I never really planned to own the Fujifilm XE-4. It just happened.
A friend was selling his kit, and I took it mostly out of curiosity — a “why not?” kind of moment. I had already used the X100, X100S, and X100F over the years. All of them felt like home; familiar, compact, and always ready to make something beautiful out of the ordinary. But somehow, this little interchangeable-lens camera — the XE-4 — quietly became my favorite.

The Familiar, Reimagined

The XE-4 feels like Fujifilm’s most understated camera. It doesn’t scream for attention, and that’s exactly why I love it. The design sits perfectly between classic and modern — minimal yet intentional. It’s stripped down, yes, but not soulless. Every button and dial seems to exist for a reason.

It’s a camera that doesn’t get in the way. When I’m shooting, I want the camera to disappear — to feel like an extension of what I’m seeing, not a technical obstacle between me and the moment. The XE-4 does that beautifully. It’s light enough to carry everywhere, small enough not to draw eyes, and solid enough to trust.

A Familiar Sensor, a New Freedom

Let’s be honest — the image quality was never a problem with the X100 series. Fujifilm’s color science has long been its magic trick, and that remains true here. The 26MP X-Trans IV sensor delivers all the detail and richness I expect, but what really changed things for me was the freedom of interchangeable lenses.

For years, I lived happily within the 23mm fixed world of the X100 series. That focal length taught me discipline, how to move my feet, how to compose within limits. But the moment I mounted a 35mm f/1.4 on the XE-4, something clicked — not just in the camera, but in my process. Suddenly, the system felt open, alive. I could chase shallow depth, or go wide and let the environment breathe.

And yet, it still feels like an X100 at heart. Compact, tactile, cinematic. The XE-4 keeps that same soul — just with a little more range.

Film Simulations That Feel Real

I’ve always believed Fujifilm’s film simulations are more than digital filters. They’re moods. They’re ways of seeing.

The XE-4 comes with all the classics — Provia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Acros, Eterna — and they’re all wonderful. But what struck me this time wasn’t just how they looked, but how easy it was to make them my own. I’ve spent entire afternoons experimenting: adjusting shadows, color chrome, clarity, and grain until the image feels “mine.”

Eterna, for example, with a touch more warmth and lifted shadows, becomes this cinematic tone I can’t stop using. Acros still feels like real film — deep blacks, soft midtones, timeless. I even started building custom recipes on the fly, something I never bothered to do on the older X100s. The flexibility makes me shoot differently, more intuitively.

The Joy of Slowing Down

What I love most about the XE-4 isn’t technical. It’s emotional. It reminds me to slow down.

I take fewer photos now, but I look more carefully. The camera’s simplicity encourages that — no endless menus, no giant grip, no mechanical clutter. Just aperture, shutter, ISO, and light. It’s all you need.

Sometimes I leave the EVF off and use the screen like a waist-level finder. It changes how I frame, how I interact with people. There’s a quiet intimacy to it — less camera between us, more connection.

Not Perfect, But Perfect Enough

Of course, it’s not flawless. The grip can feel too flat. The lack of in-body stabilization isn’t ideal. The menu still hides a few too many things. But every time I think about those imperfections, I remember how little they matter once I’m shooting.

The XE-4 is one of those cameras that rewards attention. The more you use it, the more it gives back. It’s not trying to be the fastest or most powerful — it just wants to make beautiful images in capable hands. And that’s all I really want too.

Closing Thoughts

If the X100 series feels like a beautifully bound notebook — self-contained, deliberate, consistent — then the XE-4 feels like a sketchbook. It’s lighter, freer, and endlessly adaptable.

Maybe that’s why it stayed.

I didn’t expect to love it more than the X100s, but I do. Not because it’s technically better, but because it gives me space — to explore, to adapt, to play. And in the end, that’s what keeps photography alive for me.