FUJIFILM has recently launched a $1600 discount on their successful GFX 100s medium format (44x33mm) camera. This brings the price down to $4,400 for a 100-megapixel medium format camera. For someone who’s been around since the early days of the digital revolution, such a low price on such a magnificent sensor is mindblowing. But if that’s a surprise to you, you weren’t paying attention to what FUJIFILM and others have been doing for the last few years. Let’s dive in! “Medium Format” and “Accessible” are two terms rarely found in the same sentence. Digital medium format picked up where analog medium format ended. Most initial entries were digital backs. Various sensor sizes and formats were mounted onto cumbersome electronic backs, then mounted to analog medium format cameras. This method enabled a relatively smooth systematic transition, and also a hybrid operation with digital backs working as indicators while the film was used for the higher-quality end result. But it had some significant issues. Modular mayhem Early digital backs required significant electronic prowess, not always within reach of film camera manufacturers. Various electronic companies entered the market, creating digital backs with various levels of compatibility. Such were Leaf, Imacon, and Phase One with the latter still leading the high-end segment of this market today. Phase One’s evolution from scanning backs to the XF system. This practice brought about some compatibility challenges. In these early eons, compact storage media couldn’t support massive file sizes. Many digital backs didn’t even bother with memory cards...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 27 March, 2024