Phototrend Interview with Fujifilm at CP+
Phototrend interviewed some Fujifilm managers at CP+ this year, as apparently they do every year. Most of the answers were vague and didn’t really reveal anything significant, but a few were interesting. I encourage you to read the whole article. Let’s dive in.
Phototrend: “Last year, you launched the GFX100RF, your first compact camera with a medium format sensor. Was it a commercial success? What do you say to those who would have preferred a brighter lens or a stabilized sensor?”
Fujifilm: “The GFX100RF received excellent feedback from the market because it’s compact and lightweight, making it a practical everyday camera, even for a GFX. We know that many users wanted a faster lens or in-body image stabilization (IBIS). However, from a technical standpoint at that time, this was the best configuration to achieve the smallest and lightest possible GFX.”
Phototrend: “I agree, but some users always want the best possible specifications.”
Fujifilm: “Since the launch of the GFX100RF, many users have expressed additional requests. It’s the first product in the RF line, and we’re taking them into account. The GFX100RF was a real commercial success. It attracted not only existing Fujifilm users but also many new customers to the GFX system. Since they didn’t need to invest in lenses separately, they could enter the GFX world directly. This greatly contributed to the success of this model. In fact, users who have purchased the GFX100RF find that it works so well for them that they no longer worry about the maximum aperture or the lack of stabilization.”
There’s a lot to unpack in that short exchange about the GFX100RF. First, the camera is a big success by whatever metrics Fujifilm uses, which is good to know. All those who said it would flop were wrong. Anyone actually surprised? Second, it’s not going to be the last RF model. I’m not sure if Fujifilm is committing to a future Mark II successor, or if they have plans for another model in the “RF” line that is different than the GFX100RF, or both, or something else entirely. But it sounds like there are plans for some new RF camera(s) sometime in the future. The GFX100RF is more like a medium-format X70; I would love for them to make an X100VI-like version, with a 45mm (35mm-equivalent) f/2.8 lens and IBIS, which would be notably larger, heavier, and more expensive, if for no other reason than those who insist on those things can have the opportunity to buy it. Third, Fujifilm is right: the whole maximum-aperture and lack of IBIS complaints are way overblown, and those who have actually used the camera don’t worry much about those things. The complaints are almost exclusively from those who have never tried the camera, and mostly from those who have no experience with GFX in general.
Phototrend: “Do you have any productions made with the Eterna GFX?”
Fujifilm: “Yes, several projects are already underway. For example, the camera is currently being used in Japan this season for a major television series called Aibou: Tokyo Detective Duo. It’s a very prestigious series, broadcast for over 24 years, one of the longest-running on Japanese television.”
I suspect that a number of television shows, broadcasts, short films, and feature-length movies will be made using the GFX Eterna 55. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few IMAX films are being produced right now. This camera is for a whole different crowd than would typically use Fujifilm gear. Fujifilm has made motion picture film for a long time, and are pretty renown for their broadcast lenses, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they would have an interest in making a professional cinema camera. The feedback seems to be that the Eterna 55 is a great start; however, with anything that is brand-new, there is room for adjustments and improvements, some of which will come via firmware updates, and some will have to wait for a future model.
Phototrend: “One of the major advantages of the APS-C system is its compactness, but Fujifilm currently only offers two true pancake lenses: the 27mm f/2.8 and the recently released 23mm f/2.8. With the success of the X-E5, has the demand for ultra-compact lenses surged? Can we expect more pancake lenses?”
Fujifilm: In addition to the consistently strong sales of the 27mm, the new 23mm is also selling well. The combination of a pancake lens and the camera body creates a very elegant package. We therefore believe there is potential for a future range of pancake lenses. I think that to maintain a compact format, a shorter focal length is more suitable. Therefore, there is potential to develop a new lens in the wide-angle range.”
What caught my attention was the “future range of pancake lenses” statement. I’ve been advocating for that for many years. Now that we have the 23mm f/2.8 to go along with the 27mm f/2.8, I think a Mark II of the 18mm f/2 is next. While more of a Japanese pancake than an American flapjack, it is still quite compact, and close enough to a pancake to be considered in the pancake range. I would like to see something wider, maybe somewhere in the 12-15mm range, and something longer, maybe 40mm-ish. Additionally, an XF version of the 13-33mm lens would be a nice pancake-ish zoom, as well as the proposed 18/30mm dual focal-length semi-pancake that Fujifilm recently suggested. So, yes, more pancakes please!
Phototrend: “Are you limited to renderings of existing film stock, or are you open to going beyond that?”
Fujifilm: “We have two directions. The first is to expand our collection of film and recipe simulations. The second is to use future technologies to update and refine our existing simulations as hardware and sensors evolve. So we see these two paths as distinct possibilities for the future.”
Phototrend: “So you’re suggesting that a simulation like Classic Chrome could be updated with new technologies to get even closer to the original creative vision, to the ‘ideal’ of this rendering?”
Fujifilm: “Yes, that’s always a possibility.”
Phototrend: I think some people will say, ‘No, don’t change anything.'”
Fujifilm: “Yes, perhaps. But the film simulation is only applied to JPEG at the moment. However, I think that could change in the future.”
I have a couple of things to unpack from this real quick. First, Film Simulation do evolve, and have been evolving from the beginning. That’s nothing new and shouldn’t surprise anyone. In fact, last year someone at Fujifilm told me that this is quite intentional, so that each era of the X-series has its own unique charm. By designing the JPEG output to be slightly unique to each generation, the older cameras are never obsolete, because some people will prefer the charm of those cameras. That’s why you hear people say that X-Trans II is magical, or X-Trans I is special, or there’s nothing like the original X100, or that X-Trans IV is best, etc., etc.. There’s a charm to each, and you might prefer one over the other, something Fujifilm purposefully intended. They will continue to do this with future releases. But the big revelation is at the very end. What is meant by film simulations could be applied differently in the future? I would have had a few followup questions, but that’s where the interview ended. It’s a big mystery, but apparently Fujifilm has something perhaps groundbreaking up their sleeve, and it will be fascinating to find out what it is.
