Oh boy, I had a similar experience in the comments under PetaPixel’s review on YouTube. I thought the video review was well balanced and I like that they were saying that the camera is basically fun despite lacking some features that should probably have been included.
But the comments just seemed mad that Fuji would dare to make this camera in the first place. It’s clearly not a camera designed for the enthusiast and pro market, but apparently that doesn’t stop people being mad that it isn’t.
I sometimes get frustrated that my dream camera isn’t being made (why are all the compact cameras vlogging hybrids?), but I still can’t get mad at Fuji for trying something new. Yes, it’s probably priced too high, but what isn’t these days?
I get a little bit irked when Fuji dumps a dial for ISO or drive mode in favor of a film sim dial on, for example, the X-T50. But apparently Fuji knows its target market for these cameras well, since they can’t keep up with demand.
I am aware of the general price increase in cameras, but I still have a hard time adjusting to it mentally. I know that today’s cameras are much more capable in every category, need more processing and hardware components, and are made in smaller volumes, so the price increase is justified to a certain extent.
My problem is that the entry level has disappeared, sub 1000-EUR bodies are a rarity. One does not need new cameras to start photography (far from it actually), but newcomers do not know that, they go to a store and see that it takes 1500–2000 EUR to just get started which seems horribly expensive.
A rumoured DJI mirrorless could help, maybe, given the company’s integration with Chinese supply chains, and its ability to build intuitive user interfaces. Hopefully using an open mount so there’s an ecosystem of existing lenses
I hadn’t realised that DJI own Hasselblad, would they want to undercut this brand or use it to build something that might appeal to amateurs?
I have always lusted after a Hasselblad of some kind, but could never justify it. The nearest I ever came to on the “medium format” size was a Rollei twin lens reflex.
Yeah, I wish I’d learned that earlier. It took me three cameras (two compact, one DSLR) and the same amount of lenses. I could probably have saved quite some money.
I would not hold my breath… their brand image is one of their assets and releasing something that is actually affordable but still labeled Hasselblad would undercut that, regardless of the quality.
And given how small the market is for medium format lenses, manufacturing does not benefit from scale. Medium format gear will continue to be expensive.
Probably, but most of us here are not their target market. Given that you developed an excellent tonemapper module for Darktable, you may be as far from the targeted users of this camera as possible without being in another galaxy
Think about it this way: a roll of 36 exposure film + C41 development + digital scanning cost at least 20 EUR in most places, possibly much more (depending on the film stock, mostly). If you are after film-like experience, you break even well before 2k exposures.
A purist may argue that the X-Half is not film, it is a film simulation. But Fujifilm is probably the best when it comes to doing that, and I doubt that a lot of people would be able to pick which image came from film and which from the X-Half in a blind test.
(Incidentally, Fujifilm finally arrived at the One True Aspect Ratio, ie 3:4 )
Well I can tell you one thing. owning something like an instax printer is a good way to make people happy. and with something like a fuji x half - or any Fuji X/GFX camera you can use a nice looking camera and print directly from the camera and then see people smile when you hand them the print.
Yes, but it is probably the most wasteful and expensive way to print photos. I understand there is a recycling program, but not using is way more environment-friendly than recycling (same goes for Nespresso, etc.).
I took an Instax to Cuba pre-iPhone. Purple and silver model with flashing blue lights when you pressed the shutter. That thing was insane there. Within minutes of taking someone’s picture and handing it to them, there would be a scrum of kids (and adults) demanding one, too. It would get totally out of hand. When I took it out at a bar in a small town one time, some other tourists were laughing at my “toy camera”. I was like, watch this…
On one of the recent big family events I used the printer to entertain my little niece: after taking pictures for a while, i sat down and started printing.
I gave her the developing prints and told her “when you can see who is on the photo, you bring it to them”
You dont want to know how often she came to me to print more
or during LGM 2019 in Saarbruecken I also made a lot of people happy. So much so. that at the end we gave the printer at the end to tatica. And she made even more people happy with it.
(before you ask. of course I got me a new printer the day after. What did you think?)
Possibly. Like having a barbecue with your friends in the park is not the most efficient way to make food. But it is about the fun of sharing paper prints instantly, not about saving resources or money.
)
