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CP+ 2019: Sony Interview – ‘First full-frame, then APS-C’

06 Apr
Kenji Tanaka, VP and Senior General Manager of Sony’s Business Unit 1, Digital Imaging Group.

At the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan last month, we sat down with executives from several major manufacturers, including Sony. In our conversation with Sony’s Kenji Tanaka, we discussed various topics, including how the full-frame mirrorless market has evolved, and why he believes Sony will maintain its competitive edge.

Please note that this interview was conducted partly via an interpreter, and has been edited for clarity and flow.

How do you think the full frame market will evolve, now that lower-cost products like the Canon EOS RP are becoming available?

As more competitors jump into this market, I think that’s a very good thing, because customers have more choice. Our aim is to grow the industry. So when competitors jump in, that’s good.

A wide range of options is a very good thing

The EOS RP is a different kind of challenge from Canon, for entry-level customers. When they eventually enrich their entry-level lenses, that would be a very powerful story. But at this point, I cannot judge who the target customer is [for the EOS RP]. Thinking about the camera industry in the long term, a wide range of options is a very good thing. I’m very positive about it.

Canon would probably say that the RP is intended to appeal to entry-level customers and first-time ILC buyers. How do you intend to attract those kinds of photographers?

This is our one-mount strategy, which only Sony has. Initial entry is in APS-C, and the next step is full-frame. I want to make a kind of ‘step up ladder’.

Sony’s a7 III is one of the most competitive cameras in its class, offering advanced stills and video features at an attractive price. But its MSRP is undercut by the new Canon EOS RP.

Sony is no longer alone in the full-frame mirrorless market – are there any particular companies that you regard as more serious competitors than others?

Every one of our competitors is strong, and we respect each of them. For the [sake of] growth in the industry, we’re thinking about computational photography, and how to incorporate these technologies.

I first encountered this kind of technology more than 20 years ago, and it’s created a new future for imaging. So [while] of course we’re very respectful of our current competitors, the next step is we have to learn more things from computational photography.

So perhaps your most important competitors right now don’t make cameras?

That could be.

How will Sony maintain its competitive lead?

Sony is a technology company that provides technology in which customers may find value. I want our technology to be the reason people are attracted to Sony, not the price. Of course the balance is very important. When you get to price points of $ 3000, $ 4000, that’s a different matter, but the most important thing for Sony is technology. That creates customer value.

Technology will lead customers into the future.

Technology will lead customers into the future. That’s the kind of scenario we want to create. Last year we said that speed and AI would be our new technology drivers, and since then other mirrorless companies have tried to develop these technologies. It’s already happening.

Previously, our main target was professional, but this year we announced the a6400, not only for professionals, targeted a little more widely. We need to create a message for a different kind of customers, but basically our products contain advanced technology, and advanced technology make [makes] customers happy to shoot. I want [Sony] to become a company that drives technology – that’s the kind of message I want to send.

Smartphones like the Google Pixel 3 have changed the way that millions of us create images, and have become primary cameras for an entire generation of photographers.

Do you think Sony has an advantage here?

Yes, of course. We have an R&D section within Sony, it’s a real asset. The world of imaging is growing, and the speed is getting faster. I want to invest in the kinds of technologies that drive the world of imaging, and […] create a cycle. Computational photography is one aspect, lenses are another. I’m very positive for the future. At my core, I’m an engineer. I want to create a camera to enrich your life as a photographer.

How long have you been working on technologies like AI?

It’s very difficult to determine a starting point, but ten years ago I was an engineer, and at that time my interest was neural networks. So the seed for the technology goes back more than ten years. More recently, about five years ago we started developing deep learning. Of course at the same time our team was trying new technologies so it’s very difficult to say exactly when we started. We’re developing new technologies all the time, Sony is that kind of company.

Is it more important to Sony that you sell more cameras, or make more profit per camera sold?

Haha, do I only have two choices? the most important thing really is technology. That’s what creates new features. To develop new technologies of course we need money. Sometimes our strategy is [to create] high value products, and sometimes our approach is to increase the volume of customers.

Sony’s new APS-C a6400 (left) offers incredibly advanced autofocus and high-speed shooting features in a very compact body.

Some people have the perception that Sony is more focused on full-frame than APS-C, is this accurate?

Full-frame is the best platform to deliver our technologies. But of course these technologies need to cascade down for APS-C customers. So we will focus on both groups of customers, but [the] timing is a little different. First full-frame, then APS-C. It has been said that Sony has ignored the APS-C market, and our answer is the a6400.

Do you think there’s an opportunity for Sony to create GM lenses for APS-C?

Yes, I do, but I don’t know how they would be branded. Maybe not as ‘GM’, but high quality lenses are definitely an option [for development].

Do you think APS-C is a format that could be used by professionals?

Honestly speaking, for still photography, full-frame is [more appropriate] for professionals. But for video, APS-C is good for both amateur and professional customers, because it’s size is close to Super 35mm, [which is a] video Image sensor format.

Are you interested in creating an a7S-type product, geared towards video, within the APS-C lineup?

That is possible, I think. For example, looking at the US market, at the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, I think that’s a wonderful product for professionals. Not only for high-end amateurs. The sensor size of that camera is Micro Four Thirds, and [Sony’s] APS-C is bigger.

Mr Tanaka has expressed a keen interest in the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema 4K Camera, could hint at some of Sony’s future plans.

Are you interested in developing cine lenses for APS-C?

It’s possible, but looking at the market size, full frame is maybe a bigger opportunity. If we focused only on cine, the market would probably be too small, but the so-called ‘creators’ market is a little bigger.

What kind of products do you think would suit this market?

I have many things in my mind but I can’t tell you the details today! As you know well, stills and movies are completely different. Some people think that 30 or 60fps stills shooting is the same as shooting a movie, but the mentality of stills photographers and videographers is completely different. That kind of fusion, I don’t think [it’s realistic]. We want to create new cameras for both kinds of creators.

So you don’t think it’s possible to create a perfect ‘fusion’ camera for stills and video customers?

No.

Have you always believed that? Sony has really been a key developer of hybrid video-enabled cameras, like the a7S line.

Many people have enjoyed the a7S II as a video camera, but originally we designed it for stills photography users. So if we’re going to create products [specifically] for video shooters, we’ll have to modify them in the future.

It’s easy to add 4K/60, but beyond these specs, a lot of customers have other demands

How do video shooters want the camera to be changed?

We’ve had a lot of feedback from the market, including from DPReview! The basic expectation is for things like 4K/60, 10-bit 4:2:2, and a lot of manufacturers are doing that right now, but I want to think in a different way and create something that goes beyond the expectations of our customers. It’s easy to add 4K/60, but beyond these specs, a lot of customers have other kinds of demands, and that’s what we’re researching.

Judging by Mr Tanaka’s comments, the aging a7S II might be replaced by a much more revolutionary product that ‘goes beyond the expectations’ of his customers.

Your new cameras can shoot HLG video for the new generation of displays, how will this technology influence stills cameras?

JPEG is an old format, limited to 8-bit. Movies are going to 10-bit, and stills should become 10-bit as well. So of course we’re researching how to compress stills to 10-bit. The new standard will be 10-bit. There are many such formats already in the market, but we need to study which one is best for the customer.

Smartphones have high dynamic range displays, so the [impetus] will probably come from smartphones. Television development is a bit slower, but everything will be 10-bit [eventually]

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is just a year away – do you think that by then we’ll see a lot of sports photographers using Sony?

We’re just beginners in that field, compared to Canon and Nikon. We’re currently going step by step, taking feedback from journalists and sports photographers, and we’re running a positive cycle, right now. What I can say today is that you can expect activity [from Sony] for big sports events.

Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton

Technology, technology, technology! That’s the message from Mr Tanaka this year, above all others. Although Sony is (finally) facing some serious competition in the full-frame mirrorless market, it appears that Mr Tanaka welcomes the company. He certainly doesn’t appear to fear the competition. As he says, while Sony respects all of its competitors, its most important rivals might not be the ones currently making cameras.

As a technology company first and foremost, former engineer Mr Tanaka confirms that Sony has been researching AI and deep learning for at least a decade. Lest we forget, Sony also makes smartphones, and in fact the camera and smartphone divisions were recently merged. When Mr Tanaka talks about wanting to invest in ‘the kinds of technologies that drive the world of imaging’ I’d be surprised if he’s thinking exclusively of the traditional consumer digital imaging market.

Inside that marketplace though, it’s clear that Mr Tanaka views full-frame as the preeminent format for delivery of Sony’s technologies to photographers, as well as being a superior platform for professional users. Given the company’s focus on attracting enthusiast and professional users – and that whole ‘technology, technology, technology!’ thing, it shouldn’t be a surprise therefore that Sony’s APS-C lineup has been pretty much put on ice the past couple of years. Mr Tanaka did hint at greater emphasis on APS-C in the near future though, including – crucially – the possibility of some high-end lenses to come.

It seems possible that Sony is interested in developing a dedicated, compact, affordable large-sensor dedicated video camera

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ stills / video camera according to Mr Tanaka, and perhaps the most surprising thing to come out of this interview, for me, was his obvious interest in the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. It’s unusual for a senior executive to so openly – and so specifically – praise a competitor product in an interview with press, and I doubt it was a throwaway comment. From this, coupled with Mr Tanaka’s reminder that APS-C is a bigger format than Four Thirds, and his earlier comment that APS-C is close to Super 35, ‘a video image sensor format’ we can draw some tentative conclusions.

It seems at least possible that Sony is interested in developing a dedicated, compact, affordable large-sensor dedicated video camera. That’s the kind of product that could prove disruptive. Even if such a camera doesn’t come to fruition, Mr Tanaka’s slightly dismissive remark that tinkering around the edges of the a7S II’s feature set, adding things like 4K/60 is ‘easy’ should give filmmakers hope. Sony, historically, doesn’t do ‘easy’. Whatever they end up looking like, it seems likely that the next generation of video-centric cameras from Sony will be anything but iterative.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Interview: Understanding RF, DS and DO – we talk to Canon about its latest lenses

03 Apr
Left to right: Yoichi Sato, Manabu Kato and Shogo Yamaguchi

At the launch of the Canon EOS RP in February we had the chance to sit down with a selection of senior engineers and planners to discuss the R series and its lenses. They talked to us about the RP and the six lenses whose development was announced alongside it, but also gave some insight into where the R series is heading.

  • Manabu Kato – Head of EF + RF mount R&D
  • Yoichi Sato – EOS camera electronics R&D
  • Shogo Yamaguchi – Optical planning specialist

What’s the biggest challenge for Canon over the coming years?

One of the challenges from the lens side is that, obviously we switched mount: we added the RF mount. We’ve kept the same mount for over 30 years, that was really big, and we kept lens compatibility for a long time. But when we started the new mount had to start from scratch and prepare a lot of new lenses, so that’s been a big challenge for us. Of course, it’s very exciting that the new mount opens up whole new possibilities in lens design and expand the boundary of image capture.

How do you prioritize which lenses to develop?

So the idea for the initial four lenses was we wanted to deliver the surprise factor, so we decided to deliver the 28-70mm, as well as the 50mm F1.2, with stunning resolution. That was the concept behind these two lenses.

With 24-105mm we thought it would be the best match as a standard zoom lens to the EOS R camera, and the 35mm F1.8 was supposed to be an affordable and compact travel companion. Those were the concepts behind the four initial lenses.

With the six additional lenses that we introduced as development announcements this time, we believe we will be able to deliver more surprise factors, for some models compactness. These two concepts with the addition of these models.

How have you made the 70-200mm so small?

Canon’s RF 70-200mm F2.8 L mockup, alongside the EF version. Although it’s not clear from this mockup, we expect the RF version to extend on zooming.

We were actually surprised as we started developing this particular product. The idea is that, with the introduction of the large diameter mount with the shorter back-focus distance, we were expecting it to be more suitable for designing wider-angle lenses, but it turned out to be very effective for designing this telephoto lens.

So this is largely due to the fact we have this new mount: it has become a really big contribution to designing this really compact telephoto zoom lens. So we hope we were able to give more of a ‘wow’ factor with the introduction of this telephoto zoom lens.

I apologize that this is all we can talk about, as of now, but we hope to talk more about it as we make an official announcement of this product.

It doesn’t use a Diffractive Optics design, then?

We decided not to use Diffractive Optics with this lens, this time, but we are working on this particular technology and we are experimenting with different designs and so forth, to see how we can use this DO technology in future.

Can you give any insight into the DS technology?

With lens such as the 85mm F1.2 bokeh is a really important factor, because it’s a portrait lens. We really wanted to deliver something that was not possible with the conventional lenses, so we decided to develop this technology of defocus smoothing.

