Surprise! Kolari Vision’s Fujifilm X100VI teardown reveals the most unusual sensor

The Fujifilm X100VI ($1,599) has been stealing hearts since its launch earlier this year. With its 40-megapixel sensor, built-in 35mm f/2 lens, hybrid viewfinder, and in-body image stabilization, it’s the ultimate companion for street photographers and creative enthusiasts alike.

Folks at Kolari Vision got their hands on this camera, that’s pretty difficult to get. And when they disassembled it, they found an unexpected surprise lurking inside—a unique twist that sets the X100VI apart from any other camera they’ve torn down. And no, it’s not a fly or a spider.

Kolari Vision’s teardown began with their usual process: removing screws and carefully peeling back the faux leather covering. As expected, they uncovered a maze of precisely engineered components. One intriguing find was a receiver tucked behind a clear panel on the port side—a quirk Kolari has spotted in other Fujifilm cameras but rarely elsewhere. From ribbon cables to circuit boards, every element reflected Fujifilm’s commitment to design excellence.

The deeper they delved, the more apparent it became that Fujifilm’s engineers had gone to great lengths to create a camera that’s both robust and refined. But the real revelation came as they approached the heart of the camera—the sensor.

Beneath the sensor cover, Kolari stumbled upon something entirely unexpected: a printed circuit board (PCB) integrated with the sensor itself. It was an unusual design feature they hadn’t encountered in any other camera. “We thought we would be able to access the sensor after removing those screws, but we found that this part, the sensor cover, was just another layer of removal that needed to be done,” Kolari Vision’s Phillip Andrew Iglesias writes in a blog post. “What’s more—there is a PCB right behind the sensor! We have never seen this in a camera before.”

Kolari Vision’s teardown offers a fascinating look at the X100VI’s guts, revealing both expected precision and unexpected surprise. Enjoy the teardown in the video above, and make sure to check out Kolari Vision’s site for more amazing projects, resources, tools, and conversions.