CES revealed a few new cameras, but Fujifilm has been a little late in talking up its models, and now that the show is over, it’s ready to show Australia what it has coming shortly.
And when we say “shortly”, we mean it, with Fujifilm’s new interchangeable lens camera heading to our shores in February.
The new model is a flagship, and it’s one that Fujifilm calls a “premium interchangeable lens camera”, with the company taking the X-Pro1 from 2012 and giving it a much needed updated four years later.
Understandably, the new model is called the “X-Pro2”, and it delivers the world’s first “Advanced Hybrid Multi Viewfinder”, which is essentially a combined optical and electronic viewfinder capable of delivering a 100 percent field of view, and two magnification settings as well, increasing magnification to both 2.5x and 6x.
So how does a combined optical and electronic viewfinder work, you ask?
Interestingly, the electronic viewfinder appears in a small window inside the optical viewfinder, allowing you to see the entire image with your eye, but also track focus, exposure, white balance, and anything else that would normally be electronically monitored through the camera.
One thing of note is the viewfinder’s position, and sitting in corner basically suggests that Fujifilm’s X-Pro2 is a rangefinder, which is perfectly fitting for Fujifilm’s optical rangefinder mode, which according to Fuji will allow photographer to view subjects “in almost the same way as the naked eye”.
The viewfinder is only one part of the package, though, and Fujifilm is connecting this too a 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, capable of delivering a fair amount of megapixels with a low-light sensitivity up to 51200 ISO, though a standard maximum to 12800.
Fujifilm also says the shutter speed has been increased to 1/8000 of a second when used with the mechanical shutter because there is one of those, though you can always opt for a silent electronic shutter capable of shooting up to 1/32000 second.
Even the autofocus has been increased, with a super-fast AFV speed of 0.06 seconds when paired with the right lens.
From a body point of view, you can expect a black magnesium casing with 61 weatherproofing seals, all of which helps the camera be dust and splash resistant, and Fujifilm even suggests it should be good to work in temperatures as low as below 10 Celsius.
Pro photographers will also be keen on the dual SD card slots, as well as the film simulation mode, which has been designed to emulate Fujifilm;’s classic Neopan “ACROS” film.
“The exceptional image quality of the X-Pro2 takes photography to the next level and aims to surpass the highest expectations of the most discerning photographer,” said Alex Zither, Product and Marketing Manager for Electronic Imaging at Fujifilm Australia.
As for pricing, this one does get some local pricing, unlike its competitors from Nikon and Canon (which don’t offer local RRPs), with Fujifilm setting the bar at $2699 for a February release, though it hasn’t said if that price arrives with a lens.
We’re going to go out there and say it probably doesn’t given the lack of information about a lens, so that’s something else to factor in if this looks good for you.
