When I first bought my Fuji X100F, I really didn’t pay much attention to the built-in neutral density filter. In my professional career, I almost never used a neutral density filter. It just wasn’t something I needed. I soon discovered that the fuji X100F is not the same as a big, pro-level DSLR and one of the limitations is what you can do with a wide aperture in really bright conditions.
A professional DSLR has a fast maximum shutter speed (My Canon is 1/8000 of a sec.). A small mirrorless camera like the Fuji X100F has a slower max speed of 1/4000 of a sec. In addition to that limitation, the max shutter speed can’t be used at max aperture of f2. At f2 you can only go to 1/1000 of a sec.
This is where a 3-stop built-in neutral density filter can really help out. It can take a 1/1000 shutter speed and make it look like the exposure you get at 1/8000… effectively giving my little travel camera the same exposure options as my big pro camera.
In the video below I explain how it all works and also explain why using the Electronic Shutter option on the Fuji X100F is a bad idea almost all the time.