’t figure out a way to do that in a way that satisfied me. Classic Negative with Halation would’ve been really fun to use.

Then there’s the Film camera mode — which doesn’t let you see the images until you’ve shot the whole digital roll. Truly, that’s something that would bring me back to Fujifilm X series cameras.

Still, the most important thing about this camera is the experience and the smiles it gives people when you shoot photos with it. It fits in my pocket and I love that.

Lots of early reviewers complained about things like the write time to SD cards and the autofocus. While the autofocus is slow, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: most of the YouTubers use SD cards that are issued to them by Sony for free and have never upgraded. It’s something that I hear from other brands all the time. But at Phoblographer, we’ve got a bunch from others, like Pro Grade Digital, in-house. So when I switched out the SD card in the Fujifilm X Half, writing the JPEG file was at its shortest, just under a second long.

To be honest, that’s fine. And if you’re reading this and saying, “who cares?” you’d be 100% right.

Is the Fujifilm X half worth the money? I think it will be if Fujifilm gives it some firmware updates. Otherwise, it’s kind of pricey.

Where it’s really worth the money, though: printing out Instax images. In less than a minute, I was able to pair the X Half with the Mini Link 3. Then, I could print my images. It’s the fastest I’ve ever seen. Why doesn’t the rest of the X-series get simple treatment like this?

Am I going to buy this camera? No. But if it came in pink, well, my wallet wouldn’t have a choice.

Table of Contents

Why the Fujifilm X Half is So Awesome

Small
Beautiful
Can fit in your pants pocket
It’s not a serious camera, and I love that
Good battery life
Lots of awesome customization to the images
Very fun
A conversation starter
Pairing and printing with an Instax printer is some of the easiest I’ve ever done.

But Then There’s This

For this price, it should be weather-resistant
Right now, it’s around $850. And until firmware updates come in to add changes, it’s a bit pricey

Who Should Buy the Fujifilm X Half

The Fujifilm X half is for the person who wants to just have fun with a camera and that understands that a camera gets in the way of making a good photograph. This shrinks itself down to be as small of a problem as possible.

We’re giving the Fujifilm X Half four out of five stars.

Image Samples

A dumpster covered with colorful Zohran for Mayor posters on a city sidewalk. — Fujifilm X Half sample image

A camera rests on an open magazine on a wooden desk, surrounded by candles, books, and small decorative items. — Fujifilm X Half sample image

Update June 2026: Fujifilm X-Half Version 1.3 – Quality of Life Changes and Necessary Improvements

A black camera with a lens cap sits on an open fashion magazine featuring images of models in stylish outfits. — Fujiiflm X Half product image

The following firmware update details were taken from the Fujifilm X-Half support site and have been edited for brevity and clarity.

You can make prints from instax™ to connect the instax™ Evo and instax™ LiPlay series.

When [AF MODE] is set to [AREA], you can move the focus frame on the LCD monitor using a swipe gesture.
You can pull the [Frame Advance Lever] to prepare for the next shot even while recording images with [FILM CAMERA MODE].
Looks & feels of the screen is redesigned to improve the operation for pairing to smartphones.
The [Direct Print] icon is added to the single-frame playback screen.

When connecting to the instax™ printer, you can print directly through the playback screen just by tapping this icon.

The operation flow is changed so that if you exit [Film Camera] mode without taking a single photo, you cannot develop the film in the X half app.
Firmware bug fixes

Among the biggest bug fixes include an annoying issue when setting up your X-Half for the first time without it being paired from a smartphone – specifically the Geographical Area and Time Zone will differ from your paired smartphone on the next power on cycle, and an issue with screen flicker when previewing an image. This latest update also fixes an issue where enlarging/previewing a 2-in-1 image get “stuck” when trying to swipe left and right.

Update June 2026: Did Fujifilm Nail the QoL Changes in the X-Half?

Split image of a crowded baseball stadium, showing fans in blue jerseys watching a game on a sunny day. — Sample 2-in-1 image taken with the Fujifilm X Half.

There are several quality-of-life changes in the X Half. The biggest of the lot are the improvements to the camera’s autofocusing and cutting down on the “ready” time between frames when using the camera in “Film Mode.” One of the biggest complaints about the X-Half have been around how finicky it is to navigate the camera’s menus and functions with such a small screen, to Fujifilm’s credit they’ve made significant improvements to the UI by adding some much-needed functionality.

A Fujifilm camera with a lens cap hangs on a wall, surrounded by various objects. — The Fujifilm X Half awaits with my other fun cameras.

