If you cast your mind back to a better time, like 2019, you might dredge up a memory of Fujifilm’s GFX100 camera — a 102MP behemoth with a price tag to match. Despite sounding like it was named by Nvidia in some weird crossover episode of life, it proved to be a very attractive piece of photography hardware. Provided, that is, you could afford to purchase one.

And it’s back again for the end of 2020, only this time it’s even more out of reach. Fuji has announced its new GFX100 IR, an infra-red version of the camera designed with “…forensic, scientific, and cultural preservation applications” in mind.

Giving GFX100-percent

Which basically tells you everything you need to know about the shooter. It’ll shoot 100MP stills, as well as images up to 400MP thanks to a new Pixel Multi Shot function, in order “…to reveal intricate details within a subject or scene that can only normally be seen through the infrared spectrum.” That’s in addition to everything the stock GFX100 can do.

Different IR filters will be available for the camera that will reveal different information about a given subject based on different wavelengths. But the camera won’t just be capable of specialist photography, it’ll also shoot conventional images — provided you use an IR Cut filter that cancels out its special properties. Which seems like a lot of effort for regular stills, but you’re not going to be using this camera anyway.

Remember how we said this one was out of reach? Fuji has said that it won’t be making the GFX100 IR hardware available to the general public. In order to get your hands on one, there’s a particular license agreement that’ll have to be signed prior to laying hands on one, detailing all sorts of terms and conditions. And even then, it’ll be limited to four areas of the world in terms of release: Asia, North America, Oceania and Europe.