New Fuji system

Woohoo, I was waiting for this news, thanks for the heads up :-)

Not that I can afford a new camera in the next couple of years…

Adam, I know how it goes. I've resisted to buy any camera. I have a mediocre P&S but it has at least captured some great memories, if not always at the quality I like. But then again, it's not the tool, it's the photographer. And my skills are so-so at best.

But it's fun to dream, and I'd consider the Fuji. I suspect prices will plummet as they have on most bodies, especially given the incredible competition emerging in this sector of the market.

Dirk

it has promise. Fujinon lenses are, btw, excellent. They make the lenses for the Hasselblad 645 cameras, the nearly legendary XPan lenses, and a series of lenses for large format. They're no slouch in electronics and semiconductors either. If it lives up to the standard of some of their previous cameras like the XPan and the panoramic camera they used to make, it will probably end up being quite popular.

Edited for more accurate informatiomn

Several sites are now reporting on the new Fuji system, with a few more reporting that there may actually be a Full Frame or Medium Format camera in the works. For the Leica rangefinder fans out there, this may be a fractional cost thing, much like a Sony NEX. It's

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/01/04/the-new-fuji-x-pro1-details-yep-fuji-is-in-this-to-win-it/ kind of amazing how much change the digital world is seeing in recent years.

Thankfully I just purchased the X100 as a travel/hiking camera so I have little interest in what looks to me as a perfect solution. A couple of small primes and light tripod and good to go.

I would not waste money on any camera for its video. Unless of course you don't have it. Right over the horizon is 4k video, IE 8MPIX video 4k pix wide. Its already "standard" in professional models. Red One etc. It won't be long till it comes down to the prosumer level.

As someone who has carried a Sony R1 and its F2.8 lens with accurate color rendition as a landscape camera(sucks at everything else) I see no reason to upgrade anytime soon in regards to landscape photography. It would be to a 24Mpix or equivalent camera and then one needs HIGH END LENS to complement said sensor otherwise one may as well buy a 12Mpix camera and stitch if one really really really wants to print gigantic pictures. I do occasionally. Have I wished for a medium format back occasionally? Sure. Is it worth several thousand dollars verses a couple hours of fussing with a stitching program? Not IMO.

Yea, if I had a lot of money, the Fuji X100 looks mighty nice. Their new upcoming pro line, well who knows. Lens for said mount are very narrow range. Though with its super high resolution sensor because it has no AA filter, then a single lens and cropping instead of zooming could easily be a top contender.

As a backpacker I see no reason for a magnesium body. In fact I would prefer plastic as its more durable for the same weight. In fact there is no reason for magnesium at all except a bunch of ignoramus people who buy cameras think magnesium somehow equates to quality. Heavier and more expensive to manufacture while providing no additional benefit structurally over plastic = stupidity. But because of ignorant prosumer buyers, the "pro" line cameras "have to have" a magnesium body otherwise they won't sell. Weatherproofing does not need a magnesium alloy body. Someone bucking the moronic trend would be nice to see. Magnesium >> Plastic was true 30 years ago. It certainly is not true today.

I had a chance to try the XPro1 and 35/1.4 at CES. From my point of view it is the most promising mirrorless camera system yet, with a range of high-quality, fast, SMALL prime lenses to be available from launch. The Sony NEX-7, while lighter, felt cheaper, flimsier, and less stable to me. The hybrid viewfinder of the Fuji is also quite ingenious, allowing you the best of both worlds: EVF for TTL adjustment of filters and exacting exposure setting, OVF for manual focus in low light and rangefinder-style shooting of moving subjects.

Of course the Fuji is still not finalized, and nor is the price, but it certainly looks like a top-of-the heap contender for the title of best mirrorless camera 2012. Only if Samsung has an ace body up their sleeve to complement their line of NX lenses (perhaps the most comprehensive, short of m4/3, on the market), or unless Canon pulls a rabbit out of their hat with a full-on mirrorless system (as opposed to the half-baked G1X) would I see that changing.

FWIW, I carry about 10lbs of camera gear on most of my trips (including Mts. Whitney, Shasta, et al) (Nikon D700+2 lenses+tripod), though I do have a Sony R1 which is a great camera for lighter outings where photographic opportunities are low. I'd love a camera with the image quality of what I use now that's half the size, but I'm not holding my breath. I would rather work harder and deal with the weight, than compromise my ability to get the best image I reasonably can.

> think magnesium somehow equates to quality. Heavier and more expensive to manufacture
> while providing no additional benefit structurally over plastic
I will disagree with you on technical grounds.
It is just as easy to make (not machine) a magnesium body as a plastic body. Both are done to very fine tolerances with injection moulding. Very 'stock' these days.
As for strength … Check your figures. Metal always wins over plastic. And magnesium is rather strong.

Cheers

Yes, Mg is stronger than "plastic" in specific strength. Who cares? Don't need strength but in 1 area only. Lens mount to sensor distance. What one wants is not rigidity but rather flexibility to absorb said impact. I'll take plastic with chopped carbon fiber/kevlar/UHDPE imbedded any day of the week. Can be injected molded very easily due to $$$ considerations. Such fiber imbedded plastic on a specific strength(strength to weight ratio) is as strong as magnesium while retaining far better impact resistance. Less rigidity though.

I see cameras only needing "tight" tolerances in one spot. Ring mount to sensor distance. This area wants to be rigid. More than agree and here it makes sense to use a stiffer material than plastic or a fiber imbedded plastic. The rest of the body should be shock resistant and therefore plastic with rubber seals for water protection. Now maybe the driving reason that it is simply cheaper to make the whole frame from magnesium with said weight penalty rather than have a stiffer material be it magnesium, TI, etc for just the ring mount and sensor. Bet it is due to $$$ as no one will pay the extra assembly time for a 2 part camera frame saving themselves a couple ounces off of their camera body. Since Magnesium can't absorb impact as well as plastic camera gets heavier to compensate.

I haven't noticed any ring mount to sensor distance problems with "plastic" body cameras. Have you?

Just 0.02c down the drain.

The Fuji with its dual view finder sounds VERY intriguing to me. Especially long treks where one is constantly worried about battery life.

I was in town yesterday and bumped into someone I knew that would have some good info on Fuji.
Turns out that the recent spate of high end cameras are the result of one of the top guys at Fujinon (Chief Designer ? can't remember now…) moving across to the camera division.
Fujinon make some of the best optics for medium and large format cameras as well as cine cameras and TV lenses (some great binos too…)
Funny that Fujifilm did not take advantage of its own resources but that is somewhat typical in Japan and Korea.
Sony suffered particularly from the different factions within.
BTW note the 2 lines now :Fujifilm Finepix and Fujifilm X
And yes, more X products to come.
Franco

Franco, that's good news, but I don't know that it overcomes my disappointment that they moved away from AA batteries in their higher superzoom cameras. It was inevitable that they'd provide support for lithium ion batteries, but I was hoping that they'd do like Pentax and use a modular battery bay to support both battery types.

Well, usually the battery size has to do with whatever space is left inside the camera once the important bits (lens block ,sensor,circuit board,motors..) are done.
This is occasionaly reversed when the battery capacity is the point of difference (Sony did that years ago with the Stamina push)
Franco