You’ve got to give it to Fujifilm, it sure knows how to grab headlines. While Canon and Nikon are announcing full-frame mirrorless cameras, Fuji’s giving that a skip and doubling down on its mirrorless APS-C and medium format (MF) lineups instead. Remember the GFX 50S mirrorless MF that redefined what a medium-format camera could be? Well, now Fujifilm’s made an even more portable version of it, featuring pretty much the same internals crammed into a rangefinder-style body, and it’s called the GFX 50R.

Okay, Fujifilm hasn’t merely squeezed the 50S into a smaller body, it has also included a few upgrades. The placement of the electronic viewfinder (EVF) allows the photographer to look through the viewfinder using their right eye while using their left eye to get a better feel for the shot about to be taken. More importantly, though, it means a more compact body as the bulky prism of the 50S has been dropped.

As you might expect, the 50R is lighter than its predecessor too, weighing in at only 775g — and that includes the battery and memory card. Of course, stick a big lens on the front of that and things could get heavy fast, but the 50R still looks set to be one of the most portable MF solutions out there.

On the technical side, the GFX 50R features a 51.4MP CMOS sensor, and is compatible with all existing Fujinon GF lenses.

The GFX 50R will be available from November for $4,500 (around R65,000, before import duties and the like). If you’re at all in the market for a medium format that you carry around town for some street photography, or throw in a backpack for commercial shoots in the wild, it’s probably worth waiting for this one. Especially as it might even show up on Fuji’s rent-to-own programme.

Source: Fujifilm