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CP+ 2017 Canon interview: ‘We want to be number one in the overall ILC market’

28 Feb
Mr. Mizoguchi and Mr. Tokura took the time at CP+ 2017 to discuss Canon’s future with us. 

Just prior to CP+ 2017, Canon announced three new consumer cameras in the mirrorless EOS M6, the DSLR EOS 77D and EOS Rebel T7i . We had the chance to catch up with Canon while in Japan covering CP+ and discussed the company’s current state of affairs, as well as its future (in relation to mirrorless).

Specifically, we spoke with Go Tokura, Executive Officer and Chief Executive for Image Communication Business Operation and Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi, Group Executive of ICB Products Group, Image Communication Business Operation.

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

What is Canon’s main strategic focus going forward into the next product cycle?

We can break down our focus into two areas: improving our network connectivity and video. We still have a lot of room to grow in the video area in terms of what we can offer. And in terms of customer strategy, we want to continue to build new users, specifically enticing more entry-level users.

Where do you see most demand for 4K, and are you beginning to see beginners ask for 4K video?

Whether you’re a professional or at the entry-level, you likely want high-quality video. And we think there is potential for the entry-level to grow. So we will obviously be looking at introducing our 4K technologies down to the entry-levels at some point.

But introducing 4K to the entry-level is linked to the 4K TV market. How quickly that takes off and penetrates will tell us how and when we should introduce 4K to more affordable cameras. 

Looking at 4K TV saturation, what kind of time-frame does that suggest and when do you think it will be necessary to have 4K in every part of your product line?

We obviously have to look at the technical feasibility of it, cost-wise, as well as [the challenge of power consumption]. Those factors will tell us how we will introduce 4K technologies going forward.

We will continue to challenge and overcome these technical hurdles that we are seeing at moment in introducing 4K into our entire product lineup. But it is important to keep in mind that we don’t want to harm the original inherent concept of these products. 4K should compliment, rather than hinder.

The Canon EOS Rebel T7i was announced earlier this month. It shoots 1080/60p. Will we ever see a Rebel with 4K video? Probably, it’s just a matter of when.  

Does Canon have any ambitions to become a manufacturer of high quality monitor displays for enthusiasts and consumers?

We don’t have any plans to enter the consumer display panel market.

We’ve seen companies creating affordable cine lenses for mirrorless videographers. Do you see an opportunity in that market segment?

The Cinema Lens market, including for mirrorless, is a great market. When it comes to cinema lenses you have demand for everything from the professional to the affordable. Overall we’d like to increase the breadth of our share of the market on the affordable end. So we will continue to spend our efforts on that.

The EOS M series continues to expand. What is the long term goal of the M series in terms of market share?

That is a difficult question to respond to with a simple answer because we don’t have a particular number set in terms of getting the market share for the mirrorless market. This is because we are a company that produces [both mirrorless and DSLR], as a total package.

Our intention is to become number one in the overall ILC market: mirrorless and SLR. Different regions would have different penetration and different market share of mirrorless products.

The EOS M5 is Canon’s flagship mirrorless camera. 

Specifically, which markets are leaning more toward mirrorless and which more toward SLR?

In the Southeast Asian market we’re seeing a real high demand for mirrorless, while the US has the least mirrorless penetration. In terms of the Japanese market we’re seeing a slight majority [of] mirrorless at this time. But having said that, compared to two years ago we’re now seeing a slowing down of mirrorless taking over. We were expecting to see more mirrorless taking off, keeping that momentum, but that has not happened.

Do you think there could be a professional-level EOS M model sometime in the future?

Obviously we think it could be possible, there is a potential, but we do not want to put a time frame on that.

Do you think in a similar way, we may begin to see the L-series lens line expand into EF-M?

The demand for that is still quite limited and so we won’t be able to say. But obviously as people start to look for more professional-level quality and performance, we will extend our lens line to respond to what the customer is looking for.

Canon has yet to introduce a Dual I.S. system into its mirrorless cameras for fear the stabilized sensor will increase the size and weight.

If the EOS M series begins to eat away at sales of Rebel DSLRs, do you regard that as a good thing or a bad thing, or is it just inevitable?

We’re letting the customer, market and demand tell us how we should go about approaching different regions. Because if you’re looking at a market with a high level of mirrorless penetration, we would obviously look to push forward with the EOS M series in that region. And we will watch and see: are Rebel users moving on to the EOS M? Frankly, if that becomes inevitable, it is something we will support. Having said that, overall we are looking to simply be number one the combined SLR and mirrorless market, offering a total package.

Has there been any demand from customers to introduce something like Dual IS into Canon’s mirrorless cameras?

We do get customers saying they want more and better IS. However, in the mirrorless market for us, it’s all about satisfying the desire for a small, light-weight camera. In terms of introducing sensor-based stabilization into our EOS-M series, I think it will add weight, which might deter some of our mirrorless customers. Which is why we think optical IS is the way to go for us.

That said, we are aware that our competitors have already introduced this style of sensor-based stabilization. And we do see the merits of having optical and sensor based IS working together. What we’re looking at is trying to evolve ourselves in terms of developing technology so that we can downsize and reduce the weight of a sensor-based IS system.

You’d mentioned Wi-Fi capability being an area of focus in the future. Is that a result of user feedback? If so, what kind of feedback have users given?

Yes that is the result of direct user feedback, like that from our customer service centers. Most responses are regarding “how to use” Wi-Fi, which implies that many customers find it difficult to use. Overall, we can summarize what customers are looking for, regarding connectivity, is overall ease-of-use. To respond to that demand, we’re working to make connecting simpler and have incorporated Bluetooth technology into some of our cameras.

Do you have any plans to enter the VR or 360 markets?

We’re always looking to see what sorts of new visual means of expression we can offer to our customers, 360 imaging included. So, yes, we are considering how we can leverage 360 technology.

That said, we’re already seeing a lot of 360 cameras out there in the market. There are many players at the moment, but none have actually achieved big, great success. I think that’s telling, [and suggests that] that there is something lacking. In other words, if we were to come out with a Canon 360 camera, we would need to have Canon-like added value, ideas and concepts. Unless we do that I think there’s no meaning.

Do you think 360 is going to become the next 3D, where people talk about it for a few years, then it just goes away?

There is a lot of hype at the moment. But in terms of new visual expression, I think there is a value 360 technology adds to the visual world. i don’t think it will die out as 3D did.

Another way to look at it is 360 technology is not just about taking the photo, or the satisfaction of making an image , but how to display it, and how to leverage what you’ve actually taken. I think there has to be a total package for 360 technology to advance into the future. 

Will Canon introduce a VR camera like Nikon did with the KeyMission 360? Only if they see it adding value to the market.

We’ve seen several brands put out retro-style cameras in recent years. Canon has a long history in the analog camera market. Has there been any talk of launching a product that is a throwback to Canon’s film heritage?

I can’t give a detailed answer to this question, but we do have these customer demands and we’re hearing them. But it’s not to say we’ll be shifting a lot of focus onto such a product, but its rather we are feeling out of what the customer is looking for at the moment.

However I don’t think making such a camera is just about the retro design, it’s about having a retro look and feel, but with the evolution of features Canon currently has to offer.

Tokyo Olympics are coming up in 2020, obviously we’ll see Canon and Nikon DSLR lenses on the sidelines. but how long do you think it will be before we see mirrorless cameras shooting major sporting events?

It’s difficult to project into the future. Looking at mirrorless and it’s current state at the moment, and the timeframe between now and 2020, I don’t think I can envisage mirrorless at the Olympic games.

People [like Reuters, AP etc.] who come as press to something like the Olympics and bring their own gear, obviously they can’t make mistakes – its a once in lifetime opportunity. So my guess is the majority will still be using the cameras they are used to for the time being. In other words, DSLRs.

Film sales are up in 2017. Has there been any talk of perhaps introducing a new Canon film camera? Like an EOS 1V Mark II?

I can say in terms of new products: doubtful. But there are people who still love film and we still offer the EOS-1v from our existing line of film cameras.

Editor’s note:

We’ve interviewed Mr Tokura on several previous occasions, and we were pleasantly surprised with the responses what we received to a lot of questions. 

Specifically, it is encouraging to hear just how much Canon values the feedback of its customers. It seems like a lot of decisions about the future are based, at least in part, on customer feedback. All the more reason to be a vocal consumer!

On the same point, it’s exciting to hear that Canon is beginning to regard 4K video capture as something that perhaps it needs to offer in all ILC products, regardless of price. I just hope it makes its way to the Rebel series soon. 

Canon’s response to our question about a potential entry in the VR realm was interesting. Essentially, they feel that it is something they will only commit to if they truly feel like they can launch a 360 product that will do right by their customers. 

On a similar note, though we may never see an a digital reincarnation of the AE-1, it’s pretty cool to hear that Canon is aware of a customer desire for a retro-designed Canon camera, but (unsurprisingly) won’t make one unless it marries current tech with old-school design principles. 

That said, we were a little disappointed to see Canon continue to view mirrorless as a consumer technology and not as something with a potential, in the near future, to be something pro sports and photojournalists reach for.

Canon is a brand with a strong identity, and while we at DPReview may feel like perhaps they entered the mirrorless market a little on the late side, Canon’s caution into jumping into industry trends too quickly doesn’t seem to have done the company any obvious harm. But please, give us 4K at the consumer level. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2017 – Sigma interview: ‘We’ve learned that some customers require exceptional lens performance’

27 Feb
Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma Corporation, pictured at CP+ 2017, with Sigma’s new 14mm F1.8.

Sigma released four lenses at this year’s CP+ show in Yokohama – the 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art, 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art, 135mm F1.8 DG HSM Art and 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM. We’re at the show, where we made time to sit down with Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, to find our more about the new lenses. 

You’ve told me previously that you really want Sigma to make more wideangle lenses. Do you think you’re achieving that goal with the 12-24mm and new 14mm?

Yes, but I’m still not satisfied. I think we need to make more wide-angle lenses. A fast 14mm was one of the lenses that our customers were asking for. Most existing 14mm lenses are F2.8, so F1.8 was a challenge.

