Fuji’s New Medium-Format Camera Won’t Break the Bank

Fuji stole the show at Photokina last year with a bold move into the medium-format camera market. Now, they’re releasing more details on the forthcoming GFX 50S medium-format camera.

First, the eye-catching price: $6,500 for the body.

The camera will ship in February with three lenses in tow: the GF63mmF2.8 R WR, the GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR, and the GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR Macro. The lenses will retail for $1,500, $2,300 and $2,700, respectively.

The GFX 50S uses a 51.4-megapixel CMOS sensor (43.8 x 32.9mm) with a starting ISO of 100. The camera has a contrast-detect AF system with 117 AF points with a dedicated focus lever similar to that on the X-Pro2 to select focus points. Focus points can also be selected using the camera’s touch screen display.

Thanks to the camera’s X Processor Pro, you’ll be able to apply Fuji’s film simulations to the GFX 50S’s images.

As noted previously by Fuji, the camera supports several aspect ratios including including 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 65:24, 5:4, 7:6. The 43 ounce body (with 63mm lens attached) is significantly lighter than models like the Hasselblad H6D-50c (74 ounces) but heavier than the Hasselblad X1D medium-format camera.

Additional features include:

• Full HD/30p recording with film simulation modes
• a new Color Chrome Effect that Fuji says “reproduces subtle tones in highly saturated images”
• 2.36-million dot, 3.2-inch  touchscreen LCD and a 1.28-inch LCD monitor on the top of the camera
• a 3.69-million dot detachable EVF with an optional EVF tilt adapter to
• independent ISO, aperture and shutter speed dials
• weather and dust-resistant build
• in-camera RAW development plus compressed and uncompressed RAW photo capture
• dual SD card slots
• 400 shot battery life with auto-power save enabled

Three new G-Mount lenses are due later this year: the GF110mmF2 R LM WR (equivalent to 87mm in 35mm format); the GF23mmF4 R LM WR (equivalent to 18mm in 35mm format) and the GF45mmF2.8 R WR (equivalent to 35mm in 35mm format). All of the new G-Mount lenses are weather-resistant and have been designed to resolve sensors over 100-megapixels, Fujifilm said. The lenses feature an aperture ring with a locking command position (C) which will let you change aperture settings using the camera’s command dial.

For studio shooters, Fuji has a few tethered shooting options. There’s X Acquire software which lets you transfer images from the camera to a hot folder on your PC, a Tether Shooting Plug-in PRO for Lightroom and the HS-V5 for Windows utility (which is sold separately).

More Stuff

Fuji will also offer a few accessories out of the gate beyond the EVF tilt adapter, including a vertical battery grip (VG-GFX1). It offers a shutter release button, dials, and function buttons and can be loaded with one NP-T125 dedicated battery to improve shooting durations. The AC-15V accessory (sold separately) lets you charge the battery within the grip in approximately 2 hours.

An H Mount Adapter G will let you use SUPER EBC FUJINON HC interchangeable lenses (initially developed for the now-discontinued GX645AF medium format film camera). The adapter will give photographers access to nine HC lenses and a teleconverter developed for the late GX645AF. You’ll be limited to manual focusing and have access to those lens’ leaf shutter for flash sync speeds up to 1/800 sec. The adapter has electrical contacts to communicate with the camera body to create and apply correction data to each lens. the adapter also supports aperture priority mode.

Finally, the View Camera Adapter G allows the GFX 50S to be mounted to the standard universal-type back of a view camera. This allows the use of FUJINON large format camera lenses, such as the CM-W FUJINON lens series. The camera or lens shutter can be triggered, allowing the user to choose the optimum method. The large image circle and the bellows of the view camera can be used with tilt, shift and swing movements, effective for product and architectural photography.

Prices on these accessories were not released.