News/Views
X Summit Launches New Fujifilm Products
Today at the X Summit in New York City, Fujifilm formally announced three new products, as well as gave updates on the XF and GFX systems.
First up at the summit was a brief marketing gloat about the X-H2S's success. But the big news was the announcement of the X-H2, the companion "pixels" camera to the X-H2S "speed" camera. Housed in the same body, the new X-H2 ups the APS-C sensor pixel count championship to 40mp (previously, Canon's 33mp APS-C sensor was the highest). 7680 x 4320 is the final pixel count, which means that the X-H2 also becomes the first crop sensor camera with 8K video as a result. As with the X-H2S, you get 10-bit ProRes capability, now at 8K/30P, but the X-H2 also supports 12-bit 8K raw, as well.
We also get pixel shift via the sensor-based stabilization. So if 40mp isn't enough, the camera can produce 160mp files via a 20-image shift sequence. Meanwhile, we get the first 1/180,000 second electronic shutter speed, obviating the need for some ND filters.
The biggest shock to many will be the US$1999 price of the body (US$2499 with the 16-80mm f/4 kit lens).
You might wonder if the XF lenses hold up under 40mp. Fujifilm claims that the 18mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4 II, 33mm f/1.4, and the redesign of the 56mm f/1.2 II are all up to the 40mp image sensor. But they also published a list of 20 lenses they say "get the maximum benefit from [the] X-H2's 40.2 megapixel sensor."
That's right, the 56mm f/1.2 lens for the XF mount got an update, with a new optical formula, better focus performance, and weather-resistant construction. This raises the size and weight a bit, but also brings the lens more in line with the other recent fast Fujifilm optics, and provides for the highest possible quality for the 40mp image sensor.
The GF mount wasn't forgotten, either, with a new 20-35mm f/4 lens becoming the widest of the medium format lens options. With the .79x crop factor, that's equivalent to a 16-28mm wide angle zoom (for full frame).
Meanwhile, the X Summit is also a place where future products get talked about by Fujifilm. Probably the most interesting ones are the 30mm f/5.6 and 110mm f/5.6 Tilt/Shift lenses coming for the GF (medium format) cameras.
It's Launch Week in Mirrorless
It seems like everyone is launching products this week in the mirrorless world. Part of the reason why was the big IBC show in Amsterdam, the first real live, in-person trade show since the pandemic for video. This conference is the European equivalent to the US NAB convention.
Sony was up first with the launch of the FR7, which is a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera with a full frame sensor and the FE lens mount. Think of it as something like a stripped down A7S that's set up to be remote controlled. At US$9700 for the camera, it's not likely on your purchase list, however it does provide a pro video PTZ option that prior to the FR7 wasn't really available in one package.
Next, Panasonic added the 18mm f/1.8 to their L-mount lineup, making my just published autofocus prime lens table already out-of-date. Given the lenses I know are coming, I'll update those tables probably on a monthly basis, rather than with each lens that comes out.
Hasselblad, long quiet on the mirrorless front, came back to life today with the X2D-100C, a 100mp medium format camera, along with three new lenses for their XCD mount. The big news here is 100mp BSI image sensor (previously was 50mp), sensor-based image stabilization (up to 7 stops CIPA), faster phase detect autofocus, tilting Rear LCD, higher resolution EVF, and a new color top LCD. Overall, the new camera is a dramatic upgrade in performance over the older one, with attention to fixing the UX of the older models, as well. The new X2D-100C body is US$8,199. This wasn't an IBC-related announcement, as the X2D-100C has no video support at all.
The three new XCD lenses are the 38mm f/2.5 V, 55mm f/2.5 V, and 90mm f/2.5 V. Each use faster stepper motors, are smaller than previous lenses, feature DOF markings on the focus ring, as well as a customizable ring. The lenses range from US$3699 for the two shorter focal lengths to US$4299 for the telephoto.
Next up we have Samyang with a quintet of cine lenses for the Sony FE mount: 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 45mm, and 75mm, all t/1.9 and autofocus. The unique things about this lens set is the gimbal-friendly center of gravity and size that's consistent across all the lenses, as well as video-centric features such as tally lights on the front and side of the lens. These lenses seem to be a new design variation of the Samyang f/1.8 lenses, as most of the optical specifications are the same. In one unique note, Samyang has directly expressed the focus breathing amount of each lens in percentage, something I haven't seen any other maker do yet, and which would be a useful specification to know and compare for videographers. The 75mm t/1.9 is first out of production, with the others to follow almost on a quarterly basis.
Tamron officially launched the Z-mount 70-300mm this week, the same week that Canon acknowledged that they are taking legal actions to prevent third-party autofocus lenses appearing in the RF mount. We now have two known Nikon Z-mount licensees (and the company has seemed to embrace a third), so in terms of full frame mirrorless:
- Canon RF — Closed mount, not open to third parties
- Leica/Panasonic/Sigma L — Open consortium mount
- Nikon Z — Licensed mount to third-parties
- Sony FE — Licensed mount to third-parties
Fujifilm will be dealt with in a separate article as soon as they've made their public announcements.