There will be two versions of the RF 85mm F1.2L USM: a ‘DS’ variant will feature ‘defocus smoothing’ technology.

The fact with our DS technology is that it’s a coating technology, so it’s relatively easy to apply this technology to a range of different lenses. This is all we can say at this moment.

There are going to be two versions, does this imply the DS technology is quite expensive?

There’s a price factor but, with the DS element it’s not the case that it’s superior in every way. There’s some differences: some challenge in maintaining the illuminance. With transmittance, we lose some light as it goes through the DS element, so that is one difference of having the DS technology. So it’s not like one version is obviously better than the other.

That sounds like an apodization effect.

Yes

Some lenses designed to match the EOS R and others designed to impress and surprise, what lenses do you imagine EOS RP users buying?

At this moment, the best match would be the 35mm F1.8 and we believe the 24-240mm lens that we announced will be a good companion to the EOS RP body.

We were able to mount the 24-240mm mockup on an EOS RP body, to give some idea of the size.

One thing that’s important about our system is that you can adapt a lot of lenses. Truly a variety of lenses: you can adapt some of the really compact EF lenses, that’s an option too.

Obviously we’re working on a lot of really compact lenses in the future, so I hope you’ll stay tuned to hearing from us.

The pro-level ‘L’ series lineup looking impressive: how far into the future are you planning?

I’m sorry, the roadmap is all we can say for now. We have a full lineup of what there should be: a full lineup of the RF lenses. And what we do among those lenses we choose which to prioritize, that’s the concept of how we decide what to work on next.

With this many professional lenses being announced in 2019, does that mean a body isn’t far behind?

All we can say is that we’re working on a lot of different types of cameras. I can’t pinpoint when a specific camera will come. We understand that expectations are really high.

What are the advantages of the faster communication between lens and body that the RF mount allows?

A good example is that we are working on a combination of optical and body stabilization, working together to give enhanced IS. That would be a good example of being high speed communication system in RF.

We are working on a combination of optical and body stabilization, working together to give enhanced IS

There are numerous things that we will be able to deliver, through the introduction of the new communication system. The combination of RF lens and body, the Dynamic Lens Optimizer (DLO) data can be transferred automatically to the body. So users will be able to use in-camera DLO for new lenses without needing to download an update from their computer.

We’ve previously talked about how we’re looking another 30 years into the future. We have to think about what might be possible with another 30 year in mind, we have to think that far into the future. So at first glance this communication system might be too much for what’s been made possible, as of now. But we have to look so far into the future that this system has to have a lot of potential.

I think most people now understand how forward-thinking the EF mount was for 1987

Looking back after 30 years of EF lens and mount, we can’t help but thank our predecessors for being so forward-thinking: delivering a fully electronic mount at that time in history. We hope we were able to deliver the type of communication system that our future generations of designers, thirty years down the road will be thankful us for being so forward-thinking.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?

So in terms of the six lenses, once we’ve launched these we’ll have ten RF lens models. I hope we can convince our users we’re serious about this mount, serious about this system.

We hope your readers will understand each of these designs are unique, and are impressive in every way, in terms of the specifications, in terms of the size. I hope your readers understand the potential of the system.

Please don’t forget the pro-level camera that you’re expecting is on the way

We hope that with the introduction of the RP, the main purpose is we hope we’re making full frame more accessible to more people. That’s what we’re trying to do with this camera. We hope that a lot of beginners in photography will be able to enjoy what is possible with the full frame sensor and we hope to expand the market of full-frame camera, overall.

Please don’t forget the pro-level camera that you’re expecting is on the way.

Also important, we see people speculating that we’re terminating the DSLR or the M-series development. What we can say is that we’re developing, simultaneously, multiple DSLR, M-series and R-series models. Our approach is to leverage our lineup strategy but at the same time, we’d like to listen to our customers’ feedback and make decisions based on this.

Should we expect to see more lenses like the EF-M 32mm then?

The Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 is one of the few photographically ambitious lenses available for the EOS-M system.

The reason we launched the 32mm for EF-M came from closely listening to users and what the market was asking for. So we were really happy that we were able to deliver something that a lot of users will be able to enjoy and we’re really confident about the performance of this lens.

One of the goals of the EOS RP was meant to be a good step-up for current APS-C users. We hope it’s possible for APS-C users to step up to the FF camera market.

Editor’s note: Richard Butler

We conducted this interview a few hours after Canon revealed the six RF-mount lenses it plans to launch in 2019 and, although they wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, we did uncover a few interesting details.

The confirmation that the 70-200mm F2.8 won’t use diffractive optics was interesting (a Canon patent for an extending 70-200 has subsequently come to light), as was the confirmation that the 85mm DS will use an apodization filter effect to smooth the edges of its bokeh.

Canon has only released a mid-level and entry-level R-series camera so far, but its lineup is awash with pro-focused ‘L’ lenses.

On the cameras side of things, the interview confirmed what we believed about the RP: that it’s a concerted attempt to expand the market to reach a new type of user that wouldn’t have previously considered a full-frame camera (and, as a result, a different type of user than the one Sony has already been targeting with its a7 models).

It was interesting to hear Canon confirm that there will be a pro-level camera: something that can be easily deduced from the company’s lens lineup, but still good to have confirmed. But it was the statement that Canon is working on a combined in-body and in-lens image stabilization system that most stood out.

Many of these are themes that we took up with Canon when we met them at CP+ in Yokohama. There’ll be further insights coming in that interview, tomorrow.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2019: Zeiss interview – ‘Let’s do something new’

31 Mar
Elliot Shih, Senior Product Manager of Zeiss, holding the ZX1 at the CP+ 2019 show in Yokohama, Japan.

Zeiss is preparing to launch its first camera for more than a decade, in the form of the ZX1 – a high-end, Android-powered compact, with a full-frame 37MP sensor and premium lens. We caught up with Senior Product Manager Elliot Shih at CP+ recently to learn more.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

When did the concept for this camera come about?

We started about four years ago, but we have always been interested in thinking about where and when to return to the camera market, because the last time Zeiss made a camera was the Ikon film rangefinder, in around 2004. Ever since then we’ve been thinking about how and when is the tight time to return to the camera market.

Also a lot has happened in the industry – as background we’re seeing higher penetration of smartphones with more capable cameras, and people are adapting to use the cameras in their phones. On the other hand we saw there is a demand among photographers for more serious photography tools.

If we’re going to make a new kind of camera, it doesn’t make sense to copy something that’s already on the market

The rise of the smartphone has had an impact on the point and shoot market, but there are a lot of benefits and things we can learn from such a different world. So the thought that came into my mind was – well, if we’re going to make a new kind of camera, it doesn’t make sense to copy something that’s already on the market – let’s do something new.

The development of this camera wasn’t quite linear, compared to other consumer electronics products. In the beginning we went quite slowly, but now we’re at the materialization phase, and things are moving quite fast. Now every component we need is working, and we’re starting to see that this is becoming a camera that could work quite well.

The ZX1 isn’t the first Android-powered camera, but it is the first aimed at enthusiast and professional photographers with money to spend on a premium full-frame sensor and lens.

This is not the first time that someone has loaded a mobile operating system into a camera – what makes the ZX1 different?

With regard to earlier products, I think the mobile platform itself, as a technology enabler, is capable of also being the backbone for an imaging system.

The fundamental difference is that instead of trying to make a smartphone in the form of a camera, we’ve tried to make the ZX1 work as a camera, and be positioned as a camera, and as a tool for photography. So, for example, when you first turn it on you should see the live view, not the launcher screen with all its icons. It should be a camera from inside out. That’s why we took open-source android and used it as a technology enabler, but in terms of interaction and user experience, we completely wrote everything and developed everything from scratch by ourselves.

Read about what the Zeiss ZX1 is like to operate

The camera operates using what we call a ‘vertical logic’. You’ll see there’s a slight bend on the rear cover glass, which provides a natural separation between the live view area and the toolbar area, to the right. You can [vertically] swipe on the toolbar area to select different tools, while on the left you can swipe to switch between different modes, like image review, where you can use all the familiar gestures you’re used to from smartphones.

What are your goals for the camera, in the marketplace?

As you can see, the ZX1 is a different kind of product. We’re focused on addressing the target group, and offering something different to today’s digital photographers. So we’re aiming at photographers that need a fast workflow but at the same time superb image quality, which our sensor and lens can deliver.

This is our first attempt, and most of the focus is to build up our competence in terms of image processing. We’re still on the learning curve, for example when it comes to the autofocus system and the image processing pipeline. For a 37.4MP sensor its more than 70MB for each DNG file, so we have a lot of data to handle.

Have you partnered with any other companies on the ZX1 or is this an entirely in-house project?

The design and development are completely in-house. We’re using some external partners to support certain functions, for example the realization of the industrial design, and the design of the user experience.

The square panel on the upper left of the ZX1’s top plate is a plastic cover for the WiFi antenna – not a flash, as we originally thought when we picked the camera up.

Previous attempts at this kind of product failed for a lot of reasons – how have you addressed the weaknesses of those earlier cameras?

Well first let’s talk about optimization around Android. There’s a fundamental difference to how this system works compared to a proprietary system [that you might find in a smartphone]. There’s a different architecture and we made a lot of effort to take out some of the elements of Android that we didn’t need. Most of the algorithms are designed for smartphone usage and not all of those are capable of running inside a device with a larger camera sensor, and much more information to handle in the imaging pipeline. That’s the part that we’ve spent substantial effort on, to optimize in order to make the camera more responsive.

We also made a lot of effort also to maintain Wi-Fi performance. There is a lot of data to transfer with this camera, so if we want the feature to be really functional we have to make sure that the Wi-Fi performance doesn’t struggle. That’s why we have a plastic cover above the Wi-Fi antenna on the [metal] top plate.

We’re very conscious of battery consumption [and] a lot of photographers are very sensitive about battery usage

In terms of boot up time, the ZX1 works the same way as a smartphone. But we’re very conscious of battery consumption. A lot of photographers are very sensitive about battery usage so a lot of the time when they’re not shooting they simply turn the camera off.

The very first boot up sequence takes a while, but when the camera is up and running, a single push of the dial sleeps the camera, but doesn’t turn it off. So the sensor is not running, the screen is off, and very little power is being used. But when you want to take a picture you just nudge the switch again and it wakes up. You can also use the switch to toggle between stills and movie mode.

What kind of battery drain should people expect when the camera is in sleep mode?

I think in sleep mode, during a whole day you can expect something like 10% battery drain. We do have a large battery in the camera, it’s 3190mAh, which is very substantial. In this camera a fully charged battery should last about 250 shots.

Is that a CIPA figure?

No, but we’d expect that to be accurate by CIPA test standards.

Do you have an idea yet of how much the ZX1 will cost?

Pricing is not yet decided but I think given the performance of the lens and the sensor, plus the solid build of the body and the built-in 500GB SSD, I think it will occupy a more premium price band. It will be in the same range as [the Leica Q, Sony RX1R II].

What was the logic behind deciding to give the ZX1 aperture, shutter speed and ISO dials but no exposure compensation dial?

That’s one of the most frequent questions we’ve been getting. One thing we learned is that photographers are more and more conscious of stripping away features that they don’t need. So we wanted to keep the purity of the design, while still making sure this is a serious photography tool.

One of the things that characterizes serious cameras are dials which provide the opportunity to control exposure directly. So we decided OK, we’ll keep the three – shutter speed, aperture and ISO as the only hardware controls. Everything else is built into the digital interface. If a photographer is manually controlling shutter speed and aperture, then the only way they have of further affecting exposure is ISO. So they can use the ISO dial as exposure compensation, effectively.

Does this camera use a leaf shutter?

Yes, it’s mechanically controlled up to 1/1000, and electronic will let you go to higher shutter speeds, using the toolbar [on the rear screen].

Because it’s powered by a full mobile operating system, the ZX1 is a ‘one stop shop’ for the photographer. From image capture, review, rating, editing and uploading, everything can be done on the camera, if you wish.

You really seem to want photographers to do everything on the camera itself – shooting, reviewing, editing and uploading. Is that correct?

For this concept, yes. A photographer might still carry a more capable DSLR for an assignment, but when they are going out for a weekend trip, this is one camera that you can do everything with.

Maybe it doesn’t always make sense to connect the camera to your phone using a hotspot and try to synchronize let’s say 300 Raw files on the road, but let’s give people the choice. We’ve spoken to a lot of photojournalists and they told us that sometimes they just have to rely on what they have. Sometimes they only have a phone, and with this camera they can bring everything they need.

What’s the quickest way of getting images off the ZX1 to a computer or to a harddrive?