For one, the redesigned screen layout keeps many of the necessary features in each camera mode at the forefront. From being able to quickly access your camera controls (Shutter Speed, Aperture, or ISO) to adjusting the AF point (when set to AF Mode – Area) to sending your images to an instax Printer, everything about the updated UI feels like it was intended to make using the X-Half more intuitive.

Demo of the AF-Area Mode update

A common complaint with the X-Half has been its slow write speeds. That hasn’t changed, especially in Film Mode, but a simple update in the latest firmware update makes this negligible, especially if you’re just out having a good time with this camera. Fujifilm’s latest update allows you to “pre-wind” the film lever between shots, essentially priming the camera for the next frame. It’s a small tweak but one the improves the perceived speed of shooting multiple frames.

Image Preview and Sharing have been made far more reliable thanks to this update. Gone is the 2-in-1 preview glitch and the addition of a Print icon to the preview image frame makes previewing and sharing printed frames simpler. The added combability with instax EVO and LiPlay cameras also expands your options beyond the instax Link line of printers. At a recent Mets game, I was able to snap shots of the game and my family, then come home and send everyone with a souvenir in the form of a printed picture.

Two instant cameras, film, and two instant photos on a green cutting mat. — Two sample photos directly printed from the X-Half to the LiPlay+

I’m glad to see the emphasis placed on this aspect of the X-Half experience, the social experience of photography with the X Half, in my opinion, is the whole reason this camera exists. To that end, anything that makes sharing easier, whether to your phone’s camera roll or to an instax Printer, is a big win in my book.

The following images were all taken directly from the X-Half – no editing was done on any of these images:

Split image: left side shows potted plants by a window; right side shows dried flowers next to a Nintendo Switch.

A blue microphone indoors on the left; trees and a balcony outside on the right, split image.

Split image: Left shows a blurry sidewalk with red fire hydrant, right shows a teal bike by an orange building.

A graffitied mailbox on a city street and a “No Parking” sign on a chain-link fence.

Split view of a crowded baseball stadium; fans in seats and players on field during a sunny game.

A split view of a baseball game at Citi Field, showing the field and the scoreboard under a partly cloudy sky.

Two brown bowls with food remnants and empty glasses on a dark table, seen in split view.

A dimly lit bar with patrons on the left; close-up of a glass and lamp on the right.

Split image: left shows people walking past storefronts; right shows two people riding a scooter on a city street.

Two wooden shelves hold cameras, lenses, framed photos, awards, and vinyl records, shown in two lighting conditions.

A bowl of creamy dip with herbs and chickpeas, served with bread slices in a bowl on a dark table.

A film strip with various images of people gathered outdoors and indoors, attending meetings and group events.

A cocktail glass with a drink and garnish sits on a bar table with dim lighting in the background.

A small DJI drone rests on a floral box beside camera gear and a purple beaded bracelet on a wooden floor.

A cocktail on a dimly lit table with a glowing egg-shaped lamp and some food and drinks in the background.

A white car with a large plastic bag on its roof drives through a city intersection near a deli.

A person on a scooter waits at a crosswalk in front of shops and a modern building.

People walk past a grocery store with large windows on a city street; a car is parked in the foreground.

Potted African violet with green leaves and purple flowers on a wooden shelf near a window.

A blue cruiser bicycle is locked to a black iron fence on a city sidewalk in front of brownstone buildings.

A purple sign reads Curb your dog with a dog silhouette, under a tree in a grassy city area.

Person in pink holding a hot dog with peppers and waffle fries at a stadium, surrounded by other spectators.

Statue of a robed figure above arched doorways on a brick building labeled Sancto Petro Claver.

A light blue car parked on a city street in front of a shop called The Good Batch.

Baseball game in a packed stadium, fans watching as players take positions on the field under a partly cloudy sky.

Text from 2 Chronicles 7:15 is displayed on a light stone wall with a black sidewalk below.

A large crowd watches a baseball game at Citi Field, with fans and signs displayed on the big screen.

A broken pedestrian crossing signal hangs at a street corner next to a brick building and tree.

Update June 2026: Price is no Longer the X Half’s Downfall

Top view of a Fujifilm X half camera placed on an open book with a blurred background. — The Fujifilm X Half’s biggest hurdle was its price

If I’m being honest, everything that’s changed about the X-Half with this latest firmware update just adds to what makes the X-Half an interesting and fun camera to use. It’s MSRP of $850-ish is still something that holds this camera back from a five out of five rating. But, if you find yourself reading this update in the summer of 2026, there are lots of deals to be had, including a price drop to about $5

A black camera with its lens cap off rests on a fashion magazine cover featuring a womans face.

Fujifilm X Half Review: Is This the Best Camera for Women?

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