Fujifilm Adds New GFX ETERNA 55 Videos, Simulator, and Workflow Guides

Fujifilm North America's series looking in depth at the workings of the GFX ETERNA 55 has just added three new videos

The Fujifilm GFX ETERNA 55 is generating a lot of interest among those looking for a high-end camera, and Fujifilm North America is accelerating its promotion and explanation of the new camera. Think of its series of videos presented by Michael Bulbenko as an in-depth trade show presentation without the crowds and the queues.

Example Footage

First though, the company has been busy uploading a lot of new video content to its X Series YouTube Channel. Here are some highlights. 

Tales from the Flat Pedal Thunder chronicles the career and post-career of Australia’s most successful ever downhill mountain biker, 8x World Champion Sam Hill. It was shot by Australian cinematographer and photographer Sam Tolhurst, and shows a lot of what the camera can do. There's also a BTS.

Another video worth watching for understanding the camera's range is Indian cinematographer Swapnil Sonawane's  narrative short film Distance. This is the short version.

Again, there's a BTS, which is where we grabbed the frame at the top of the article. Nice to see the camera out of the showroom and hard at work.

Menu Simulator

One of the new Hands-On videos looks at the menu system, and you can have a play with that yourself with the new Menu Simulator tab on the camera's website.

While the company admonishes that visuals, labels and behaviour may differ from the actual camera, and that features and specifications are subject to change without notice, it gives you a heads-up on what you can expect when you start trying to grapple with the menu. The way the Fujifilm constructs its menus is probably going to be new to many people, so it's a valuable resource that flattens the learning curve.

It also works on mobile too so can even be used as an on-set resource.

Hands-On Video Updates

These aren't flashy to say the least, but they are extremely information dense.

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 looked at the physical layout of the camera and what's included in the box;  basic functions and menu structure; and the GFX ETERNA's Project Setting menu.

There was a big months-long gap between the first two chapters, but Fujifilm North America seems to have rather picked up the release pace, with three new chapters dropping in the past 10 days.

Chapter 4 explores the monitoring setup and options. It details SDI/HDMI output settings, including 4K/HD and frame rate selection, and shows you how to customize the LCD display and output information, plus waveform, vector scope, and framing guideline options.

Chapter 5 takes things a step further with a look at the GFX ETERNA 55's lensing and optical options. It details autofocus modes, including multi, tracking, and area, along with focus check and subject detection. It also covers mount adapter settings for third-party lenses, including distortion and color correction.

And finally (at least for now), in Chapter 6 Michael guides you through the setup for networking on the GFX ETERNA 55.

We'll cover more when they are released, though there is the sense that we're getting to the end of the workflow now. 

FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 Specifications

Sensor & Processor

• Sensor: GFX 102MP CMOS II HS (Bayer Filter Array)

• Dimensions: 43.8 × 33.9 mm

• Processor: X-Processor 5

• Native sensitivity: Dual-base ISO 800 & 3200

• Dynamic range: 14+ stops

• Optical Low-Pass Filter (OLPF)

Variable Electronic ND Filter

• ND density: ND0.6 – ND2.1

• Adjustment: 0.015 F-stop increments

Power

• NP-W235 allows for hot swapping external camera power source without
  need to power down camera body – reducing potential for clip corruption on
  accidental power loss.

• NP-W235 enables the potential for low-profile and agile camera build

• NP-W235 battery is automatically charged via external power source

Media

• CFexpress Type B and SD card support

Autofocus & Audio

• AF type: Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast & TTL phase detection)

• Subject detection: Face, Animal, Bird, Automobile, Motorcycle & Bike, Airplane, Train

• Audio: Support for TASCAM XLR Microphone Adapter

• Expanded audio input compatibility via hot shoe handle

Connectivity & Cloud

• Support for Adobe Frame.io Camera to Cloud

• Remote Multi-Camera Control via web browser (wired or wireless network)

• Bluetooth Low Energy (v4.2) for ATOMOS AirGlu™ and FUJIFILM TG-BT1

• External timecode supported via:

  • TC In/Out (BNC)

  • ATOMOS AirGlu

  • USB-C with Ambient devices

Recording Formats

In-Camera Codecs

• Apple ProRes 422 HQ – Linear PCM stereo (24-bit / 48 kHz)

• Apple ProRes 422 – Linear PCM stereo (24-bit / 48 kHz)

• Apple ProRes 422 LT – Linear PCM stereo (24-bit / 48 kHz)

• Apple ProRes Proxy

• HEVC/H.265 (4:2:2, 10-bit) – Linear PCM stereo (24-bit / 48 kHz)

• H.264 Proxy

External via HDMI

• 4:2:2 10-bit uncompressed

• 12-bit RAW

Sensor Formats

• GF 4:3 Open Gate

• GF DCI

• Premista DCI

• 35 mm DCI

• 8K DCI (dot-by-dot)

• Super 35 DCI

Film Simulations & LUTs

Film Simulations (20 types)

• PROVIA/Standard

• Velvia/Vivid

• ASTIA/Soft

• Classic Chrome

• REALA ACE

• PRO Neg.Hi

• PRO Neg.Std

• Classic Neg.

• Nostalgic Neg.

• ETERNA/Cinema

• ETERNA Bleach Bypass

• ACROS (Standard, +Ye, +R, +G)

• Black & White (Standard, +Ye, +R, +G)

• Sepia

LUT Support

• 16 custom 3D LUT slots

• Fujifilm will release downloadable LUTs (F-Log2 / F-Log2 C) for:

  • ETERNA

  • ETERNA Bleach Bypass

  • PROVIA

  • Velvia

  • ASTIA

  • REALA ACE

  • Classic Chrome

  • Classic Neg.

  • ACROS

Displays

• 5.0″ Touch LCD Monitor

  • Max brightness: 2,000 nits

  • Resolution: ≈6.22M dots (1920×1080×3)

  • Aspect: 16:9

• 3.0″ On-board Menu Display

  • Max brightness: 700 nits

  • Resolution: ≈1.04M dots (720×480×3)

  • Aspect: 3:2

Input / Output

• Ø3.5 mm stereo mini jack (mic)

• Ø3.5 mm stereo mini jack (headphones)

• Ø2.5 mm remote connector

• TC In/Out connector

• Genlock connector

• 12G SDI Out (max 4K59.94p, 12G/6G/3G)

• 12-pin lens connector (14V / 0.5A)

• DC Out: 12V @ 3A

• DC In: Lemo connector (FGJ.1B.304.CLLD)

Networking

• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

• Encryption: WPA2 / WPA3

• LAN (RJ45): 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 10BASE-T

• Bluetooth: v4.2 BLE (2402–2480 MHz)

Physical Specifications

• Dimensions: 110.8 × 138.2 × 176.8 mm / 4.36 × 5.44 × 6.96 in

• Weight: ~4.41 lbs / 2.0 kg (excluding battery & media)

• Operating temperature: 14–104°F / –10–40°C

• Operating humidity: 10–80% (no condensation)

Power

• Nominal consumption: 21W

• Max consumption: 49W

• DC input: 12–16V

• V-Mount input: 11–16.8V

• Accessory power:

  • 2-pin Lemo 12V @ 3A

  • 12-pin Hirose lens connector 14V / 0.5A

Included Accessories

• NP-W235 Li-ion battery

• AC-15VS power adapter + AC cable

• Body cap

• Handle

• LCD monitor + hood + mounting bracket

• PL-mount adapter