Fujifilm GFX 100: Birth of a Camera by Cinima5D Starts in Nov 2018
Cinima5D documented the creation of the Fujifilm GFX100 in partnership with Fujifilm starting in November 2018. Fujifilm starts 2 years in advance with the development of their camera system. They believe their customers will really enjoy working with a 100MP sensor. Below are some key points
- IBIS was a must because of how sensitive 100MP can be to movement
- Their IBIS system was initially very big and heavy but they improved it
- It took a while for them to get the size and weight to be just right in addition to being robust
- Fujifilm made high-quality 4k priority followed by fast AF
- Could have gone full frame or medium format
- They decided to make the camera the right way with medium format
- Design and R&D work closely together to make the body
- Once the designers have a sketch it goes to their mechanical design group or a development team
- Speed, price, and design are big challenges
- The Mechanical design group then has to realize the design/size/style
- From there the first mockups are designed and they include every aspect of the camera
- The mechanical designers tried to make it as small as possible
- Fujifilm’s priority wasn’t style, but functionality which is different than their other cameras that have more stylish functions
- Fujifilm completely changed how the camera works
- Removing the dials made the IBIS easier to fit in a smaller body
- They then get to a full mockup that is almost the same as the final production model
- The GFX 100 is a new image sensor with new IBIS and a new face detect AF system and 4k video so it was difficult to bring everything together
- Image quality is what Fujifilm is most proud of in relation to sharpness, resolution, and color quality
- It’s really not that hard for them to simulate shooting film according to their IQ expert that has been handling it for 15 years
- The GFX100 is using the AF algorithm from the X-T30 that is also in the X-T3 now
- Fujifilm had to work on recovery time from far off AF points though so infinity to up close etc…
- The sensor and the IBIS are the most complicated things in the camera
- 90 components need to be developed beyond the sensor and IBIS
- The large sensor is more sensitive to environmental noise so everything must be optimized
- The official launch was delayed a little in March due to the IBIS, but they also wanted to make sure there were no small mistakes
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Fujifilm GFX100 (Preoders): B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Fujifilm GFX50R: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Fujifilm GFX 50S: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama