Industry News: Fujifilm X-E4 Mirrorless Camera Announced

fujifilm x-e4
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Here is Fujifilm with another one of their winning mirrorless cameras: the Fujifilm X-E4. Looks cool as all of its siblings.

At a glance:

  • 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 Sensor
  • X-Processor 4 Image Processor
  • DCI/UHD 4K at 30 fps, Full HD at 240 fps
  • 2.36m-Dot 0.62x OLED EVF
  • 3.0″ 1.62m-Dot 180° Tilting Touchscreen
  • 425-Point Hybrid AF System
  • ISO 160-12800, up to 30-fps Shooting
  • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • Film Simulation Modes

Preorder for the Fujifilm X-E4 are live (starting $849): B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Fuji press release:

– The compact and lightweight mirrorless digital camera for X Series with the fourth-generation sensor and image processing engine
– A classically-designed beautiful camera body featuring the fast and accurate AF as fast as 0.02 seconds
– Superb operability to make it comfortable to take high-quality image with proprietary color reproduction

TOKYO, January 27, 2021 — FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) is pleased to announce the launch of the mirrorless digital camera “FUJIFILM X-E4” (X-E4) in late February 2021, the latest model to join the X Series of compact and lightweight digital cameras, known for superior image quality delivered with the company’s proprietary color reproduction technology.

The X-E4 is the most compact and most lightweight of all mirrorless digital cameras equipped with the Series’ fourth-generation image sensor and image processing engine. The beautiful camera body in a classical design carries a fast and accurate autofocus (AF) as fast as 0.02 seconds. It boasts exceptional operability, producing high-quality images with the company’s proprietary color reproduction technology.

The X-E4 is a mirrorless digital camera that caters to a wide range of lifestyles and situations, making it a perfect choice for those who want to carry a camera around anywhere and anytime to enjoy photo shootings of an advanced quality.

The compact X-E4 offers exceptional portability, weighing approximately 364g*, or approximately 448g even when it is mounted with the standard prime lens “FUJINON Lens XF27mm R WR,” also announced today.

The X-E4’s beautifully classical body features the 26.1MP “X-Trans™ CMOS 4”** sensor and the high-speed “X-Processor 4” image processing engine, which are also featured in models including the X Series’ flagship model “FUJIFILM X-T4.” Its fast and accurate AF can attain focus in as fast as 0.02 seconds, ensuring that users capture decisive photo opportunities. The camera can deliver diverse photographic expressions with Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes, replicating the colors and tones characteristic of the company’s films such as the photographic film “Velvia” and motion picture film “ETERNA.” Users can take advantage of excellent color reproducibility, nurtured for more than 80 years, to enjoy high-quality photography with ease thanks to exceptional operability attributable to features such as the LCD monitor that can be flipped upward to 180 degrees and the Shutter Speed Dial.

Fujifilm will continue to deliver photographic pleasure through the X Series of mirrorless digital cameras such as the X-E4 and an extensive lineup of interchangeable lenses for the Series including the standard prime lens “FUJINON Lens XF27mm R WR” and the ultra telephoto zoom lens “FUJINON Lens XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR,” also announced today.

fujifilm x-e4
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Canon To Release New Mixed Reality Headset, the Canon MREAL S1 (February, around $38000)

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Canon will soon release a new mixed reality headset, the Canon MREAL S1. Not the first device of this kind made by Canon.

But first: what is mixed reality? According to Wikipedia:

is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations, where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. Mixed reality does not exclusively take place in either the physical or virtual world, but is a hybrid of reality and virtual reality. There are many practical applications of mixed reality, including entertainment, military training, and remote working. There are also different display technologies used to facilitate the interaction between users and mixed reality applications.

DC Watch reports that the Canon MREAL S1 will be released in February 2021. The MREAL S1 is a see-through, head-mounted display that synthesizes and displays CG images in real time. The MREAL S1 is notably smaller and lighter than the previous model.

The price is around ¥4 million (approx. $38,500).

  • mreal s1
  • mreal s1

Camera Sales To Drop By 8% Compared To 10 Years Ago, Canon Exec Predicts

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Camera sales are going to drop by around 8% compared to the figures of 2010. The prediction comes from a Canon executive.

Mr. Tsuyoshi Tokura, Canon’s imaging division general manager, gave an interview to Japanese camera website Toyokeizai. He says some rather interesting things there, for instance that 8K video was added to the EOS R5 only for marketing reasons. Another article on Toyokeizai cites Mr. Tokura predicting an 8.2% drop in camera sales.

Mr. Tsuyoshi Tokura predicts annual worldwide shipment of digital cameras with figures below 10 million units for th next years. Reasons for this steady decline in sales figures are seen primarily in smartphones, and then also came the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was a really sharp drop, and sales and purchasing activities stopped, and (sales) were bottoming out […] a large deficit when looking at the digital camera business alone (Takeshi Tokura)

2020 was a difficult year for the camera industry and Canon acknowledges it. In the ever-shrinking camera market only mirrorless cameras are selling well. Canon knows that, and points out the Canon EOS R5 is a best seller (as is the EOS R6).