The new Sigma 14mm F1.8 is the fastest lens of its kind, and according to Sigma, should outperform competitive, slower designs from other manufacturers.

What have you learned, from making the Art series?

We’ve learned that some customers require exceptional lens performance. We believe that our mission is to make products that other manufacturers don’t have. If we just released similarly-specified lenses to existing models, we wouldn’t be contributing to the industry, or benefiting customers. So our Art series is meant to provide the best performance.

They’re bulky and heavy, it’s true, but our customers like them because of the performance. That’s what we learned.

Hands-on with Sigma MC-11 (CP+ 2016)

You now make a mount adapter for Sony E-mount, but are you planning native support for the Sony E-mount in the future?

Yes, that’s our plan. Our plan is to develop full-frame lenses for Sony E mount, and in the future we will have more E mount lenses. But it takes time. Normally it takes about two years to develop one lens, sometimes three. So even if I start the process now, the lens might come out in two years time.

Sigma’s new Art-series lenses have a degree of weather-sealing – why now?

It’s based on customer demand. Some of our customers said that rain and snow sometimes got into the lens mount, so they wanted sealing. And the other reason is that it’s becoming a trend. Other manufacturers are offering sealed mounts.

Does that make the design process more complex?

No, not really. The only seal is around the lens mount. It’s not a perfect weather-proofing like our Sports series. The 150-600mm for instance has sealing everywhere, on the focus ring and zoom ring.

Of the lenses in the Global Vision line, which were the most complex to bring to market?

Our 12-24mm zoom. Because that lenses uses a very large aspherical element, and at the time, no other company was producing an element of this kind, and there were no machines capable of producing it. So we designed a custom machine to make that element. But as a result of developing that technology, we were able to create this new 14mm F1.8.

The Sigma 12-24mm ultra-wide zoom is a complex design, containing a very large aspherical (front) element.

The Global Vision line is almost five years old. What are you most proud of?

Firstly, I’m still not satisfied. We need to do more. But these days, I’m pretty happy that people regard Sigma as a high-quality company. In the past, some people regarded Sigma as just another third-party lens manufacturer, and maybe even as a cheap, low-quality lens supplier. But people’s perception has been changing, gradually, and I’m very happy about that.

One of the things that professional Canon and Nikon photographers rely on is the support networks for service, like CPS and NPS. Is a professional service support system something that Sigma is interested in creating?

I think we’ll have to. In Japan we’ve already started a pro support project, and I hope we can create a global professional support system very soon.

In the past you’ve expressed concern that you don’t want Sigma to grow too much, too quickly, because this might threaten some the magic of being a small company. Is this something that you’re still worried about?

Growing too fast is not good. We need to grow, but we should grow gradually. We need to develop our capability to produce higher-quality products. That’s the priority. Then turnover, and sales, and profit will follow. We do not prioritize making the company bigger. We focus on product quality, and technology.

Over the past five years, we’ve actually been making fewer lenses, because we decreased the number of cheaper lenses we were producing. But we’ve expanded our manufacturing capacity, because the higher-end lenses use more glass. Cheaper lenses might use 10-15 elements, but these higher quality lenses use 15-20, sometimes even more elements. So more capacity is needed to make a single lens. We’ve actually invested massively in the past five years.

Sigma and Fujifilm have recently introduced lineups of cine lenses. How much growth do you see in this segment?

We don’t know. Even before I decided to get into the cine lens market, I tried to collect market data, but there’s no data out there. It’s not available. It’s only anecdotal. But we guessed that this segment will grow in the future.

Video has lower resolution demands than stills, but we’ve been designing lenses for 36+ megapixel sensors for several years. That is equivalent to 8K, in video terms. A lot of traditional cine lenses aren’t that high resolution. Our lenses might be more affordable, but they’re top quality.

The Sigma Cine lens range includes a geared version of the company’s 18-35mm F1.8, now known as the 18-35mm T2. The lens covers the Super 35 format and requires a roughly 350 degree rotation to zoom from 18-35mm, allowing very precise control.

Do you have a market share target for your cine lenses?

No, we’re waiting to see how the market develops. We can dream, but it’s not the same thing!

Editors’ note:

We always enjoy speaking to Mr Yamaki, partly because on the occasions when we get the opportunity to do so, it’s usually because he’s just unveiled something really interesting. Mostly though, we enjoy speaking to Sigma’s CEO because he’s a nice guy. Open, honest, and candid about Sigma’s plans and ambitions, Mr Yamaki is well-liked in the photography industry, even by his competitors.

Speaking of competitors, I get the feeling that Mr Yamaki was compelled to deliver the new 14mm F1.8 partly out of a general disappointment with the available options for photographers. Sigma has a strong history of innovating in the wide and ultra-wide market, and the new 14mm, alongside the previously-released 12-24mm certainly look like a confident statement of intent. If the 14mm is as good as Mr Yamaki claims (and we are rarely disappointed by the optical performance of Sigma’s Art series) it looks set to be a reference lens for landscape, architectural and astrophotographers. We’re hoping to be able to post a gallery of samples very soon – watch this space.

Also interesting, is another statement of intent – Sigma’s move into affordable cine lenses. While the company is not competing (yet) with the Arris of this world, or with Canon’s Cinema EOS optics, Sigma (like Fujifilm) sees an opportunity to cater to a newer generation of videographers who are working with mirrorless systems. Optically, Sigma’s cine lenses should be top notch, although being based on existing stills lens designs, we’re told that some qualities, such as focus breathing, might cause issues for professional broadcast and film cinematographers. There is a reason, after all, that high-end professional cine lenses can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

So what next for Sigma? We wouldn’t be surprised if Mr Yamaki is working on more wideangle lenses, and following the new 24-70mm F2.8, it seems likely that the company will refresh its 70-200mm F2.8 in the near future, too. More Sony E-mount optics are also on the way, we’re told, which will be welcome news to Sony a7-series users.  

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2017 – Fujifilm Interview: ‘We hope that the GFX will change how people view medium format’

24 Feb
Toshihisa Iida, General Manager of Fujifilm’s Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division, posing with the new medium-format GFX 50S.

We’re at the CP+ 2017 show, in Yokohama Japan where Fujifilm is preparing to ship its long-awaited medium format GFX 50S. 

We sat down with three Fujifilm executives, Toshihisa Iida, (general manager of Fujifilm’s Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division), Makoto Oishi, (manager of Fujifilm’s Sales and Marketing Group, Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products division), and Shinichiro Udono, (Senior Manager for the Sales and Marketing Group of the Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Division), to learn more about the GFX, some of the challenges of creating a medium-format system, and future plans for GX and X series development.

Now that the GFX is ready, and about to ship, this must be quite exciting for you.

Yes, absolutely. For the past four or five years we’ve been concentrating on the APS-C format, and a lot of people were asking us when we’d enter the larger format market. Once some time had passed, and we’d produced a good number of APS-C lenses, we started to look more seriously at large format to attract more customers. That was about two years ago.

The GFX 50S is a mirrorless medium-format camera built around a 43.8 X 32.9mm CMOS sensor. Although the camera borrows a lot of design cues from its smaller X Series cousins, the GFX offers a very different handling experience. Despite being based around such a large sensor, the combination of camera and 63mm prime lens is surprisingly lightweight and very well-balanced. 

Since the development announcement at Photokina we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from photographers. We started a program called the ‘GFX Challenge’, where we loaned GFX cameras to photographers from various fields, in order to get feedback. Based on that feedback we refined the camera’s software. Now that we’re almost ready to ship, I can’t wait to get feedback from customers.

What kind of changes resulted from the Challenge feedback?

Most feedback was more or less as we’d expected. Photographers were surprised by how small and light the camera was. We made a few changes on the firmware side, mostly small refinements, like how the dials work, for example, to make it less likely that you’ll make an accidental control input (etc.)

What were the biggest technical challenges that you faced when moving from APS-C to medium format?

The sensor size is 4X as large, so speed and responsiveness were two major challenges. Readout speed, processing and autofocus.

Makoto Oishi shows off the 50MP medium-format sensor used in the GFX 50S.

The GFX does not offer phase-detection – are the lenses designed to support this in the future?

Yes, definitely.

You’re joining Ricoh in the medium format market, and some long-established brands like Hasselblad and Phase One. Are you expecting other manufacturers to enter this market too?

We don’t know. Obviously, the other brands are focusing on full-frame at the moment. Obviously though we’d welcome any brand that joins this category, because it will increase awareness, and help the category as a whole.

When you were planning a product like the GFX, did you come up with any predictions about the growth of the medium-format market?

At the moment we’re just focusing on making the best product we can. We hope that the GFX will change how people view medium format, and this will help to grow the entire category.

What’s your medium-term strategy for growth in this product line? Will there be longer product cycles, for instance?

Obviously the sales volume will be lower, so the product life cycle will probably be longer. But whenever we have the right combination of the right hardware, the right sensor and the right processor, we’ll introduce a new camera.

When you were planning the GFX, what kind of photographers did you have in mind?

After our experience with the GFX challenge, we actually see a much wider potential audience than we’d originally thought. It will depend on what kinds of lenses we introduce. For example, we didn’t think that street photographers would use medium format much, but [based on feedback] we hope that we can reach a broader audience.

You have a six-lens roadmap for GFX right now – how will this lineup evolve?

After the announcement of the GFX we started to get a lot of requests from photographers about other lenses. For example a lot of photographers are asking us for telephoto lenses, in the 200-300mm range. Nature photographers for example. Also people are asking for a wide-angle, like a 15mm equivalent, and an equivalent to the 70-200mm on full-frame.

Fujifilm’s recently updated lens roadmap for the APS-C X Series, including new lenses coming next year. We’re told that ultra-wide and fast tele lenses have been requested for the GFX platform, too. 

If you do develop those kinds of longer lenses, aimed at wildlife photographers, presumably the autofocus system will need to be able to keep up?

The autofocus algorithm in the GFX is the same as in the X Series, but performance is different. The readout speed of the sensor is critical, and that’s not the same. Compared to the X Series, the speed is more limited.

Is this something you’ll be working on in the future?

Yes absolutely.

