Fujifilm X100VI Mirrorless Camera Announced

Fujifilm announced a new, cute looking little camera, the Fujifilm X100VI. Pre-order it at B&H Photo.

At a glance:

  • 40.2MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR Sensor
  • X-Processor 5 Image Processor
  • Fujinon 23mm f/2 Lens
  • 35mm Full-Frame Equivalent
  • 6-Stop In-Body Image Stabilization
  • 425-Point Intelligent Hybrid AF System
  • Hybrid 0.66x OVF with 3.69m-Dot OLED EVF
  • 3.0″ 1.62m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen
  • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Connectivity
  • 20 Film Simulation Modes with REALA ACE

Fujifilm press release:

Fujifilm Debuts X100VI Mirrorless Digital Camera

X100VI’s iconic dial-based design and advanced technology includes new features for content creators of all types; special limited edition also announced in celebration of Fujifilm’s 90th anniversary

VALHALLA, N.Y., – FUJIFILM North America Corporation is pleased to officially announce the highly anticipated launch of FUJIFILM X100VI digital camera (“X100VI”, pronounced X100 Six), the newest model in the popular X100 Series. X100VI offers outstanding image quality in a compact, lightweight body, and features Fujifilm’s legendary color reproduction technology, which is best experienced through its revered Film Simulation modes, a feature, users have come to expect from all Fujifilm digital cameras, along with In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) and enhanced video capabilities.

“The viral popularity of our X100 Series cameras has shown us time and time again that making images is as tactile as it is technical,” said Victor Ha, vice president, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Electronic Imaging Division. “X100VI continues this tradition by bringing our most advanced imaging technology to an image-making experience that feels organic and familiar to creatives of all levels.”

Product Features 

•    X-Trans™ CMOS 5 HR and X-Processor 5 deliver high image quality and high performance
X100VI is equipped with the back-illuminated X-Trans™ CMOS 5 HR sensor1 with approximately 40.2 megapixels. The sensor has an impressive pixel structure that allows light to be efficiently captured compared to prior X100 Series cameras. Additionally, ISO 125, which on the previous X100V model was only an extended sensitivity option, is now available natively on the X100VI. With its fixed, 23mmF2.0 lens, X100VI delivers sharp, high-resolution images.

X100VI comes with 20 of Fujifilm’s popular Film Simulation modes, including the new REALA ACE mode, which applies a diverse range of distinctive tones to the user’s images. REALA ACE mode offers faithful color reproduction and high-contrast tonality, making it suitable for a wide variety of subjects and situations.

The camera incorporates an impressive autofocus (AF) prediction algorithm for reliable focusing, even when recording continuously-moving subjects. X100VI uses the subject detection AF X-Processor 5 to accurately track a range of subjects. Built using deep-learning AI technology, it can detect animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, trains, insects, and drones2

•    Enhanced high performance to maximize X100VI’s range
X100VI is the first camera in the X100 Series to incorporate a 5-axis, in-body image stabilization function with up to 6.0 stops3, while generally maintaining the X100 Series’ characteristic compact size and lightweight, only having increased in weight by 1.52 ounces over the previous model.

The “Advanced Hybrid Viewfinder” allows the user to switch freely between the optical viewfinder (OVF) and the electronic viewfinder (EVF), pursuing the rangefinder style of photography that has been a hallmark of the X100 Series. The EVF is equipped with a high-resolution OLED panel with approximately 3.69 million dots, optimizing the immersive shooting experience.

The “Electronic Range Finder” (ERF) function allows a small EVF to be simultaneously displayed on the OVF. Using this feature, the photographer can view either the entire frame or the area of critical focus, increasing the capabilities of a standard optical viewfinder. The ERF function is highly convenient, especially for street photography.

X100VI is capable of 6.2K/30P movie recording, a first for the X100 Series. The camera is also equipped with a tracking AF function during movie recording to ensure high-quality content creation.

X100VI offers an accessory-free, native Camera to Cloud integration for Adobe’s Frame.io, which allows users to wirelessly connect any X100VI to an active internet connection, authenticate it to Frame.io, and automatically upload photos and videos just moments after they are created. This can drastically reduce the amount of time needed to reach the end of any post-production workflow. X100VI is the latest in Fujifilm‘s digital camera portfolio to integrate Frame.io’s Camera to Cloud technology, joining X-H2, X-H2S, and GFX100 II in offering the capability. 

