A Chinese X100VI owner added a film advance lever to his camera, and it has proven to be an extremely controversial camera modification.

As highlighted by Fuji Rumors, the add-on film advance lever does not actually do anything aside from give the user “something to fidget with in between shots.” Nonetheless, it touches on an interesting topic in digital camera design.

Fujifilm is no stranger to adding tactile, functional controls to its cameras. While a non-functional lever doesn’t fit the bill, the user’s X100VI modification is entirely aligned with some of Fujifilm’s real-world design decisions on recent models. For example, the new X half compact digital camera has a “film” advance lever that is a significant part of the camera’s analog-inspired “Film Camera Mode.”

In this mode, users select a Film Simulation, a desired number of exposures, and then shoot the “roll” of digital film. Between each shot, the photographer must advance their digital roll using the thumb winder. In this mode, the photographer can’t even see their photos. Instead, they must be “developed” via the accompanying X half app. Is it a perfect facsimile of analog photography? Of course not, but as PetaPixel‘s Chris Niccolls writes, the X half gets as close to replicating the analog experience as any digital camera has thus far.

Whether that is a worthwhile goal or not is up for debate, and as the comments on Fuji Rumors and an associated Threads post show, the debate is raging.

There are a few immediate concerns among respondents, including that the custom film lever renders the X100VI’s exposure compensation dial useless, a problem that can be overcome through custom functions and simple menu navigation, and that the lever doesn’t actually do anything.

Others argue that photographers seeking an analog-like experience should just buy an analog camera. Although there are plenty of affordable film cameras out there on the used market, the cost of buying and developing film can add up quickly, making it a less-than-ideal solution for all photographers.

While there is plenty of negativity about the film lever add-on, a fair few photographers appreciate that something like it can be fun to play with. There’s nothing wrong with having a good time using a camera. In fact, for nearly every photographer, the enjoyment of taking photos is the entire point.

While the X half doubles down on the fun factor and film camera spirit, it does so at the expense of high-end photographic capabilities. It is more than just a toy camera, but its capabilities fall short of Fujifilm’s APS-C X Series offerings.

There Is Precedent for a Professional Digital Camera With an Advance Lever

While the X half’s advance lever serves an analog-inspired purpose, there is an even better digital camera that manufacturers can look to for inspiration on how to make the digital photography experience more film-like: the Epson RD1 digital rangefinder.

The Epson RD-1, launched in 2004, was the world’s first digital rangefinder camera. It is also an absolute legend and one of the coolest cameras ever. The 6-megapixel APS-C digital rangefinder has many physical controls, Seiko-designed dials, and features an advance lever. This lever is connected to the camera’s mechanical shutter. Every time the user takes a shot, they must use that lever to reset the shutter.

PetaPixel‘s Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake tested the RD-1 way back in 2018 for a retro-inspired episode when they were working at The Camera Store.

The Epson RD-1 was an incredible camera, but, unfortunately, Epson bailed out of a shrinking digital camera industry just a decade after its release in 2014. In an exciting twist of fate, Epson found 30 R-D1s rangefinder cameras in its warehouse in 2021, and gave them away to lucky fans, including journalist Dreux Richard, who wrote about his experience winning a new R-D1s on PetaPixel in 2022.

Will More Digital Cameras Feature an Advance Lever?

If Fujifilm wants to bring the X half’s advance lever to other digital cameras, there are a few obvious candidates that make sense. The next X100 series camera is an obvious choice, although it would be best if the lever could be reprogrammed to something arguably more useful for the photographers who don’t care to have an admittedly slower, clunkier digital photography experience that hearkens back to the days of film.

Another candidate is the next X-Pro series camera. Talking to PetaPixel at CP+ in February, Fujifilm reiterated its support for the X-Pro and said that it has not abandoned the series despite the X-Pro3 being nearly six years old. Fujifilm told PetaPixel it wanted to do something exciting with the new X-Pro camera, and would not simply rehash the X-Pro3 with its latest image sensor and processor. Fujifilm loves the X-Pro line and wants the next model to be really special. Perhaps changing the way users capture photos would fit the bill.

Or, perhaps the X half is the only Fujifilm digital camera that will ever feature a “film” advance lever. That is entirely possible.

Image credits: Header photo by 云朵工坊