When you started coming up with the concept for a medium format camera, did you ever consider using a non-mirrorless design?

When we started studying the possible design, we were aware that some of our customers wanted a rangefinder-style camera. ‘It’s a Fujifilm medium-format, it has to be a rangefinder!’ However, at least in our first-generation camera, we wanted to reach a wider audience. We concluded that a mirrorless design would be much more versatile. Mirrorless gives us more freedom, and more flexibility.

The GFX’s 50MP sensor is 4X larger than the APS-C sensors in Fujifilm’s X Series cameras. This entails a lot of extra processing power, which is one of the reasons why the GFX sensor has a conventional bayer pattern filter array. 

Was it easier, ultimately, to design around a mirrorless concept?

There are fewer mechanical parts, which is simpler. No mirror or pentaprism also means smaller size and weight.

Did you design this camera with the intention that customers could use adapted lenses from other systems?

Yes of course. We made the flange-back distance short enough to accommodate mount adapters for legacy lenses. We are making two adapters, one for H (Hasselblad) mount, and one for view cameras.

When will we begin to see mirrorless cameras take over the professional market?

There are several things that mirrorless manufacturers need to focus on. Number one is speed, still, to attract sports photographers. Also viewfinder blackout, we need to innovate there. Maybe one more processor and sensor generation should be enough to make mirrorless beat DSLRs in every respect.

By the time of the Tokyo 2020 olympics, will there be mirrorless cameras on the sidelines?

I think so, yes.

From Fujifilm?

Hopefully!

Can you tell us about the new Fujinon cine lenses that you’ve released?

Yesterday we announced new Fujinon cine lenses, in what we’re calling the ‘MK series. Fully manual zooms, and manual focus. Initially we’re introducing them in E-Mount versions, but X mount will follow. They’re designed to cover Super 35. The flange-back distance of E and X mount are very similar, so we can use the same optics.

The new Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 and 50-135mm T2.9 cover the Super 35 imaging area (~APS-C) and are being released in Sony E and Fujifilm X mount.

We have an optical devices division, which markets broadcast and cinema lenses, and I really want to maximize synergies between the broadcast and photography divisions.

Fujinon is well-known in cinema lenses, but until now, the lenses have been very big and very expensive. But now we’re looking at a new kind of video customer, who’s getting into the market via mirrorless. Mostly they’re using SLR lenses, which aren’t perfect. So a lot of those customers are looking for more affordable cinema lenses.

Do you see most potential in the E-mount, for video?

Yes, we think so. But obviously we’re releasing these lenses in X-mount too, and increasing movie quality in the X Series is very important. Traditionally, Fujifilm has been more of a stills company, but when we introduced the X-T2, we had a lot of good feedback about the 4K video, especially about color. Of course we need to do more, and we need to develop more technology, but I think there’s a lot of potential.

For now, Fujifilm tells us that they see most potential in videographers using Sony’s E-mount mirrorless cameras, but the company has ambitious plans to expand the video functionality of its X Series range. 

Moving on to the X100F – what was the main feedback from X100T users, in terms of things that they wanted changed?

A lot of customers wanted improved one-handed operability. So we moved all the buttons to the right of the LCD, like the X-Pro 2. And the integrated ISO and shutter speed dial, for instance.

The lens remains unchanged – why is this?

We looked into whether we should change it, but it would have affected the size of the camera, and we concluded that the form-factor is one of the most important selling-points of the X100 series. Of course we evaluated the image quality, with the new 24MP sensor, but concluded that it was still good.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The X100F features the same 23mm F2 lens as its predecessors, but Fujifilm ran the numbers and saw no reason to update the lens for 24MP. We do wish there was a 28mm version, though.  

Do your customers ask you for an X100-series camera with a 28mm lens?

Yes, of course. That’s why we have the 28mm wide converter for the X100, and the X70. And there’s potential to expand the fixed-lens APS-C camera range more.

Will X-Trans continue in the next generation of APS-C sensors?

For APS-C, definitely. For the GFX format, we’ll probably continue with the conventional bayer pattern. If you try to put X-Trans into medium format, the processing gets complicated, and the benefit isn’t very big.

How big is the extra processing requirement for X-Trans compared to bayer?

X-Trans is a 6×6 filter arrangement, not 4×4, it’s something like a 20-30% increase in processing requirement. 

Editor’s note:

It’s exciting to pick up and use a production-quality GFX 50S, after writing about it for so many months, and Fujifilm’s senior executives are understandably keen to get the camera in the hands of photographers. Due to ship in just a few days, the GFX looks like a hugely impressive product,. We’ll have to wait for Raw support to take a really detailed look at what the camera can do, but our early shooting suggests that image quality really is superb. 

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It was interesting to learn a little about the feedback process, by which Fujifilm gathered notes, impressions, and suggestions from professional photographers after the launch of the GFX last year. The end result is a very nicely balanced camera, both literally (it’s surprisingly lightweight) and figuratively. Although obviously very different to the X series APS-C models, the GFX is simple to figure out, and easy to shoot with. When Mr Iida says that he hopes that ‘the GFX will change how people view medium format’, part of this comes down to handling. 

It was also interesting to hear that Fujifilm considered other types of design for the GFX. Are there concept renderings somewhere of an SLR design, or a rangefinder? Probably. Will we ever see a medium-format SLR or mirrorless from Fujifilm? Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company releases a rangefinder styled medium-format mirrorless. An X-Pro 2-style camera with a medium-format sensor and a hybrid viewfinder? Yes please.

For now though, the GFX is quite enough camera to be getting on with. Beyond medium-format, indeed beyond still imaging, Fujifilm is eyeing the video market. While Fujinon cine lenses have been popular in the film industry for decades, Mr Iida has his eye on a new generation of videographers, who are growing up using mirrorless cameras like Sony’s a7S and a7R-series. This makes sense, but it’s interesting that the new Fujinon zooms will also be manufactured in X mount versions. This level of confidence from Fujifilm in its X series’ video capabilities is good to see, and bodes well for future product development. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Exclusive interview: Olympus R&D on continued E-M1 Mark II development

01 Feb
Conference room to conference room: Setting up for a cross-Pacific meeting.

Over the years, Olympus has steadily released firmware updates to its previous flagship, the OM-D E-M1. It currently sits at firmware version 4.3, and in the interim, updates have added features such as Live Composite and Live Boost II, and also included functional improvements to such aspects as continuous autofocus performance, image display lag time and more.

Bearing this in mind, it stands to reason that Olympus would be planning a similar treatment with regards to the E-M1 Mark II. Since its surprise reveal at Photokina 2016, and particularly since we’ve published our full review, we’ve emailed back and forth with both feedback and feature requests for Olympus Tokyo to consider in future firmware updates. This all culminated in an international video conference call last week, where we learned a great deal about just what Olympus’ has in store.

“I would like to promise that we will be improving and evolving [the E-M1 Mark II] with firmware upgrades.” – Mr. Takao Takasu, E-M1 Mark II Product Development

It’s important to point out that the Olympus engineers we met with are understandably unable to confirm specifics such as when (or if) certain improvements will come to the E-M1 II, but they are at the very least committed to confirming some items that they are ‘working on.’ The most notable of these include:

  • Adding ‘Auto ISO’ capability to manual video shooting
  • Allowing for control of autofocus racking speed while shooting video
  • Clarifying and enhancing customizability of continuous autofocus behavior beyond the current -2 to +2 ‘tight to loose’ scale
  • Working on the AF algorithm to improve tracking performance
  • Enable the ability to enter playback and menus while the buffer is clearing

To see considerations as significant as refinement of the autofocus algorithm this early in a product cycle is encouraging. Olympus is adamant (and, given what we’ve found in our full review, rightfully so) that the E-M1 II is part of a system that can appeal to professional shooters looking for a more compact kit without sacrificing anything in terms of overall speed. Admittedly the smaller Four Thirds sensor lags behind many cheaper APS-C and Full Frame solutions with regards to low light and noise performance, but no other camera offers 18fps Raw burst shooting with continuous autofocus, and the smaller sensor in the E-M1 II is precisely what allows the camera to do so.

“We will try to improve playback function during data recording.”- Mr. Katsuhisa Kawaguchi, Continuous Shooting

In addition to letting us know what they’re working on for future firmware upgrades, Olympus gave us some further insight into some of the E-M1 II’s headline capabilities.

With regard to autofocus during burst shooting, the camera is able to capture and analyze phase-detection autofocus information of the image that has just been captured to use it in tandem with Live View autofocus information for more accurate prediction of subject movement – this is all meant to improve tracking performance.

The in-body image stabilization system currently allows around 5.5 stops of image stabilization at 40mm (80mm equiv.) focal length, with shorter focal lengths reducing overall effectiveness, as with shorter focal lengths, you have ever lengthening exposure times where body shake – as opposed to hand shake – becomes dominant (this is true of all IS systems). Smaller amplitude and higher-frequency shaking from hand shake is far easier to engineer for in terms of sensor movement than high amplitude, slow-frequency shake from a photographer’s whole body.

“Our [image stabilization] becoming very, very sensitive. But we are not satisfied with the current performance and will continue to improve.” – Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Image Stabilization System

There are, of course, reports of users getting sharp shots at shutter speeds ranging from 2-10 seconds, though these users are also bracing against larger body movements by leaning on a wall, or placing elbows on a desk.

As with its predecessor, weather sealing and durability was a big point of emphasis on the E-M1 Mark II.

That being said, the engineers stated that they are aiming to push image stabilization technology even farther than the 6.5 stops afforded when the E-M1 II is paired with an image stabilized lens, such as the 300mm F4 Pro or 12-100mm F4 Pro. We asked them how they aim to do this, and were greeted with a wry smile or two – certainly indicative of some confidence in their ongoing development. 

Olympus was also able to tell us that the E-M1 II was ‘benchmarked’ against competitors’ models, with a concerted effort being made to improve upon them. In this vein, particular attention was paid to speed of image playback (which is blazingly fast, and highly important considering the burst speeds), JPEG tonality, noise reduction and overall quality (important for quickly filing photos on, say, breaking news assignments), and run-and-gun movie capability, especially in terms of movie image stabilization.

