Personal ramblings on photography
I did joke about how the X half announcement would have been better on 1st of April.
The Machine Planet tells us that Fujifilm announces Fuji X Half 2 digital camera:
SATIRICA, N.Y., MAY 22, 2029 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Electronic Imaging Division, today announced the launch of its FUJIFILM X Half 2™ premium compact digital camera (X Half 2).
I laughed.
Just making fun because we care, but it seems that the pre-orders are off the charts.
This is it. The long rumored “Half frame” Fujifilm compact camera has been announced. Its name is X half, first of its name. A lot of the new videos on my YouTube feed are about it today, and this is my cold take as I don’t have the camera.
It’s not the new revision of an existing one camera. It’s a new concept, like when Fujifilm released the X100 back in 2011. I don’t know if the Pentax 17 triggered this or if there is some sort of trend among camera designers in Japan, but Fujifilm decided with the X Half to embrace the “half frame” vertical. Note that in that context the use of half frame refer to the camera using 35mm film that use half the frame (vertically) in order to provide more images per roll. Notable vintage half-frame cameras include Olympus Pen (the name was reused for their Micro 4/3 compact line), Ricoh Auto Half, Canon Demi EE17 and Canon Dial, they were build for a purpose: smaller size. They came out of favour as more compact point and shoot were available.
It has an optical viewfinder, more like what was on the X10, with a 90% coverage.
It has a vertical screen and a 1″ (8.8 x 11.7mm) sensor, vertical with a cropped aspect ratio of 3:4 producing 18 Mpix images. This is not half a full frame. It’s much smaller.
The lens is a 10.8mm (32mm equivalent) f2.8. It is auto-focus, has a manual focus ring and an aperture ring with a knob. You can shoot aperture priority, or toggle it to A.
It doesn’t produce raw files. Like other Fujifilm cameras it has film simulations, 10 of them, and 19 filters (the X-M5 has 13), some of them seen on the Instax Evo. For nostalgia there is date stamp option, that will imprint into the picture the date, using a 7-segement style led display, like in the 80-90s — probably one of the things I dislike the most — but if you want to emulate film cameras, then it’s a must have. Film simulations and filters are mutually exclusive, like on other X-Series.
The X half has a physical lever by the thumb rest, a lever that looks like the winder on film cameras. Some Instax cameras have this kind of lever to trigger printing the picture. Outside of film mode (more on this later), it is used to trigger the diptych feature: take a picture, pull the lever, and the next image will be part of a diptych, a combo of two pictures. It is what Fujifilm calls 2-in-1, and apparently it also works with movies.
Otherwise there is not so many other physical controls: an exposure compensation dial under the shutter button, a still/video toggle, playback button, and a flash on/off switch on the side. Everything else is done through the vertically oriented 450×680 dots touch screen at the back that also offer live view, combined with the smaller touch screen strip to its left. The film simulation is selected via that touch screen strip whose position reminds us of the window that show the type of film loaded on point and shoot film cameras. Nice touch, probably inspired by the X-Pro3 film simulation screen that was shaped like the holder of the top of a cardboard film box. When shooting in S or M mode, the shutter speed is changed from the same touch screen, and few other feature are controller through swipes.
The film mode is the main part of the “fun” this camera promotes.
When you toggle the film mode, the camera switches to a mode where you select a number of frames (36, 54 or 72) and a film simulation, and you stick to it until you finish the roll, either by shooting all frames or by cancelling it. After each frame you must wind with the lever to advance. Also you are required to use the OVF and you can’t use the rear LCD to view the picture. Instead it becomes the control panel, including a simulated LCD display as found on a 90s film cameras. About the roll size, since it’s a half frame, I don’t understand why 36 has 18 exposure rolls have never been a thing. 48 would have made sense for a 24 exposure role. 54 is twice 27 which is how much I could get out of a Fujifilm 24 exposure roll, or how much you get out of their disposable film cameras. Well, if going for accuracy, this isn’t it.
The rest of the film mode is addressed by the X half mobile app, to produce “contact sheet”. Each roll is in its own folder on the card.
If this camera is a love letter to film shooting, why didn’t you make a film camera, Fujifilm? (I know, it’s complicated) I wonder if Fujifilm sent one to some the film shooter crowd on YouTube.
The limited video mode, toggled with a physical button, can record up to 2160×1440 vertical short videos (less than 60 sec). This is not a camera for shooting video.