In terms of transfer speed, the fastest way is the USB-C connection. With a speed of 5GB/s you’ll be able to export pictures pretty fast. What’s a bit different is that because we’re using Android, the system works like a mini computer, so we can use both master and slave mode for the USB connection.

Whereas other cameras, when you connect over USB, the camera is seen as a drive: it’s in slave mode. But with the ZX1 if you plug in a USB C drive or a memory stick the camera recognizes the storage and you can select the images you want to transfer straight from the camera. The USB C connector is the only interface, so to connect to a TV, or plug in a microphone for example you’d need adapters.

Can users download their own apps or extensions to the ZX1?

At the moment, no. For security reasons its a closed system. We will only support selected applications that we’re working on with partners like Adobe.

Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton

Well; it’s real, and it works. The Zeiss ZX1 is a fascinating camera, and even from our brief time with a prototype model I’d be fairly confident in saying it’s the most convincing Android-powered camera we’ve seen yet. Of course it’s also likely to be the most expensive, by far. If Mr Shih’s estimate of a price comparable with full-frame compacts from Sony and Leica turns out to be true, you can expect the ZX1 to cost somewhere in the region of (at least) $ 4,000, which unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Cameras, will put it well outside of the impulse-buy range for most photographers.

But that’s the future. For now, the ZX1 looks really nice. We don’t know how well the sensor or lens will perform, but it’s a safe bet that image quality will far exceed the abilities of even the best smartphones and likely also popular sub full-frame compact cameras such as Fujifilm’s X100-Series and Ricoh’s GR line.

It will also work differently – very differently – to those cameras, thanks to its integrated Android operating system, which essentially makes the camera into a mini computer. Do you need half a terabyte of built-in storage? Probably not, most of the time, but assuming you can keep the battery charged, this kind of storage capacity could be appealing to photographers working remotely or on long assignments away from home. In some areas of the world, where cellphones provide the only reliable access to the Web, the ZX1 might end up being right in its element.

A shot of the ZX1’s unique ‘swooping’ rear display, and its large-capacity Li-Ion battery which – unlike the camera’s storage – is removable.

If you’re interested in the ZX1 solely as a camera, and you don’t need the ability to run processing apps, you’ll have a harder decision to make. The ZX1 definitely presents an unusual handling experience, but it’s not completely alien. The decision to omit an exposure compensation dial strikes us as a bit odd, but Mr Shih is correct to note that for manual exposure work, the ISO dial does just as well. For A / S-priority shooters things might be a bit confusing at first, but the ZX1 is likely to be perfectly usable, notwithstanding a moderate learning curve.

Speaking of curves (sorry) the swooping rear display is quite something. The ZX1 employs what Mr Shih calls a ‘vertical logic’ to separate access to features and controls from the live view display, and it seems to work. We didn’t get to try full-on image editing on the ZX1 that we saw in Japan, but I can envisage Lightroom Mobile running perfectly well, for those who need to edit ‘on the go’.

When the ZX1 was first announced, a lot of commenters dismissed it preemptively as ‘vaporware’ – a flashy distraction that would never make it to market. It seems that the naysayers were wrong (it’s nice when that happens, isn’t it?) but whether the ZX1 will be a success – or lead to more Zeiss camera development in future – remains to be seen.

In one sense, given how long it’s been since the company last made a camera, it could be said that Zeiss has nothing to lose. But in real terms, the ZX1 represents a substantial R&D investment, and one which Zeiss will be keen to recoup. For now, Mr Shih and his team deserve credit for doing something bold and unusual.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2019: Fujifilm interview – ‘We want to show photographers the future’

28 Mar
Makoto Oishi, Product Planning Manager at Fujifilm, holds a working prototype of the forthcoming GFX 100 medium format camera.

At the CP+ show earlier this month in Yokohama Japan, we sat down with senior executives from Fujifilm. During our conversation we covered everything from the upcoming GFX 100, to plans for APS-C and why the X100 still occupies such an important position in the company’s lineup.

Our interview was conducted with three senior executives in Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Products Division:

  • Toshi Iida, General Manager.
  • Makoto Oishi, Product Planning Manager.
  • Shin Udono, Senior Manager of the Sales and Marketing Group.

This interview has been edited for clarity and flow. For the sake of readability, responses have been combined.

In the long-run, how do you see full-frame and medium format coexisting?

They definitely will coexist. Especially after we introduced the GFX 50R, we’ve seen a wider audience become interested in medium format and the sales of the 50R look very promising. I think this is a good sign.

Do you have a target for market share of the full frame + market?

We don’t have a specific number, but roughly speaking full-frame accounts for about 1/3 of the market right now in terms of value. It’s growing slightly. Medium format used to be something like 1% but after we introduced GFX, the medium format market has doubled. This is a good start. So we don’t have any specific target numbers, but our mission is to increase the size of the medium format market.

After we introduced the 50S, we checked to see what kind of customers were buying it, and roughly 70% of the buyers were coming from other brands. Mainly DSLR users. These users still keep their existing systems, and the GFX is additional.

The original GFX 50S, a 50MP camera intended to compete with flagship high-resolution DSLRs and full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Do you have a sense of how many of your GFX customers are professionals?

According to our surveys, 20% are professional, and 80% are non-professional. If you look at the GFX 50R, more of those customers are non-professionals. Learning from our experience with the 50R, I think that the customer base is growing. People who shoot street-style photographs like the 50R, which takes them back to the days of our medium format film cameras. Of course the focus could be faster, but they can live with the current system.

Is it important to you that the proportion of professional users increases?

Yes, of course. Especially after the [announcement of] Capture One compatibility, we increased our professional user base, and of course the GFX 100 is coming.

What do you want the GFX 100 to achieve for Fujifilm?

We hope that it will be successful commercially, but more importantly we want to show [photographers] the future – the potential of medium format. I think that full-frame can probably reach 70-80MP, but we need to stay ahead, using the larger format. So it’s kind of a technology showcase, showing our [confidence in] the format. The other side is that it’s a good way of demonstrating the quality of our glass. Our GFX lenses were all originally designed for 100MP resolution.

A prototype GFX 100, showing the large, stabilized 100MP sensor.

Do you have an update on availability of the GFX 100?

It will be before the end of June – within the first half of this year.

When you’re developing lenses for GFX, what was more important – the experience gained from developing lenses for the X Series, or experience developing lenses for large formats?

I think really our experience from the X Series. They were designed to cope with modern sensors, and the need to control the light more precisely.

What kinds of photography do you think the GFX 100 will be used for?

Our immediate [target market] is commercial photographers, people who shoot fashion, landscapes, and so on but we really hope that general full-frame customers will start to look at GFX as a serious option for more general-purpose photography. With the GFX 100, with its phase-detection, back-side illuminated sensor and stabilization we’d like to see more customers adopt GFX.

X Series photographers are more general-purpose, and GFX customers are those who love the look of medium format

Do you see a difference between your X and GFX customers?

It is different – X Series photographers are more general-purpose, and GFX customers are those who love the look of medium format, and the quality. With the 50R we’re expecting to see the gap narrow, because the style of the camera is more suited to snapshooting.

The GFX 100 is one of the first cameras we’ve encountered that can shoot 16 bit Raw. When will photographers see the benefit of 16-bit over 14-bit?

Mostly at low ISO, in very deep shadow detail. The benefit is subtle, even though there is four times the amount of data. It’s tougher to edit. 14-bit will let you shoot faster, which is why we don’t think [16-bit] is appropriate for APS-C.

The X-T3 – the latest in a range of high-end Fujifilm APS-C cameras for enthusiasts.

What does Fujifilm need to do in order to lead in APS-C?

Fundamentally, we need to keep up the pace of development for new devices. New sensors, processors, and the lens lineup. That’s the fundamental strategy. And I think the X-T3 is a classic example. Better focusing, 4K 60p and so on.

We’re positioning APS-C against full-frame, and its faster, and more responsive because of the smaller sensor. So we’re really focusing on speed and of course image quality is [also] important. Versatility is the most important thing, and we’ll keep investing accordingly.

The X-T3 has a major firmware update coming, and Fujifilm has a long-standing policy of updating older models – do you think in the long run this policy has helped or harmed total sales?

We believe in maximizing the customers’ satisfaction, to create a long-term strategy that will make our brand trusted by our customers.

After launching the X-T2, a lot of X-Pro 2 owners started requesting 4K as well

Fujifilm has invested a lot in video, in quite a short period of time. How have your customers reacted?

Four or five years ago, movie functionality was almost ignored [within Fujifilm], but with the X-T2 we added 4K, and more than just resolution we’ve added new profiles, worked on the autofocus and everything else. It takes time, but definitely more and more customers are looking at Fujifilm as a serious video [manufacturer].

After launching the X-T2 with 4K video, a lot of customers who owned the X-Pro 2 started requesting 4K as well. We never thought that users of the X-Pro lineup would care about 4K video. We really hope that the GFX 100’s 4K movie will show people something new, as well.

Do you think there’s room in the X Series or GFX-series lineups for a dedicated video camera?

It’s possible. We don’t have any concrete plans but at some point in the future it might be a consideration.

Fujifilm’s MK lenses are made in X and E-mount versions, in order to appeal to as wide an audience of filmmakers as possible, while Fujifilm grows its native video options.

You have the MK line of cine lenses for X-mount, do you think there’s a growth opportunity there in the future?

Definitely, yes. Good video needs good video-oriented lenses, so it’s definitely a growth opportunity. The level of R&D investment is quite high, but we managed to make it make sense financially by having an E-mount option as well, alongside X-mount. That lets us reach a much broader base of customers.

How have the MK lenses performed in the market?

In line with our expectations. We didn’t anticipate huge sales numbers because although our [video’] customer base is growing, it’s still quite small.

Are the E mount MK lenses selling to small production companies, rental houses…?

Both, but at that price point a lot of end users are buying them directly [rather than renting].

Digital corrections have an impact on image quality

Let’s imagine two lenses, both of which give comparable image quality: one requires no help from software corrections, while the other does, and is smaller and less expensive as a result. Which is a better solution for the photographer?

That’s a very difficult question to answer. Our philosophy is to minimize digital correction, and maximize the optical quality of our lenses. The downside as you mentioned is cost and size. It’s a balance.

Analog correction and digital corrections are different. Digital corrections have an impact on image quality, for example resolution. Even chromatic aberration – you have to [manipulate] each channel, R G B, and it reduces total resolution. Whereas analog, optical correction isn’t really ‘correction’, it’s about the physics of light.

Are there some lenses where you do rely on software correction? And if so, when would you make that decision?

We start with optics, and our designers start from the position of [needing] zero digital correction. And then if the lens looks like it will be too big, or too heavy, maybe we start talking about software. It’s always a balance but we regard optical quality as the first priority.

The XF 8-16mm F2.8 is a powerful ultra-wide lens for APS-C which offers excellent image quality, albeit in a larger and less convenient form factor than some full-frame competitors.

When you introduced the X mount lineup originally you talked about prioritizing optical quality even if it came at the expense of autofocus speed. Has your thinking changed since then?

If you look at the first XF lenses, like the 35mm F1.4, they had beautiful optical quality but slow autofocus because the entire optical assembly had to move for focusing. That was the first generation.

If we redesigned that lens now, probably we would take a different approach, and get a better balance of optical quality and autofocus. This is because we have new actuators, and new optical technologies. Compared to the first generation of lenses, we have learned and developed technologies to make lenses smaller without compromising image quality.

In terms of technologies and production techniques, can you give us examples of how Fujifilm in 2019 is different to Fujifilm in the past?

In terms of production we’ve started to introduce some automated lines. We still depend predominantly on the work of our craftsmen but, for example, when we make resolution adjustments to lenses, we’ve introduced some automation. So instead of a human making manual adjustments to the barrel, it’s done by machine, which is more accurate.

When we started the X Series our focus was much more on stills

Has your material science developed over that time as well?

Yes. Both materials and coating technologies. Several years ago for example we started to introduce Nano GI coating, which we didn’t have in the first generation of lenses.

Another difference from five years ago is the requirement for movie shooting in lens design. When we started the X Series our focus was much more on stills, but our recent lenses have inner focus systems which are much more suitable for video shooting. We do care about those customers.

Do you see potential for Fujifilm to become a major player in the sports and wildlife photography market?

In the future, yes. At the moment our customer base within that segment is small, but the XF 200mm F2 opens the door to those kinds of customers. It will take time, but in the future we see that kind of customer [coming to Fujifilm].

In terms of camera design, what needs to change in order to cater to those customers?

We need to look at sensor and processor first, and performance, speed – we need to look at everything.

