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Life after Photokina: Fuji’s retro sexy X-E1.
During Photokina Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Fujifilm announced new mirrorless systems. Fuji has not one but two new cameras, the X-E1 and the XF1. The X-E1 is noticeably smaller than the X-Pro1, but it retains the same Leica-esque retro rangefinder design.
The quality of the EVF is amazing, the grip is very comfortable, and the overall size-to-weight ratio is excellent. The X-E1 is available for preordering on Amazon for $900 body only or $1,400 with the 18-55mm f/2.8 lens.
In addition to Zeiss announcing the introduction of a new line of lenses for both the Sony “E” and Fuji “X” mounts, Fuji now has a decent arsenal of lenses for its X-Series: 14mm f/2.8, 18mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, 60mm f/2.4 Macro, and the X-E1 kit’s lens, the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 LM OIS.
Simply put: If I needed to buy a mirrorless system today, the X-E1 would be it.
The second camera is the X-F1, a direct descendant of the X10, but with (according to Fuji) a greatly enhanced autofocus algorithm, and a serious increase in the sensor’s readout speed.
Both cameras are supported on Adobe Lightroom v4.2, released just yesterday and available for download here.
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The rumor during the show is that Fuji is already developing a new X-model with a full frame sensor, and they confirmed this week a pancake X lens for early next year. Based on Fuji’s booth, the brochures, and savvy employees behind the counter (a rare exception), I can clearly see that the company is very serious about the “X” line as a system camera.
On the other hand, Fujifilm also announced that as of March 2013 it will no longer make film for motion pictures. With the wide implementation of digital cinema cameras, digital editing that heavily uses CG composition and VFX processing, and a significant increase in the number of movie theaters abandoning film projectors in favor of digital projection, the company said it had no other choice but to exit the market. Just as reference, in 2008, Kodak’s motion picture film business accounted for 92% of its film business. Fuji now intends to focus on other areas of the film industry, providing products and services designed for the digital workflow of movie production and projection.
We will be hosting a Google Hangout on Monday October 15 at 1pm EST, to discuss what we saw and learned, and how it will affect your business in 2013.