Fuji "LX" leak

[Hamish Gill]

Photo Rumors has published leaked pictures of the hinted at forthcoming Fuji compact system camera...
Looks interesting!

Fuji LX mirrorless camera leaked | Photo Rumors

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Intriguing...

 

[Larry Bolch]

Fuji seems to really be on a roll. Still a shortage of X100s eight months later, with people still having to order them, and stores who get stock, selling out quickly. Early adopters seem to be really liking the new X10, and a new super-zoom is on the way with the same 2/3" sensor as the X10, making for a nearly dSLR sized P&S. And now this one.

High-honcho Shigetaka Komori has been trotting about the globe bragging that this will be a very high-end camera. We should know by the second week in January—it is supposed to debut at CES/PMA. I really am equipped up the wazoo, and have no need for yet another camera, but I can not help but be intrigued. Shooting the X100 is a constant act of joy.

While I lot of people only know Fuji by a bunch of low-priced P&S cameras there is another side to Fuji. Last I heard, the big medium format "Texas Leicas" were still in production though only one or two models remain. I did a shoot many years ago with a 6×9 and was much impressed. Their medium-format SLR was even more impressive, for both versatility and price. The have always built a line of cameras that tend to be unique. Current Hasselblads are designed and built by Fuji, so they certainly have the cred to build something truly fresh and innovative.

I lurk about a couple of Fuji forums, and the usual folks are there advising Fuji what to build. A lot are clamoring for M-Mount, not realizing that some of the great lenses of all time are Fujinons. Ask anyone who has large format experience! Countless motion pictures and TV show are also shot with Fujinons. I was recently browsing the pro-video section on the B&H site in the US, and there were dozens of them starting at $1,600 and going all the way to $160,000! No, the decimal point is in the correct place.

The M-mount dates back to 1954 if I remember correctly, but while there are a lot of used lenses floating about, the good ones tend to be overpriced. Even worse, there is no way to produce an auto-focus option with an M-mount. Sure, Leica sells a handful of very expensive cameras each year, but mostly on the basis of mystique and bragging rights. While manual focus is an option, in 2012 auto focus is not. I am sure that Komori-san is well aware of the S-series of dSLRs that Nikon built for them, and that Nikon made most of the profit through sales of their lenses. No need to repeat.

Komori-san has also vowed to surpass Sony into third place in a very few years, and who knows? They just might. Also consumer-level perceptions, that Fuji is a small company. In fact they are much larger than Nikon. Fujifilm revenue in the financial year 2010 was ¥2.182 trillion compared to Nikon's ¥785.5 billion. I think they have their heads on straight now, and are very likely to become a major player.

 

[Larry Bolch]

The LX is now officially the X-Pro1 and was unveiled this week at the combined CES/PMA show in Las Vegas, USA. The Nikon D4, Canon G1X and the Fuji were nominated for the Best in CES award, and the Fuji won it.

High-points—new sensor technology that abandons the Beyer Mosaic, and does away with the anti-alias filter, for far greater detail and sharpness. Shipping with three Fujinon prime lenses—equivalent to 27mm, 53mm and 90mm—and no zooms. Eventually a nine lens line-up is promised, including zooms. An M-mount adapter for Leica-compatible lenses will ship in April. No firm price, but in the vicinity of $1,700US for the body and lenses in the $600US range—not a consumer-level camera. No dSLR DNA—seems to be a digital interpretation of the Contax G2 in concept. Same sensitivity range as my D700.

Yup, on my shopping list.

 

[Hamish Gill]

We are way ahead of you matey! Have a look at the home page

 

[Larry Bolch]

Ah, I come directly to the forums.

 

[Hamish Gill]

http://www.realphotographersforum.com/photography-news/3661-fujifilm-confirms-x-pro1-ces.html