Image by Fujifilm
Image by Fujifilm
Image by Fujifilm
Masasumi Imai oversees the design development of all models including the original X100, the X-E2 and, his own personal favourite, the X-T1.
Thanks to Imai-san, Fujifilm has won many prestigious awards for the X-series cameras.
Exterior of X-T During the Development Process: Image by Fujifilm
The functional design development process for the award-winning X-series cameras requires three teams – the brand team, the design team and the development team – and “all aspects of the camera are discussed all the way through the process. All aspects of the camera complement each other.“
During the photokina 2014 show the Digital Camera team at Fujifilm UK interviewed with Imai-san to ask him about his inspiration, the current range and what we can hope to see in the future.
How will X-series cameras develop in the future?
There are many possibilities. One option would be to modernise the existing camera styles, another would be to go for an even more traditional style. Internally, we are going to concentrate on our APS-C X-Trans sensor and make sure there are many lenses and accessories that complement it. There could be a full-frame model in the future, I don’t know, but we started as a film company and this means we’re used to working with different formats.
Viewfinder resolution will undoubtedly increase going forward, as well as the speed – the current scanning frame rate is 54 frames per scan, but we want it to be over 100. This will help it look even more like an optical viewfinder and, in fact, exceed it.
We do intend to keep producing models at the current rate, so there will be plenty more to come from Fujifilm – our teams are very busy!Masasumi Imai
Editor’s note: Exceed the optical viewfinder? Amazing things ahead…