If we asked 100 different X100F customers for feedback we’d probably get 100 different answers

Do you have any thoughts on how you could evolve the X100 Series?

If we asked 100 different X100F customers for feedback we’d probably get 100 different answers. What are the top requests? Number one would probably be for better glass, since that lens is a 2010 design. We started at 12MP and now we’re at 24MP, so that’s probably the number one.

Second would be a split between people who really want a tilting screen, and people who really don’t want such a screen. Not much feedback about 4K, maybe weather-sealing is number four, but the most important thing is people don’t want us to change the style or the size. That’s a challenge.

The X100 is where everything began – is it still an important product line for you?

Of course, it’s a kind of symbolic line. That’s why we haven’t changed the naming convention. It’s a lot of pressure – we can’t make any mistakes! We’re already on the fourth generation and there’s a huge customer base that trusts Fujifilm so we need to work hard not to let them down.

The original 12MP X100, which started everything. First announced at Photokina back in 2010, the X100 is now on its fourth generation, and Fujifilm is careful not to update the line too rashly, given its importance to the brand.

We’ve seen some manufacturers open up their lens mounts. What is the logic behind keeping X-mount a ‘closed’ mount, and do you think that might change?

I don’t think we need to change our position. We’ve already created 31 lenses for all necessary focal lengths, so we don’t feel that we need to open up the mount to third parties.

If a third-party manufacturer decided to create X-mount compatible lenses by reverse-engineering, would that help or harm Fujifilm?

I think that from a customer’s point of view, more options are good.

What do you think the next big revolution in digital imaging will be?

From a sensor point of view, everyone is talking about global shutter. That is one thing, which will come at some point in the future. The other thing is more computational and Artificial Intelligence technologies making it into cameras. Probably those two things.

If those two technologies were available to you right now, what would they enable you to do?

The modular GFX! Just kidding. Global shutter would give us more freedom of design, no rolling shutter, things like that. It would expand the shooting possibilities. And AI and deep learning, that would let photographers just press the button and let the camera do everything, without worrying about controls, things like that. That’s the kind of camera that could be created.

Editor’s note: Barnaby Britton

Fujifilm’s Toshi Iida and his team are on a mission to change the world of photography, and they’re hoping that the upcoming 100MP medium format GFX camera will help shake things up. There aren’t too many photographers out there who really need 100MP and Fujifilm knows that, but an ultra high-resolution medium format camera with in-body stabilization and the ability to shoot 4K video is quite the party piece – or ‘technology showcase’, to use Mr Iida’s words.

That doesn’t mean that Fujifilm is just showing off with the GFX 100. There are a lot of things that have prevented photographers from making the jump to medium format before now: size, weight, slow performance and middling autofocus being four of the major ones. The GFX 100 promises to narrow – if not entirely erase – the performance gap, while at the same time extending the image quality gap between full-frame and medium format in a way that no other manufacturer has ever been able to.

The unique hybrid viewfinder of the original X100 isn’t unique any more, because Fujifilm has used it in five other cameras since then

Even if you have zero interest in a $ 10,000 medium-format camera, we’ve seen how Fujifilm uses experience gained from one product to inform the development of others, right from the beginning of the X series back in 2011. The unique hybrid viewfinder of the original X100, for example, isn’t unique any more, because Fujifilm has used it in five other cameras since then, including the X-Pro 1 and X-Pro 2. Likewise in-camera image stabilization, which was developed for the video-focused X-H1 – itself a testbed of sorts for the GFX 100.

While many of our questions at CP+ were focused on the GFX 100 and on Fujifilm’s large-format strategy in general, Mr Iida also had a lot of encouraging things to say for APS-C users. For starters, it seems like Fujifilm’s strategy of adding features to older flagship models via firmware isn’t going to change in the near future. The X-T3 is the most recent camera to get a major boost in functionality, and it’s reassuring to know that even after it’s eventually replaced, its development might not cease.

More than any other manufacturer out there, Fujifilm has really committed to APS-C

While it seems unlikely that the X Mount will become an open standard any time soon, It’s good to hear that Fujifilm won’t fight with third-party manufacturers who create new options for their customers via reverse-engineering. It’s worth noting though that one of the best disincentives to them doing so is Fujifilm’s own APS-C lens lineup, which is extensive, if not comprehensive. More than any other manufacturer out there, Fujifilm has really committed to APS-C, and it will be interesting to see how the lineup evolves as Mr Iida pushes his engineers to create more specialist optics like the XF 200mm F2 for sports and wildlife photographers, and the MK range for video shooters.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the customer spectrum, a lot of us are happy with the fixed lens, stills-focused philosophy of the X100 Series. It was interesting to hear from Mr Iida (and everyone in the room with him) that Fujifilm is very careful about how and when it updates the X100, which occupies a “symbolic” position in the catalogue. We don’t know yet what a next-generation X100 will look like, but judging by the customer feedback (and by Fujifilm’s track record of listening to and acting on that feedback) it’s a pretty safe bet that a new lens will be part of the package.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2019 – Nikon interview: ‘The view through the viewfinder should be as natural as possible’

25 Mar
(L-R) Mr Naoki Kitaoka, Department Manager of the UX Planning Department in the Marketing Sector of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, pictured with Mr Takami Tsuchida, Sector Manager of the Marketing Sector inside Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, at the CP+ 2019 show in Yokohama Japan.

We were in Japan earlier this month for the annual CP+ show in Yokohama, where we sat down with senior executives from several camera and lens manufacturers, among them Nikon.

We spoke with three Nikon executives from the Marketing Sector of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit: Mr Naoki Kitaoka, Department Manager, of the UX Planning Department, Mr Takami Tsuchida, Sector Manager, and Mr Hiroyuki Ishigami, Section Manager of the Product Planning Section IL, UX Planning Department.

Please note that this interview was conducted with multiple interlocutors through an interpreter, and has been edited for clarity and flow. For the sake of readability, answers have been combined.

How do you think the market for full frame mirrorless will evolve?

In terms of hardware, it is likely that mirrorless will catch up with DSLR. But one thing that is a challenge is the time lag of electronic viewfinders. Even though we have a great mirrorless [solution], we cannot beat the optical viewfinder.

For really high-level professional photographers at sports events and so on, I believe that the DSLR will survive. I think there will be a synergy between DSLR and mirrorless, so we can expand the market moving forward.

I hesitate to talk about our competitors, but while Sony only offers mirrorless cameras, both Nikon and Canon offer DSLR and mirrorless, so there are more options for our customer bases. DSLR and mirrorless cameras have their own unique characteristics.

The Nikon Z6 and Z7 feature a high-resolution optical viewfinder which prioritizes clarity and sharpness over response speed. One of the secrets behind the large, sharp viewfinder image is the complex optical unit behind the display panel, which contains multiple lenses including an aspherical element.

The Z6 and Z7 offer very high resolution finders, at the expense of response speed, compared to some competitors. Why did you make this decision?

There are various factors, however we decided on three main pillars for the Z system. The first pillar is a new dimension of optical performance. The second is reliability, both in terms of the hardware and also the technology, and the third is future-proofing of that technology.

The view through the viewfinder should be as natural as possible

To touch on the first pillar, optical performance, we’re really trying to be the best and provide the ultimate performance of the viewfinder. The view through the viewfinder should be as natural as possible. To achieve that goal we did two things – we focused on the optics, and also on image processing.

With current technology there is always some time lag, it will take some time and if we want to shorten the response time and compromise in terms of resolution, the [experience] deteriorates. Of course, we’ll continue to try to make the response time shorter.

Is it more important for the viewfinder response to be faster in a camera more geared towards speed?

That depends. In the Z7, our first priority was not speed. Therefore, if we were going to launch a camera focused on speed, we’d need to review [viewfinder responsiveness].

What kind of feedback have you received from your Z6 and Z7 customers?

Very similar to [DPReview’s] feedback. For people who don’t prioritize high-speed shooting, they’re happy with the performance and the portability of the system. In many cases they’ve totally switched away from DSLR.

The Nikon Z6 is a lower-cost companion camera to the flagship Z7, which has already out-sold the more expensive model. According to Nikon, the Z6 has proven especially popular with filmmakers.

Is the Z6 attracting a different kind of customer to the Z7?

When we launched them, we expected that sales would be about 50:50, however the Z6 already has a larger customer base. It’s more price competitive. Video shooters are telling us [the Z6] is very user-friendly, and in the US market, the Film Makers’ Kit has become popular.

We’re going to create easier to use and friendlier equipment for photographers that need to do both stills and video

In the future, would you like Nikon to appeal to serious professional videographers and filmmakers?

If you mean Hollywood or television broadcast videographers, we’re not trying to address that segment. However we are targeting freelancers, one-person team kind of videographers – that kind of shooter. That’s the kind of direction we’re going in.

We’re going to create easier to use and friendlier equipment for those photographers that need to do both stills and video. For example, photojournalists, or wedding photographers.

On the optics side, in the S-series lenses we took great care over the video functionality as well, so for example when you zoom the focus stays there, there’s no defocusing, and there’s no change in the image angle when you focus, either.

Do you think that strategy might change in the future?

We’ll keep an eye on the market, and look at the demands of our customers.

Despite the entry of the Z7 into the market, the D850 continues to be a major seller for Nikon, and in some ways remains a more capable camera for professionals.

Do you plan to increase your production capacity, to make F mount and Z mount products in parallel? Or will you scale down production of one line to make room for expansion of the other?

Even though we’ve now launched Z mount into the market, we still have a very robust [F mount] customer base, and a good reputation thanks to our DSLRs, especially products like the D750 and D850. And sales are still very robust.

I want to grow the Z series and D series at the same time – we’re not weighing one against the other. For example, developing Z lenses alongside F-mount lenses will put a lot of pressure on us, so efficiency of production will be very important from now on, because we really want to maintain production and development of both lines in future. When we can, we’ll commonize parts and platforms, and of course we’ll monitor trends in the market, and where the growth is.

Take a look inside Nikon’s Sendai factory [August 2018]

Can you give me an example of a new, efficient production process in contrast to an older, less efficient process?

We are really interested in automation, and we’d like to automate so we don’t have to depend [entirely] on human labor. For example, we’d like to have a 24/7 operation in our factories.

Since we launched the Z series, our users have been asking us to apply mirrorless technology to the DX format

Do you think the Z mount will eventually be an APS-C platform, as well as full-frame?

I cannot disclose our plans but for today I can say that since we launched the Z series, our DX format DSLR users have been asking us to apply mirrorless technology to the DX format as well. If we employ APS-C sensors [in mirrorless] maybe the system can be made even smaller. So as we go along, we’ll listen to the voices of our customers.

One of the advantages of the narrow dimensions of the 60 year-old F-mount is that the APS-C cameras that use it – like the D3500, shown here – can be made remarkably small. That will be a harder trick to pull off with the larger Z-mount.

We understand some of the benefits of a short flange back and wide diameter mount, are there any disadvantages?

In comparison to F mount, [when designing lenses for Z] we can really guide the light, even right to the edges of the frame. This gives uniformly high image quality across the whole image area. The camera can also be thinner.

There’s no particular challenge or shortcoming in this kind of design, except that the mount diameter determines the camera’s size. You can’t make the camera any smaller [than the height defined by the diameter of the mount].

Does a shorter flange back distance make the mount and lens alignment tolerances more critical? Is it harder to correct for reflections and ghosting?

Generally speaking, when it comes to alignment, no. But there is more risk of sensor damage in [such a design, with a rear lens group very close to the imaging plane ] if the camera is dropped. So we needed to create a system to [absorb shock] in this instance. When it comes to ghosting, it is more critical, so we have to really reduce reflections. Only by doing this were we able to [make the design of the Z mount practical].

Is there a software component to that, or are you achieving the reduced reflections entirely optically and via coatings?

No software is involved.

Editor’s note: Barnaby Britton

Last year was a crucial year for Nikon, and the Z system was a hugely significant move for the company – one on which the future of the manufacturer may depend. Nikon has been careful not to talk about the Z mount replacing the 60 year-old F-mount so much as complementing it, and in our meeting at CP+, Nikon’s executives were again keen to emphasize that they see DSLRs and mirrorless cameras co-existing – at least for now.

Clearly though, as they admit, ‘mirrorless will catch up with DSLR’ eventually. And already, for Nikon, mirrorless has opened the door to a new customer base for the company: filmmakers. While Nikon isn’t targeting professional production companies or broadcast customers (not yet – although the forthcoming addition of Raw video is a strong indicator that they’d like to) I get the sense that the Z6 has been more of a hit with multimedia shooters than Nikon perhaps expected. It certainly seems as if sales figures for the 24MP model have come as a bit of a surprise. It’s unclear though whether the proportionally greater sales of the Z6 compared to the Z7 are a result of the cheaper model over-performing, or the flagship under-performing in the market.

