Fuji is making its first cinema camera, and it’s got a medium format GFX sensor

In a surprise announcement, Fujifilm is entering the cinema camera market. But instead of leveraging their APS-C X-Trans sensor tech to make Super35 cameras, they’re going big. It’s called the Fujifilm GFX Eterna, and as the name suggests, it utilises a Fuji GFX lens mount. We have a full breakdown on the Fujifilm GFX Eterna here.

As it also suggests, it’s going to contain one of the medium format sensors found in the company’s GFX cameras. Specifically, it’s the “GFX 102MP CMOS II HS” sensor, which they say is 1.7x larger than the standard “full frame” sensor.

Fujifilm GFX Eterna – Go big or go home!

When Fuji decides to make an announcement, they certainly don’t hold back, do they? Right now, though, it’s just a development announcement, and no target release date has been revealed as of yet. In fact, most of the details haven’t been released yet, but it holds a lot of potential promise.

The “GFX ETERNA,” currently in development, is set to revolutionize film production. Leveraging Fujifilm’s expertise and experience in the field of filmmaking, the company will combine the exceptional capabilities of Fujinon lenses with the advanced technology of the “GFX series.” Aptly named “GFX ETERNA,” it aspires to become a driving force in shaping a new era of filmmaking and dedicate to contributing to the creation of timeless cinematic masterpieces.

In addition to the development of the “GFX ETERNA”, Fujifilm is also working on the development of a power zoom GF lens that is optimized for this G mount camera, planned to have actual focal length of 32-90mm, and a mount adapter from G to PL mount lenses, widely employed in film production.

As the demand for producing various types of videos such as feature films, short films, documentaries, and web content continues to grow, there is a growing need in the film production industry for high-quality videos that can be produced quickly and inexpensively. In preparation for the launch of the “GFX ETERNA”, Fujifilm will conduct rigorous field tests, while expanding its product lineup to enhance the “GFX system”. Through these efforts, Fujifilm is committed to contributing to the video production with high-quality and productivity across a wide range of fields.

The large 102-megapixel medium-format sensor, which is the same one found in the Fuji GFX100II ($7,499), offers a pixel resolution of 11648×8736. This isn’t quite as wide as the Blackmagic URSA 12K, although it’s plenty enough for the vast majority of use cases. And the Fuji sensor is significantly larger than the Super35 sensor inside the URSA 12K.

Exactly how much of this resolution Fujifilm will use in the final product remains to be seen, but I think 8K oversampling, at the very least, is likely. After all, for what this camera’s going to cost, the people with that kind of money aren’t going to accept any less. Also, the GFX100 II also shoots 8K, although it’s limited to 24fps. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to overcome this.

In addition to being able to use Fuji G mount lenses, the company is also working on a G to PL mount adapter. This will make the transition go much more smoothly for higher-end filmmakers and production companies looking to make the switch. After all, PL mount has been a filmmaking standard for decades, so it’s no surprise they’re planning an adapter.

It will feature the X-Processor 5, and a new power zoom GF lens is also being developed to go with the new camera. So far, Fujifilm hasn’t offered any indication as to how soon we might be able to expect the new GFX Eterna, but like the DJI Ronin 4D 8K ($12,838), it may prove to offer a unique experience for filmmakers that no other camera can offer.

Fujifilm will be showing off the GFX Eterna as a “reference exhibit” – basically, a non-working mockup prototype – at InterBEE 2024 in Tokyo, Japan, from November 13-15th, 2024.

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