A LED makes for the built-in flash. While this is bright enough, it doesn’t give the flash look as it doesn’t freeze the subject like a strobe. Unfortunately the cold shoe on top doesn’t allow the use of an external flash.
Other features include direct Instax Link printer support, unlike more expensive camera.
The X half is available in three colours: black, charcoal and silver. I would pick charcoal I think.
It’s hard to know what is missing without having the camera, but raw file output is clearly one. True flash strobe, which is important for going with that retro image look is another one.
Also I haven’t seen in the various review how to configure film simulation recipes, and that one is probably a bummer. A big missed opportunity in my opinion. I think, Fujifilm should really capitalize on the recipes as user feature, but the question is whether the hardware behind it is similar to the other X series or if it is much less powerful to offer all the parameters.
At an MSRP of CA$999, (it’s US$849 with tariffs down south) it is not especially cheap. The X-M5 (body-only) is barely more money. While this is cheaper than the X100VI (less then half the prices), it is not a cheaper version of the X100VI, not at all and is so far the only other compact camera in the Fujifilm lineup — three if you count the GFX100RF — in a market segment largely abandoned by most vendors.
I think the only way I will try this camera is if I get it on loan. Fujifilm, if you hear me, hit me up.
DPReview says Fujifilm’s new camera is silly and fun, but is it just a joke?, a headline which made me think “if only they made the announcement on 1st of April”, while Chris and Jordan from Petapixel said “it’s a lot of fun”.
Will the X half become the new camera of the TikTok generation?
While tomorrow Fujifilm is supposed to announce a new compact camera, today Ricoh just announced the Ricoh GR IV, for release in the fall of 2025.
As the successor of the Ricoh GR III, it’s a lot more of the same. With no apparent fundamental changes, it features a new 26 MPix sensor up from 24.24, 5 axis IBIS, a new lens design (28mm f/2.8 still), some physical control changes, bigger internal memory (53GB) and now only microSD card for the external storage. In addition to P S A M, there is also the Sn exposure mode (Snap Distance Priority AE). It is unclear what it does.
The new dust removal system shows that Ricoh still hasn’t figured out the sealing, so they treat the symptoms. That would be the 8th GR Digital with the problem still present.
In the same announcement the GR III will be discontinued in July, but not the GR IIIx
You can read the Ricoh Europe news release.
It’s good to see that Ricoh is still committed to that market segment that other manufacturers have abandoned.
Update: DPReview has some info too
DPReview has an interview of Fujifilm executives about the GFX 100RF.
Part of the reasoning is that the GFX100RF is a much more expensive camera than the X100VI, which means it needs to feel more premium. “At the beginning, when we discussed how we should design the camera, we already knew about the price point. So this camera should be more luxurious to match the price point,” said Oishi.
There is one way to avoid the supply problems: make it unaffordable. This sounds tongue in cheek, but the X100VI is still unobtainium, so is the X-M5…, the latter being one of the least expensive models.
A major factor in its luxury design is the top plate, which is milled out of a single block of aluminum—it’s the first time Fujifilm has used this type of manufacturing process.
Later, during the Fujikina event, Yoneda told us that turning an aluminum ingot into a GFX100RF top plate takes around five hours.
For so much I love well built devices, made out of metal, this looks like overkill to make it cost CA$7,000. This doesn’t make it a bad camera, but the law of diminishing returns clearly applies here.
To me, the unique feature of this camera, that also applies with the other GFX 100, is the possibility to shoot in 65:24 (or any other) aspect ratio and still have a large amount of pixels. And the GFX 100RF offers it in a smaller package. Fujifilm could offer the crops in the viewfinder for X-series and I’m sure it would work for many people with about half of the 40 Megapixels that the X100VI do offer.
SooC JPEG, Fujifilm X-Pro1, XF 27mm f/2.8 WR
April 2025
As Kosmo Photo reports that the main designer left Pentax, people are questioning the Pentax 17 future, or more realistically future Pentax film cameras.
Ricoh Imaging has said the Pentax Film Project – which led to the release of the Pentax 17 last summer – is now on hold while it investigates whether there is demand for further new film models.
If the main person behind the Pentax 17, driving the effort of film camera design, left Pentax, is there a possible future for further film cameras?
In the run-up to its release, Ricoh Imaging had said that it was investigating a raft of camera releases that could include a film SLR in due course.