“We have achieved high quality 4K shooting without a tripod or stabilizer.” – Mr. Kazuhiro Haneda, Video

It’s clear that Olympus is proud of the E-M1 Mark II, and is serious about tackling its shortcomings with firmware upgrades wherever possible. One thing they won’t be able to fix with firmware is one of the E-M1 II’s biggest criticisms: the price remains prohibitively high for many. 

But given what Olympus is already aiming to tackle, those investing in the Olympus system for the long term are likely to be rewarded. It’s become more common practice over the past few years to bring updates to camera models (particularly flagships) throughout the product cycle. It’s encouraging to see Olympus continue this going forward, not only in terms of usability and technical improvements, but perhaps new features as well – we’ll just have to wait and see.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Interview: Fujifilm talks GFX, X100F and getting serious about video

24 Jan
 Makoto Oishi, Billy Luong and Yuji Igarashi from Fujifilm

Following the launch of the GFX 50S, the X100F and the X-T20, we spoke to Fujifilm executives about their models, their ambitions and what we might be able to expect in the future in terms of medium format, the XE range and video. 

We spoke to Makoto Oishi, manager of Fujifilm’s Sales and Marketing Group, Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products division, Yuji Igarashi, general manager of Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Division, and Billy Luong, Manager for the Technical Marketing and Product Specialist Group. They answered our burning questions as best they could: Will the GFX series gain phase detection AF? Will it ever have a fixed lens model? How is the X-E series faring?

GFX 50S: who is it for, and what’s next?

As you’d expect, we started by discussing the GFX 50S and who it’s for. ‘Fashion, commercial and landscape photographers are the main targets,’ says Oishi. ‘And especially when it comes to landscape, it’s not just professional photographers, but also amateur photographers.’

‘The tonality and dynamic range also mean it’ll appeal to wedding photographers,’ adds Luong. ‘And architecture,’ says Oishi: ‘But you can see from the weather sealing that we want landscape and outdoor photographers to feel confident using this camera.’

Consequently, these users groups will direct which lenses the company creates for the system. ‘We’ve already announced our first six lenses but we’re thinking about what comes next,’ says Oishi: ‘We have some ideas but haven’t decided yet. For example maybe a wide-angle zoom for landscape photographers or maybe something like a 200 or 250mm and so on. We want more feedback from users about what to make next.’

Image quality and autofocus

In the early days of the X-mount system, the company said it had chosen to prioritize image quality even if it that meant using a design with slightly slower focus. This compromise wasn’t necessary with the GFX, Oishi says: ‘The first priority must be image quality, of course. After our experience with the X-series we’ve developed a series of technologies in lens design as well as autofocus motors.’

The GFX 50S is designed to be relatively small and swap easily from being a studio camera to a field camera. The 50mm-equivalent 63mm F2.8 lens focuses pretty quickly despite the absence of phase-detection elements or a linear motor to drive focus.

‘Some of the first [GF] lenses have linear motors, whereas the 63mm has a different motor, more like the one used in the 23mm F2. The autofocus speed is already very good: we haven’t had any complaints. Instead we’ve had some users surprised by how fast the contrast-detection system is.’

This doesn’t mean the GFX series will never have phase detection, though. ‘This is our first development of this sensor,’ says Oishi: ‘we’d have needed more time to develop on-sensor phase detection. The image quality of medium format is our first priority. From a technical point of view, maybe in the future we might incorporate phase-detection pixels. On the other hand, we’re already developed advanced CDAF algorithms.’ There’s no image quality cost to using phase detection, he says.

‘We’re designing all our GF lenses to work with 100 megapixels, so there’s just as much of a challenge of resolution’ – Makoto Oishi

This need for optimal image quality got us wondering: which is more difficult to design, an F1.4 lens for APS-C or an F2.8 lens with the IQ expectations but less dense sensor of medium format? ‘The fundamental design doesn’t change,’ says Oishi: ‘things like the availability of an appropriate autofocus motor to deal with bigger, heavier lenses in medium format always adds problems. They’re both difficult, both to design and manufacture.’

‘The medium format lens is physically bigger which seems like it should be easier to manufacture but you have to pay just as much attention to how sensitively each element is aligned. I’d say they’re both difficult. Differently difficult.’

‘One thing to remember is that we’re designing all our GF lenses to work with 100 megapixels, so there’s just as much of a challenge of resolution.’

‘As the sensor becomes bigger, that means chromatic aberration becomes bigger: it’s proportional to the size. In GFX we’ve minimized aberrations optically and the used digital compensation only to refine the final result, and it depends on lens.’

Makoto Oishi shows-off the GFX 50S’s 44x33mm sensor

As with the X series, Fujifilm has decided not to use in-body image stabilization. ‘Some of the lenses we’ve already announced have OIS built in,’ Oishi points out: ‘but basically our image circle is perfect for the 44 x 33mm sensor size.’

The undeniable appeal of the X100 series

The discussion then turned to the X100 series and its role in the company’s lineup, now that a 23mm F2 lens is available for the X-mount system.

‘Of course using the 23mm F2 on one of our X-mount cameras, you get the same sensor, the same processor, but they’re two different things,’ says Oishi. ‘The X100 lens and sensor are optimized to work together, [whereas] on the ILCs, the sensor has to work with every lens. This means the X100’s image quality can be very good but the lens remains small. The 23mm F2 [XF] lens is also good, the size is a bit bigger but the autofocus can be a bit faster. Then, of course, the X100 series has the optical viewfinder.’

‘A good proportion of our customers are saying the X100 brought back their passion for photography’ – Billy Luong

‘The X100 also has a leaf shutter and built-in ND filter, which make a big difference,’ says Luong: ‘The faster sync speed is an important difference for anyone using flash. Then there’s the silent operation.’

But the appeal is about the format, as much as the specs, suggests Oishi: ‘The X100 series presents a great opportunity: the body size means it works as a second camera for anyone: not just Fujifilm users. If they fall in love with your system then maybe they’ll consider your cameras in future.’

Luong concurs: ‘It’s an iconic shape, it has a distinctive style. Some customers are at the point where they’re done with interchangeable lens camera, they just want the one focal length.’

 ‘The X100 series continues to perform well. In the US, each generation has sold better than the last,’ says Yuji Igarashi.

So who is the X100 series customer? ‘Normally 30% of buyers are people who already use an X100 series camera. But we’re always attracting new customers, too,’ says Oishi.

‘We look at how we retain our customers,’ says Luong: ‘the X100 is often photographers’ first foray into the Fujifilm system. The size, the weight, the image quality. A good proportion of our customers are saying the X100 brought back their passion for photography. That type of person is very much part of the equation.’

Could these same benefits be applied to medium format, we asked. ‘Of course it could be an idea for medium format,’ says Oishi: ‘it depends on demand and the market. The GFX 50S is one style: the ‘S’ means ‘SLR-style.’ Another way to do it would be a rangefinder style camera. Maybe an ‘R’ could be a rangefinder: we’re always considering other options and possibilities.’

‘If mirrorless interchangeable lens camera is too big as a rangefinder style, a fixed lens camera could be smaller, like the GF670.’

X-T20: putting X-T2 image quality in a smaller body

The SLR-style has wide appeal, Luong explains: ‘The SLR style targets a wider audience. We find pro and enthusiast photographers gravitate towards the SLR-style camera. Back to the GFX camera, that’s why we went with the SLR style.’

What does this tell us about the X-T20 target customer, then?

‘There will be a lot of X-T2 and X-T1 users wanting a second body,’ says Luong. ‘Then, of course, there’ll be people wanting X-T2 image quality in a more compact body. It could be a step up from the X-A series or a step over from an entry-level DSLR to a mirrorless type camera.’

‘We wanted to expand the range of users with the X-T10,’ says Oishi. ‘The X-T20 has more capability than ever before, in autofocus, for instance. For casual users, AF speed is important, especially compared with other cameras, such as DSLRs.’

Touchpad AF

However, the X-T20 doesn’t offer the increasingly popular ‘touchpad’ function to control the AF point with the camera to your eye. Mr Oishi explains why: ‘It’s possible. We know some people have difficulty with their nose operating the focus. We think our eight-way joystick is better in many circumstances but we’ll listen to feedback about a camera like the X-T20.’

The FujiFilm X-T20 offers X-T20 image quality in a smaller body. Despite having a touchscreen, it can’t offer touchpad AF control. For now…

This makes us wonder how the company decides which models feature touchscreens and which don’t. ‘It’s a question of the customer response,’ Oishi says. ‘The X100 has an optical viewfinder so it doesn’t make sense to put a touchscreen behind that. Maybe the joystick is better. With the X70, though, it’s a much smaller camera and you have to use the screen so it made sense to control with the screen.’

‘On the X-T20, we were trying to keep the camera small, so there wasn’t room for a joystick. So it depends on the product. It’s not about whether it’s seen as professional or not: the GFX has one.’

‘Product design for each model is focused on certain priorities,’ explains Luong: ‘X100 is about design. Even making it a couple of millimeters thicker to incorporate a touchscreen or tilt screen would make a big difference. It could change the design completely.’

‘We always think about the real target user’s priorities,’ says Oishi. ‘What does the target user want to use?’

Don’t count the X-E series out

The release of three SLR-style cameras in a row (X-T2, X-T20 and GFX 50S) doesn’t mean the company is abandoning the rangefinder style, though. ‘XE is an important series for us,’ Oishi says: ‘There are so many XE1, 2 and 2S users in the world. We are always thinking about the next model, whether that’s XT, XE or X-Pro. Obviously we can’t confirm anything at this point but we are aware there are many requests for this type of camera.’

Unmet needs?

With the X-series lineup looking increasingly mature, both in terms of lenses and bodies, what unmet needs remain?

‘Video is a big growth area for us,’ acknowledges Luong: ‘Our latest cameras such as the X-Pro2 and X-T2 show there’s a lot we’ve learned.’

 The Fujifilm X-T2 is a significantly more capable video camera than we were expecting.

