AGENDA
NEWS
Yes, there will finally be a dedicated cinema camera from the Japanese imaging giant Fujifilm answers the Eterna question
W ith a long, successful background in making film stock, high-end cine and broadcast lenses and hybrid mirrorless cameras that shoot incredible-quality video, the obvious next step for Fujifilm has always been making dedicated cinema cameras. But the brand has always resisted the temptation. Now, Fujifilm has announced it is developing its first-ever filmmaking camera called the GFX Eterna, which was revealed at Japan’s Inter BEE show in November and is planned to go on sale in 2025. The clue to the sensor’s origin is in the ‘GFX’ moniker, which is from the brand’s range of medium format, hybrid mirrorless cameras. The GFX Eterna will feature a large format, 102-megapixel CMOS sensor, approximately 1.7 times larger than a 35mm sensor, and the high-speed image processing engine X-Processor 5. Both the sensor and processor are the latest technologies featured in the GFX100 II mirrorless camera we tested last year. Although there are no spec details for the GFX Eterna, the GFX100 II records 8K footage in 30p and 4K/60p in 4:2:2 10-bit captured internally, Full HD in 120p and boasts hybrid phase detection AF.
It’s the sheer size of the sensor that’s really impressive, the only way to get that super-cinematic blockbuster look. The GFX has the largest area of any sensor at 1441 sq mm, compared to the Arri Alexa 65, a rental-only camera that covers 1390 sq mm, while the new Blackmagic Ursa Cine 17K is 1183 sq mm. But the sensor shapes are different; Arri is the widest at 53.12x25.59mm for a 59.87mm diagonal. The Ursa is 50.8x23.3mm with a 55.9mm diagonal, while the Eterna measures in at 43.8x32.9mm for a 54.8mm diagonal. That’s largely academic as changing the aspect ratios means cropping, which affects the amount of sensor used. The GFX100 II offers a choice of different aspect ratios, including 35mm and Fujifilm’s Premista size, as well as anamorphic with different de-squeeze options. If you accept a 1.01x crop, it can shoot 5.8K in 2.35:1 anamorphic and 4K or DCI 4K at up to 60fps with internal recording in Apple ProRes HQ, 422 and LT, H.265 in 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 as well as H.264 in 4:2:0, all in a choice of All-Intra and Long GOP compressions. There are 5.4K anamorphic and 4K/DCI 4K options, including ProRes 422 Proxy for faster workflows in post. Raw files can even be exported to an Atomos recorder.
FUJIFILM’S HISTORY IN CINEMA Fujifilm has played an important role in Japan’s film industry over the past 90 years, starting with development of domestically produced positive film for movies. This expanded with the Eterna range of colour negative film, which gives its name both to the new camera and a low-saturation Film Simulation mode in existing mirrorless. The brand also launched the Premista and ZK Cabrio cine zoom lens series; high- end optics popular with cinematographers. In 2017, it introduced the groundbreaking GFX System of medium format mirrorless cameras. These have improved continually, especially in terms of video capability. fujifilm-x.com
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