The news and the video of the auction of the Oskar Barnack's 0-series prototype camera for 15 million USD got me thinking. Oskar Barnack was the head camera designer at Leica and in 1920 he had a dream - a high quality camera everyone could carry with them all the time. One that used a roll film format - that didn't exist at the time. At the time the still cameras used either 4x5 or 5x7 sheet film. The Graflex was the most common. The Speed Graphics was the standard press camera of the first half of the 20th century.
In 1920, Barnack took an arms length of 35 mm movie film and put it in a canister and built a camera to use it. The 35 mm camera we use today with the 2x3 aspect ratio was born on that date. The same aspect ratio used in the APSC and FF digital cameras of today. The 35 mm fame size is the same as FF digital today. The camera auctioned was the one Barnack personally used for about 10 years refining his idea.
The Leica 35 mm ILC was announced in 1924 and first sold to the public in 1925. It is not too much to say this change the camera industry. Now the average person could buy and carry around a small camera in their pocket to take pictures of their family, friends, dog, their trips, etc. The Leica camera because the choice of many war photojournalist and used by Robert Capa, W. Eugene Smith and most others to bring images from WWII back to the people in the US. Two of the most dramatic images in the Vietnam war were taken on a Leica M3 - Eddy Adams' "Saigon Execution" and Nick Ut's "Napalm Girl." The M3's used by Capa, Smith, Adams and Ut were smaller than the original prototypes! Of course lets not forget one of the greatest candid street photographer in history - Henri Cartier-Bresson and his beloved Leica M3 and 5 cm lens.
Then along comes the SLR - which started out larger than the Leica rangefinder but rapidly grew to monsters - some as heavy as the Speed Graphic. I bought a used Nikon F2 from the Baltimore Sun when they upgraded their cameras to the F3. It was about as much fun to lug around as a couple bricks which is why most of my 35 mm film work was done on my M4.
Then came the digital SLR and the DSLR started out pretty big but the grew bigger over time. And the lenses grew in size and weight.
Then came Fuji to flip that trend and introduced the X series. These were high quality small cameras - small enough so people could throw them in a small bag and carry with them to take shots of their family, their trips or just out kicking around enjoying themselves. Their vision seemed to match Barnack's. The X100 fixed lens, the XPro and XT ILC's, etc. That was 10 years ago. These were great knock around cameras. High quality but yet small with compact lenses afforded by the APSC format. But somehow - over the past 10 years all Fuji cameras and particularly the lenses have gotten bigger and heavier. The 33 f1.4 significantly larger and heavier than the 35 f1.4 with no real noticeable advantages except for video. The XT4 makes the XT1 look like a midget. The XPro2/3 while not as bad compared to the XPro1 - have also put on some width and girth. At what point has Fujifilm screwed the pooch and gotten away from what made it special?
We expected the XH2 to be comparable to the XH1 and it is. A little good news it is a little smaller but not by much. But what about the down line. Is the XT5 going to grow over the XT4? Is the XPro4 going to grow over the XPro3? Where are the modern fast compact lenses like the 18 f2 and 35 f1.4 MK II?
So we seem to be coming full circle - as cameras today are becoming too big and cumbersome to carry around just to have one if you get the urge. Barnack freed us and gave us a perfect compact camera based on a new film format. That revolutionized the camera industry. The Leica M has been true to Barnack's vision even today. Fujifilm gave us another vision and other options but it seems Fuji is going Full Circle back to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses in the opposite direction why many people bought into them 10 years ago.
I get they have to broaden their base. But in doing so they should to take care not to forget those that brought them to the dance and gotten the X series to where it is today. The next year will be instructive in understanding what Fujifilm's vision is today.
In 1920, Barnack took an arms length of 35 mm movie film and put it in a canister and built a camera to use it. The 35 mm camera we use today with the 2x3 aspect ratio was born on that date. The same aspect ratio used in the APSC and FF digital cameras of today. The 35 mm fame size is the same as FF digital today. The camera auctioned was the one Barnack personally used for about 10 years refining his idea.
The Leica 35 mm ILC was announced in 1924 and first sold to the public in 1925. It is not too much to say this change the camera industry. Now the average person could buy and carry around a small camera in their pocket to take pictures of their family, friends, dog, their trips, etc. The Leica camera because the choice of many war photojournalist and used by Robert Capa, W. Eugene Smith and most others to bring images from WWII back to the people in the US. Two of the most dramatic images in the Vietnam war were taken on a Leica M3 - Eddy Adams' "Saigon Execution" and Nick Ut's "Napalm Girl." The M3's used by Capa, Smith, Adams and Ut were smaller than the original prototypes! Of course lets not forget one of the greatest candid street photographer in history - Henri Cartier-Bresson and his beloved Leica M3 and 5 cm lens.
Then along comes the SLR - which started out larger than the Leica rangefinder but rapidly grew to monsters - some as heavy as the Speed Graphic. I bought a used Nikon F2 from the Baltimore Sun when they upgraded their cameras to the F3. It was about as much fun to lug around as a couple bricks which is why most of my 35 mm film work was done on my M4.
Then came the digital SLR and the DSLR started out pretty big but the grew bigger over time. And the lenses grew in size and weight.
Then came Fuji to flip that trend and introduced the X series. These were high quality small cameras - small enough so people could throw them in a small bag and carry with them to take shots of their family, their trips or just out kicking around enjoying themselves. Their vision seemed to match Barnack's. The X100 fixed lens, the XPro and XT ILC's, etc. That was 10 years ago. These were great knock around cameras. High quality but yet small with compact lenses afforded by the APSC format. But somehow - over the past 10 years all Fuji cameras and particularly the lenses have gotten bigger and heavier. The 33 f1.4 significantly larger and heavier than the 35 f1.4 with no real noticeable advantages except for video. The XT4 makes the XT1 look like a midget. The XPro2/3 while not as bad compared to the XPro1 - have also put on some width and girth. At what point has Fujifilm screwed the pooch and gotten away from what made it special?
We expected the XH2 to be comparable to the XH1 and it is. A little good news it is a little smaller but not by much. But what about the down line. Is the XT5 going to grow over the XT4? Is the XPro4 going to grow over the XPro3? Where are the modern fast compact lenses like the 18 f2 and 35 f1.4 MK II?
So we seem to be coming full circle - as cameras today are becoming too big and cumbersome to carry around just to have one if you get the urge. Barnack freed us and gave us a perfect compact camera based on a new film format. That revolutionized the camera industry. The Leica M has been true to Barnack's vision even today. Fujifilm gave us another vision and other options but it seems Fuji is going Full Circle back to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses in the opposite direction why many people bought into them 10 years ago.
I get they have to broaden their base. But in doing so they should to take care not to forget those that brought them to the dance and gotten the X series to where it is today. The next year will be instructive in understanding what Fujifilm's vision is today.
