As I continue to shoot film and build up experience, I’m finding the more freely I shoot, the more likely it is I’ll have something in the results that I really like. Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction) works great. It's rated as 5 stops improvement. It’s different stuff to the plain old Fuji Superia 200 and Superia X-TRA 400 that can look similar at first glance in search results, by the way. The latter is 400 rather than 200 for a start, and the former was discontinued in 2017 – so beware buying expired film there.

This 200/2 doesn't focus very close: 5.9 feet or 1.8 meters, but it is ultra-sharp especially at f/2 where many lenses become softer at close distances: That ISO 200 rating is good too, freeing you up to shoot in slightly worse light than you could with the Industrial 100, or any ISO 100 film for that matter. PRESET: Tap a button and the lens resets to the previously set focus distance. You don't need to hold a button, just one tap and the lens will motor all the way home. To preset this distance, simply focus the lens where you want it and tap the SET button. Finally, that aforementioned wide exposure latitude is a good safety net should the light really be too bright or dim, and the film has good enough dynamic range to render light and dark areas well in the same shot, as you can see with the fish market and pigs shots below. I pressed Fujifilm a bit, but all Christine could say was, “We are unable to share the changes to the emulsion due to confidentiality, but we are pleased to share that we will deliver FUJIFILM 200 (ISO200 color film) that will have the quality that Fujifilm consumers are accustomed to.” As a journalist, this is odd because Fujifilm was super transparent about everything they did with Acros II. So in my mind, I’m hypothesizing that it is indeed Kodak Gold. If it wasn’t Kodak Gold, they’d flat out say it wasn’t.The manufacturer quotes the weight as 2265g, which seems to be including caps. As I measure it, the lens alone weighs 2240g and with hood attached 2460g. The large hood is secured with a screw, being attached simply by pushing it straight onto the front of the lens. The attachment is secure. Within this, there is a large, standard filter thread of 105mm, which gives a good idea of just how chunky the lens actually is. The hood has a sliding panel that makes it possible to access rotating filters, such as polarisers. Thus the filter can be rotated without removing the hood.

I think that’s the wrong way to look at it, though. I’m not saying it isn’t average, but I don’t think dismissing as such is the best way to think about it. Not when we could celebrate its averageness instead.

Comments

The X-T200 is a very compelling camera for photography novices or content creators, and it's technically far superior to the X-T100. It feels as if it has shifted away from low-cost stills photography and more towards video, however, which is no bad thing in itself but has pushed the price up to a different level. As noted by Kosmofoto, Fujifilm has struggled to meet market demand for color negative film as the medium has ballooned in popularity over the last several years, which have been exacerbated by the supply shortages that have been brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Fujifilm even stopped production of film at the onset of the pandemic, but stayed committed to selling film. There are sharper color films than Fujicolor 200. But this film is plenty capable of getting good detail. Minolta XG 1, 45mm f/2 Minolta MD Rokkor X Konica Autoreflex T3, 50mm f/1.7 Hexanon AR Olympus Trip 35 Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80 Instead of degrading it for not being a special colour negative film like a Kodak Ektar 100 or a Portra 400, I like to recognise it for what it is. A reliable general use film that gives you exactly what you expect, with whatever working camera you have, in almost all good light situations, and at low cost. Autofocus is fast and almost silent. It feels as if it's using voice coil motors to move a focus group in and out, and I'm sure it's more complicated than that.