Could it be really true? Apparently, there are reports that a medium format X100-style camera will be coming in 2025. This would be a dream come true for so many different photographers out there who want to get into medium format, but don’t like the size. As it is, Fujifilm never made anything quite like the Mamiya 6 and Mamiya 7 series cameras, which are often considered the best in the compact category. If these cameras are indeed making a comeback via Fujifilm, then we’d want a few things for sure in a Medium Format Fujifilm X100 camera.
According to a report on Mirrorless Rumors, there will be a medium-format version of the Fujifilm X100 coming in 2025. And here’s what we want from it.
A Pancake Lens of Some Sort
This is one of the biggest things that we’d want. The Medium Format Fujifilm X100 camera should have a compact lens of some kind. Engineers will say that this is very difficult to make, but they’ve already done some very incredible things. I’m pretty sure that they could make some sort of very compact lens for people to use that would also make them want to bring the camera everywhere with them.
Rangefinder-Style Camera Body
Whatever camera body comes out, it shouldn’t be an SLR-style. It needs to be a rangefinder. There are too many SLR-style cameras and they all feel the same in so many different ways. This camera body must feel retro and have retro-controls similar to something like the GFX 50R. As it is, that was my favorite GFX camera. I don’t really care all that much for the others as they majorly lack the retro appeal
Full Weather Resistance
Unlike the X100 series cameras, the Medium Format Fujifilm X100 camera should have full weather resistance. I shouldn’t need to have to put a lens filter on the lens in order to complete the sealing. That’s just nonsense at this point, and it annoys me that Fujifilm kept that with the X100VI.
A Hybrid Viewfinder on the Medium Format Fujifilm X100 camera
Perhaps the biggest thing that I want is the hybrid viewfinder and it’s seriously needed in modern photography. Sometimes, I don’t want to look at screens anymore. So when I’ve gone out shooting with my X Pro 3, I’d often use the optical viewfinder. I’d love to use that with a Medium Format Fujifilm X100 camera because I would then just need to pay attention to shooting what’s in front of me. I don’t need to see the exposure preview — that’s truly a feature that has its uses, but we shouldn’t rely on it all the time. Learning how to properly meter a scene puts you in tune with what you’re shooting in a way similar to understanding how to navigate a city without using GPS.
Forget About Scene Detection. Just Make the Human Detection Great
This is the one camera where I wouldn’t care about Animal Detection. Instead, I want really good human detection. Most importantly, I’d hope that when photographing people that it wouldn’t miss the eyes when it’s trying to focus on them. If it gets their whole face in focus, then I’d be alright with that. But the camera needs to be great for documentary photographers.