Fujikina Cebu 2025 Kicks Off
From July 6 to 9, 2025, Cebu becomes the center of photography in Southeast Asia as Fujifilm Philippines hosts the international Fujikina Cebu 2025 festival. The four-day event brings together media, key opinion leaders, dealers and photography enthusiasts from across the ASEAN region for a celebration of visual storytelling.
Camera Fest at Ayala Center Cebu
While Fujifilm has prepared city and island tours for its international guests, the main highlight is a two-day public camera festival at the Activity Center in Ayala Center Cebu on July 7 and 8. This public event offers a packed schedule designed to engage and inspire both seasoned professionals and casual hobbyists. Attendees have the opportunity to participate in workshops led by top photographers, get hands-on experience with the latest gear, and connect with the broader community through photowalks and gatherings.
The festival schedule at Ayala Center Cebu is packed with activities. Central to the experience is the “Touch and Try” area, where visitors can test out a range of Fujifilm’s digital and instax cameras. An exhibit showcases the capabilities of Fujifilm’s Film Simulations and the classic QuickSnap disposable cameras, alongside the festival’s main attraction, the new X half camera.
Fujifilm X-series users can also benefit from free camera cleaning services, while all attendees can look forward to freebies and raffle prizes. A series of expert-led talks, dubbed “#FUJIFILMPHTALKS,” will cover various genres, including portrait, travel, street, and product photography, providing valuable insights for photographers of all levels.
Fujifilm introduces Fujifilm X half
The centerpiece of Fujikina Cebu 2025 is the official introduction of the Fujifilm X half, a camera designed to capture the joy and spontaneity of photography. It represents a deliberate departure from the industry’s focus on technical specifications, instead emphasizing user experience and creative expression.
The X half is a compact, lightweight camera that bridges the gap between old-school film disposables and modern digital models, weighing just 240 grams with a vintage-inspired design. Its most distinctive feature is a vertically oriented 18MP 1-inch sensor that captures images and videos in a 3:4 aspect ratio. This design choice is a direct nod to the growing demand for vertical content for social media platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok, allowing creators to shoot and upload with minimal friction. The camera is equipped with a fixed 10.8mm f/2.8 lens, which provides a 32mm equivalent field of view, the same focal length found on Fujifilm’s popular QuickSnap disposable cameras.
The X half is built around unique shooting modes that evoke the feeling of analog photography. A standout is its “Film Camera Mode,” which fully digitizes the experience of using a classic film camera. In this mode, the user selects a single Film Simulation and a “roll size” of 36, 54, or 72 exposures. While shooting, the rear LCD screen does not display image previews, showing only a frame counter, forcing the photographer to compose using the optical viewfinder. The images are only revealed after the “roll” is finished and digitally “developed” using the Fujifilm smartphone app or a computer, a process that also generates a digital contact sheet for a quick overview of all the shots. This delayed gratification is enhanced by the tactile feel of a physical Frame Advance Lever, which must be wound after each shot.
Furthering its creative potential, the X half incorporates a “2-in-1” shooting mode that allows users to merge two sequential photos or video clips into a single diptych composition. This feature mimics the common practice of displaying two half-frame film photos side-by-side and can be activated with a simple flick of the Frame Advance Lever. The camera also comes loaded with 13 of Fujifilm’s renowned Film Simulations, such as the vibrant Velvia and nostalgic Classic Chrome, which can be easily cycled through using a secondary sub-LCD touchscreen designed to look like the film-check window on a classic camera.
Here are sample photos we took from our previous trips to Paris, Clark, and Cebu.
The Fujifilm X half is available for pre-order in the Philippines for PhP44,490. For more information, check this link.
In addition to these simulations, the camera includes creative filters inspired by film photography, including Light Leak, Halation, and Expired Film, as well as a Grain Effect to add film-like textures to images. By combining an international festival with the launch of an experience-driven camera, Fujikina Cebu 2025 showcases Fujifilm’s commitment to fostering a passionate photography community while innovating in ways that make photography fun and accessible.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
