Fujifilm to launch mirrorless system camera

Fujifilm has announced that it will release a mirrorless system camera into the market in Spring 2012, but declined to reveal any further specs.

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, president and chief executive officer of Fujifilm Shigetaka Komori revealed that the company would launch the new camera next year, stating, "The clear objective is the development of lenses, sensor and processor technology to achieve the highest image quality."

The company declined to offer any detailed comments on technical specifications or the price of the new camera, saying only that all will be revealed shortly before the camera is launched.

Fujifilm has recently enjoyed success with the retro-styled premium compact Fujifilm X100, which features an APS-C sized sensor along with a fixed-length f/2 lens.

The news comes after reports earlier in the year that Fuji would be launching new cameras by the autumn. We've already seen the X10, launched back in August, but we've heard nothing about a mirrorless system until now.

Sensor size

Earlier reports suggested that a Micro Four Thirds sensor would be likely, along with a new range of Fujinon lenses. This would have put the new camera in the same range as the Olympus PEN and Panasonic G series cameras, meaning that lenses could potentially be interchangeable between all three systems.

Speaking to Reuters earlier in the year, Fujifilm stated that they were looking to become the third biggest camera manufacturer in the world, hoping that a re-emergence in the interchangeable lens market would help them achieve this.

Later in the presentation, Mr Komori said that the camera will have "low noise and will surpass the 35mm full-size sensor".

A spokesperson for Fuji confirmed to TechRadar that an "interchangeable mirrorless system camera" was in development, but could not give any clearer details. Interestingly, Fujifilm is not using the term "compact system", perhaps hinting at a larger camera, with a larger sensor inside.

At present, the Leica M9 is the only mirrorless system camera in the world to use a full-frame sensor, while the Sony NEX and Samsung NX range both use APS-C sized sensors, the same found in enthusiast and entry level DSLR cameras.