RGF said:
wonder how they think they can make money on MF? As I understand it, the mark is very small (I heard around 5,000 units per year - not sure if this is true).
With the investment in R&D for the body (even if they leverage current technology - they still need to engineer the body), new lenses, etc. the cost will be very high. Could they charge enough to recover this investment?
Or is this an lost leader flagship to give them prestige? It would be interesting to been a fly on the wall to hear the discussions on this decision.
Fuji does already have a lot of MF manufacturing experience. They made the GX680 studio camera that was very advanced and capable (albeit heavy) for the time. The G690 and G670 Professional lines were interchangeable rangefinders that preceded the Mamiya 6 and 7 cameras by many years. The folding rangefinders were relatively popular niche cameras but still exhibit their competence in the format.
Fuji also designed a number of lenses and components for the Hasselblad H series cameras and thus has current MF tech understanding.
I had looked very long and hard at the Fuji G690 in the 70's and the only reason I decided against it was the fact that the 65mm lens was f5.6. They also offered the standard100mm f3.5 a 150 and a 180mm les but WA was what I wanted and it didn't meet my needs at the time.
As for the size of the total market, I have no idea what it is but I suspect that Pentax has actually grown the market with their moderately priced (for MF) 645Z. Fuji are no fools and would enter the market knowing their costs, the potential market and the margin expected from each camera.
I would also point to the revolutionizing effect on SLR ownership the Canon AE-1 had when it was introduced. A MF digital that is easy to use is far more appealing than a V series Hasselblad or a Mamiya RZ-67. The Pentax 67 was a brilliant camera but never got traction with amateurs because of cost and the fact that 120/220 film was never that easy to deal with compared to 35.
Changing that equation could be the winning formula.