And there’s an audience for video, he says: ‘If you look at who’s producing material, there’s a generation of YouTube content providers. People are increasingly watching content on their computers, on YouTube, rather than traditional TV.’

‘In Japan the developers worked very closely with production studios. A lot of their feedback shaped the outcome of the X-T2’s video quality and the way it operates.’

‘Features like Film Simulation, taking them from stills to video they found really useful but things such as bitrate, file format and compression, that came from us listening to feedback.’

‘Video is a big growth area for us, the X-Pro2 and X-T2 show there’s a lot we’ve learned’ – Billy Luong

There are challenges, though, says Oishi: ‘Movie AF is very difficult: it depends on the subject. Sometimes you want it to be quick, other times you want it to be slower and smooth.’

‘Whether it’s an algorithm that recognizes a tap on the screen should be a smooth focus pull, or potentially a custom setting, we’re very serious about getting it right,’ says Luong.

Does this mean we could expect an even more video-centric camera, given that all the X-series lenses are essentially in the Super 35 format?

‘We already have cinema lenses that are Super 35,’ Luong reminds us. ‘We’re continuing to develop video features, so we’ll continue to investigate.’

‘There’s a market there,’ Luong says.

Listening to customer feedback

Since the idea of user feedback had come up so often in the discussion, we ended by asking what the company’s process was for collecting feedback.

‘Our X Photographers: professionals who use the camera day in, day out, that’s the first line of feedback,’ says Luong: ‘It’s quite a large group. With the GFX we had something like 50 photographers around the world using pre-production cameras.’

‘We also monitor the comments on our YouTube channel and I personally scour through DPReview and try to work out which things are a must and which are ‘would be nice’.’

‘We don’t systematically seek feedback from our existing users,’ says Igarashi: ‘but we try to listen to everyone and evaluate those opinions.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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‘It’s about sharing your beautiful experience’: Nikon Photokina interview

26 Oct

Photokina 2016 gave us a chance to speak to Nikon about the models it’s showing, where the market is going and the challenges it faces.

It was a relatively quiet show for Nikon, with three KeyMission lifestyle cameras taking up as much space as the recently announced D3400 and 105mm F1.4 lens. We took the opportunity to speak to Naoki Kitaoka, Department Manager, Marketing Department and Masahiko Inoue, Group Manager, Marketing Group 2, to see how the company sees the market. Please note the following interview has been slightly edited for clarity and flow.

What’s the key mission of KeyMission?

We started by asking whether they foresaw DSLRs and other dedicated cameras returning to being the niche product they were at the end of the film era and where KeyMission fits in:

‘We don’t want to change our policy,’ said Kitaoka: ‘We will keep offering the best DSLR to the customer. On the other hand, smart devices are getting popular: almost everyone has one or two or three devices in their pocket. In the mobile era, we have to offer new solutions that are fit for the mobile era. We want to be the end to end solution for consumers. The KeyMission is one of our solutions I think.’

The KeyMission range, including the KeyMission 360 are aimed at ‘immediate immersive storytelling,’ the company says.

KeyMission, then, is intended as a way of bringing Nikon’s expertise to new customers, Inoue explains: ‘Our competence is high quality imagery. So we will continue to keep that our core competence and apply it into the KeyMissions.’

‘For instance, the lens in the KeyMission 360 has a very wide angle of view. But this kind of category needs the size to be wearable. Using our competence and some new techniques, we managed to keep the quality and realize the miniaturization.’

‘It’s a very wide-angle view. Very fast lens: F2.0. Very bright and very wide, normally that kind of lens is larger optical design but we try to do the miniaturization.’

As well as image quality and size, simplicity is another aim for the camera, says Kitaoka: ‘It is not just an action camera. With the KeyMission series, we are bringing to market the ultimate tools for immediate immersive storytelling. They also demonstrate the role Nikon technology can play in the exciting new field of VR.’

‘The concept is about sharing your beautiful experience.’ Inoue concurs.

This means making it easy to share a wide variety of content types, Kitaoka says: ‘We believe every single model, every single customer has a different image of sharing. We have expanded the categories we cover to include KeyMission so you can find your best camera, from KeyMission to DSLR. Additionally, different types of consumers with different purposes need different types of cameras for every mission. We don’t want to interrupt your adventure.’

The value of sharing

This need for simple sharing underpins the company’s plan to introduce a version of its SnapBridge sharing system across its entire model range: ‘Easy means setting up between camera and smartphone,’ says Kitaoka: ‘We launched the WMU app so we had kind of experience for this setup process. We tried to improve, to make the setting easier. But still some of you might feel it’s quite difficult. Now three or four steps are needed to connect camera to mobile phone. We are trying to reduce steps from four to one, and finally zero.’

‘Now three or four steps are needed to connect camera to mobile phone. We are trying to reduce steps from four to one, and finally zero’

The company has chosen the technology it thinks will help. ‘We use Bluetooth Low Energy so it can realize smart link,’ says Kitaoka. There’s a benefit to this technique, despite its low bandwidth, he explains: ‘If we use Bluetooth you can use Wi-Fi at the same time. Once you can shoot your story and then camera automatically sends your story to smartphone. Your Wi-Fi can stay connected to the internet: you don’t need to switch Wi-Fi from the camera to Internet. We wanted to make your steps easier.’

The future of Nikon 1

Moving on, we asked about the future of the Nikon 1 series and what role it now plays in expanding Nikon’s audience. Despite a dearth of releases, the cameras featured prominently on Nikon’s booth and both men spoke positively about the system’s future.

‘The Nikon 1 concept is fit for some customers,’ says Kitaoka: ‘For now we’ll keep Nikon 1 as usual.’ The sudden focus on KeyMission doesn’t take away from this, he explains: ‘as I told you before, the action category getting popular. [The] market [is] always changing so we launched KeyMission series to expand our customers.’

It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years since Nikon last released a Nikon 1 V-series body but we’re told the system is still part of the company’s plans.

Inoue elaborates: ‘Some manufacturers have tried to enter the DSLR market with their mirrorless camera or something. Our standpoint is different. Because our product mix covers full-frame and APS-C DSLR and the Nikon 1, these three product categories mean we offer to the full lineup and we receive each customer’s good reactions.’

‘And then we’re not seeing cannibalization between the DSLR and the Nikon 1: the customer is completely different.’

Totally different, but with an overlap

While this distinction is clear for the J and S models, we wondered whether this also applied to V series customers. ‘The J, S and V models are different categories, says Kitaoka: ‘the V series is sort of special, people they well know about DSLR, what is a photograph, they understand these ideas.’

The smaller size of the cameras provides a benefit for these customers, Kitaoka explains: ‘Sometimes you get work from a client that requires you to travel for the job and maybe go back to shoot more. In that kind of situation, sometimes the photographer doesn’t get enough money from their clients to carry their whole equipment because of the baggage costs of the airline.’

‘V3 helped them a lot. The telephoto lenses are smaller. Just in case, they use V series for second camera at the same time, so they can reduce the size of their systems.’

‘One of the most important features of the V series is the high frame rate and accuracy of autofocus. It’s fit for professional photographers’ demand. It’ll never be the main camera for a photographer but it can help them a lot.’

Neither man would be drawn on whether Nikon intends to concentrate on one of these 1 series user groups over the other. ‘We really recognize the mirrorless type of camera, the possibility and we always study [the market],’ says Inoue: ‘but sorry, we won’t be able to comment on future products.’

1V vs DL

On the topic of future products, we also weren’t able to get clarification on when to expect the much-delayed DL compacts, so we asked how these users were distinct from the Nikon 1 V series customer:

‘DL’s concept and target is users of the D800 series,’ says Inoue: ‘Of course the D800 is a very nice camera but the DL… Anytime and anywhere [you can] take a high quality picture by using the DL. It’s a very good second camera for that kind of user. Therefore the switching and the menu, the GUI, is in accordance with the DSLR equipment. That kind of DSLR customer can use the DL without any stress. Even the power switch is in the same position as on DSLR. Zooming dial right here.’

There’s still no news on when Nikon’s delayed DL series of 1″-type sensor compacts will arrive.

‘[They] borrow technology from Nikon 1 and DSLR. Of course the one inch sensor, on-sensor phase detection autofocus and high frame rate continuous shooting, everything from the Nikon 1, but the high quality images and the user interface and the Picture Quality control from our D series. Also the lens quality. You know, the DL has fast lenses with the nano crystal coating, but in a compact type of camera. This is the first time we’ve used that kind of technology in a DSC.’

Who uses video?

Finally, and continuing the theme of making models for more than one type of customer, we asked about the importance and challenges of video for Nikon.

‘There are two types of high end users [using video]’ explains Kikaota: ‘those who started [their careers] shooting still pictures, but also there are a lot of customers who started with video. In our company we have two types of customer. It’s difficult to make one solution to fit for both of them.’

‘I think that line between movie photographer and stills photographers has gone. The client wants to you to shoot the both of them at the same time to reduce costs’

Shooting video with current cameras can often be quite complicated, we suggested. ‘[This] complicated operation is fit for the customer they started shooting from video. On the other hand there are professional [stills] photographers: they are not yet used to using video, their demand is easy operation. So there are two types of people. It’s a big problem.’

‘We are trying to make a solution fit for both of them. One solution is Flat Picture Control. Flat Picture Control is well suited for the professional photographer, who started shooting pictures and now find they have to shoot some video, too.’

‘They are not necessarily so familiar with video editing or modifying video. With Flat Picture Control they can understand from stills point of view.’

‘Now we have an exact solution right now, but we will keep considering [whether to make] a separate product or [if it should] go into the one product.’

Nikon recognizes the challenge of adding video features that both stills and video shooters will appreciate.

‘I think that line between movie photographer and stills photographers has gone. The client wants to you to shoot the both of them at the same time to reduce the costs.’

Kitaoka then expanded on the demands they’re hearing from customers: ‘First of all, quality of the movie is a basic demand so we have to answer that, second frame rate, then lens quality and autofocus, also, [the challenges of] movie AF and still AF totally different.’

‘Movie autofocus needs to be smooth, sometimes fast, sometimes slower, depends on the situation. Movie shooters want to [be able to] choose high speed autofocus or natural speed autofocus.’

