Is this pocket-sized Fuji the perfect travel camera or an overpriced gimmick? 

I love Fuji cameras. I know that’s a terribly compromising thing to admit before reviewing a Fuji camera, but I reckon transparency is more important than feigning neutrality. Besides, I don’t love all Fuji cameras, just the ones I own: The X-Pro 3 and the X100F.

As someone who loathes how much of my life is spent staring at a screen, the thing I love most about my Fuji cameras is how tactile they are. There’s the manual dials, the sturdy build quality, the discreet size, the rangefinder aesthetics—not to mention Fuji’s famous color reproduction and the quality of the JPEGs. All of this means I can enjoy my photography without having to lug heaps of kit around or having to spend any time tweaking dials on screens. I don’t even shoot RAW anymore. Bliss.

Given my fondness for Fuji, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get my hands on Fuji X-Half. Released earlier this year, this teeny-weeny camera looks and feels just like a classic half-frame film camera. It features a 32mm (35mm equivalent) focal length, f2.8-11 aperture range with no zoom and a built-in flash (unfortunately just an LED). Arriving in three colors—silver, charcoal and black—it’s a very attractive, well-made little thing that feels sturdy in your hands despite being small enough to fit in your pocket. The ‘pocketability’ of the X-Half is worth pausing on, because while many cameras aspire towards this pocketability, a great many of them are not. And they’re certainly not as good looking or as fun to play with as the X-Half. It’s a beautiful piece of kit.

‘Fun’ is an important word to consider when considering the X-Half. This is decidedly not a serious camera: The 1-inch 18 megapixel BSI/CMOS sensor is not here to compete with your DSLR, or even your lower spec mirrorless.

And it’s even not trying to. Most of the fun is the result of just how far the X-Half leans into its half-frame forebears. For those unfamiliar with the half-frame format, in film terms, half-frame cameras meant photographers could split a single frame in ‘half’ (utilizing a wind-on lever) and shoot two exposures on the same frame. So a half-frame camera would allow you to shoot 72 frames on a single roll of 36-exposure film. 

“In a world increasingly obsessed with speed, efficiency and productivity, and a camera industry obsessed with megapixels and power, the X-Half flips a middle finger to the idea of being the best, and instead doubles down on being the most enjoyable to use.”

In the Fuji X-Half, that experience is recreated digitally in a number of ways. Firstly, the camera only allows you to shoot vertically in a 3:4 aspect ratio—a bid to appeal to the younger, vertical-shooting, phone-first demographic as well as a nod to true half-frame mechanics.

Secondly, despite being a digital camera, the Fuji X-Half has its own wind-on lever. If you shoot one frame, then ‘wind on’ your imaginary film using the lever and shoot another frame, the two frames will be combined in a diptych image—just like you’d get from a half-frame film camera.

Thirdly, there’s a full-on film simulation mode, which once triggered, you can’t exit until you’ve shot through a full roll of ‘film’—and you’re limited to framing in the viewfinder only. Oh, and it doesn’t shoot RAW.

I didn’t get the opportunity to take the X-Half on a full-blown international journey, but I was able to put it through its paces on a few forest and beach missions near my home base of Melbourne, Australia, and an interstate road trip to Adelaide. The size meant I literally took it everywhere, while the in-camera film simulations meant each and every one of those 18 megapixels were crammed full of Fuji’s gorgeous color. It got a little grainy in low light, which you’d expect, but otherwise the image quality was solid—especially if you’re happy to lean right into the film aesthetic.

Perhaps the most satisfying function in the camera for me though is ‘developing’ your ‘film rolls’ on the dedicated X-Half iPhone app. The process gives you just enough of that ‘waiting for actual film to be developed’ feeling to be exciting without being annoying. Bypassing the computer and sending photos straight to friends or Instagram was a real win (noting there are obviously plenty of cameras and apps that allow you to do this, but few make it as enjoyable as Fuji). If the intent here is to bring the simple pleasure back into photography, Fuji have succeeded without question.

There’s obviously no practical reason for a digital camera to have a wind-on lever in 2025. And there are precisely zero practical or productivity benefits to using a film camera mode. But the X-Half strikes a good balance of form and function: It looks and feels good to use, and the results are impressive, given the size. There are also a bunch of in-camera filters and effects, including grain, film burns and more.

In a world increasingly obsessed with speed, efficiency and productivity, and a camera industry obsessed with megapixels and power, the X-Half flips a middle finger to the idea of being the best, and instead doubles down on being the most enjoyable. The camera forces you to slow down and enjoy the craft of photography while allowing you to take it everywhere (without having to rely on your phone!). And I don’t think there’s any context in which that’s a bad thing. For sustainably-minded film-lovers, you could also argue that the X-Half provides a good dose of the ‘film’ experience without resulting in any unnecessary film waste (or associated costs).

If there’s a question here, it’s who this camera is for. The real Instagram photography fanatics would probably rather invest the USD$850 in the latest iPhone, analog-leaning digital photographers would find more power in the x100 series, while actual film aficionados would probably rather pick up an Olympus Pen.

But for travelers looking to travel light, shoot JPEGs and stay present, the Fuji X-Half makes a convincing case—whether as a backup to their bigger and more powerful camera, or a solo shooter for uberlight adventures and more documentary-style photography. And for those who covet the pocketable Fuji feeling but are trying to minimize their tech footprint, you could do worse than hopping on Ebay to pick up an old Fuji x10 or x20. Which is exactly what I did.

 ***

Fuji provided a loan camera for review purpose but did not review or approve this article. Adventure.com receives no commission or commercial incentive for the publication of this review Adventure.com acknowledges that the most sustainable camera is the one you already own (and the second-most sustainable camera is secondhand). While we don’t endorse buying things for the sake of it, we do try to highlight more sustainable options in our gear reviews so our readers can make more conscious and informed decisions.

****

Adventure.com strives to be a low-emissions travel publication. We are powered by, but editorially independent of, Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest travel B Corp, who help ensure Adventure.com maintains high standards of sustainability in our work and activities. You can visit our sustainability page or read our Contributor Impact Guidelines for more information.