Early on this year, Kent was invited to Fujifilm Australia‘s exclusive X Summit Party. We were told that ‘guests would be amongst the first in the world to hear the latest announcement from Fujifilm and be part of its biggest event yet’ from the invitation. As a fan of the Fujifilm digital camera, I was delighted to join Kent for the event.
On the 20th of February, we were glad that a rainstorm cleared up in Sydney. Kent and I arrived at Beta Bar around 6pm where the party was held. The entire venue was lit with Fujifilm green! I picked a glass of sparkling wine and saw big letters of FUJIFILM X100VI Limited Edition projected on the wall. ‘A “hint” about what’s to come tonight?’ I looked at Kent. ‘Actually,’ replied Kent, ‘the model before that, Fujifilm X100V was super popular. Some call it the holy grail of the blogging camera!’ And so I was eager to find out if they had created a successor!
In the main room, two long tables full of antipasto, cheese, and fruit platters were offered to guests at the party. Beside it, a bar provided us with more drinks. The atmosphere was sociable and high-spirited. We spotted our photographer friend Stephen Godfrey from the crowd while mingling with other Fujifilm camera’ enthusiasts. A photographer we talked to, travelled all the way from Canberra to be part of this celebration. We were all pleased that the storm stopped on time!
When we were encouraged to make our way to the main room, we knew speeches were about to start. Guests were facing a big screen and a stage. Dimi Tassopoulos, the Senior Brand Manager of Fujifilm Australia was the night’s host. She welcomed tonight’s guests and introduced Fujifilm Australia’s CEO Ryuichi Matoba. Mr. Matoba announced the exciting news – the launch of the Fujifilm X100VI (pronounced X100 six) mirrorless digital camera. Yes, the successor of the X100V. He also highlighted, ‘To celebrate Fujifilm’s 90th Anniversary this year, the X100VI is released in special limited models of 1,934 units worldwide.’
Shaun Mah, General Manager of the Electronic Imaging & Optical Devices Division of Fujifilm Australia also took the stage and shared his thoughts. ‘In 2011, Fujifilm launched the Fujifilm X100 as the first model in the X100 Series. So many people told me that the X100 Series was the camera that made them fall in love with photography…’ ‘This year, we’re thrilled to introduce the Fujifilm X100VI,’ Mr. Mah said excitingly, ‘…this compact powerhouse, which features 40.2-megapixel, is more than just a digital camera. It’s a creative companion for photographers, videographers, and smartphone users seeking to upgrade their craft. I have no doubt that it’ll be the hottest product in the market!’
Other guest speakers – photographer Leslie Liu and actress Chloe Hayden. Not only did they share their personal experiences from shooting with X100VI, but we were able to view their proud work on the big screen as a photo slideshow.
After the speeches, a cabaret cirque show continued to entertain eventgoers. Kent and I were thrilled to be among the first crowd to check out Fujifilm’s newest product in person – a quick test to explore the latest model before it’s available to the public! Holding an X100VI in my hand, I was impressed with its lightweight body. Its fixed 23mm lens gave me a wide, but not too wide natural view, a bit like looking with both eyes.
Delicious hot finger food kept coming. Chicken satay skewers, mini burgers… we were spoiled. Kent and I enjoyed an evening filled with interactive stations, music, drinks, conversations with fellow guests, and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s on the horizon of Fujifilm. As one of the Fujifilm Australia sponsored photographers (read my previous post here), Kent was kindly offered by Fujifilm Australia to be on its list for testing the X100VI. (You can imagine our excitement!)
In my coming post, I will share the images Kent and I created with the new holy grail of the Fujifilm X Series. (We had the privilege of using it for two full weeks!) To read more about this event, simply head to Kent’s Street Fashion Sydney blog.
P.S. All images of this post were taken with Kent’s Fujifilm X-T1.
