Fujifilm X half - a digital camera for oldies who are nostalgic for film

At a time when most people are shooting vertical stories with raccoon-face filters, Fujifilm said: "Let's make a compact digital camera that shoots like a film camera, looks like a film camera, and even behaves like one." That's how the X half was born - a cross between a retro camera, an Instagram stimulator and digital shamanism.

The X half camera is the case when digital takes its time. Everything here is deliberately a little slower, a little more tactile, a little more subtle. The 3:4 vertical screen and optical viewfinder hint: shoot like you would a story, but with soul. The 32mm F2.8 lens is the same angle as the old 72-frame semi-format cameras. The nostalgia works.

There's a 2-in-1 feature: you can combine two frames or video+photo into one scene, either directly in the camera or via the app. You can choose the colour of the lines, swap pictures - everything is just like in post-editing, but it looks like someone cut the pictures with scissors and glued them together in an album.

Simulations of 13 types of film (there is an additional screen that simulates a reel of charged film), plus filters with "light leakage" and a veil of "expired" film. You can see the grain, or you can see the date in the corner, like in a photo from 2002. And in the "movie camera" mode, you won't see the frames at all until you "shoot the film" to the end - and "develop" it through the app. And in between shots, just twist the lever, because Fujifilm remembers how it used to be - rustle, click, pause, magic.

The camera weighs 240 grams, there is no need to change the lens, and the controls are with buttons, a lever and touch swipes, because there is still a bit of hi-tech in this retro zoo. The viewfinder provides 880 frames per charge, and photos are sent to your smartphone via Bluetooth and can be printed immediately to Instax. It's like a stone axe, but with USB-C and an Instagram gear. And it looks beautiful, no question about it.

X half is not about technical superiority. It's about feelings. For those who want the camera to argue a little, demand a little attention, and return the good old "are you sure you want to shoot this?" Or for those who miss the days when photography had character - not just HDR.

Fujifilm has made a thing for the soul. At a price of $850 (in the US, excluding taxes).