•    Sophisticated, functional product design 
As with the prior model, aluminum is used for the top and bottom surfaces of the X100VI body. Aluminum, which features a high degree of malleability, is pressed and machined for crisp, clean edges, and the surface is finely blasted for a smooth texture. In addition, anodized aluminum is used on the camera surface to produce a high-quality finish.

X100VI’s ultra-thin tilt LCD monitor can be stored in a fully flat position, a design leveraged from the X100V. The stylish, integrated body design allows for a variety of shooting styles, from high to low angles. The shape of the grip has been fine-tuned to ensure a secure yet comfortable feel. The positions of the buttons on the back of X100VI have been designed to maximize ease of operation with the right hand, enabling extremely comfortable shooting while utilizing the viewfinder.

•    Wide variety of compatible accessories enhance X100VI’s capabilities 
Weather resistance is available for X100VI when the optional AR-X100 adapter ring (MSRP $49.99 USD/$50.00 CAD, available in silver and black) and the PRF-49 protection filter (MSRP $55.99 USD/$70.00 CAD) are used in conjunction with X100VI’s lens. This allows the user to continue making images in challenging weather conditions.

Fujifilm’s optional LH-X100 lens hood (MSRP $139.99 USD/$100.00 CAD, available in black and silver) is also compatible with X100VI. In addition to being lightweight and precisely crafted from machined metal, the hood is cleverly designed not to obstruct the field of view when looking through the viewfinder, thus achieving light-shielding performance.

Two separately offered FUJIFILM conversion lenses allow the user to change the focal length without changing the optical performance of X100VI, thereby enhancing the photographic field. WCL-X100 II (MSRP $349.95 USD/$450.00 CAD, available in silver and black) is a dedicated wide conversion lens that multiplies the fixed focal length by approximately 0.8x, converting it to 28mm (35mm format equivalent), while the TCL-X100 II (MSRP $349.95 USD/$450.00 CAD, available in silver and black) is a dedicated teleconversion lens for narrowing the field of view by multiplying the fixed focal length by approximately 1.4x, converting it to 50mm (35mm format equivalent).

Adding the separately offered, LC-X100V genuine leather case (MSRP $79.99 USD/$100.00 CAD) ensures the X100VI can be carried in style. The battery and the user’s memory card can be inserted and removed from the camera without the need to remove the camera from this case.

Limited Edition X100VI Units Also Announced
 
To celebrate Fujifilm’s 90th anniversary year in 2024, a special Limited Edition of 1,934 X100VI cameras will be made available by Fujifilm, worldwide. The Limited Edition camera body is engraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm’s founding in 1934, and each unit bears a unique serial number. These numbered X100VI units are packaged in a special, soft-release box that includes a special strap and Fujifilm history cards. The Limited Edition X100VI units will be available in extremely limited quantities and vary depending geographical location. Please contact your local Fujifilm sales and marketing company to explore the opportunity to purchase the item in your area.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Industry News: Fujifilm Files Patent For Active Sensor Cooling System For Cameras With IBIS

fujifilm

Interesting patent application by Fujifilm: active sensor cooling for cameras with IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation).

Fujifilm patent application 2022-55674 (Japan) discusses methods and technology to actively cool down an imaging sensor with IBIS.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device and an imaging method including an imaging unit.

Conventionally, in an image pickup apparatus provided with a camera shake correction mechanism, a technique for cooling an image pickup element has been proposed.

In recent years, an image pickup device may be used to shoot a high-quality moving image for a long time. The image pickup device is preferably used in an appropriate temperature range. Shooting high-quality moving images consumes a lot of power, and the heat generated from the image pickup device itself exceeds the appropriate temperature range. In high-quality video shooting for a long time, the image pickup device activates a protection function such as forcibly terminating the shooting when the temperature exceeds an appropriate temperature range for the protection of the device itself and the safety of the photographer. Therefore, it may not be possible to secure a sufficient shooting time when shooting a high-quality moving image. Further, in the case of repeated shooting, if there is no time interval in which the temperature of the image pickup device, which has risen during the previous use, falls to an appropriate range, it is not possible to secure a sufficient shooting time. Further, in an image pickup device with a camera shake correction function, since the heat-generating image pickup element is always floating at the time of shooting, it is structurally difficult to dissipate the heat generated from the image pickup element.

The image pickup unit 100 includes three heat pipes 180A to 180C. The heat pipes 180A to 180C are heat transporters that transport heat. The ends of the heat pipes 180A to 180C are installed on the sheet metal 108C of the cooling device 108. Further, the other end of the heat pipes 180A to 180C is installed in the heat sink 110. As a result, the heat generated by the cooling device 108 is transported by the heat pipes 180A to 180C, and can be cooled by the forced cooling mechanism 46 at the transportation destination.

As described above, the heat generated from the cooling device 108 can be transported by using the heat pipes 180A to 180C, and the cooling can be performed by the forced cooling mechanism 46 at the transportation destination. As a result, it is not always necessary to equip the sheet metal 108C of the cooling device 108 with the forced cooling device, and the space inside the image pickup device main body 2 of the image pickup device 10 can be effectively used.

The Fujifilm patent application was spotted by Asobinet. Canon patents are listed here.

Fujifilm GFX100S vs Canon R6: Medium Format Worth It? (not really)

fujifilm gfx100s

Here is an unfair comparison, the medium format Fujifilm GFX100S vs the full frame Canon EOS R6.

Fujifilm GFX100S at a glance:

  • 102MP Medium Format BSI CMOS Sensor
  • X-Processor 4 Image Processor
  • 4K30 Video; F-Log Gamma, 12-Bit Raw Out
  • 3.69m-Dot OLED EVF
  • 3.2″ 2.36m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
  • 425-Point Phase-Detection Autofocus
  • ISO 100-12800, up to 5 fps Shooting
  • 400MP Pixel Shift Multi-Shot
  • 19 Film Simulation Modes

Canon EOS R6 at a glance:

  • 20MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC X Image Processor
  • 4K60p and FHD 120p 10-Bit Internal Video
  • Sensor-Shift 5-Axis Image Stabilization
  • 12 fps Mech. Shutter, 20 fps E. Shutter
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with 1053 Points
  • 0.5″ 3.69m-Dot OLED EVF
  • 3″ 1.62m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Subject Tracking with Deep Learning
  • Dual SD UHS-II Memory Card Slots

Alex Barrera wonders if medium format is worth it, and compares the Fujifilm GFX100S with the Canon EOS R6. It’s a short video so I won’t spoil it, but the answer is “not really” :-)

Industry News: Fujifilm Suffers Cyber-attack, Shuts Down Servers

fujifilm

Hackers hit Canon last year, now it’s Fujifilm that has been hacked. Again it’s a ransomware attack.

Fuji Rumors reports that Fujifilm disclosed a ransomware attack on their network and that there has been an unauthorized access to their servers. Apparently their servers have been infected by the Qbot trojan malware.

Fujifilm’s statement:

Notification of communication failure to customers

2021 12:00 Update June 2, 2021 20:00

FUJIFILM Corporation is currently carrying out an investigation into possible unauthorized access to its server from outside of the company. As part of this investigation, the network is partially shut down and disconnected from external correspondence.

We want to state what we understand as of now and the measures that the company has taken. In the late evening of June 1, 2021, we became aware of the possibility of a ransomware attack. As a result, we have taken measures to suspend all affected systems in coordination with our various global entities.

We are currently working to determine the extent and the scale of the issue. We sincerely apologize to our customers and business partners for the inconvenience this has caused.

BCN Rankings: Fujifilm On The Rise, Gets Close To Canon, Sony Still First

bcn rankings

Latest BCN rankings on Japanese market shares on mirrorless camera sales shows that Fujifilm is on a steep rise.

BCN collects data of about 40% of the Japanese electronics and online stores. Their latest analysis shows a promising start into 2021 for Fujifilm. They are now very close to Canon’s second rank. Sony is also on the raise, and the undisputed market leader for mirrorless cameras in Japan. OM Digital (former Olympus), on the other hand, is on a downwards trend.

[via Mirrorless Rumors vis BCN]