Will Fuji Join Leica in the World of 35mm Mirrorless?

Fuji has a new project under its sleeves: a full-frame mirrorless camera. While we haven’t seen anything concrete, the wording from an earlier interview seems to say it all.

Hiroshi Kawahara, Fujifilm’s operations manager, said Fuji is “‘seriously investigating the launch of a full-frame compact system camera…’” Kawahara could have just said that they’re investigating the possibility of such a camera. The fact that he says they’re investigating a ‘launch’ seems to indicate that something — whether it be just a first prototype or more — has been and will be in the works. Furthermore, they’ve considered the fact that most XF lenses — save for some wide angles — would be able to cover the full frame of a 35mm sensor (Update: not true, see below).

Since Sony’s entry into the market with the world’s first 35mm compact camera for as much as the company’s a99 DSLR and as Canon and Nikon both introduce the 35mm format into the mainstream prosumer lines, it’s not too far to think Fuji might join the large-sensor game.

Something that’s particularly exciting is that Fuji’s sensor technology that is in the X-Trans CMOS ASP-C sensor of the X-Pro1 could end up in this camera. That would mean we could see full-frame depth of field and light sensitivity meet with clarity on par with what Leica produces — all without any signs of moire, thanks to that sensor’s 6×6 ‘random’ pixel arrangement. And seeing as this is Fuji, it could all be had for thousands less than a Leica (yet still likely at least a couple thousand, mind you).

Would you buy such a camera? And for how much?

UPDATE: Fuji now claims that the previous statement that most current XF lenses will be compatible with the 35mm format is false. This means that we’ll see new lenses from Fuji (and adapters, you can be sure) if such a camera were to come out.

via PhotoRumors.com