Last Updated on 01/14/2019 by Chris Gampat
Fujifilm have been batting well since they entered the Medium Format race, but a 100 Megapixel X-Trans Sensor could hit their next Medium Format camera out of the park.
Thanks to the guys and gals over at Fujifilm, Medium Format cameras have become much more affordable and accessible to the masses. The GFX 50S and the GFX 50R have been causing waves in the high-end camera world and for good reason. The next Medium Format camera from Fujifilm will be a 100 Megapixel variant that is due for release sometime in 2019. While details have been hard to come by, some new images of a prototype GFX 100 have surfaced on the web. The big question though is will this beast have a Bayer sensor, or will it be equipped with the incredible X-Trans Sensors Fujifilm have become known for? According to an interview that we did last year, there’s a possibility that it could still be an X Trans sensor.
The latest images to hit the web of the upcoming GFX 100 certainly tease, but still leave a lot to be desired. The recent leaks which were shared over on The New Camera via Fuji Rumors show a large camera that looks like quite an early prototype to be honest, but they still give a glimpse of what’s to come.
The Medium Format camera body is large and it has a built in grip much like the Canon 1Dx Mk II and the Nikon D5. The buttons have yet to be labelled, and there is a lot of empty space to the right hand side of the LCD. A lot could obviously change between now and release, and it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see a control pad and thumb stick to be incorporated into the final design.
The top of the camera is pretty nondescript too. A large LCD sits to the right hand side of the viewfinder, while a few more unlabeled controls are scattered across the top panel. You can also see that there is a relatively deep grip, which will no doubt help when it comes to holding such a beast of a camera.
The real question though is could this be the first Fujifilm Medium Format camera to use an X-Trans sensor? While the GFX 50S and the GFX 50R both take breathtaking pictures, we can’t help but wonder just how much better they could be if they used a X-Tans sensor instead of a Bayer array sensor.
During an interview we had with with Justin Stailey, Senior Manager of Product Development for EID North America, we were told that the GFX 100 could be very different from the two Medium Format cameras that Fujifilm currently have on the market. When we asked why the GFX 100 would be using a Bayer sensor and not an X-Trans sensor, we were told that nobody has ever said that it wouldn’t use one. In fact all that was said is that Bayer sensors have been great performers in the Medium Format space, not that X-Trans had been ruled out, and that’s incredibly exciting.
A Medium Format X-Trans sensor is a mouthwatering prospect for sure. Bayer sensors are certainly no slouches, but given that X-Trans sensors are able to reproduce colors that are so much better than Bayer sensors, it would make sense for Fujifilm to use one in the GFX 100 so that it can get the most out of the gorgeous film simulations that Fujifilm bake right into their cameras.
Having a Medium Format camera on the market that would be able to produce colors like the excellent Fujifilm X-T3, but with much more detail dense images would be ground breaking. Factor in that Capture One can resolve X-Trans RAWS with no issues, the likes of Hasselblad will be shaking in their overpriced boots. Given that Fujifilm themselves haven’t ruled out the possibility of a X-Trans sensor in their new Medium Format camera we can continue to hope until new details emerge.
Are you excited about the upcoming GFX 100? Do you see yourself switching over to Medium Format any time soon? What would you like to see in this camera? Let us know in the comment section below.
Images of the camera are from Gao3366 and via Fuji Rumors
