At the Photokina show in Cologne Fujifilm announced their new GFX 50S medium format camera. It has a whopping 51.4 megapixel sensor and an interesting modular design that allows you to configure the camera for different ways of working. It has a completely new lens mount and a dedicated range of lenses – some with autofocus. The size and weight of the body is similar to many full-frame DSLRs and this should make it a popular choice for photographers who want a lighter, smaller medium format alternative.
The camera will have video and it was shown with a HDMI monitor connected to the camera via HDMI. Beyond that there are no official specifications at this point, but I have been able to establish that it will only be HD resolution and not 4K (not in the video above). I assume that this is a limitation of the sensor.
Many photographers shooting fashion or commercial work might have appreciated a camera like this having 4K, allowing them to shoot video with similar shallow depth and bokeh as their photos. However, implementing this is clearly a technical barrier at this point in time. Of the medium format digital stills cameras available only Hasselblad’s flagship H6D-100C has a 4K video function at a price. If you were thinking that camera’s like the GFX 50S were going to give you 4K Arri Alexa 65 like images on a budget you will likely be disappointed.
On the plus side if the HD video in the GFX 505 is anything like the recent Fujifilm X-T2’s then it could quite usable for many things. The modular design of the GFX 50S is welcome and as sensor technology improves I’m hopeful that we will see 4K resolution video from this type of camera in the future.
