DO NOT GET ME WRONG!!!!

THIS IS NOT A RUMOR and NOTHING FUJIFILM HAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

All the below are my thoughts, guesses and speculations based on an slide Fujifilm showed and on hints dropped in past Fujifilm statements.

At no point Fujifilm said that both lines are 100% axed. And a slide shown by a regional outlet of Fujifilm has less value than what the official Fujifilm headquarter in Japan says.

None… I repeat, NONE of my sources has told me the Fujifilm GFX50R or X70 won’t get a successor.

Fujfiilm Digital Camera Range

You might remember how a few months ago, Fuji Guy Billy explained the digital camera range of Fujifilm.

The list Billy made gave us indication on which lines are very likely to see a successor and which ones not.

However, in the list Billy did GFX cameras and fixed lens cameras were not included.

And this brings us to today’s article.

I have received the slide you can see above that Fujifilm used during a press meeting.

Just like with Billy’s list, also here we see no entry level X series camera anymore.

In addition to that, this slide contains the Fujifilm X100V, which means it’s a solid part of the family and will get a successor at some point.

The new Fujifilm X-H2 is missing, but only because the slide was shown to press before the launch of the Fujifilm X-H2.

Totally missing though are the Fujifilm X70/XF10 and the Fujifilm GFX50R.

So what does this mean?

Well, the fact that neither the GFX50R nor the X70 are in the list certainly shows that those cameras do not play an important role in Fuji’s lineup anymore.

Regarding the Fujiifilm GFX50R, Fujifilm managers made some conflicting statements: the first one said that they see no need for a GFX50R successor due to the reasons we explained here, and the second manager clearly expressed his wish for this line to continue. So I guess not even in Japan the final word on the GFX50R successor has yet been spoken.

As far as the Fujifilm X70 goes, Fujifilm should not blame the camera for its failure. It was destined to fail due to horrible (can I say “stupid”?) decisions Fujifilm made and that we explained in this article. And to make things worst, they tried to fix it with the Fujifilm XF10, which is just another error in planing. I believe this could be a very successful line… if Fujifilm finally decides to treat it with dignity!

But sure, in times where camera companies struggle, I would not be totally surprised if those cameras, that are not vital for the system, get dropped. It would save R&D to focus on other more popular models.

Also, APS-C is marked as “X-Trans”, so this might indicate that there is no space anymore for Bayer in the APS-C lineup (which so far was reserved for lower end models).

• Top 10 Fujifilm X Camera Flops and 10 Errors Fujifilm Should Avoid in Future
• Fujifilm Designer Talks about GFX: “I would Love to Evolve the GFX50R Rangefinder Series” and More on GFX Series Development
• Fujifilm managers say there is less need for GFX50R line now that the GFX100S is so compact

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Fujifilm GFX Shooters, Rejoice!

After a long wait, DJI (the owner of Hasselblad) launched the Hasselblad X2D.

Great specs, phase detection autofocus, IBIS and many more lovely features that make it a worthy and much needed competitor to the Fujifilm GFX system.

All Fujifilm GFX shooters (me included) should rejoice right now, because competition is a good thing and if the GFX system finally gets some serious pressure in the medium format realm, Fujifilm will be forced to step on the gas even more to keep dominating the market.

The Dubious Design Choice

But as much as I think the Hasselblad X2D is an awesome piece of gear, in its very same design philosophy lies a choice, that some might love, but many others might consider a dealbreaker and a flawed idea to start with: it has no mechanical shutter.

What this means is that you either rely on the electronic shutter (which is not the best choice on medium format cameras with slower sensor readout) or you use the native Hasselblad XCD lenses with build-in leaf shutter.

This choice Hasselblad made has two major downsides:

• you can’t use older legacy glass on the Hasselblad X2D (except you use only electronic shutter, which is not recommended and rather limiting due to the slower readout of MF sensors)
• you have to pay for the leaf shutter every single time with every lens purchase

And something I have noticed going through our Fujifilm GFX group, is that GFX owners LOVE to adapt vintage glass on their camera. It’s fun and it can give unique and very characteristic results.

Sadly, by not having a mechanical shutter, the Hasselblad X2D is simply the less ideal tool for this purpose than the Fujifilm GFX.

A GFX Killer? Let’s check it

Now the forums are quickly flooding with statements that the Hasselblad X2D is a GFX killer.

Really?

Well, let’s check one of the most important (if not THE most important) aspect: Price!

So let’s do just that, let’s buy the Hasselblad X2D as well as the Fujifilm GFX100S with 3 comparable GF and XCD lenses.

• Hasselblad X2D = $ 8,199
• Fujifilm GFX100S = $ 5,999

with

• XCD 35-75mm f/3,5-4,5 = $ 5,175
• GF 32-64mm f/4 = $ 2,299

with

• XCD 65mm f/2.8 = $ 2,750
• GF 63mm f/2.8 = $ 1,499

with

• XCD 21mm f/4 = $ 3,750
• GF 23mm f/4 = $ 2,599

All in all, in order to build up a similar system (1 camera with 3 similar lenses) you’d spend:

• Hasselblad X2D System: $ 19,874
• Fujifilm GFX100S System: $ 12,400

This means you save $7,474 by buying the GFX system over the Hasselblad.

With the money saved you could add to your GFX system the Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7, the Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 and something like the Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4. And you’d still have some money left to buy a spare battery and SD-Cards.

So, with a budget of about $20,000 you can buy:

• X2D with 3 lenses
• GFX100S with 6 lenses
  + still a couple of hundreds of dollars left to invite your better half to a romantic weekend, take lovely images with your new gear and show her/him that only 100 megapixel can make justice to her/his beauty

One might argue that the Hasselblad X2D has 1TB internal storage. Not really an argument, as I guess we all have plenty of SD-cards at home, so by buying the GFX you don’t really need to add SD-Cards to it as we can just use the ones we already have.

But even if we were to buy the equivalent storage in terms of SD Cards, let’s say we’d add four SanDisk UHS-II SD cards, you still end up saving $6,200 over the Hasselblad X2D system, hence still plenty of money to invest in lenses.

There is still no comparison. The Fujifilm GFX100S is the objectively better choice in terms of features and price.

However, buying decisions are not only made rationally. There is also a very subjective aspect to it. So if you really love the design of the Hasselblad system, then you are obviously better off getting the X2D over the GFX100S.