Haida has released two filters specially made for the Fujifilm X100 series. There is also a dedicated sunshade. Do you own a Fujifilm X100 camera? Perhaps these filters are interesting to you.
The Fujifilm X100 series has become a legend. This digital rangefinder – if I may call it that – is already in its fifth edition, going from the original X100 to the X100S, X100T, X100F and X100V. There seems to be increasing demand for filters that can be attached to its 23mm fixed focal length lens.
I bought my Fujifilm X100T back in 2016. It serves as a small additional camera to easily carry around. It must be able to produce great images. I like the look of the rangefinder camera, with its optical viewfinder, which can be changed to digital if needed. Together with the physical wheels and aperture ring, it brings the feel of old-fashioned camera photography again.
The similarity to an analog camera with its physical dial is one of the reasons the Fujifilm X100 series has been so successful. I also bought a lens hood originally to shield the lens from stray light, but never considered using a filter, especially since the camera has a built-in three-stop ND filter. Also, carrying a large filter bag for the system is the opposite of what I originally bought the camera for.
When Haida announced a free trial of the NanoPro X100 filter in October 2022, I contacted Haida and offered to take a chance to review these filters. They kindly agreed and sent me two pre-made filters, along with a black and silver lens hood and Haida lens hood as installing the filters would prevent you from placing the original lens cap.
Looks and how they fit
The filters and hood are made from aerospace aluminum. It is light and strong. The filter is made of K9 Optical Glass. The coating of this glass makes the filters waterproof, oil-proof and scratch-resistant.
The weight of the filter is about 21g and the hood is about 12g. The filter protrudes a lot, increasing the thickness of the lens by a centimeter. Add the hood and the total length is 2.5 cm.
The increased length of the lens by the filter will not produce any vignetting. To place the filter, the existing front ring of the lens must first be removed. You can then screw the filter into place. As simple as that. Multiple filters cannot be set at the same time.
The lens hood is similar to Fujifilm’s original lens hood. It attaches to the Haida NanoPro filter with a bayonet mount. Haida hoods can only be installed when the Haida NanoPro filter is installed; it doesn’t come with a dedicated adapter ring like Fujifilm’s original lens hood. Genuine Fujifilm hoods can also be connected to a Haida filter.
The NanoPro X100 filter and lens hood are available in matching silver or black, similar to the existing colors of the Fujifilm X100 series. The inside of the hood and filter has a non-glare finish, although the silver model I received doesn’t have a matte black finish. It could be a pre-production model.
NanoPro X100 Mist Black 1/4 Filter and Clear Filter
Previously, I reviewed the regular Haida Magnetic NanoPro Mist Black filter, and I love this effect for portraits and landscapes in the right circumstances. It reduces the highlights and reduces the contrast in the image. The filter also makes wrinkles and blemishes less obvious when shooting portraits. It often results in an attractive soft focus effect.
The NanoPro X100 Mist Black 1/4 filter has the same characteristics because it is made of the same glass. It’s a great filter for those who use the Fujifilm X100 series for portrait photography. But it can also be useful in strongly backlit scenes. It makes the contrast less harsh with nice flare. For this, you may want to skip using a hood, allowing stray light to come into play.
The other filter is the explicit filter. Its purpose is protection and it has no other effect on the image. It will also seal the front lens from the weather. But it only benefits owners of the latest Fujifilm X100V model. All previous models weren’t weather resistant, so it doesn’t seem like the transparent filter is of much use in that case, except for scratch protection. I don’t see myself using this filter.
Haida X100 Mist Black 1/4 and Haida Clear Filter are the only products available at this time. Haida assured me that there will be more filters for the X100 system in the future. The route includes a circular polarizing filter and at least one neutral density filter. If you’re using the Fujifilm X100 to shoot landscapes, these two filters would be very interesting additions.
Final thoughts
While I never thought of using filters for the Fujifilm X100T, the possibilities could make photography with this camera even more enjoyable. I’m glad this is no ordinary filter system, with adapter ring and filter holder. While that makes it possible to use it with multiple filters, carrying around a complete filter system is a bit of a hassle. One or two small filter cartridges with the Haida X100 filter will be easier to put in your pocket.
The X100 Mist Black 1/4 allows photographers using Fujifilm X100 series cameras to expand the look and feel of their photos in a subtle and beautiful way. I can recommend this particular filter.
Explicit filters can only be used by the owner of a Fujifilm X100V to complete its weather sealing. If you have the older model X100 series, it’s a less interesting filter. But you may need it to use the Haida X100 hood.
The filter I was expecting is not there yet. For me personally, a polarizing filter would be the most valuable addition. I want to thank Haida for providing me with filters and the opportunity to try them out.
