By admin 
Fujifilm officially released the new pocket digital camera FUJIFILM X Half (model: X-HF1) on May 22, 2025. Drawing inspiration from traditional half-frame film cameras, this camera digitally recreates and enhances the joy and exciting experience of shooting with film, offering users more captivating imaging performance and a completely new shooting experience.
Weighing only about 240 grams, the X Half features a fixed focal length lens equivalent to 32mm in 35mm format with an F2.8 aperture, paired with a back-illuminated 1-inch sensor.
As the lightest digital camera currently in the “X Series” lineup, it successfully achieves a balance between excellent image quality and a compact, lightweight design.
01 Design Philosophy: A Fusion of Retro and Innovative Elements
The X Half breaks away from traditional digital camera logic, with “film experience simulation” as its core design principle. The camera extracts and reinterprets the unique charm of classic cameras, resulting in an highly attractive design.
Carefully designed components like the aperture ring and film advance lever provide users with a comfortable experience that simulates operating a film camera.
The camera’s back features an LCD screen designed for vertical composition, capable of capturing 3:4 vertical photos and videos. This design specifically caters to the modern user’s need for vertical content on social media.
02 Image Quality: A Digital Interpretation of Film Aesthetics
The X Half employs a back-illuminated 1-inch sensor, offering 18-megapixel imaging capability. The camera is equipped with a lens equivalent to 32mm F2.8—the same focal length as the Fujifilm QuickSnap disposable film camera. Users familiar with the QuickSnap can enjoy shooting from this same perspective.
The camera features 13 built-in Film Simulation modes, including the new “REALA ACE” and filter effects like “Light Leak,” “Glow,” and “Expired Film.” Users can select different “films” based on their subject or scene, enjoying diverse color expressions.
03 Innovative Features: Redefining the Shooting Experience
The X Half introduces an innovative 2in1 function, allowing users to combine two vertically composed photos or videos into a single frame. This can present a richer narrative than a single photo.
The camera includes a dedicated ”Film Camera Mode” that recreates the charm of film photography in the digital era. Users must pre-select the Film Simulation type and number of exposures (36, 54, or 72 shots). After each shutter press, the film advance lever on the top must be pulled. Only after completing the selected number of shots can users digitally “develop” and view their photos through the “X half” app.
During shooting, photos cannot be reviewed on the camera, perfectly replicating the anticipation and surprise of waiting for film development.
04 User Experience: A Balance of Intuition and Convenience
The X Half adopts an entirely new control system utilizing touch operations (like swiping and tapping) on two rear LCD screens. Despite the extremely compact body, users can intuitively change shooting settings and Film Simulation modes thanks to the smooth, lag-free touch operation.
The camera features an optical viewfinder, allowing users to shoot what they see through a clear field of view. When using the optical viewfinder, the camera can shoot about 880 frames on a single charge, enabling users to focus on shooting all day without worry.
05 Connectivity & Sharing: Seamless Integration into Digital Life
Through the new “X half” app, users can enjoy viewing, sharing, and outputting their photos. Pairing the camera with a mobile device via Bluetooth allows for easy transfer of photos and videos to a smartphone, as well as convenient output to smartphones and Instax™ Link series printers.
The app allows users to freely combine their favorite static photos to create 2in1 images. Users can easily and intuitively edit, for example, by changing the color and size of the dividing line or swapping the left and right photos.
06 Market Positioning: Emotional Value Over Specs Competition
The X Half abandons the “specs race,” positioning itself as a “symbol for life recording” to break into the market, targeting young people who love life and enjoy sharing. The camera forgoes features important to professional users, like 4K video, RAW format, and high-speed continuous shooting, instead strengthening its straight-out-of-camera usability and ease of use.
Fujifilm explicitly defines the X Half as a “life companion for unconventional players,” attracting non-professional users through its sense of film ceremony, low learning curve, and social attributes. The three body colors and ¥4,999 price point further target the consumption psychology of young women and student groups.
Topping Japan’s MAP Camera June sales chart for new cameras upon its initial release, with the Charcoal Gray version being particularly popular due to its unique design in the Japanese market, the X Half reflects a shift in consumer logic.
The X Half is more like a cultural symbol: it proves that in a digital era obsessed with specifications, emotional value and experience can equally touch people’s hearts.
Other camera manufacturers might follow suit with similar concepts, but Fujifilm has already taken the lead in this new playing field, thanks to its profound heritage in film culture.