A mirrorless D5 it ain’t, but the high-resolution Z7 is an excellent platform for Nikon’s new range of Z-series lenses

The Z7 was always going to be a relatively tough sell at its launch price, with the inevitable comparisons against the incredibly capable and still-popular D850, and the fact that the similarly-specced (and in some ways more versatile) Z6 was coming fast on its heels. Regardless, Nikon clearly sees the Z7 as living alongside its high-end DSLRs, rather than as a replacement model. As the executives said in our interview, ‘in the Z7, our first priority was not speed’. A mirrorless D5 it ain’t, but the high-resolution Z7 is an excellent platform for Nikon’s new range of Z-series lenses, which are at least a generation ahead of their F-mount forebears in terms of optical technology.

We’ve heard a lot about the benefits of wider, shallower mounts for optical design (and the benefits are real, by the way, especially when it comes to designing wide, fast lenses) but it was interesting to hear about some of the challenges that emerged. Principle among them are the need to reduce aberrant reflections, which can cause ghosting, and the requirement for a robust sensor assembly to avoid damage from impact.

Right now, the Z system is a full-frame system. But in this interview we got the clearest hint yet that this might not be a permanent condition

Judging by Roger Cicala’s tear-down of the Z7 last year, it’s obvious that Nikon really prioritized ruggedness and ‘accident-proofing’ in the Z6/7. It turns out that one of the reasons for this focus on build quality is the close proximity of the stabilized sensor not only to the outside world, but also to the rear elements of Z-series lenses.

Right now, the Z system is a full-frame system. But in this interview we got the clearest hint yet that this might not be a permanent condition. Reading between the lines, a statement like ‘since we launched the Z series, our users have been asking us to apply mirrorless technology to the DX format’ is as close to a confirmation that this is being actively worked on as we’d expect to get from a senior executive. As for how far away an APS-C Z-mount camera is, I wouldn’t want to guess.

There’s always a chance, of course, that Nikon could go the Canon route and use a totally separate mount for APS-C. I doubt it, but Mr Kitaoka did make the point that the width of the Z-mount defines the size of the camera. And the Z-mount, as we know well, is very wide indeed.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panasonic interview – ‘We are targeting the very highest level of durability in the industry’

03 Jan
Yosuke Yamane, President of Panasonic’s Imaging Network Business Division.

With the official launch of Panasonic’s new full-frame S1 and S1R getting close, we’re looking back to Photokina 2018, where we sat down with Yosuke Yamane, President of Panasonic’s Imaging Network Business Division. In our interview, Mr. Yamane discusses his hopes for the future, why Panasonic decided to go full-frame, and the challenges facing his industry.

Why did Panasonic make the decision to move into full-frame?

Five years ago, full-frame mirrorless cameras entered the market, and the trend [since then] has been moving towards full-frame mirrorless cameras. But at that time, we were not ready. Both in terms of technology, and also service and support, and so on. But now the time has come when our technology is ready to go.

As you know, since we joined the camera business, we have introduced several worlds first technologies. [Full-frame] is a new challenge for us as an innovator. We believe that we can provide value in the full-frame camera market.

You’ve said that the ’S’ stands for specialized – what are these cameras specialized for?

They’re specialized for professionals. That is a core target for us but we’re also targeting high-end amateurs and enthusiasts.

“Operability without compromise”

What is your strategy for attracting professionals?

Everything without compromise. Image quality, build quality, operability and performance. It takes all of our effort. As for image quality, we’re using newly developed 47 and 24MP full-frame sensors, and also a new processing engine, plus a high-quality lens lineup. And 4K 60p video. Fast, and very accurate autofocus, which is a combination of high-speed contrast detection autofocus and DFD technology. And this also includes deep learning Ai. Plus dual image stabilization and a high-precision, high-speed shutter.

Also a very high resolution viewfinder – the highest-precision finder in the industry. Dual card slots, SD and XQD, which is essential for professionals, and a 3-axis tilting LCD. Operability without compromise.

Our designers ran a lot of simulations and made a lot of prototypes of the grip, for example, to fit the needs of professional photographers. Also optimal button layout, for intuitive controls.

Four mockups of the S1/R’s grip, which went through several rounds of refinement based on feedback from professional photographers.

Is there a technical reason for the unusually large body size of the S1 and S1R?

DSLRs incorporate mirror boxes, but we have double card slots, an in-body stabilization system and high-quality movie features. So the body obviously gets bigger because of those features. We didn’t want to compromise on features for the sake of body size. Maybe some customers think that mirrorless cameras should be small, but we think that as a professional tool, this body size is appropriate.

The advice from professionals is that they place more importance on performance, not size

We have made this camera with our Lumix ambassadors. We got a lot of feedback from them and most of the professionals don’t feel that [these cameras are] ‘big’. They feel that they are a very appropriate size.

The advice from professionals is that they place more importance on performance, not size. For example the shutter. Most competitive cameras are guaranteed to 200,000 actuations. Our camera will be tested for more. That’s the kind of thing that we prioritize, for professional use.

Is it your intention that the S1 and S1R will be the most durable cameras on the market, when they’re released?

Yes. We are targeting the very highest level of durability in the industry. [The S1/R] are 100% sealed against dust and water, and operate in very low temperatures – even exceeding the limits of the GH5. The GH5 actually went to the South Pole in minus 40 degrees C, and worked perfectly. Such kinds of ‘no compromise’ features are all incorporated [in the S1/R].

There are a lot of photographers taking landscapes, sports, and nature, and we’re gathering feedback from all of them. The cameras need to work in all kinds of conditions from very warm to very cold. So we focus on all of the requests from consumers with the intention of making [these cameras] without any compromise.

Panasonic claims that the S1 and S1R will offer the highest standard of durability in the industry, while offering professional-oriented feature sets and a very DSLR-like handling experience.

Do you think that over time, your L mount lineup will grow to include entry-level products, or do you see it purely as a high-end system?

The first generation will be specialized for professionals but in the future, of course we’re also aiming to attract entry-level users. In that eventually, we’ll study the question of performance versus size. But our image to professional users is very important. That’s why we’re attacking this segment [initially].

We decided that it was better to collaborate, than to create our own standalone mount

What is the strategic value of the L mount alliance, to Panasonic?

We’ve had a good relationship with Leica for a long time – 17 years. Four years ago we renewed our contract. That contract included a technical collaboration, with our digital technology and their optical technology. There will be a convergence. In that contract we discussed a lot of things relating to the shared mount.

Sigma produces very reliable high quality lenses, [and we knew that] in order to get into the new business, we needed a lineup of lenses. So we decided to collaborate with Sigma to make a big impact. I have a good relationship with Mr Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, I trust him and I respect his aggressiveness towards the market. This collaboration provides a lot of value for us, entering into a new market and becoming competitive in full-frame.

Considering value for customers, we decided that it was better to collaborate, than to create our own standalone mount. This way we can provide lots of choices for lenses, and Sigma already has a large fanbase. Obviously Leica with its 100 year history also has a good base of users.

The Leica L mount lineup includes APS-C products as well as full-frame. Is Panasonic interested in APS-C?

No. We have our own Micro Four Thirds system and we think that [because of the greater difference in size between full-frame and M43] this is the best balance. We have no plans to develop APS-C products.

In M43, we prioritize compactness. But in full-frame we set higher targets, to meet professional specifications

Is designing lenses for full-frame easier or more difficult than designing for Micro Four Thirds?

It’s more difficult. In the case of M43, we prioritize compactness. But in full-frame we set higher targets, to meet professional specifications. This camera [the S1R] incorporates a 47MP sensor, but to be futureproof, lenses should be capable of resolving more resolution than that. So we set very high specification targets for our full-frame lenses. We will develop our lenses without compromise. Other important factors are build-quality, and bokeh. These are both very important when it comes to creating photographs.

Do you think Panasonic’s L-mount lineup could evolve in future to include products like the GH5S, which are optimized for video?

One of our assets is our experience of professional video, over more than 40 years. This is one of the areas where we contribute to the market, so in the future it’s possible that [our L-mount lineup] will expand to include such products. But even the S1 has very good video capabilities. We cannot disclose the exact specification beyond saying that it will be capable of 4K/60p video but you can expect more. Even the S1 will be used, we believe, by professional videographers.

The 24MP and 47MP sensors inside the S1 and S1R will be capable of high-quality 4K video capture as well as stills shooting.

The sensors inside the S1 and S1R are described as ‘newly developed’. Are they fabricated by Panasonic?

We cannot disclose that. I would love to tell you but I can’t – you’ll just have to imagine! Obviously we have sensor-manufacturing experience, but I can’t disclose anything. Even if we outsourced [sensor fabrication] the design would still be to our specifications. Picture quality is not only determined by the sensor. There’s also lens design, and processing technology.

Can you explain how Panasonic and Leica work together in terms of lens design?

Mainly, optical technologies and manufacturing technologies come from Leica. We provide our digital technology and interface technology to them. For the full-frame lenses, we designed them by ourselves, but the DNA of Leica is incorporated – of course.

Is there any Panasonic DNA in Leica products?

I don’t know if they would admit that, but we do provide it! All of the Leica-branded lenses for our Micro Four Thirds system are checked according to Leica’s standards, and we have learned a lot through that process.

What are the biggest challenges facing Panasonic?

As you know, in the camera industry we don’t have a large market share compared to the likes of Canon and Nikon. They have much more history compared to ours – we’ve only been in the industry for 17 years. Our brand recognition is also not so high. However, a paradigm change has finally arrived. Canon and Nikon are creating new mirrorless systems, and we’re entering a new world thanks to the L mount alliance. This is a new start for the camera industry.

Our slogan is ‘changing photography’. We want to create a new photo culture for the digital generation. In the full-frame world, I think that customers will appreciate our contribution. Rather than competing with Canon and Nikon we’re focused on conveying that message to the customer.

We want to create a new photo culture for the digital generation

When it comes to product planning, we have to anticipate how customers behavior will change in the future. These models [the S1 and S1R] are focused on professionals. We have to anticipate how professional photography and videography will change, and we’re constantly looking at those trends, and anticipating how professional behavior will change. And as professionals change, customers at the entry and mid-levels will change, too. We have to watch this very carefully, and we always plan our products in line with changing customer trends.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities for Panasonic?

The Olympic Games in 2020 will be a very big opportunity to showcase Panasonic’s technologies. I was born in 1964, which was the year of the last Tokyo Olympics. We will use the 2020 games as an opportunity to enhance our video technologies and photo technologies. After the Olympics, we will create a new generation of 8K video cameras, which are currently in development.

Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton

Panasonic is one of the most interesting companies in the photo industry. Although it enjoys only a modest share of the market compared to ‘giants’ like Canon and Nikon, Panasonic has consistently surprised us with its energy and innovation – particularly in the high-end video/stills space. Arguably, Panasonic is the only company that could have created the powerful GH5, and it’s hard to imagine another company having the confidence to make the even more narrowly-specialized GH5S.

When it comes to high-end video capture in mirrorless cameras, Panasonic has been (along with Sony) a driving force in the industry, and that’s thanks to the company’s long experience in the video realm. While Lumix as a brand is less than 20 years old, Panasonic has been involved in video, in some way or another, for more than twice that long.

The fact that Panasonic’s forthcoming S1 and S1R mirrorless ILCs will both offer powerful 4K video feature sets is not a surprise. What’s interesting is that they’re built around full-frame sensors. I’m inclined to think that moving into full-frame is a good decision for Panasonic, but it’s risky. I agree with Mr. Yamate that moving forward in partnership with Leica and Sigma will add more value to the market for enthusiast and professional photographers than creating yet another new lens mount, while also mitigating the potential risks of going it alone.

Promising the highest level of durability in the industry and plenty of advanced features, the S-system has the potential to seriously challenge the ‘giants’

While there are plenty of full-frame mirrorless systems available in late 2018, there is a conspicuous gap in the market when it comes to full-frame video systems. It is doubtful whether Nikon will try (or even feel the need to try) to create a video-oriented ILC in the near future, and Sony seems to have (probably only temporarily) paused the development of its a7S lineup.

Panasonic, with its decades of experience making video cameras, must be keen to put a product into that gap. If the company’s intention is to lead the way in full frame video, similar to what it did with the GH series for Micro Four Thirds, it has the potential to disrupt the full frame market more than its current industry share might suggest. Joining the L-mount alliance is a great first step.

