Fujifilm, continuing its torrid pace of new product announcements, appears poised to announce new cameras and lenses next week in Sydney, Australia.
Fujifilm’s X Summit Sydney 2024 will occur next Thursday, May 16, at 3 PM AEST. For those in the United States, that is 1 AM EDT on Thursday and 10 PM PDT on Wednesday.
Although details are scarce, Fujifilm’s Australian account shared a teaser video on Instagram, which is seen below.
During one frame, it appears that there are two lenses positioned upright on the left side of the teaser video while two camera bodies lurk in the shadows to the right.
As for the lenses, the one in the back looks large. There’s only one lens slated for 2024 on the Fujifilm GFX lens roadmap, and that is the GF 500mm telephoto prime lens. There is a good chance that is the big boy in the teaser video. Fujifilm has yet to share any details on the lens, including its aperture, size, or price, so much is left to learn.
What is known is that a GF 500mm will offer an equivalent focal length of 395mm thanks to the GFX format’s 0.79 times crop factor. It will be the longest lens yet for the GFX and the longest for any mirrorless medium-format camera. Pentax’s ill-fated 645 system also has a 500mm lens, but that isn’t a mirrorless camera system.
Assuming the other lens is an X Series lens, which is a pretty safe bet, it is likely the new XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 “kit lens” Fujifilm teased in Tokyo earlier this year when it announced the X100 VI.
Moving to the cameras, the one in the back is viewed primarily from the front, with the shutter release on a rather steep angle. It has the general vibe of a GFX series camera, but that is a shot in the dark, pun intended.
The camera in the front has a vintage-inspired design language and some physical dials. Speaking of dials, the teaser video also includes a close-up view of a very interesting dial — a Film Simulation dial.
A first for a Fujifilm camera, astute viewers can spot dedicated dial positions for standard (Provia), Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, and a handful of other Film Simulations. The dial also includes a custom “C” position and three customized “FS” positions, which will presumably be assignable to Film Simulations without their own spaces on the dial. There are more than 20 Film Simulations, after all, and not 20 spots on the dial.
This is a teaser in every sense of the word. There are little nuggets, but there is far more mystery than information. Fujifilm fans won’t have to wait long to learn more, though, as the X Summit is less than a week away.
Image credits: Fujifilm