Fujifilm takes on Hasselblad with mirrorless, lightweight GFX medium-format system

Fujifilm Corp. announced the development of a new medium-format mirrorless digital camera “GFX” that features a large-sized sensor.

With a new camera comes a new lens system. The GFX 50S will use the X-Processor Pro imaging processor first introduced with the X-Pro2 to provide the same high-quality color and tone reproduction that Fujifilm shooters are familiar with.

FujiFilm promises the GFX is lighter and more compact than most conventional medium-format digital SLR cameras, and is designed with an ergonomic grip, “shaped carefully and optimised for the camera body and lenses”.

Here’s a round up of all the latest and greatest in cameras and lenses from this year’s Photokina in Germany – read on to see what FujiFilm, Olympus and more have announced so far. Hasselblad’s mirrorless X1D is the most direct and immediate competition to Fujifilm’s new GFX, costing close to $9,000 just for the body.

There is no built-in viewfinder and if you require one, there will be a separate detachable EVF. With an effective 51.4 megapixels, Fujifilm says this will not only offer the resolution, detail and image quality that professionals demand, but also the ability to shoot in different aspect ratios without sacrificing quality.

The sensor has a 4:3 aspect ratio, but the amount of pixels it packs means that you can have room to crop images to the aspect ratio of your choice. Other optional accessories that will be available at launch include the Vertical Battery Grip, which enhances functionality when shooting in portrait shooting.

Of course, it’s going to need lenses, and Fujifilm has introduced a new mount, G. The company says the lenses are created to resolve to resolutions higher than 100 megapixels, and offers the usual claims of sharpness thoughout the aperture range, no diffraction and no distortion. Taking advantage of the mirrorless system’s structure, the G Mount has a short flange back distance of 26.7mm, aiming to shorten the back focus distance as much as possible.

Additionally, Fujifilm has said each lens will be dust and weather resistant and will operate in temperatures as low as 14-degrees Fahrenheit. The new lenses feature an aperture ring and a C (Command) Position on the ring to adjust aperture with the Command Dial of the camera. Camera and lenses are scheduled for release “after early 2017”, according to the company’s press release.