But that’s the future. For now, Mr. Yamane’s company is dedicated to making the S1 and S1R as attractive as possible to professional photographers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2018: Tamron interview – “We have standard three-business-day turnaround for repairs”

01 Dec
Stacie Errera is VP of Marketing and Communications for Tamron USA.

We met with Tamron’s Stacie Errera at Photokina 2018 in Cologne, Germany where we discussed the brand’s unique identity, product development prioritization, future lens plans and the importance of user feedback.

How is Tamron different from other lens manufacturers?

Our focus on customer service at all aspects of the users’ experience makes us different. We’re very focused on education – we like keeping our customers up on the latest techniques to create great photography. So whether it’s in-person workshops, working with our local authorized dealer base to bring workshops to stores, our magazine or our newsletter, we’re very focused on education. We’re also focused on support – all of our products have a six-year warranty. We have standard three-business-day turnaround for repairs with no extra charge for every customer – it doesn’t matter who you are. If you have a lens and you need a repair, you send it in and you get it back within three days. That’s the best in the industry.

We have standard three-business-day turnaround for repairs with no extra charge for every customer

Is Tamron’s three-day repair turnaround for US customers only?

It’s worldwide. Almost all markets now have that. Any place we have a subsidiary, it’s three days and anywhere we have a distributor, it’s mostly three days. This policy actually came as a mandate from our president to increase confidence in Tamron lenses and Tamron customer service.

And our overall philosophy or feeling we want customers to have – which extends into the lens design itself – is a ‘human touch quality’. We want that to extend beyond the product. We strive really hard to work closely with our customers. We hear what they have to say and work with them on social media and in person to give them good service. So I think it sets us apart a little bit, how closely we try to listen to and help motivate and mentor our customers.

The Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD is the most compact F2.8 zoom available for Sony E-mount. Also important: It’s very sharp.

How do customer needs and feedback play into the design and development of new lenses?

We do a few customer surveys a year where we find out what people are looking for. Also any feedback that my tech team or sales team might get is fed to me and then it goes up through the chain. With our subsidiaries, we sit down several times a year and put together our thoughts and make recommendations – these are based off of what people are asking for, what they feel they need and what they feel might be missing from a current lens line. Sometimes people bring up technologies and maybe you’ll think the idea is crazy, but we still pass it on. So we definitely try to pass all that information up to our headquarters.

Who do you see as Tamron’s user base? Is it pros, enthusiast, or a combo of both?

It’s a combo of both. We do several professional tradeshows a year and have very busy booths and a lot of customers there. As we put together our VIP program we’re seeing all the customers who own multiple lenses, so we do have a lot of pros out there. I’d say we’re maybe 60% enthusiast, 40% pro.

We want to make it affordable so [photographers] can have four, five, or six lenses in their bag without going broke

Our enthusiasts, they run the gamut from first entry-level DSLR / ILC users up to serious enthusiast that have been using cameras for 20+ years, many of whom came out of the film days. We really have a wide range of users. And again, just looking at our database with the VIP program – how many people own multiple lenses – we know our users really are gear-intensive customers. They’re into getting new lenses; many update their cameras, then get new lenses to match.

Tell me more about Tamron’s VIP program.

Any customer that registers their Tamron USA lenses purchased after 2011 are eligible for Tamron USA’s VIP program. If they have four lenses, five lenses or six+ lenses there’s silver, gold and platinum VIP.

We just had all our platinum members out at a VIP summit in Santa Fe for four days of seminars and field workshops. They brought their lenses and it’s amazing to see these customers that have lots of gear but continue to get new lenses to make sure they have the right tool for the job. We want to make it affordable for them so they can have four, five, or six lenses in their bag without going broke.

The new Tamron SP 15-30mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2 is the only stabilized F2.8 wide zoom for full-frame DSLRs. It’s also, you guessed it, very sharp.

How important is affordability to your long-term growth and vision for Tamron?

It’s definitely high up there. Our goal is to number one, make sure the lens is high quality. The second goal for us, depending on the category of the lens, is definitely size and weight. So looking at the Sony FE and E-mount, for example, we’re definitely looking at compactness and lightweight designs as key features of those products.

But we also do look to keep the price in an affordable range for the customer. One of the philosophies of the company is we want to make photography accessible for everyone. By having tools that can be more affordable for the photographer, we can expand their bag and make sure they have the right tool for the types of photography they like to do.

One of the philosophies of the company is we want to make photography accessible for everyone

What about for DSLRs, is size and weight still a high consideration?

For both mirrorless and DSLR size and weight are a consideration. For example, the 17-35mm F2.8-4 for DSLRs, it is the lightest and most compact in its class of lenses that are F4 or faster. If you look at the 15-30 F2.8 for DSLR, while it’s definitely a large lens with it’s constant 2.8 aperture, it is still the only lens in the category with stabilization. So it’s not compact, but within the category it still has advantages.

How important a consideration is video when Tamron develops lenses?

It’s a high consideration. We are trying to make sure the motors in our lenses are as silent as they can be. However, depending on who the videographer is and what they’re filming, they may be using manual focus anyway. The new 28-75 F2.8 for Sony FE has a rapid extra-silent drive (RXD) and it is definitely geared toward video because we know people are using Sony full-frame to shoot video more so than on some other systems.

A sample photo shot with the Tamron SP 15-30mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2.

The 28-75 F2.8 for Sony FE is one of our favorite lens available for full-frame E-mount. How this lens been received by customers and will we see other full-frame Sony E-mount lenses soon?

That lens has definitely been very well-accepted by Sony shooters worldwide. Right now we’re still in a very heavy demand situation. Supply is catching up, though. I think it’s really the first lens that seems to fit the form factor of the camera itself. That balance and that lightweight design without compromising performance, everything about it fits the form factor and goal for what that system is all about. So definitely, with the acceptance of this, we’ll see more from Tamron for Sony mirrorless cameras.

We’ll see more from Tamron for Sony mirrorless cameras

Tamron now makes lenses for Sony FE, E, A, Nikon F, Canon EF, M, Micro Four Thirds, Pentax K-mounts. With all these mounts, how does Tamron prioritize what lenses they are going to make?

We look at the market and see where there are gaps – what’s moving, what’s not moving.

Really the past few years have been dedicated to analyzing the mirrorless portion of the market. With all the recent introductions to mirrorless I think it’s very evident that the market is swiftly moving toward mirrorless dominance. But that’s not to say full-frame DSLRs are not still strong. My opinion is that people will continue, for at least the next few years, using multiple formats. I have my DSLR I use for some situations and I have my mirrorless I use for other situations – I have my smartphone that I use still for others. So I think we’re in a place where each consumer is a multi-format user. Obviously there are people that are mirrorless-only, DSLR-only. And obviously there are pros not ready to make the jump to mirrorless yet. But overall, it’s a fun time to be making lenses.

Really the past few years have been dedicated to analyzing the mirrorless portion of the market

Do you have any prediction for how much of your business will be represented by mirrorless lenses rather than SLR lenses?

Right now we have a couple of mirrorless lenses plus the recent introduction of the full-frame Sony mirrorless. I think we’ll move along with the market. The US market is swiftly catching up to some other markets in the world. And I think we’ll see some changes worldwide for Tamron over the next few years. But it’s hard for me to attach a number or percentage to that at this point. But we’re definitely moving with the market.

All-in-one zooms for DSLRs are still a crucial part of Tamron’s portfolio. The Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD for APS-C – which this photo was shot with – offers a good balance of quality and affordability.

We now have two new full frame mounts, Canon R and Nikon Z, as well as the announcement of the Panasonic/Leica/Sigma L-mount alliance. Is there talk about making lenses for these mounts?

I think we need to get those cameras into our engineers’ hands and analyze them and see what they’re all about and make determinations from there. I think that we’re keenly looking at all these different mounts and I think it’s an important part of the market today. I’m not involved in the talks over in Japan, but I would assume there is definitely a strong interest in these.

I think we’ll see some changes worldwide for Tamron over the next few years

Sigma, Panasonic and Leica announced their L-mount partnership at Photokina. Has Tamron considered making partnerships with other brands in similar fashion?

At this point in time, there’s none I’m aware of. That doesn’t mean there won’t be partnerships in the future.

What’s the immediate future hold for Tamron?

I think we’ll continue expanding our lineup. We’ll be continuing our G2-series, the 15-30 F2.8 G2 now completes the SP (Superior Performance) trio of fast, image-stabilized zooms. It was very important for us to complete that trio. We’ll also be filling in the full-frame arena and raising the bar for all-in-ones, an area of the market where we are the leader. It’s just a progression of filling and finding areas of need as the market changes.

Editors’ note: Dan Bracaglia

Tamron is a brand increasingly putting out lenses I want to get my hands on, from their outstanding, stabilized SP 15-30mm F2.8 Di G2 to their perfectly sized 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD – my favorite lens for Sony FE without question. Both of these lenses represent unique designs within their chosen mounts.

2018 is an exciting time for third-party lens brands

2018 is an exciting time for third-party lens brands, but with the number of mirrorless mounts growing, it’s as important as ever for these companies to carefully consider what they prioritize. Tamron seems to understand this though – lens development boils down to a careful mix of user feedback and market analysis.

Though all-in-one zooms for DSLRs have long been the brand’s bread-and-butter, here’s hoping we’ll even see other well-sized, constant-aperture mirrorless zooms in the near future given the market success of the 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD and Stacie’s mention of ‘changes worldwide for Tamron over the next few years.’

…with Tamron’s new commitment to three-day repair turnarounds, their lenses are looking more desirable than ever

Speaking of mirrorless, Stacie wouldn’t give me any indication what plans the company has for the new Nikon Z and Canon RF-mounts. This isn’t terribly surprising given how new they are, but it will be interesting to see whether existing mirrorless models eventually become available for these new mirrorless mounts.

At the end of the day, I’m thankful that brands like Tamron and Sigma exist. Though they take very different approaches to lens development, both are going to great lengths to ensure that there are a lot of cool lens choices on the market. And with Tamron’s new commitment to three-day repair turnarounds, their lenses are looking more desirable than ever.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale: An interview with Kiliii Yuyan

29 Nov

Filmmaker Kiliii Yuyan has been a friend of DPReview’s for several years. He spoke at our PIX2015 event in Seattle and joined us later that same year in what was then called Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqia?vik) for a long-form video shoot.

Since then, Kiliii has returned to Alaska several times, working with the people and communities of the north slope, and his new film, ‘Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale’ premiered earlier this year at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale is a short documentary film that tells the story of an Iñupiaq whaling crew in northern Alaska.

Since its premier at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in spring, Anaiyyun has been shown all over the world, and is currently being featured in the National Geographic Short Films Showcase. We caught up with Kiliii recently, and asked him to explain more about the project.

What’s the new film about?

It’s focused on the spirituality of whaling. It’s intended to give you the perspective of the people up there and a sense of how very different the world of the whaler is, and how different the culture is. To put you on the ice, and let you absorb the beauty of the arctic. I like to say that being on the sea ice is a bit like being on the open ocean. There are long interminable stretches of boredom and silence, quiet. It’s very peaceful but those moments are punctuated with moments of sheer terror.

On the Arctic Ocean, Iñupiat paddle their umiaq skinboat. Spring whaling by umiaq is made possible by the shorefast sea ice. As the sea ice gets thinner each spring from a warming climate, traditional whaling becomes increasingly challenging.

That’s how the film is, too. There’s a lot of quiet observation, time just being there, but it’s broken up by moments where the sea ice collapses, and polar bears appear. I really wanted to do something experimental and introduce the indigenous perspective. It’s not a typical Hollywood-style structure. It puts you on the ice, and puts whaling into context inside that culture.

This is the latest piece that’s come out of a long-term relationship you’ve been cultivating with the communities of the North Slope in Alaska. How did it all begin?

Well if I remember rightly, you asked me to join you on a video shoot up there a few years ago! But the reason I wanted to go there is that it’s the only place where skin on frame boats are still being used, outside of Greenland. And the Iñupiat are a role model culture for northern indigenous peoples. People look at the Iñupiat like ‘how did they do it? How did they keep their culture so traditional yet have so much prosperity?’ They’re more isolated than most places, but there are many places just as remote which haven’t done as well for themselves.

The Iñupiat haven’t avoided modernity at all – they’ve embraced it

I originally went there thinking that the culture was so traditional because the people had somehow magically avoided modernity. But over time what I’ve discovered is that they haven’t avoided modernity at all – they’ve embraced it. But because they were smart, they managed to keep their culture and its traditions alive by placing a lot of importance on them, and reintroducing it into their education system.

It’s hard to think about all those things when you can’t eat. When there’s no food on the table, and the ice is getting thin and the whales are leaving and there are all these massive changes. It’s hard to hold on. They do it by embracing modernity in a smart way, and as a result they’ve retained one of the most beautiful cultures on the planet while still being successful. Despite the fact that Christianity has changed the Iñupiaq culture probably more than anything, the idea of the gift of the whale is old. Much much older than Christianity, right back to the shamanistic tradition, and it’s still alive.

