GEAR FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: £13,998/$16,500 body only Sensor: 102-megapixel
CMOS II HS, 43.8x32.9mm with X-Processor 5, optical low-pass filter
Resolution: 8K/24p (17:9, 16:9, 2.76:1), 6.3K/5.8K/5.4K/30p (17:9, 16:9, 2.76:1), 4.8K/4.6K/30p (3:2, 16:9, 1.38:1, 1.195:1), DCI 4K/60p (17:9, 16:9, 4:3), open gate 3.8K/48p (4:3), Full HD/60p (17:9, 16:9), 50-720Mbps Formats: MOV, Apple ProRes 422 HQ, 422, 422 LT, HEVC/H.265 Compression: All-Intra, Long GOP External recording: 4:3 open gate, 10-bit uncompressed and 12-bit 4K Raw to 48p over HDMI, 30p over SDI Gamma: F-Log, F-Log2, F-Log2 C, HLG, 20 Film Simulations Dynamic range: 14+ stops Recording media: 1x CFexpress Type B, 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS- II or external SSD Input/output: 12G-SDI, HDMI Type A, USB-C, Ethernet, TC, genlock, LCD monitor, Lemo, 3.5mm microphone, 3.5mm headphone, multi-interface shoe, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Power: NP-W235, V-Mount, AC adapter ISO: Dual base 800/3200. Range 400-12,800, extendable to 100- 25,600 Image stabilisation: None ND: Electronic variable, ND 4-128 Lens mount: Fujifilm G, Arri PL with included adapter Monitor: 5in touchscreen, 6.22m dots Side screen: 3in touchscreen, 1.04m dots Shutter speed: 1/8-1/8000sec Autofocus: Intelligent hybrid AF, phase and contrast detection with subject detection Dimensions (wxhxd): 110.8x138.2x176.8mm/4.4x5.4x7in Weight: 2kg/4.4lb body only
the maximum frame rates. With 8K limited to 24fps, to get 30fps you need to be at 6.3K or below, while rates up to 60fps start at C4K or below. As you can see, this is no speed monster to rival a Red, for example. Where things get really interesting is anamorphic. The camera’s sensor height gives more usable image area for de-squeeze and crop decisions. Fujifilm highlights squeeze ratio outcomes like 2:1 – a very flexible delivery format – plus 2.66:1, which is often cropped to 2.39:1, as well as 2.40:1, which lands close to 2.39:1 without heavy cropping. Anamorphic often feels most rewarding when you have enough height to work with and the Eterna’s sensor is built for that. Rolling shutter is well controlled but, once again, this is a large-sensor cine camera so not really built for superfast whip pans. Raw deal on formats The elephant in the room is that, to some, there is one big drawback – no internal Raw video recording. That’s something many might expect at
cinema terms rather than ‘medium format’ as it’s labelled in the stills world because the industry typically labels anything larger than Super 35 as large format today. This sensor is not only wider than full-frame by about 20%, it’s about 30% taller – and that height is the real secret sauce. If you’ve shot open gate on other cameras, you already understand the flexibility for reframing and cropping. For anyone mixing cinematic widescreen delivery with social cutdowns, vertical reframes or dynamic stabilisation in post, it’s a big deal. Why sensor height matters The Eterna’s 4:3 open gate isn’t just more room to crop, it changes the way the camera sees. In open gate, a 45mm lens behaves in a way that’s instantly noticeable, giving you a field of view similar to 35mm on full-frame, yet retains the perspective and depth- of-field characteristics of a true 45mm. That combination reduces the wide-angle feel which can make faces and spaces feel more natural, especially in close quarters. This is where the Eterna earns its keep as its imaging format isn’t just spec-sheet flex but tangibly affects composition choices and the feel of scenes. The Eterna brings real flexibility in outputs. It offers cropped sensor modes, so you can work down into more familiar formats, or scale up into the full large format canvas. You can choose Fujifilm’s Premista size as well as different anamorphic options with de-squeeze monitoring, so there are lots of sizes and shapes to choose from – many of which affect
POWER STATION The camera comes with a V-Mount plate on the rear for big batteries, but has a decent internal one
THE FRAME OF THE GAME The sensor is not only large
in size but a much taller shape than most rivals
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