With the success of both their APS-C and medium format lines, many have been wondering if and hoping that Fujifilm would eventually release a full frame camera. However, the company recently confirmed that they will never enter the full frame market.
The news came from Toshihisa Iida, General Manager of Fujifilm's Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division, in a recent interview with DPReview. Fujifilm has had tremendous success with their X-Series cameras like the X-T3, while their new medium format GFX series has brought medium format cameras near the price range of upper-level full frame cameras. Nonetheless, Fujifilm sees no need to enter the full frame market, attributing the lack of need to not having a history with the format and not wanting to cannibalize their own cameras. I have to admit that I really admire the path Fujifilm has taken. They've completely avoided a crowded and competitive market space and carved out their own niches, the likes of which no other company really comes near. In doing so, they've established some excellent products and a very loyal following, so it's not surprising to hear they'll be staying the course.
Head over to DPReview for the full interview.
A totally sensible move from Fuji. Their APS-C sensors and camera line up is so good (along with the exceptional lenses they produce) that they dont need to consider designing full frame alternatives. They would be diverting attention from this range if they did.
Smart. It's not needed.
I'm glad they're staying focused. I went from Canon full frame to X-T2 and just picked up an X-T3. APS-C is making money for me and many others just fine. No need to divert R&D resources just to say they have a full frame line.
Another interesting note from that interview is when he mentioned they may remove the video recording limit in the future. It would be great to be able to do extended recording for interviews and such without having to watch the clock to reset the camera or pay extra for an HDMI recorder.
Even with whatever additional "video recorder" tariff getting added to the price, it would still cost the consumer way less than buying an Atomos plus storage.
I wonder if they could do it as DLC/Unlock. Then you'd get the best of both worlds.
yeah they can do it in the future firmware updates, instead of buying a new system *cough* sony a7 *cough*
It’s not a technical limitation.
Some arcane, pre-Internet import law requires that devices capable of recording for more than thirty minutes get taxed on import at a higher rate. That’s why almost all cameras stop at 29:59.
The only way they could provide unlimited recording via firmware update is if they already paid the tariff, in which case, I doubt they would have held back the functionality just for the sake of holding it back.
It makes no sense that they didn’t do this for the X-H1, as Panasonic did with the GH5. If you’re marketing it as a video camera, just classify it as such so we don’t have to buy extra stuff to get the recording time we need.
Fuji's medium format is their "FF" cameras. They have invested heavily into their existing APS-C system, it would be foolish tto abandon.
In contrast, I suspect Panasonic is going to dump everything in M4/3 except the GH5 models, and perhaps one other camera such as the X-H1.