In 2014 I bought a barely used Fujifilm X100 and case for a very reasonable price. Unknown to me, and the seller didn’t go out of his way to tell me, it was from an early batch that had an infamous problem that became known as “sticky blades”.

In their early mirrorless days Fujifilm messed up a few times. Apart from the company making absurd claims about the focussing speed of the X-E1, Fujifilm’s R&D department overlooked faulty shutter blades in the original X-100, and the sensor in the X10 that turned small areas of bright light into weird “orbs”, or “…the peculiar circular, hard-edged appearance of clipped specular highlights” (DPReview, 2012).

I haven’t used my X100 extensively as yet—it lay forgotten in a drawer as some gems do—but it’s likely I’ll be facing the sticky blades problem at some stage. Until then the 2011 X100 impresses me. My style of photography means the focussing speed isn’t a problem. Nor am I bothered by close focussing softness and 12MP images.

Even today the X100 would be a useful travel camera, but I recently discovered its used price is now almost twice what I paid for it in 2014. And if you’re after the X100V (or its successor) you may have to wait.

If you’re getting the original X100, make sure it’s not a unit from the batch manufactured with those bothersome sticky blades!