Fujifilm announced the launch of its updated GFX100 large format mirrorless digital camera on Wednesday, which now comes equipped with infrared image-making capabilities that could be used in forensic, scientific, and cultural preservation capacities.
Through its new Pixel Shift Multi-Shot function, the GFX100 IR can now be used to “reveal intricate details within a subject or scene that can only normally be seen through the infrared spectrum.”
The IR comes equipped with filters in front of the camera lens that allow its users to make pictures at a variety of different light wavelengths (with the option of still using the camera normally to take pictures of colours along the visible spectrum).
The added features will be “invaluable for cultural research,” Fujifilm said in a statement, because “reviewing images of a subject in infrared could ultimately lead to potentially unlocking untold secrets from some of history’s most treasured artifacts … [or] for researchers using the images to evaluate works of art or pieces of evidence.”
Fujifilm notes that the IR will not be made available for general commercial use and will be mainly marketed for forensic, scientific and cultural preservation purposes. Although the company’s website did not list a price for the camera, it did note that the IR is expected to be made available on Dec 1, 2020, in limited Asian, North American, Oceanic, and European markets.
In addition to the updated GFX100 IR, Fujifilm also announced additional firmware for the flagship camera that will enable users to make pictures with 400MP of resolution known as the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot.
“For those working in the archival or cultural preservation fields, these new functions are especially valuable to photographers documenting historical artifacts or large works of art, because they can be preserved digitally at 400-megapixels,” Fujfilm wrote.