Camera×TranTixxii（Image provided by Fujifilm Corporation）
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Fujifilm Corporation
Imaging Solutions Business Department General ManagerTakashi Ueno
“Elegance and beauty expected of cameras”
Fujifilm Corporation
Imaging Solutions Business Department General Manager Takashi Ueno
Development of X-Pro3
“Everlasting ageless brilliance”
“The nostalgically cold yet heart-warming texture like antiques and the everlasting ageless brilliance are only achievable by titanium exterior. We sought the elegance and beauty expected of cameras so that they would satisfy their owners with their texture and sight, as if speaking to their owners to remind them that they are not mere tools. Because digital cameras are electrical devices with short lifecycles, it is usually hard to invest much money into their exterior. However, X-Pro3 is high-performing enough to keep taking great pictures for 10 to 20 years. This is why we hope that people will use this product for a long time. In order to deliver one of such messages, we used titanium with high corrosion resistance for its surface to achieve its robustness.”
Parts of the camera for which TranTixxii is used
The manufacturing process of top cover components
“Color reproductivity that impresses even professional photographers and ingenious capability of the lenses”
Fujifilm used to produce very popular products for anyone to enjoy taking pictures easily such as the disposable camera Utsurundesu and the instant camera Cheki, which allows users to print out photos on the spot. In 2011, the company developed and released X100, the first generation model of its high-end digital camera line, whereas in 2013, it decided to withdraw from the market of compact digital cameras in the popular price range.
“The emergence of smartphones led to a plunge in sales of compact digital cameras, especially in the popular price range. In order to ensure the survival of our camera business, we decided to enter the market of luxurious, high-end digital cameras for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts under our “Slim and Strong” business strategy. Although X100 did not have an optical zoom function and its lens was not replaceable, it was highly regarded by professionals, who thought its image quality, including its color reproductivity, was better than that of high-performance SLR cameras used by professional photographers because Fujifilm had been engaged in picture-making for over 80 years since the days of film cameras. When the right time came, we developed and released X-Pro1, a model with replaceable lenses designed for photography fans, its image quality was regarded as highly as X100, but it was not as successful. Many consumers were unwilling to invest in this model because they were uncertain about its future and there were only three types of compatible lenses available.
Because there were already various models of high-end cameras by existing major manufacturers in the market, we sincerely recognized the need to establish our unique position to survive there.” (Ueno, General Manager)
Two years later, they set the goal to “manufacture compact and light cameras with excellent image quality which are available in a satisfactory price range for photography enthusiasts.” In 2014, they released X-T1, whose success drove a rapid recovery in the sales of their digital camera business.
“It was not just the camera body that contributed to the success of this product. One of the significant contributing factors was that our collection of official replacement lenses expanded to include 10 types, making a full range of lens types available, except for special types of lenses such as a super-telephoto lens for professional photographers.
In the camera industry, there is an expression ‘investing in mounts*.’ I believe that us offering a full range of official lenses convinced users that we were seriously engaged in our high-end digital camera business.” (Ueno, General Manager). The lens line for the X series effectively utilizes the optical technology used for the Fujinon brand, whose collection includes film camera lenses and TV and cinema lenses for professional use which have been highly regarded by many professionals. The Fujinon products have been mounted on artificial satellites due to their highly regarded performance. For the X series, Fujifilm has been developing cameras and imaging processing technologies at the same time, achieving outstanding depiction capability.
*Investing in mounts: To continue using a specific manufacturer’s official lenses for its cameras because each camera model with a replaceable lens has its own dedicated mount, via which replacement lenses are installed to the body.
“A top-tier model that was created in pursuit of excellence”
"Engineering plastic is a great material that is light, durable and easy for manufacturers to mold, but it is not an ideal material for photography fans because they start shining oddly as you use them over a period of time. Although magnesium is a type of metal, camera fans somehow don’t like it for the exterior.
We did not employ brass because it is heavy for this day and there are few factories in Japan that can perform metal stamping and other processing procedures for this material. Above all, I had always wished to use titanium for our top-tier model. Because simple mechanical processing cannot properly handle details, we manually perform some of the steps such as polishing. Therefore, the finishing varies by piece, which is one of the product features we hope that the users will enjoy.
It may not be long before that FUJIFILM X－Pro3 will be immediately associated with titanium just as Leica and Hasselblad are associated with brass and Swedish steel respectively as camera series designed for long-term use by photography fans. The everlasting, ageless and beautiful brilliance of TranTixxii will enhance pictures only this camera can take.