[via Digicame-Info]

Canon’s Upcoming AI-Powered Camera Is The PowerShot PICK, Preorders Start January 29

Canon PowerShot PICK
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It seems the Canon PowerShot PICK, Canon’s first AI-augmented photo camera for consumers will be released within days.

DC Watch reports that peorders for the Canon PowerShot PICK will start January 29th, 2021. Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake is where preorders can be placed. It’s not Canon’s first concept camera.

The Canon PowerShot PICK can autonomously decide when to shoot a photo, for instance by recognizing a person’s face expression (smile). Canon touts this as a feature able to capture family photos at the right time. The lens can even move up or down, left or right, and zoom, all done automatically and driven by artificial intelligence. Needles to say, the camera comes with filters, a dedicated app, and all kind of sharing functionality. The Canon PowerShot PICK body is 90mm in height, and 60mm in width and depth.

  • powershot pick
  • powershot pick

So far these are the rumored specifications:

  • 12mp 1/2.3″ CMOS Sensor
  • 19-57mm 35mm equivalent zoom lens (4x zoom)
  • Pans 170°
  • Tilt of 110°
  • Electronic Image Stabilization
  • Dust and Waterproofing
  • Battery life of about 2.5 hours
  • Records data to microSD
  • USB-C Port
  • Both Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity

A video taken at The Photography Show in 2018 shows the camera.

More to come soon.

Canon Exec Seems To Say 8K Video On The EOS R5 Is There Only For Marketing

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The old Canon EOS R5 polemics are getting a heads up from a Canon exec. It’s about 8K video and why it was featured on the EOS R5.

In an interview with Japanese camera website Toyokeizai, Mr. Tsuyoshi Tokura, Canon’s imaging division general manager, said something rather interesting about 8K video on the EOS R5 (emphasis mine).

I don’t think video-focused users are driving the reputation of this new product. However, I was particular about the spec of 8K, and I was enthusiastic to put it out first, ahead of other companies. We have been making efforts to improve video performance at the same time as still images. Naturally, this new product has significantly improved still image performance, and I am not strongly conscious of giving it a big mission to attract video users

The second part I put in emphasis is the interesting part. Although something might have been lost in machine translation from Japanese, it seems to say “the only reason we put 8K on the EOS R5 was to be ahead of competition“. It really sounds that way.

He also seem to say that the commercial success of the Canon EOS R5 was mainly due to the name and the hype built around the camera.

“First of all, it has high performance and strong product appeal. The timing of the release was also great. The camera market has bottomed out significantly since spring, and we were able to launch new products when it recovered. In some respects, the return of the market was a tailwind.”

Mr. Tsuyoshi Tokura seems quite optimistic about the mirrorless market:

The EOS R5 is a professional product, and the price is quite high. Not only the body but also the (sales of) interchangeable lenses for full-size mirrorless cameras are growing steadily, and I feel that it shows the solidity of the R serie

Guess this interview will stir up new polemics about the Canon EOS R5.

Canon EOS R5 reviews are listed here, for EOS R6 reviews see here. The EOS R5 is highly regarded as a stills camera. In particular, the EOS R5 autofocus system seems to be huge leap forwards. User manual are available for download for the EOS R5 and the EOS R6.

Canon EOS R5: [shoplist 62744]

[via EOSHD]

You Can Shoot Photos From Space With Canon’s Imaging Satellite

Canon's Imaging Satellite CE-SAT
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For CES 2021 Canon made something rather cool stuff. How about taking pictures from space using Canon’s imaging satellite?

We reported extensively about Canon’s efforts in outer space. The Canon CE-SAT-1 earth-imaging satellite is one of the micro-satellites Canon put into orbit to take imaging data of the earth. For CES 2021 Canon made an interactive showcase, hosted by astronaut Marsha Ivins, of this technology. And the best part is you can take pictures with the cameras on the satellite.

The Canon CE-SAT-1 is equipped with a slightly modified EOS 5D Mark III camera, capable of imaging a ground area of 6 by 4 Kilometers at a resolution of around one meter. Also on board are a 40cm diameter Canon Cassegrain telescope with 3720 mm focal length and a Canon PowerShot S110 for wide-angle pictures.

You can not freely roam, obviously. You can shoot some selected locations, zoom in and out, frame the image, shot your picture. You even get metadata with your photo (coordinates).

To start shooting pictures from space with Canon’s imaging satellite visit Canon’s dedicated microsite.

  • Canon's Imaging Satellite
  • Canon's Imaging Satellite

[via Digital Camera World]