‘Actually we equip the autofocus system fit for the movie but a lot of people [are finding it difficult to use] autofocus between still photo and movie. But we keep trying to [provide the] best movie autofocus in [our] DSLRs and across every single category.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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‘I don’t use my camera as my memory’: we interview Graham Nash

18 Oct
 Graham Nash, photographed by Amy Grantham.

From Lancashire to California, Graham Nash’s journey has been a long and winding one, both as a musician and a photographer. 

As he prepares for his keynote talk at this week’s Photo Plus Expo in New York, we spoke to Graham Nash about his career as a photographer, and his role in developing modern digital photographic printing.

Graham – most people probably know you primarily as a musician, but when did you start taking photographs?

I’ve been a photographer for longer than I’ve been a musician. The first portrait I took was a picture I took of my mother when I was 11. And it was at that moment that I knew that I saw differently to most people.

You and I both grew up in Northern England. I was born in Yorkshire and you were raised in Lancashire, in Salford.

It’s alright, I’ll still talk to you!

So you’re from L.S. Lowry country – dark, satanic mills, and all that. How did growing up in Salford influence your visual style?

I think it did wonders for me as a person, not necessarily in terms of any talent I may have. When you grow up in that kind of area after World War II, your feet are on the ground. You’re thankful that you’re still alive, that your friends are still alive, and that your house is still standing. Because when I was younger, that wasn’t always the case.

Once you have this sense of having survived, it’s a sense of accomplishment. And also, you know, don’t complain to me about the room not being the right temperature. Talk to me about something more important.

 Johnny Cash, Nashville, TN. 1960. Photograph by Graham Nash, used with permission. 

So being raised in the industrial north of England, coming to America in the 1960s must have been a mind-blowing experience?

Mind-blowing and joyful. I had sunshine, I had music, David (Crosby) and Stephen (Stills) and I were just forming our relationship and falling in love with each other, and each other’s music. Having all that music to make, and records to make, and sunshine and beautiful weather… it was an extraordinary time.

‘I’m interested in those little surreal moments that happen in front of me’

And just visually – even now, America isn’t like anywhere else…

It’s an incredible country. The first time the Hollies came to America, we came to New York. But where I went to live, and where I really thrived was Los Angeles.

The people are very interesting to look at, the countryside is beautiful, but I’m not really one of those photographers. I’m more interested in those little surreal moments that happen in front of me, and they seem to happen in front of me daily. I’m not interested in pictures of kittens with balls of wool, or making an image to match the color of my couch. I don’t take landscapes, and I don’t use my camera as my memory.

Nash’s bandmate David Crosby. Photograph by Graham Nash, used with permission.

So you’ve been taking pictures now for more than 50 years. What would you say the biggest difference – technically or culturally, between when you started taking pictures, and now?

I think it’s more mindless now. People are taking pictures of everything. And nothing is that important. I don’t want a picture of me at Disneyland, pulling the sword out of the stone, or any of that stuff. I’m not interested. I’m not interested in selfies. I’ve been taking self-portraits since 1968. It’s so mindless now and I experience it daily. There’s not a show when I don’t get approached afterwards by someone with 20 albums to sign and a selfie that they want taken, immediately. And often they don’t even ask for permission.

‘I draw inspiration from moments’

As a photographer, do you draw more creative inspiration from people, or from places?

Neither, actually. I draw inspiration from moments. I’ve had so many pictures taken of me, I know when a lens is being turned on me. I know that look. And I can’t stand it. If I take portraits, I want to take pictures when they have no idea when I’m there.

Girl with Uzi, North Hollywood, CA. 1998. Photograph by Graham Nash, used with permission.

What were your earliest photographic influences?

My father was an amateur photographer. He used me and my sister’s bedroom as a darkroom, and it was his enthusiasm and his passion that remains with me even today. I’m still thrilled by the magic of photography, and it really is magic.

For the last 15-20 years I’ve been collecting daguerreotypes. The world’s first photographic format. Daguerre invented himself into a corner, because there was no negative to reproduce the image. That’s what Henry Fox Talbot did – he invented the negative, and therefore invented himself into the future.

‘Fox Talbot invented himself into the future’

You’ve been very influential in the development of what we now call digital photographic printing. Can you give me some context around that?

It was pure selfishness. I used to live with Joni Mitchell, and Joni always loved my images, but I never shared them because I thought of myself as a musician. She had had a really good experience with a gallery in Tokyo. The Parko Gallery. She said why don’t you send them some of your photographs?

I was very hesitant to do that, but she told me to send some pictures to this gallery and see if they’d be interested in doing a show. So reluctantly I made 5 or 6 prints and sent them off, and forgot about it. And then they called me and said they’d love to do a show. They wanted 50 images, which was fine, but they wanted them printed about 3 or 4 feet square, which was a problem.

Dennis Hopper, Kentucky Derby, Louisville KT, 2002. Photograph by Graham Nash, used with permission.

At the same time as I was pondering how to do that, I was introduced to the Iris Printer. And when I saw what that printer was capable of doing, I asked the owner two questions. Could it print in black and white? And would the inks last more than ten minutes?

I bought the machine, it cost about $ 125,000, and my partner Mac Holbert and I voided the warranty immediately because we were modifying it and forcing it to do what we wanted it to do. We opened Nash Editions in the early 90s after a couple of years of research, and we’re still in business.

At that time, in the late 1980s and 90s, as I understand it, the abilities of computers to generate digital images had exceeded the ability of printers to output the files. Is that right?

Exactly. You couldn’t get them off the screen. The honor of having our first printer put into the Smithsonian Museum of American History was a real thrill.

Graham Nash will appear at the Photo Plus Expo 2016 this week, in a conversation with photographer and musician Mark Seliger on October 20th.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2016: Fujifilm Interview

07 Oct
Toshihisa Iida, Fujifilm’s General Manager of the Sales and Marketing Group, pictured at Photokina 2016.

Fujifilm chose last month’s Photokina tradeshow as the venue to launch its new flagship mirrorless camera, the medium-format GFX 50S. At the show, we sat down with Toshihisa Iida, Fujifilm’s General Manager of the Sales and Marketing Group and Toru Takahashi, Director, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Fujifilm’s Optical Device & Electronic Imaging Products Divisonto talk about the 50S, and why Fujifilm chose to skip full-frame.

Please note that the following interview has been edited slightly for clarity and flow. Our questions are in bold. 

Why did Fujifilm decide to move straight from APS-C to medium-format?

Soon after we introduced the X-Pro 1 many people started asking when we would be introducing full-frame mirrorless. We said at the time we were 100% committed to the APS-C format. We thought this was the best format from the point of view of image quality, and size and portability. We started with [only] three lenses, so we needed to focus on one format, to accelerate the lens lineup. As the years went by we started thinking maybe we could start looking at a bigger format, because we had a good lens lineup, and the technologies [in our APS-C line] were maturing.

Our next move was to decide what format we should move to. And soon after Mr Takahashi came into our division we made a decision. The difference between APS-C and full-frame is too marginal, so there was no point. So we decided to go for a bigger sensor format, to show a clear differentiation from APS-C.

APS-C is more speed, more portability – that’s our X-series. And our medium-format is for ultimate image quality. But still, you know – they have the same DNA. Design, operability, color management and so on. APS-C and medium-format can co-exist and complement each other.

The new Fujifilm GFX 50S offers a 50MP medium-format sensor in an impressively small, lightweight body. 

What did your X-series users tell you that they wanted from a larger-format camera?

Firstly, they said that with the X-series they could cover around 70% of their requirements. But they needed a bigger format, for example for outdoor billboards. And sometimes they needed to crop. So they required higher resolution. The other thing is we asked about usability. Our X-series is quite unique in terms of its user interface. Because our new camera is more geared to commercial applications, we asked whether the same dials were necessary. We had a lot of conversations about this with professional photographers. The conclusion was they all asked us to keep the dial operation.

The sensor at the heart of the GFX 50S looks very familiar. Is it the same sensor that we’ve seen in other medium-format digital cameras?

First, this is a brand-new mount. Based on our experience with the X-series, we wanted to make the flange-back distance smaller, to allow the lenses to be made more compact. The challenge is how to get the light hit the sensor evenly – in the center and also at the corners. In order to achieve that we customized the microlenses. The microlenses on this sensor are optimized for the short flange-back distance of the new mount, to ensure good corner illumination. Also we optimized the silicon process. We spent a lot of time and resources on this kind of customization.

What was the logic behind not including an X-Trans filter array in this system?

The sensor format is large enough that even without X-Trans, the image quality is very good. X-Trans is good, but it’s a complex filter array. Sometimes Bayer is more straightforward, and it makes Raw processing easier.

 

Did you include video in the 50S just because you could, or because your customers wanted it?

It’s not 4K, of course, it’s HD. But we know that more and more photographers are shooting video and we like to offer a unique proposition. Shallow depth of field, because of the bigger format – it will be interesting to see what kind of videos [photographers capture].

What are the challenges of introducing 4K video?

Many cameras can record 4K video, but the question is what kind of 4K video. The challenges for every manufacturer are power and heat. And there are two ways minimize their impact. One way is to make the camera bigger. The second way is to make the video file smaller, by recording video from a cropped area of the frame.

We think that it’s important to pursue the ultimate in quality, so on the X-T2 for example we tried to minimize the crop factor. Some manufacturers are offering crops of 1.5 X or 1.7X. This doesn’t help photographers at all. This is a new challenge for digital cameras that integrate stills and video features.

Do you have any figures for dynamic range of this sensor, compared to APS-C?

We do, but we’re still fine-tuning.

Some of the F2 and F2.8 lenses you’ve announced will give similar depth of field to F1.4 lenses on full-frame. At that point, what advantage is there to medium-format imaging?

By the numbers, depth of field might be similar, but we think that the actual images look different. And it’s not just about depth of field. There’s wider dynamic range, and greater resolution and so on. Overall there’s a lot of benefit from using a medium-format sensor.

The GFX lens lineup will feature three lenses when the 50S hits the market in spring, with six optics in the initial roadmap. 

