New Technology Reviews!.: interchangeable

Fujifilm to launch mirrorless system camera

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Fujifilm has announced that it will release a mirrorless system camera into the market in Spring 2012, but declined to reveal any further specs.</div>
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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."</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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Sensor size</h4>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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Later in the presentation, Mr Komori said that the camera will have "low noise and will surpass the 35mm full-size sensor".</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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 furt...

Panasonic hopes to grow compact system camera market further

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Panasonic has high hopes for its micro four thirds range of cameras, suggesting that the market will continue to develop and grow, allowing the company to expand further.</div>
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According to Panasonic, the company is the third biggest player in the interchangeable lens market, and at the top spot for the compact system camera (CSC) area of the market. The Panasonic G3, released in May, is currently the best-selling CSC in the UK, along with being in the top five for all camera sales.</div>
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Speaking in London, Panasonic's Mr Uetmasu spoke of his hopes for the continued growth and expansion of the compact system camera. He made it clear that he did not believe that CSCs were second rate compared to DSLR.</div>
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Citing the rapid development in digital camera technology over the past 20 years, he said he could see no reason why compact system cameras could not catch up with DSLRs in the next few years in terms of image quality.</div>
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Sensor isn't everything</h4>
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One of the biggest drawbacks of micro four thirds cameras is the smaller sensor size compared to APS-C and full-frame DSLRS. In a bid to counter this criticism, Mr Uetmatsu said, "Image quality is not only about sensor size, but also signal processing and optical performance."</div>
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Another area where compact system cameras have an advantage is in the camcorder market. A micro four thirds sensor is 10 times bigger than a consumer camcorder, which should result in higher image quality.</div>
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Panasonic was the first company to enter the CSC market with the G1 back in 2008, and has since introduced several models including the G3, GH2 and GF3. Uematsu described the original G1 as a "very small step in technology, but a big step for system cameras."</div>
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Mr Uetmatsu was also confident that we would be begin to see a greater expansion in the general compact system camera market. "Many manufacturers will introduce mirrorless cameras, but we have a distinct advantage because we are already two years ahead," he said.</div>
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Samsung, Sony and Pentax already have mirrorless models on the market, while Nikon has long been rumoured to be introducing its compact system camera soon.</div>
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In a previous interview with TechRadar, Mr Uetmatsu said Panasonic was currently working on an advanced GF model to sit at the top of the range.</div>
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Panasonic hopes to grow compact system camera market further

Panasonic has high hopes for its micro four thirds range of cameras, suggesting that the market will continue to develop and grow, all...