While both Canon and Nikon have launched mirrorless full-frame cameras recently, and Panasonic is entering the market with the S1 and S1R early next year, it looks like Fujifilm has decided to stay out of the full-frame mirrorless camera market.
In an interview with DPReview at Photokina in September, Fujifilm's Toshihisa Iida (general manager of Fujifilm’s Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division) said the company would 'never' produce a full-frame camera.
When asked whether, given that all of the legacy DSLR makers (with the exception of Ricoh) now have full-frame mirrorless systems, Fujifilm would ever enter the full-frame market, Iida replied: "No, never. Because we don’t have that legacy – luckily or unluckily. We don’t see any point in Fujifilm entering that market, particularly since we have good APS-C and medium format systems."
He added that "if we entered full-frame [our systems] would just start cannibalizing each other. We’re happy to stay with two completely independent systems".
An alternative route
While full-frame does seem to be the buzzword among camera companies at the moment, especially with the numerous announcements around Photokina, it does make sense for Fujifilm to follow this alternative route.
With both a popular APS-C system and a growing medium-format range of cameras and lenses, Fujifilm offers an alternative solution for photographers who don't want or need a full-frame camera.
Fujifilm's X-T3 is a brilliant example, offering an excellent 26MP APS-C sensor, high-end performance and slick handling, while Fujifilm's upcoming 50MP GFX 50R medium-format camera offers a tempting solution for full-frame photographers.
Then there's the in-development 100MP GFX 100S medium-format camera, again offering an (albeit niche) alternative for full-frame photographers looking for ultimate image quality.