And presumably a larger sensor doesn’t stress the resolution of the lenses as much as a similar resolution would on APS-C?

Correct. We designed these new lenses to be future-proof. The potential resolution of these new lenses is much higher than 50MP. Our benchmark is 4700 line pairs. So the lenses can resolve at least 100MP.

How do you see the mirrorless and DSLR markets evolving within the next 2-3 years?

Probably, in 2 years time, the size of the mirrorless market will exceed the market for DSLRs, globally. Already in some asian countries the mirrorless market is bigger than DSLR.

With the launch of the EOS M5, do you think it’s a good thing that Canon is finally taking mirrorless seriously?

We always welcome competition. Because the more competition, the faster the market will realize that mirrorless is the future.

Have you seen a change in the the kinds of people who are buying mirrorless cameras?

It depends on which category. When we introduced the X-Pro1, we were attracting photographers who were more likely to be street photographers. With the X-T1, and lenses like the 10-24mm zoom we started to capture landscape photographers. And the 56mm F1.2 was attractive to portrait photographers. If you look at our XA series, its a lot of young female photographers, who buy the camera as a companion to their smartphones. So different categories attract different kinds of photographers with different requirements.

One thing we’ve noticed is that at the end of the day, all photographers are looking for the best image quality and color reproduction.

The selfie-friendly Fujifilm XA lineup is apparently very popular with female customers, particularly in Asia.

Do you expect that the majority of people who will buy a GFX 50S will be existing X-series users?

That’s a difficult question. In our experience, in our showroom in Tokyo, the ratio of new customers to existing Fujifilm users who came in to look at the X-T2 for example was around 2:1. The ratio of new customers was much higher. And I expect that the same will be true of the GFX 50S.

How important is smart device integration in your product development?

It’s very, very important. The smartphone is not the enemy, it’s a complement to a camera. And how to enable connectivity between a smart device and our cameras is very important. We will focus on making it faster, smoother. Especially in Asian countries, girls are buying our cameras to take selfies, and straight afterwards they’re sending it to their friends from their phones.

Do you have a medium-format market share target in mind for the GFX 50S?

It’s difficult to say, because we’re really targeting high-resolution 35mm DSLRs with this product. The current medium-format space is full of cameras that are too expensive, too heavy and too bulky. The current medium-format market is small. People are buying 35mm full-frame cameras [instead]. So maybe our solution will revitalize the category.

Speaking of which, one of the most active new market segments is VR imaging. Are you looking that market?

I think that VR is mainly for industrial purposes. It can be applied to the consumer market but it’s very niche. So if we’re talking about consumer imaging, I don’t think that 360 cameras have a big audience.

Editor’s note:

Fujifilm has been heavily hinting that a medium-format mirrorless camera was in the works for some time, and it’s a relief to finally be able to see – and touch – an actual product. In my opinion, Fujifilm’s decision to side-step (or rather leap-frog) the full-frame camera market makes a lot of sense. It’s much easier for the company to differentiate (and capture a larger portion of the latent interest) when it’s not competing against the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony in an increasingly crowded field. The GFX 50S will unquestionably offer superior image quality to any of the current crop of full-frame cameras, and critically speaking, it will of course be streets ahead of the company’s X-series, which is optimized for speed and versatility.

Fujifilm’s decision to ditch X-Trans in the 50S is interesting, but not surprising. It is undoubtedly true that the benefits of X-Trans are proportionally greater on the smaller APS-C format than they would be on a medium-format sensor, and I suspect that the additional cost and complexity of using this proprietary array in the GFX 50S might also have been a factor. In addition, Fujifilm is well aware of the criticism leveled against it from some professionals that the X-Trans array makes file handling more difficult, thanks to limited support from third-party Raw converters. And Fujifilm will need the file handling process to be as smooth as possible if it wants to appeal to studio photographers with an established workflow. 

The fact that Fujifilm apparently has no particular medium-format market share in mind for the 50S is very revealing. For now at least, it seems the company won’t measure the success of this camera by how many sales it steals away from Pentax, Hasselblad, Phase One and their ilk. What Fujifilm wants is for someone considering buying a Canon EOS 5DSR or a Sony a7R II or a Nikon D810 to buy a GFX 50S instead. Especially if that person is a commercial or landscape photographer who just wants the pixels. As such, at ‘well under $ 10,000’ with a 63mm prime lens, the 50S is priced to compete against these top-flight 35mm-style cameras.

Meanwhile, well-heeled X-series photographers (and of course the many professionals who have adopted the X-series over the past few years alongside full-frame gear from other brands) now have a true flagship camera to aspire to. A camera which is capable of higher resolution and better image quality, from a brand that they trust. And unlike traditional medium-format cameras, it doesn’t weigh a ton and it doesn’t cost the earth. I can’t wait to see what it can do. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2016 interview: Victor Hasselblad would be proud

28 Sep

Ove Bengtsson looks relaxed despite the scrum taking place around him on the Hasselblad booth. Photo enthusiasts jostle to see the company’s latest products while a professional photographer demonstrates various techniques and, no doubt, advantages of the Hasselblad system to a growing crowd, but he seems content to stand back and watch, the hint of a smile on his face.

‘The reception and the amount of people asking about the X1D is fantastic,’ he says: ‘There have been no negative comments, everyone seems so impressed.’

‘Of course not everyone here is going to be buying an X1D but they all seem to like the camera, like the way it feels. It’s hard to really demonstrate the image quality but when we say it can produce the same image quality as our H6D-50c, they are astounded. It uses the same sensor, the same image processing system and the lenses are equally good. It’s professional quality medium-format in a very small package.’

‘We had a projection for how many we’d sell in the first year and we’d passed that number in the first ten days.’

It’s been a similar story when photographers have had the chance to shoot with it, he says: ‘We have had a few photographers amazed at how small the camera is, how amazing the image quality is and how well the AF works, when you see it, not a lot of people have been able to use it properly, yet, but there are a number of cameras out there now and all the reaction has been very positive.’

And the reaction goes beyond passing compliments: ‘Already at the launch event we were already starting to take orders. We had a projection for how many we’d sell in the first year and we’d passed that number in the first ten days.’

Ove Bengtsson, shot using a pre-production X1D under the rather challenging, unflattering lights of the Photokina exhibition hall. 90mm lens, hand held at 1/100th sec, ISO 3200, F4.5. Manual focus. Processed through Phocus software at default settings, one dust spot removed.

In the hand, the X1D is an impressively dense, solid-feeling camera, even in comparison to professional DSLRs: ‘The body is made in three parts, all machined from a block of aluminium,’ Bengtsson explains. And this sureness in the hand is one aspect of making the camera easy to shoot with: ‘Due to the fact we don’t have any moving parts and we use an in-lens shutter, there’s nothing to introduce vibration. One of the photographers shooting with the camera to prepare for the launch event produced images shot at 1/8th of a second with a 45mm lens. That’s with good technique, of course, but I was very impressed by how good it looked.’

But the construction of the camera has a further advantage, Bengtsson says: ‘As well as the way it feels, it’s also good for transferring heat from the sensor. We have a tight connection between parts, which also helps transfer heat away from the processor – it’s an efficient way of minimizing problems with internal heat.’

‘Of course, when a product gets warm it uses a lot of energy. It drains the battery faster. Because of the amount of data we’re dealing with, the processors can become very warm. We have a thermal shut-off if the internal temperature gets to 70C, both to protect the sensor and to avoid the additional noise it would produce, but it’s mainly to protect the components.’

‘We had some experience of dealing with this sort of issue in past generations of our H series cameras. We used a fan in the H3D but were able to move to a passive system of thermal management in newer models that actually worked better, so we had some experience we were able to use. We knew what to do and also what not to do.’

‘It looks like [Fujifilm] has done some very good things, but I think their camera is very different from ours.’

Bengtsson goes to some lengths to stress that this X1D is the product of the company’s in-house expertise: ‘There have not been collaborations on this camera: we’ve developed the whole camera in Sweden, including the electronics. In terms of lenses, we have worked with a Japanese company. We design all the lenses but they do the actual manufacturing. To our specifications, of course.’

Interestingly, he’s happy to name that company. ‘It’s a company called Nittoh. They don’t sell lenses under their own brand but they make a lot of lenses for a lot of companies. We have a long history of working with them. The X-Pan, for instance, was Hasselblad’s first collaboration with Fujifilm but it was actually made by Nittoh, so we knew they’re really good. They are really good and we were extremely happy to get them.’

On the subject of Fujfilm, Bengtsson seems sanguine about the company’s sometime partner creating a mirrorless medium-format rival: ‘It looks like they’ve done some very good things but I think their camera is very different from ours.’

‘I think when looking at these cameras, they’re actually very different. The X1D is much, much smaller. It doesn’t perhaps have all the features – I suspect they’ll bring a lot of technologies across from their X-T cameras – but theirs is bigger.’

‘I think they’ll appeal to different people. If you’re looking for specs and features, the Fuji might be a good choice. But if you want something that feels good, maybe this is the one you buy. They use the same sensor, so they’ll probably come pretty close in terms of image quality but maybe our quality will be a bit better.’

The XCD 30mm F3.5, the third lens for the X1D camera, was on show at Photokina. This is a 28mm F2.8 equivalent in ‘full frame’ terms.

‘The best thing about having two cameras is that it gets more people talking about medium-format. When medium-format went digital it became so expensive. It was out of the reach of most people, it was on a different planet.’

‘We already have a certain reach to particular customers, particularly those who already use our system, but having competition will make the whole segment bigger.’

There’s a clear benefit for existing Hasselblad users, he explains: ‘H system camera users can buy an adapter to use all our other lenses, currently without autofocus. That’s something that might come later, but no promises. This means there are sixteen lenses, including the three native ones, that can be used.’

‘We don’t expect people to buy H system lenses to use with this camera, but we think some existing H system users will use it as a second camera.’

There’s no prospect of being able to adapt Fujifilm GF lenses, though. ‘Our camera doesn’t have a shutter mechanism, the shutter is in our lenses.’ But it’s unlikely that many people will be looking to adapt lenses to the X1D, he suggests: ‘I fully understand the appeal if you have a small camera of putting on cool other lenses, but there are very few that will cover the full sensor of this camera.’

