A month after it teased and launched its last camera, Fujifilm is at it again. The company has released a teaser video for a new camera, built around a cryptic phrase and a nod towards Provia.
"Half the size, twice the story" is the tagline for the teaser, which depicts the outline of a very small-looking camera in deep shadow with an illuminated Provia logo.
"Explore your mind," reads the description on the YouTube page. "What kind of camera can you expect with such a form and a message? Stay with us and be the first to witness the new product due up next!"
Well, even after I boosted the exposure and shadows sliders in Photoshop, the only other details visible on the camera itself are a viewfinder with a circular eyepiece, a dial with what seems to be a shutter on top, and two camera lugs.
ABOVE: Watch the Fujifilm teaser
So the biggest clue probably lies in the tag, which focuses on "half the size". In photographic terms, there aren't a whole lot of things that could relate to – and the most obvious one is half-frame.
Could Fujifilm be the latest company to launch a half-frame camera? It would be a remarkable renaissance for the format, continuing what had been an extinct analog trend until the past few years.
It would follow the footsteps of cameras like the Pentax 17 and the Kodak Ektar H35. These are 35mm film cameras that, rather than using the entire frame, only use half of each frame of film (and, thus, produce twice as many exposures – or stories – from a roll).
Because they literally divide the horizontal 35mm frame in half, these cameras produce individual vertical images that are much smaller in size… or should that be resolution?
You see, late last year, Fujifilm said that it remained unconvinced about the film camera boom, declaring that a new film camera is not "on the agenda".
Perhaps "half the size" refers to the size of the sensor? This might suggest a new sensor format, if Fujifilm is to move beyond APS-C and cropped medium format – perhaps a return to the 1-inch sensors seen in compact cameras?
Indeed, "half the size" could refer literally to the size of the camera itself – and this may be an indication that the company is about to further disrupt the compact market, having already turned it upside-down with the X100VI and last month's GFX100RF.
Whatever it is, right now all we can do is wait until Fujifilm drip feeds some more details. And given that there was just a two-week wait between its previous teaser and subsequent announcement (for the GFX100RF), we should be hearing more very soon.
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Wondering what is a half-frame camera? Check out the history of half-frame cameras, and have a look at the best Fujifilm cameras while you're at it!
