While not really a camera for "my kind of photography" I really think they've nailed a niche market that has been desperate for something like this. It will come down to just how good that lens is of course.
RE: manual focusing. On the m43 cameras you can set them such that when you move the MF ring the EVF autozooms - I've found this to result in some the easiest, fastest and most accurate MF of any modern camera. Like it better than split prism actually. Anyway, if Fuji has done the same I think people will find it very functional.
MichaD wrote:
Interesting lens. Pretty wild design. Wonder why they still had to go to the hassle of offset microlenses although the lens being highly asymmetrical.
Fujifilm have put some pretty funky lenses into their low-volume film compacts. This one isn't so very odd except for the radically aspherical element, if the diagram in the press release is to be trusted. The rest strikes me as roughly similar to a handful of Biogon designs, etc.
You say "highly asymmetrical" but it's obviously a far cry from an SLR lens. It will project light onto the large sensor at a fairly steep angle in the corners, and it will be only lens used with the sensor, so tuning the sensor in this way makes sense.
MichaD wrote:
The MTFs look great but they are clearly calculated and do not account for diffraction.
Still useful for predicting wide-open performance, assuming high-quality manufacturing. In this case, the lens does indeed look pretty stellar.
Fuji has done this right on so many levels. I've been waiting to see a camera with beautiful simple controls like so many of the old film cameras. I honestly never thought I'd see anything like this. It's awesome.
Now more than ever I can see myself buying this. After killing my 5D MK II I realize I need a backup and another 5D MKII is too expensive. I can't wait for this thing to come out, it's perfect.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
I'm really curious about how this camera will be priced. My completely uneducated guess is somewhere between $999 - $1399.
I'd guess closer to $1999. For a start it's targeting a niche so sales won't be enormous even though they practically have the market to themselves. And secondly it's obviously built to a very high standard, utterly unlike the Micro Four Thirds cameras, Sony NEX, etc. That costs money. I can't tell in this image if FUJINON LENS SYSTEM is engraved and filled (or just printed and over-sharpened as usual by DPReview for the web). If engraved, this shows it's something of a prestige project for Fujifilm.
Where is the said ISO dial? I'm not seeing anything dedicated? I am reading in the dpreview article there is quick acess, but I don't take that as anything more than maybe being tied to the FN button if you want?
Its beautiful...hope it performs as well as it looks. This camera would keep me happy for a very long time. Looking at all the features and complexity of the viewfinder... I'm starting to worry the X100 will be closer to $1300+ ... if it's $2000, I fear Fuji may have shot themselves in the foot. If they can put it closer to $800, I think they may have a strong winner on their hands.
Unless they really screw up somehow, I'm certainly getting one.
23-50 F2 would have been ENORMOUS. I'm glad they stuck with the 35mm equiv. Even the slightly longer 40mm for the m4/3 is annoying to me (same with the old minilux). My personal opinion- either 35mm or 50mm, you must pick one. Caveat: the Voigtlander 58 was one of my favorite lenses of all time.
The hexar had a few minor quibbles, no doubt. (the UI is particularly not great on that camera, for the LCD indicators and button press sequences) but the other stuff was fabulous, including the lens, af and silent shutter.
This fuji looks amazingly unique as far as lens design - like nothing else I have ever seen in optical diagrams. Very tricky. Would be interesting to read the patent on that, as I am sure they must have one. I don't see much that resembles biogon design.
Clearly this is a labor of love for fuji, like their recent MF film cameras. It will not be cheap but I think it will be realistic though more than the G12, et al. I suspect something like $1500 street initially but probably dropping to more like $1100-1200 once it's not as new anymore, say in 6 mos. to a year.
I totally want one of these even though I am a film-only shooter!
thrice wrote:
Oh and just to be a stick in the mud, the topic is slightly incorrect as the camera does not feature a rangefinder.
You are correct, I was mistaken to post it that way but in the excitement I didn't even read the whole press release before coming here and posted so fast I didn't think it through. It is probably as close are we're going to get to one though.
Finally a camera maker that releases an EVIL camera that doesn't try to look like a DLSR or look toyish. The PENs and the GF1s are nice but this really makes them all look a little silly. Oh and it has an OVF!
Some folks are going to flame me for being so excited over the looks but hey, I like a nice looking camera. I love my Apple products because they look nice, and feel nice, and I hope that I enjoy this camera for the same reasons.
I'm super-excited about it and may even buy one Sweet little backup and my 20/1.7 is pretty much glued to my GF1 so I would be alright with the 35/2.8 (T=2) equiv. Can happily sell the GF1 to help fund this. It does 1280x720 video as well.
