New Fuji MF film camera shown at PMA

[dazedgonebye]

Regarding the design specifics...we should remember that this is a prototype.

 

[wlewisiii]

BTW, I actually do agree that they probably overdid the "retro" thing, particularly with the wind knob.
j

I think the knob wind is actually a good thing - the lever wind on some of these cameras are temperamental but a knob wind is going to be far simpler and, likely, more reliable in the long term. The other thing is that shooting MF with a folder needs to be more deliberate than with a DSLR so why should it bother me to use a slightly slower knob wind?

I also note that the shutter speeds stop at 1/500th which means that it is probably a leaf shutter with sync at all speeds. That can be very useful when doing fill flash with a folder.

I don't need a retro to be slavish to the original and I certainly don't see this as any kind of a step backwards. Then again, I prefer the new Bonny to the W650 so that says something about my taste probably only being in my mouth... 😉

William

 

[david b]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53742

 

[rxmd]

Jonas: Yes, very practical. Though Philipp wants AF and other whizzers, which would be cool for him and probably others. Maybe we can convince Fuji to do another version alongside?

Oh, I don't really insist on AF. I just want a camera that doesn't pretend it's two generations older than it is. That's just like using this with a cellphone.

Oh, and interchangeable lenses would have been fine, too. But I won't complain. Let's see Fuji actually build this first. So far I've only seen photos of what might well be a mock-up anyway.

Philipp

 

[Trius]

Ah, that's the rub ... you consider the style and retro look to be "pretending". Well, that's a reasonable conclusion, though I don't share it. But that Bluetooth handset ... oh yeah, I got to have one!

I think the deal with this new Fuji is that they likely wanted to produce something truly compact, hence the somewhat silly reference as "portable" in the press release. Making it a folder is the only way to do that with a film body. So interchangeable lenses is out, you just can;t do it (I don't think) with a folder and keep it compact; that would be view camera territory, which isn't portable in this sense.

I doubt there will be a system RF line introduced after this, but who knows.

The central thing is, to me, that the company is still Fujifilm. They refuse to delete film from the corporate identity. And seeing a market opportunity which will drive the sale of 120 film (with its higher profit margin than 35mm packaging), they are testing the waters. Whether they actually produce this camera or not, it's refreshing to see them floating the idea. And if they do produce it, I wouldn't be surprised to see the lens in f2.8 incarnation, plus two versions: SC and EBC.

 

[aizan]

there's no way they'd bother with anything other than EBC coating. i could see a wide angle version, though.

 

[Trius]

Why not? I mean it would probably increase sales, with very little incremental cost.

 

[jmilkins]

I would be very interested in a wide version as well, with an EBC lens. C'mon Fuji !