Kiliii Yuyan is an indigenous Nanai/Hézhè photographer and journalist, based in Seattle.

His clients include The Nature Conservancy and National Geographic.

Are you hoping to change the way that outsiders think about that culture, and the culture of whaling?

This isn’t a political film. My intent is to give people the indigenous perspective. It’s fine to have films that are overtly political, but the thing that’s often missing is the indigenous viewpoint. Because the population is so low, indigenous peoples in the US and Canada just don’t have much of a voice. For the most part, stories told about indigenous peoples are told by colonizers, not by those who have been colonized, and you can really see the difference.

I’ve shown this film to people who have spent a lot of time either with me on the North Slope or people who’ve been around the Iñupiaq culture a lot and they get it – it makes sense to them. But then I’ll show it to someone who is used to seeing western films and they find it harder to watch because it doesn’t follow the standard format.

I hope that outsiders who watch this film will understand that there is no single right way to live.

At Nalukataq, the summer whaling festival, the village comes out to celebrate a successful whaling season and to give thanks to the whale for its gift. Here, successful whalers must do the blanket toss. They are thrown up to thirty feet in the air, and depend on everyone’s hands to land safely.

You’ve said that the communities of the North Slope are at ground zero for climate change – how is that affecting them?

Well, the truth is they’re figuring it out. The Iñupiat have a lot of agency, they’re an extremely competent people, and Alaska has the kind of legal structure where hopefully they’ll be able to mitigate a lot of the problems. The Yup’ik communities on the west coast of Alaska are not so lucky— they are not as economically prosperous.

With a film like this it’s easy to fall into the romanticism of the Arctic

What kind of feedback have you had from those communities?

The highest praise I’ve received so far was having an Inuk look at it and tell me that his kids need to see it. With a film like this it’s easy to fall into the romanticism of the Arctic, but when I’ve shown it to locals who grew up with this stuff and it’s their everyday, that kind of feedback means a lot.

My hope is that the young people of those indigenous communities will be able to see the film and take inspiration from it.

Watch Kiliii’s talk, ‘Living Wild’ at PIX2015

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2018: Nikon interview – ‘We love feedback, because it leads to better products’

13 Nov
Two cameras, two lens-mounts, separated by almost six decades. The new Nikon Z7 (left) is the first of a brand-new breed of Z-mount full-frame Nikon cameras, just as the original Nikon F (right) debuted the legendary F mount in the late 1950s.

This interview comprises on-record portions drawn from several conversations with multiple Nikon executives dating back to August, primarily those which took place in Tokyo following the launch of the Z system, and in Cologne, Germany, during the Photokina trade show.

Please note that responses to our questions were provided variously by multiple high-level executives, engineers and marketing specialists. These exchanges happened at different times, and in all cases, our conversations were conducted via an interpreter. As such, since individual attribution is impossible, responses have been combined and anonymized. The following interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when developing the Z mount?

For the mount, the biggest challenge was to finalize the specifications. This is a new system and we’re looking ahead into the future for our users. We want them to use the Z mount for a long time, so we wanted to make sure that the specifications would [support] use for the long-haul.

For lenses, taking the Z 35mm F1.8 for example, we were determined to exceed the [previous] performance level, which was very challenging. Manufacturing was challenging too because we wanted to exceed [previous] lens specifications and performance.

In the camera bodies, we had to maintain robustness, while making them smaller and lighter. This was a challenge for us.

The Nikon Z mount is intended to be at least as futureproof as the legacy F mount – hopefully, according to Nikon representatives – it will still be current in 100 years’ time.

Nikon Z-mount lenses are designed for cameras that are capable of high resolution video as well as stills – how does this requirement affect the design?

Our optical design had to change. There are five elements that are improved significantly. One, we minimized aberrations, in a very well-balanced manner. Secondly, we improved resolution, towards the edges of the frame – not just the center. Thirdly, we improved point image performance [coma] towards the edges of the frame. Fourth, bokeh is natural, and beautiful. And finally we minimized ghosting and flare effects as much as possible. All of these improvements allow us to render sharp, very ‘real’ images.

Mechanically speaking, we improved focus speed, and focus is very quiet and very smooth in movie recording. That smoothness is really improved, and also movie users can adjust focus speed, from slow to fast.

We’ve tried to maintain the same level of operability between the D850 and the Z7

One of the concerns that we have with the Z6/7 is that their autofocus behavior and user experience is so different to DSLRs like the D850. Why did Nikon make this decision?

The D850 has a dedicated autofocus sensor, but in the Z7 we have on-sensor phase-detection autofocus. Each system has its own distinct features and its own strengths. We looked at the differences between the two, so that we could satisfy our customers’ needs by utilizing the strengths of each system. It’s not a question of which system is better, each has its own strengths.

When we think about usability of the autofocus systems, we’ve tried to maintain the same level of operability between the D850 and the Z7. Our priority is to make sure that our [Z7] customers feel that they have the same level of functionality and usability [as they do with the D850].

The Nikon Z7, pictured here with the 35mm F1.8, one of three compact lenses announced at the debut of the new Z mount, in August.

Do you intend to be more proactive in the Z-series, to respond to feature requests via firmware?

We need to look at our camera models, their features and characteristics, and our customers’ needs. With some models it’s better that we update their functionality more often than others.

But upgrading a camera isn’t easy. Also, as functionality evolves, software becomes even more complicated to design and update. However, the environment is changing rapidly, and due to the accelerated evolution of the functions, maybe we have to accelerate our response. We will make sure that we develop and upgrade [our cameras’] functionalities in order to satisfy our customers’ needs.

Our goal is to become number one in the full-frame market

Do you have an internal target for percentage of sales represented by Nikon mirrorless versus DSLR?

We have internal sales targets for each model, but we cannot disclose the figures. Our goal is to become number one in the full-frame market for both mirrorless and DSLRs.

What is your target timeframe for achieving this goal?

That’s a difficult question to answer – we cannot disclose the specific timeline, but we will make every effort to hit the target of being number one as soon as possible. We believe that we can achieve the number one position maybe quite soon. A lot of manufacturers have launched full-frame mirrorless cameras, but sales of our Z6 and Z7 are really robust, which gives us confidence.

Since DSLR and mirrorless have their own benefits and merits, they can co-exist

How do you expect the Z6 and Z7 to affect sales of Nikon’s DSLRs?

Since we launched the Z6 and Z7, demand for the D850 has remained very robust and stable. Since DSLR and mirrorless have their own benefits and merits, they can co-exist, and they will. However, its unavoidable that the market will shift more and more towards mirrorless. Right now, mirrorless market share is around 40% but by 2020 and afterwards we expect that mirrorless will surpass DSLR. For now we think they can co-exist.

At launch, the Z system is a full-frame system. Could it support DX (APS-C) format cameras in future?

We are not thinking about other formats yet. But we’re monitoring market trends, and we’re not ruling anything out [in future].

From left to right: The Nikon D850, the new Z7 and it’s main competitor, the Sony a7R III.

When you were developing the Z6 and Z7, what were your key benchmarks, and measures for success?

In one word, our benchmark for the Z7 was the D850. We wanted the Z7 to be at least on the same level as the D850. We have a lot of accumulated knowledge from our DSLRs, and we gathered information from our customers to make sure that we really met their needs and their demands. For example a comfortable grip, a good viewfinder experience, and the operational feel of pressing the shutter. We have to make sure that we can match or exceed these qualities [of our DSLRs] before putting a [mirrorless] product on the market. These are the expectations that people have of Nikon as a camera maker.

In-body V.R. is a new concept in the Z6 and Z7, and we set a very strict target for the number of stops of correction. When it comes to lenses, we can’t disclose the exact numerical performance targets, but we’ve already talked about the five ways in which we aimed to improve the lenses, plus operability and user-friendliness. We actually set some very ambitious targets.

These are high-performance cameras and lenses – how long has the system been in development?

We cannot disclose the specific number of years.

How important was it to Nikon to incorporate high-quality video features in the development of the new Z-mount cameras?

An increasing number of customers are looking at stills and video and they want both of them. Therefore we focused on improving video performance, which also affected body and lens design. We wanted to make sure that the new cameras would have very good still and video qualities.

We want to be recognized as a company that provides tools for video professionals

We love feedback, because it leads to better products. We want to be recognized as a company that provides tools for video professionals. If we hear from professionals that now, finally, they can do the kinds of jobs they want to with our products, that would be great. We’ve provided a set of functions, including N-Log, and if any of them can be useful, we’re very happy about that.

We are now starting to communicate with the community of professional videographers because we have really improved the video performance of our cameras and lenses and we’re proud of that, so we want to communicate this to the community.

The Nikon 1 V3 was the last – and arguably best – of the erstwhile 1 System mirrorless camera lineup. Although the 1 System didn’t last, Nikon tells us that a lot of the technologies pioneered in cameras like the V3 was utilized in the development of the full-frame Z mount.

How much technology and experience gleaned from creating the 1-system was brought into the new Z system?

That’s a hard question to answer. There’s a lot we could say, but it’s hard to put into words. The basis of the technology comes from Nikon 1. Especially the technology behind the imaging sensors. Not the [hardware] technology itself but definitely the concept and basic principles.

Of course, the the F system and the 1 system represent the basic foundation of everything that we do, but with the Z system the goal was to go beyond those predecessor products. The larger volume of data being communicated [between camera and lens] is a huge benefit, and that’s one of the biggest improvement between previous models and the new Z-series.

The F system and the 1 system represent the basic foundation of everything that we do, but with the Z system the goal was to go beyond

The concept for the development of the new series, although obviously to some extent they are based on the F and 1 systems that came before it, is to listen to those users and hear what they like and don’t like, and look into the future. People might be happy with what they have right now, but maybe those technologies won’t work in the future. We can’t be myopic about it.

It’s very important to us that our F mount customers can use their lenses with the Z mount, for example. We had to consider that.

Did any of the engineers that worked on the 1 system go on to work on the Z6 and Z7?

Yes – part of the development team from the Nikon 1 was involved in developing the Z6 and Z7.

With the next generation of Z mount cameras, is it more urgent to target professionals, or beginners?

While we are focusing on mid-to-high end models, entry-level users who have never used an interchangeable lens camera are very important to Nikon. Both entry-level and professional users are equally important to us, and we aim to expand the Z mount system lineup to appeal to a wide audience.

The iPhone X/S, and other smartphones of its ilk are small, powerful, water-resistant and take great photographs. According to the Nikon executives that we spoke to, the threat to traditional camera manufacturers from mobile devices, jam-packed with computational photography technology, is acute.

Will future Z series cameras offer optical V.R. in addition to in-body stabilization?

We intend to continue with the development of optical stabilization. If there is a benefit of the functionality, we will continue to employ [optical V.R.] as an option. For telephoto lenses, optical stabilization is very beneficial. When it comes to wide-angle zooms, in some cases it is also beneficial.

What are the biggest challenges facing Nikon in the future?

This is a hard question to answer. Because of the advent of the smartphone, the digital camera has shrunk. However, the mirrorless camera market has been revitalized, and we believe that Nikon can expand this market. Another challenge is that if computational photography technology advances rapidly, maybe smartphones will be be able to produce images that are as good as interchangeable lens cameras. If this happens, it will be a real challenge.

The number of people taking photos is growing, and the number of photos being taken is also growing

However, because of smartphones, the number of people taking photos is growing, and the number of photos being taken is also growing. So maybe we can combine hardware and imaging technologies where we can see a business opportunity to expand into camera, software applications, b to b [etc.] there are many possible opportunities for us.

So many people take photos with their smartphones because they want to post them to Instagram or Facebook, or other social networking services. However, some of these people are not really satisfied by the quality of the photos taken on their phones. This segment of people are looking for a camera which can give them better quality images, but maybe they’ve never used a dedicated camera ever in their lives. I am sure that this segment of the audience is growing and [they represent] a great opportunity.

Will we see fewer DSLRs released by Nikon in future?

Our strategy is to [market] both DSLR and mirrorless. We launched the D3500 [alongside the Z6/7] and we’re planning to launch more DSLR models in the future.

The F mount was Nikon’s premier lens mount for 60 years – how far into the future are you looking for the Z mount? Another 60 years?

At least another 60 years! I was about to say 100. Hopefully it will last indefinitely – that’s why it’s so important for us to look into the future, and why such a high volume of data communication [in the Z mount standard] is so important.

Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton

This has been a big year for Nikon, and I suspect one that Nikon’s engineers and executives have been eagerly awaiting for a long time – to say nothing of their customers. Nikon did a fine job of maintaining and updating the F mount for as long as it did, but the question was never if the company would replace it with a redesigned standard for mirrorless, but when.

The Z mount of course is Nikon’s second mirrorless camera mount, after the 1 mount, designed around the 1″ sensors used in the company’s various 1-series ILCs from 2011 until the discontinuation of the lineup earlier this year. It was interesting when speaking to executives to learn that some of the technologies from Nikon’s 1 System (and in fact some of the engineers that worked on it) were integral to the development of the Z mount.

The resulting mount is a very, very different standard to Nikon 1, and different again to the 60-year old F mount, despite being designed around the same sensor format. Clearly the company is looking ahead – a long way ahead, judging by the ‘100 years’ comment in our interview – and it will be interesting to see how Nikon develops its Z-mount lens lineup in the coming months and years. Unlike Canon, Nikon publishes roadmaps, and I suspect that the Z7 and Z6’s true potential (and that of their inevitable successors) will become clear once lenses like the planned 24-70mm F2.8 start to become available.

The Z7 really is intended to replicate as far as possible, the performance and durability of the D850

So what did we learn from this interview? For one thing, we learned that Nikon wants to be the number one full-frame manufacturer, and it hopes to achieve that position fairly soon. That’s a lofty goal, and a bold statement, but the Z6 and Z7 are bold products. As far as Nikon’s executives are concerned, the Z7 really is intended to replicate as far as possible, the performance and durability of the D850 – a very popular camera which has been backordered almost since the day it was announced.

To the company’s credit, we think that the company has largely succeeded in this goal (although there are some things we’d like to see improved) and that’s no small feat. It’s a bit disingenuous to call the Z6/7 first-generation cameras, but they’re certainly first attempts at something very new for the company, and compared to Canon’s more cautious approach with the EOS R, straight out of the gate they’re powerful, highly competitive ILCs. Whether there is any room for APS-C products in Nikon’s future Z-mount lineup, however, is unclear.

The challenge of building a reputation as a video manufacturer is one that Nikon hasn’t really been faced with tackling up to now

While Nikon has made some overtures towards videographers before now (lest we forget, the D90 was the first DSLR to shoot video and the D850 is a very capable 4K video camera) the challenge of building a reputation as a video manufacturer is one that Nikon hasn’t really been faced with tackling up to now. The Z7 and (especially) the Z6 have a lot to offer these users, and it will be interesting to see how Nikon approaches the challenge of becoming a major player in this space, alongside more experienced competitors like Sony, Canon and Panasonic. It’s reassuring to see that whatever challenges Nikon faces in the future, a lack of confidence doesn’t seem to be one of them.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2018: Fujifilm interview – ‘we’ll never go full-frame’

23 Oct
Toshihisa Iida, General Manager of Fujifilm’s Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division pictured at the Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany last month.

At this year’s Photokina show in Cologne, Germany we spoke to senior executives from several major camera and lens manufacturers. Among them was Toshihisa Iida of Fujifilm, who told us about the future of his company’s medium-format lineup, the challenges of 100MP and why Fujifilm will never make a full-frame camera.

Photokina is proving to be an important show for Fujifilm!

Yes. Photokina 2010 was the X100 development announcement, 2012 was the first-generation mirrorless – 2014 I’ve forgotten! [in fact it was the announcement of the X100T and X30] and 2016 was of course the GFX 50S.

Now that all of the legacy DSLR makers except Ricoh have full-frame mirrorless systems, will Fujifilm ever enter the full-frame market?

No, never. Because we don’t have that legacy – luckily or unluckily. We don’t see any point in Fujifilm entering that market, particularly since we have good APS-C and medium format systems. If we entered full-frame [our systems] would just start cannibalizing each other. We’re happy to stay with two completely independent systems.

Fujifilm’s new GFX 50R is a rangefinder-style medium format camera which uses the same 50MP sensor as its direct predecessor the GFX 50S.

Do you see many of your users upgrading from X to GFX?

Not quite yet. Because they’re totally different systems. We started creating our legacy based on the X100. Usability, colors [etc.] and I hope that in near future more X Series customers will step up to GFX.

Can you describe the thinking behind the creation of the 50R?

Shortly after we introduced the 50S we started receiving requests from customers, who remembered the old medium format film cameras. Immediately after we released the 50S they were asking ‘when is a rangefinder style 50S coming?.

Is this a camera you expect to be used more like a field camera? Like the old rangefinders?

Yes. All controls must be reachable with one hand, that was our concept for usability. We wanted the camera to be more suited to street, reportage and portrait photography.

The forthcoming 100MP camera is more SLR style, with a detachable viewfinder, more similar to the 50S, but with an integrated battery grip for greater battery capacity. The sensor and the image stabilization system need more power.

The upcoming 100MP GFX will feature an integrated battery grip and in-body stabilization. Fujifilm also promises a superior electronic viewfinder experience and beefed-up video capabilities.

Was a 100MP camera always in the works?

Yes, it’s why we designed our GF lenses to support 100MP, when that resolution [eventually] became available. We’ve talked about that openly.

You’ve mentioned the need for more battery capacity, what other changes did you face when designing a 100MP camera?

The biggest challenge was image stabilization. The sensor is so sensitive that even the smallest vibration is picked up [in the image]. So we knew we needed in-body stabilization. And you can imagine that it’s quite challenging to stabilize such a big sensor.

Is the system adapted from the IBIS system in the X-H1?

We drew on our experience from the X-H1, yes but it’s more challenging with the larger sensor size.

Will the viewfinder experience of the 100MP camera be better to the current GFX 50S and 50R?

It should be a lot better, yes, because the readout speed of the new sensor is a lot quicker. The sensor and the processor itself are both upgraded. The processor is much more powerful.

The recently-announced Fujifilm X-T3 is a powerful 26MP APS-C camera, which packs impressive still and video-oriented features.

Fujifilm was a little slow to introduce video features, but the current generation are very strong video cameras. What’s your video strategy for future cameras?

The forthcoming 100MP camera will be the first 4K/30p GFX camera, which is the first step. It will be interesting to see what kind of quality we can get from the new sensor. With the X Series we have a plan, for example to extend recording time, and make the menus more usable for still and video shooting. We have more to do, more speed, 4K/60p [etc.] We would really like to attract videographers to the GFX cameras as well.

Do you think that you might create Fujinon cine lenses for GFX in the future?

Let’s wait and see. The first step is 100MP, and then we’ll see how it goes. Of course, developing such lenses is probably technically possible, it’s just a matter of prioritization.

Filmmakers are creative people, always looking for something more

How do you plan to market the 100MP medium format to videographers? Videographers don’t typically think about medium format.

Just today [after the 100MP announcement at the Photokina press conference] I started receiving a lot of questions from videographers. Larger formats are becoming a trend for videography. Filmmakers are creative people, always looking for something more.

100MP and 4K/30p represent a huge amount of data – is SD media still appropriate?

I think that SD media and HDMI output are enough for now.

Tamron’s FE-mount 28-70mm F2.8 was the first third-party attempt at a native Sony FE mount lens. Could Fujifilm open up its XF and GF mounts to other lens developers?

Do you welcome third-party lens manufacturers that want to create lenses for XF and GF?

They’re not open standards as yet, but of course our customers want choice. We’re always considering what would benefit our customers, and more lenses are generally beneficial for customers.

Should we expect to see more smaller, compact lenses for GF mount, like the forthcoming 50mm pancake?

Yes, in the future we’d like to expand our lineup of compact lenses for GF. We need small lenses for the smaller camera, to get the right balance. We’re always thinking about the whole system.

Maybe we need to start from scratch when it comes to future cameras aimed at smartphone upgraders

The competitive marketplace is getting quite crowded. Which competitive products do you take most seriously?

We’re always watching the major brands, to see what they’re doing, but at the same time smartphones. The quality and functionality – we have to watch that segment very carefully, especially considering our entry-level mirrorless cameras.

How will you address the challenge from smartphones?

The first thing is to do more research into what smartphone customers want from cameras. Usability, shooting options and so on. Maybe we need to start from scratch when it comes to future cameras aimed at smartphone [upgraders].

Our biggest potential challenge is from smartphones, not competitor cameras.

Do you see opportunities for more Instax incorporation into your traditional camera lineups?

Yes, Instax are already becoming digital cameras. Maybe we should think about interchangeable lens Instax. One of the biggest features for mirrorless cameras are interchangeable lenses, so Instax is one of our opportunities.

The Pentax Q range (a Q7 is pictured here) was an intriguing but relatively short-lived attempt at an ultra-compact mirrorless interchangeable lens system. As most manufacturers move toward larger cameras and (especially) lenses, the days of such pocketable alternatives might be over.

Do you think that there could be a future for small format interchangeable lens cameras like the Pentax Q, now?

With that product, the sensor size was too small. The image quality was not strong enough to really compete against smartphones. We need a decent sensor size and high quality lens. So again the question is how to balance size, weight and quality.

Camera bodies can be small regardless of sensor size. The big difference is the lens. The size of the lens [is directly related to] sensor format.

In the past we’ve spoken about software corrections for some lenses. Do you see a future where your high-quality lenses could be made smaller using software?

We always prioritize optical quality first, minimizing software correction. That’s our policy at the moment, and I don’t think it will change. That’s why the APS-C format is important to us. We make the lenses as small as possible, without [a lot of] software correction.

What are the challenges of designing fast focusing large-aperture lenses?

A brighter lens means that each element is heavier. So we need to build in more powerful focus actuators, but there’s limited space. So it’s always a tradeoff of lens brightness, focus speed, and how heavy the lens is.

Designed for the more compact GFX 50R, Fujifilm’s forthcoming 50mm F3.5 offers a near-pancake form factor, much smaller than most of the company’s medium-format GF lens lineup.

Now that you’re thinking ahead to high resolution video capture in the GFX series, what impact does this have on lens design?

It’s challenging – how to minimize the weight of focusing units. It’s a task for the lens design team. Maybe they’ll use more aspherical elements, for example. There are technologies which we can use, but it’s a challenge.

Is there potential for Fujifilm to create dedicated video cameras?

Potentially, yes. We don’t have any concrete plans, but we need to understand the requirements of videographers, and how their requests when it comes to usability and menus are different from stills photographers. Especially for stills, operation is more dial-driven, but for video it’s totally different.

Editor’s note: Barnaby Britton

As Mr. Iida mentioned, for the past several years Photokina has been an important show for Fujifilm, serving as an opportunity to showcase its major releases in front of a global audience. Photokina 2018 was no different, with the announcement of two major new cameras – a rangefinder-style GFX 50R and the development of a forthcoming 100MP medium-format model, coming next year.

Both announcements probably serve as tacit answers to the question of whether or not Fujifilm will ever create a full-frame camera, but “no, never” is about as conclusive a response as we’d ever expect to get. A more typical response (of the kind that we get repeatedly whenever we talk to senior executives) is more along the lines of ‘we need to study the market, and we’re not ruling anything out’. The fact that Mr. Iida was so definitive is unusual, but reassuring. Fujifilm has an excellent opportunity to differentiate with medium-format in a way that it couldn’t expect to do with full-frame, especially now that Canon, Nikon and Panasonic have joined the fray.

Fujifilm’s cameras might be getting bigger, but Mr Iida recognizes a need for smaller lenses

The forthcoming 100MP GFX won’t be cheap by full-frame standards, but with features like built-in IBIS and 4K/30p video, it promises to set new technical benchmarks for large-sensor imaging when it is released next year.

Fujifilm’s cameras might be getting bigger, but Mr. Iida recognizes a need for smaller lenses, especially with the somewhat more compact rangefinder-style GFX 50R. A range of compact F3.5-ish primes for GFX would help make the system somewhat more portable, as well as potentially more attractive to first-time medium-format buyers.

We expect to see more – and more powerful – ‘hybrid’ cameras from Fujifilm

Still imaging is only part of the story, of course. In recent generations Fujifilm has made impressive efforts to improve its products’ video capabilities, to the point where the X-H1 and more recent X-T3 are among our favorite cameras for 4K videography. Assuming that it reads out all pixels for 4K video, the forthcoming 100MP medium-format model could actually prove very disruptive for professional filmmaking, thanks to the wide dynamic range of medium format sensors compared to full-frame and super 35 formats.

Could Fujifilm use its long experience of making broadcast and cine lenses to create a dedicated video camera? Mr. Iida isn’t ruling it out, and it’s an intriguing thought. In the short term though, we expect to see more – and more powerful – ‘hybrid’ cameras from Fujifilm, and that’s still an exciting prospect.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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