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Oh yeah, 400 megapixel images are now a thing (408, to be precise). I mean, You could already produce 400 megapixel images (and beyond) by stitching images together. But you couldn't take a single 400 megapixel shot.
And now, thanks to the latest firmware update for the GFX100 medium format camera, it's real.
The GFX100 was already capable of shooting 102-megapixel images. But today Fujifilm released a new firmware update that adds Pixel Shift Multi-Shot. This new feature was already available on a couple cameras from other brands. But it's a first for Fujifilm and a first for medium format.
The Official Release:
In the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode, the camera takes a series of RAW images and, using IBIS [In-Body Image Stabilisation], moves the image sensor to get a high-resolution and real colour image. The multiple images are then combined to create a Digital Negative (DNG) RAW file using the FUJIFILM Pixel Shift Combiner software. (from Fujifilm website)
So, technically, it's still done via stitching. But it's all automated; shooting and stitching, all done for you.
Can I Update, Too?
Now, it's worth noting that Fujifilm are not exclusively mentioning the GFX100. So I hope this feature will also be introduced to the X-T4 via one of the famous Kaizen updates (pretty please!). But of course, the GFX100 makes the news for its 400 megapixels. So it made sense to launch it with that.
The IBIS system on the X-T4 is also different because it uses magnets rather than springs. But I still hope this can be achieved in the near future. I want this badly, and I've been waiting since it was first mentioned. So, Fujifilm, you better give it to me!
Obviously, now I'm planning a way to use this in my photography so expect something from me, hopefully soon! Probably not with Street Photography like I tried with the GFX50S, simply because these medium format cameras are not the best option in the street, as things stand.
And I could offer much larger prints as well!
In previous commissioned jobs, I used medium format to digitise works of Art in museums and galleries. Pixel-shift would make this work even more impressive. Imagine photographing a Botticelli or a Giotto, like I did, and preserving them digitally at 400 megapixels. With the colour reproduction that only Fujifilm can provide.
I really can't wait to try it!
