Many were taken aback (pleasantly) when Hasselblad announced the X1D, the world’s first mirrorless medium-format camera. The reason for the surprise isn’t so much about the product, but has more to do with who was coming to market with it first. You see, Fujifilm has long been rumored to be secretly working on a medium-format camera system of its own, a rumor that Fujifilm has denied as recently as this past January.
That said, despite the fairly recent denial, the longstanding rumor received new fuel this week when it was reported by multiple outlets, including Fujifilm-focused rumor site Fuji Rumors, which reported that a “trusted source” (someone who’s classified as having given the site correct information in the past) had shared Fujifilm’s plans to launch a mirrorless medium-format system in September, at the Photokina camera show in Germany. The source also claimed there would be three lenses, and at a “definitely more affordable” price point than the $9,000 that Hasselblad is asking for the X1D (body only).
Related: Fujifilm’s new SP-2 Instax Share photo printer is faster, quieter than the original
This rumored Fujifilm mirrorless medium-format camera will apparently use a 50-megapixel sensor, just like the Hasselblad X1D. As for the lenses, at this point, nothing is known about what they are, or even any real clues as to what they could be. The source also said the camera won’t actually be available until 2017.
If this rumor does become true, this could set up a mirrorless medium-format system showdown between Hasselblad and Fujifilm — the sort of fight we never got (at least not yet) to see in the full-frame mirrorless segment, where Sony is still the only player. If there is one thing that we do know, it is that nothing drives innovation and technology better than competition, so it will be interesting to see, come September, if there are any legs to this rumor.
Until then, treat it as you would any rumor, with a big ‘ol grain of salt.