In addition to the X1D, Hasselblad is showing its concept of a modern modular camera. ‘It is just a concept at this stage,’ Bengtsson is at pains to stress: ‘We involved our design team and made sure it’s possible, but what you see on the show floor is a model made by a company that specializes in making models.’

The V1D concept harks back to the company’s famous V series cameras but for now is purely a design study aimed at gauging interest.

‘We often hear the old cameras, the V system, were fantastic. We wanted to see if we could do something more modern. The thing people liked about the V-system was that it was modular, that is wasn’t a fixed camera. We wanted to see if we could do something more modern in that direction, modeled with a similar sort of modular design’

‘The modularity is in the screen and the EVF. You can move the screen, you can replace it with an electronic viewfinder instead. There’s a grip that you can mount on either side and aperture and shutter speed dials you can mount on either side. You don’t have to have both – you can choose.’

‘You will also be able to buy extra modules,’ he says, before he recognizes that his enthusiasm is running away from him: ‘Well, if we do it.’

‘We’d start with something very basic, just one screen and an aperture dial, for instance.’

‘As technology evolves, you can update to get a better display or perhaps a faster or more flexible EVF. That’s the nice thing, you’re not locked-in to current technology. That was the heart of the appeal of the V system, you can even now put a digital back on a camera from 1957 and make it digital.’

‘If you really love photography it can be better to have a slower camera. It makes you think about each photograph’

‘The response to this has been really good too. I’ve heard a few people say it’s the biggest thing a Photokina.’

‘One thing I think people are understanding is that if you really love photography it can be better to have a slower camera. It makes you think about each photograph and stops you taking 400 photos every time.’

Bengtsson is fully aware that positive comments don’t always turn into sales: ‘The tricky question is: would you buy it for €12-15,000? Some people will say yes but we’ll have to look at how big the market would really be. After the show we’ll start to summarize what the sales people have heard, but the general response is that it’s really cool. Photokina is a good place to find a lot of input.’

Like the original V series cameras, the V1D concept would be modular, and would allow users to add only the features they wanted.

The reaction from the crowds is very different from the bemusement being expressed four years ago, when Hasselblad displayed the first fruits of a collaboration with Sony. ‘I remember it very well. It’s not something we’re very proud of. I wasn’t involved very closely – it was controlled by the management at that time. It was mainly the work of an Italian design company and Hasselblad in Sweden wasn’t very involved in the process.’

‘The idea of trying to find a product that appeals to a wider audience was a good one, but the product wasn’t anything near Hasselblad: it lacked authenticity and any connection to the brand.’

‘We were in a position where we were buying a camera from Sony at a high price then taking it apart and adding things like exotic wood or carbon fibre but we didn’t change anything in its characteristics. It’s still the same NEX-7 controls and image quality and, of course, all of our customers saw that.’

‘We had a divided stand that year, Lunar on one side and our medium-format products on the other. We were also launching the H5D but many people didn’t really notice that. The first few days we weren’t allowing the people on our stand to talk about that it was a Sony, it was ridiculous.’

‘It wasn’t us and we had to pay a high price
to realise it was a mistake.’

‘We reached a much lower number than we’d anticipated. The later model, the Stellar, had a more reasonable price and didn’t look so extreme so that actually sold quite well.’

‘It wasn’t us and we had to pay a high price to realise it was a mistake. It shows that you should always be honest with what you do and never try to fool people.’

‘I think Victor Hasselblad would have been rotating in his grave.’ But that’s not the case now, Bengtsson says: ‘I think he’d certainly approve of the X1D. It’s a small camera with excellent image quality. It’s exactly what he would have wanted. Just as the V series was exactly the camera he wanted to make – he was a bird and landscape photographer – I think he’d be proud of the X1D.’

And Bengtsson believes the new products will help perpetuate that legacy: ‘we could have ended that history, the direction we were going, I think these products will lift us again.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2016 interview: Ricoh aims for visual revolution

28 Sep
The Pentax 645Z might be large compared to the mirrorless medium format cameras announced at the show, but look at the effect of that viewfinder on Carey’s face.

‘Visual Revolution’ is the concept that links Ricoh’s Theta 360 degree camera to its Pentax K-1 DSLR and the arrival of competition only serves to grow the market, the company says.

We spoke to Kazunobu Saiki, Senior Management and Group Leader, Marketing Section, Visual Revolution Business Development and Yutaka Takada, General Manager, Business Management Department, Global Sales and Marketing Division. Saiki started by explaining the company’s philosophy when it comes to imaging.

‘We don’t see the Pentax business and products like the Theta as separate concepts, we group them together under a business group called ‘Visual Revolution.’ We believe the K-1 is a visual revolution within the frame, whether this is in terms of high resolution, the really nice hand feeling or Pixel Shift Resolution.

The Pentax K-1 has been receiving positive feedback both from established Pentax users and photographers who aren’t invested in the K-mount.

Another visual revolution could be beyond the frame. Both are different but both can help users to enjoy some new creativity. That’s why Ricoh governs both areas as one business group.’

Mr. Saiki seems to be in a bullish mood, buoyed by the market response to the K-1. ‘The reaction to the K-1 has been beyond our expectations,’ he says: ‘not only in terms of sales but also in the words we’re hearing from users. We believe we can revive Pentax as the leading company for DSLRs. We’ve had lots of feedback from non Pentax users, who wanted to be able to enjoy our FA Limited lenses. That’s nice feedback to have.’

“We believe we can revive Pentax as the leading company for DSLRs”

This response validates the company’s commitment to the system, he says: ‘In terms of developing the system, we have a lens roadmap and we plan to release some single focal length D-FA lenses. We know some users want to have D-FA Limited lenses and we’re listening to their voices.’

But the Visual Revolution business isn’t just focused on established technologies. Ricoh hopes to capitalize on its early entry into the market for 360 degree capture devices. ‘We believe we are a pioneer of 360,’ says Saiki: ‘If we compare to two years ago, the move to the Theta S has seen business grow to something like triple. Now in 2016 we have several new entrants to the market, but we’re really happy to get competition. That will grow the market itself.’

They’re already starting to see the impact of this increased interest in 360 content: ‘The VR market has really started now, and the Theta is a one-shot VR camera. At the moment, the majority of people enjoy the content that’s provided for them, but with the Theta they can create their own content with one shot. It’s in good harmony with VR development and we expect rapid growth for 360 market, including Theta.’

The Theta, now on its third iteration, faces increased competition but its capability and form-factor remain unique.

The company is confident that the Theta is the right product for the market: ‘When we’ve done our evaluations, we’re told one of the top features is the form factor. It’s very different from all competitors models including newly released ones or any of the earlier released ones we’ve seen. It has the advantage of being small, so it’s always with the user. It can also create a 360 image in a single shot, so it’s quick and simple. Because of this, we’ve applied the same form factor to the first, second and now third generation, the Theta S.’

The current Theta model offers both stills and video but its users are already demanding more: ‘we’ve been listening to the customers voice and after Theta S they’re telling us they want 4K video, HDR and easy live streaming. In today’s form factor this is difficult but this is what they want. They want to enjoy video and high resolution images, too. Most likely we need to develop our product to catch up, technologically.’

‘The Theta S’s still image is more than 4K but the video is 1080 for the entire 360 degree scene. For video customers they require more quality.’ But this is hard, Saiki says: ‘The technology for compression and data transfer have not caught up to allow end users to capture VR in 4K. We need to develop 4K and beyond. This means processing a huge data and this requires heating management in a small and slim body of this form factor. But we want to be the leader in the industry so we’re very busy trying to reply to these needs.’

As well as responding to customer demands, the company says it’s also been trying expand what can be done with the content its devices produce. ‘In order to enjoy and share 360 images/videos, we had needed to have a lot of platforms. Thanking to Google, FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram and others, Theta users can enjoy instant sharing of their works. Also we provide the applications Theta + and Theta + Video for editing and posting on FaceBook, Instagram and so on.’

“We think the challenge is not just connectivity but the management and storage, too”

This isn’t Ricoh’s only work in the area of content sharing, though. ‘One of the key issues is the number of pictures our audience takes. It’s only getting bigger and the size of their images are getting bigger,’ says Saiki.

‘These days we need instant action. Before we had to wait maybe one week to get our prints back. Now it’s maybe a couple of seconds. We think the challenge is not just the connectivity but the management and storage (probably in the cloud), is very important, too.’

‘The cloud side can play a role. These two [connectivity and the cloud] can provide a new era of visuals. Ricoh acquired Eye-Fi’s cloud service, and this is one step to creating new solutions of communication and storage. Not just from the point of view of taking pictures but from the back end as well.’

The 645Z’s weather sealing and lens options (both current and planned) are part of its appeal, the company says.

The 360 market isn’t the only area in which Ricoh faces new rivals. Photokina saw the announcement that Fujifilm will introduce a digital medium format system and for many it was also the first opportunity to see Hasselblad’s X1D camera. Yutaka Takada doesn’t seem too worried, though: ‘We could enjoy success in the medium format market,’ he says: ‘Fujifilm coming to our market shows that it still has potential to grow. Like the Theta, having competition is a great chance to develop the medium format market as a whole. Our advantage is that we have plenty of lenses in our lineup and on our roadmap, which helps convince customers to join medium format. 645Z has great image quality but it’s also weather sealed. People can use it in outside situations. This is very much the DNA of Pentax cameras.’

“Having competition is a great chance to develop the medium format market as a whole”

‘All these are under one business unit to provide visual innovation. We want to give surprise and astonish with innovation.’

And, having discussed the Pentax K-1, 645Z and Theta, we wanted to check whether the company still has time for models such as the GR. Absolutely, says Saiki: ‘Ricoh GR is one of our most important premium cameras. We want to reassure our GR lovers that the series will continue.’

Might that extend to GRs with other focal lengths? ‘It depends,’ says Saiki: ‘we know we really appeal. We have so many GR lovers, it’s a very emotional attachment. That’s why we need to listen to customers about where we should go.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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