I’m still not convinced that the Pentax 17 is for me. I would love to give it a try, but if I don’t enjoy shooting it, what’s the point? What I feel I might not like with the Pentax 17 is both the scale focusing and the lack of control on the exposure in general. On the other hand what I do like as a differentiator is the half frame vertical aspect ratio (but not its marketing). I do understand the constraints in the design and Pentax commitment, and this is why I hoped that they would develop further film cameras.
My ideal film camera design might be a difficult one in the current market. If it’s a reflex, a choice of mount might need to prevail to have an interchangeable lens camera. If not a reflex, it probably would have to be a fixed lens and have to be a rangefinder; otherwise a coupled rangefinder might mean Leica M mount, which mean relatively expensive glass. It’s one thing to build a camera, it’s another to build a lens system, or rely on out of production lenses. Right now film photography is on borrowed time.
Previously: Pentax 17, Reflex, a new 35mm film camera design
“V-Series”: I just made up that name. On March 26, for their video-first cameras line, Canon announced the global availability of the PowerShot V1, hoping that they sorted their manufacturing capacity. They also announced the Canon EOS R50V, a reworked version of the entry level APS-C sensor EOS R50, stripped of the viewfinder, and with improvements to the video mode. It comes (optionally) with a kit lens 14-30mm f/4-6.3 PZ. Body only, its cost is barely less than the R50, and with the kit lens it is still cheaper than the PowerShot V1:
The Canadian prices are:
This is supposed to compete with Sony ZV line of cameras. The Sony ZV-1 II is CA$1,199.00, while the ZV-E10 II without lens a 16-50 is CA$1,499 and would compete with the V1 and R50V respectively.
This is more than the PowerShot G7X MarkIII (CA$1,069.00), or even the Fujifilm X-M5 (CA$1,199.00 with the 15-45mm).
Jonas Rask tells Impossibly Possible – The Fujifilm GFX100RF review.
This very comprehensive review of the GFX 100RF as Rask had it for a few month before it was even announced. Rask really like panoramic cameras like the X-Pan or the Fuji G617, which make this camera possibly a natural fit for him.
The long rumored medium format fixed lens camera from Fujifilm was just announced.
It is called the GFX 100RF. RF stands for Rangefinder style, Fixed lens.
This camera will naturally compare with the Leica Q3 that is in a similar market segment.
The GFX 100RF has a 102 Megapixel sensor, larger than full frame (43.8mm x 32.9mm) like the one on the GFX 100II, and a newly developed fixed 35mm f/4 that is a 28mm equivalent FoV with a leaf shutter, and built-in ND filter. The lens can focus as close as 20cm front the front. The electronic viewfinder has a x0.84 magnification and 5.76 Megapixels, and it is complemented by a 3.15 in 2.1 Megapixel tilting LCD.
It has a dial that allows selecting 9 differwent aspect-ratios that, in addition to the usual ones, feature crops like 17:6 and 65:24 which are the Fujifilm G617 and T-X1 panoramic cameras respectively. There is also a vertical 3:4, that would allow taking a cropped picture in the portrait orientation. The aspect ratio dial will change the viewfinder to offer proper framing guides but the raw file will contain it all.
The digital teleconverter is a digital zoom similar to the one found on the Leica Q3 that will crop to any of 43mm, 63mm or 80mm field of view (in 35mm equivalent these are about 36mm, 50mm and 63mm respectively). The crop is done at the cost of less pixels, but since you start at 102 Megapixels, there is plenty of room to work with. Like with the aspect ratio crop, if you shoot raw, the whole image is still captured but it will be marked as cropped by default in your photo processing software (if it supports it).
There is no image stabilisation whether it is lens or in body. High speed flash sync is possible with the leaf shutter, up to 1/500 sec. There is also a dual SD-card slots and the camera is weather sealed if you install the included protective filter PRF-49.
And of course, all the usual film simulations are available.
Video
It wouldn’t be a Fujifilm without video. It doesn’t offer everything but you can shoot 4K in 30 fps, in 10 bits 4:2:2 and F-log2 with a digital images stabiliser, and there are both a headphone and a microphone jack.
Availability
The GFX 100RF is to the GFX-series what the X100 is to the X-series, albeit the latter showed up first.
MSRP is €5,499 / US$4,899 / CA$6,999, less than the Leica Q3 and available in April 2025.
Afterword
Please Fujifilm, bring these crops to the X-series. No need for a dial. Just allow assigning to a button. I want the frames in the EVF of my X-T3.