The X Half is flying off shelves, but using it made me nostalgic for the company’s old-school X20. I had to track one down to see how it holds up.
The Fujifilm X Half is one of the hottest compact camera releases of the year. It’s sitting near the top of the sales charts and makes a direct appeal to young photographers who have embraced using small cameras for everyday photos instead of smartphones.
Despite some frustrations, I had a good time testing the X Half. But part of me kept wondering if I’d have even more fun with a much older Fuji, the X20 compact that I reviewed way back in 2013. It’s a camera I haven’t touched in a dozen years, but the X Half’s optical viewfinder and retro chic exterior made me think about the X20 all over again. Is it worth seeking out and using today, and what if Fuji updated the camera for today’s market? It might be a pipe dream, but considering Canon just reissued its Elph 360 HS and Panasonic rehoused existing internals for the recent ZS99, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Since the used camera market is active, I figured it was worth checking to see if the X20 could be snatched up today. Lo and behold, I easily got my hands on the vintage compact. It holds up surprisingly well given its age, and includes a few features newer cameras can’t match. The Used Camera Market Is Active and Thriving
I pointed my web browser at KEH.com, the largest used camera store in the US, and typed „Fujifilm X20“ into the search box. Much to my chagrin, the camera surfaced immediately. KEH had several copies in various states of repair, with excellent condition options hovering in the $600 to $700 range. The X20 cost $599.95 at its time of release, and given the weakening of the dollar and Gen Z’s love affair with retro point-and-shoot cameras, that seems downright reasonable.
I reached out to KEH to see if it would be willing to provide an X20 for this story, and a week later, I had a silver version in hand (the X20 was also made in black). Note that while KEH provided me with a free loaner, it’s going back once I finish the story. I’ve personally bought from KEH in years past and have always had a good experience, but this is not a sponsored piece.
You can also find the X20 on eBay. It recently sold for $300 to $700, and there are plenty of copies listed as I write this.What’s It Like to Use the X20 in 2025?
So, what makes the X20 stick out in my mind among the hundreds of other small cameras I’ve reviewed over the years? I’ll call out its optical viewfinder and mechanically zooming lens as its two standouts, and its stylish exterior is an added bonus. Optical viewfinders (OVF) were common features on upmarket compacts at the time; contemporaries like the Nikon Coolpix P7100 and Canon PowerShot G16 also had them, but follow-up models like the Fujifilm X30 and Nikon P7800 switched to EVFs.
The X20’s OVF is a treat to use today. It shows a decently large picture to the eye and zooms in and out along with the lens. Framing is far from precise: The camera’s lens captures a wider view than what’s shown in the finder, and the lens itself blocks out some of the bottom right corner. I’m used to using Leica M rangefinder cameras, so neither bothers me that much, as they are worthwhile trades to get a clear view of your scene.
The mechanical zoom lens is a rare feature. Most compacts have power zooms that use a rocker around the shutter to zoom in and out—if you’ve used a pocket camera, you’re familiar.
