How many of us saw how AI would impact photography? How many of us really know what will happen in the future? Well, some possibly know a little more than others, so we sat down for a short chat with Shaun Mah, General Manager of Electronic Imaging & Optical Devices Divisions at Fujifilm Australia – and asked a few questions!

Q: With the prevalence of phones across all generations, what is the demographic of the people buying Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras? Who are they and why do they need something in addition to their phone?

A: While it’s easy to reach in your pocket and take out your phone to capture life’s important moments, we’re still seeing a lot of demand for cameras that help people do this as well.

According to our latest report, over half of Aussies intend to create photographs this year and cite the quality of the equipment they use as extremely important. We’ve seen the demand for high-quality yet compact devices rise recently, which is reflected more broadly in the sales figures of some of our latest product offerings, like the X-M5 and the viral X100VI - both of which sold out incredibly quickly. At Fujifilm, we believe we have something to offer everyone – regardless of their photography prowess.

Our more accessible range, the X-Series, while it tends to skew towards a younger demographic who are earlier on in their photography or even videography journeys, still offers the technical capabilities we’re renowned for and then some. Whereas the GFX range, which is geared toward professional photographers and videographers and ultimately those who are a lot further on in their journey, still continues to generate high demand and buzz which results in further investment in our top-of-the-range cameras from our loyal community.

Q: Which Fujifilm mirrorless cameras are being used the most for social media and content creation – and how are they being used?

A: For social media and content creation, we’re primarily seeing users gravitate towards the X-M5 and X100VI, this is largely due to demand for features like built-in microphones and noise-cancelling capabilities as well as being compact and lightweight. These features, including the devices’ rotating, flip screen, lend themselves perfectly to content creation and mean that the cameras can adapt to changing trends such as the rise of short-form content or death of the microphone. Ultimately, the X-Series range allows for flexibility and capturing a wide range of styles.

Q: Fujifilm is still developing large format cameras (GFX) – who is the market for these cameras? Do you have a customer profile for them? Why do they want so many pixels and such high quality?

A: The GFX series is really for photographers and videographers who want to create high-resolution imagery and videography that is clear, crisp and sharp. Our latest offering, the GFX100RF features an impressive 102-megapixel, high-speed sensor and ‘Aspect Ratio Dial’, allowing you to switch between nine shooting aspect ratios and the most user-friendly GFX System experience yet, making it the perfect tool for photographers and enthusiasts to capture their passions. What we have learnt from the wildly successful X100 Series is that professional and aspiring photographers alike want high-quality images, without the fuss of having to change lenses, and the GFX100RF is the culmination of that.

The GFX series allows users to focus on the moments they are seeing through the lens, without sacrificing the quality or colour grading that we’ve become famous for. Part of what is so exciting about this series is the broad range of images we see created, from editorial to travel, wildlife, food - and everything in between!

Q: ‘Content creation’ is a great way to describe and encapsulate photography and video production – and a host of ancillary disciplines. However, in general we see a loss of craft across social media platforms – a lack of understanding of light, composition and timing. This is mainly due to the huge number of newcomers to content creation and the volume of content being uploaded, but even at the top end, craft no longer seems so important. Content certainly is. Do you see this and if so, why is it happening? Does it need to be rectified? Or is the quality being produced ‘good enough’?

A: To us, ‘content creation’ is really about empowering those with an interest in visual story-telling. We believe content creation offers endless possibilities, so we encourage creatives of all kinds to find a medium that reflects their own personal experiences and allows them to express themselves and tell their stories creatively. At Fujifilm, we’ve worked hard to create our #greenblooded community of creators who share this passion - we’re consistently seeing a hunger to learn, improve, and upskill across the board. To us, celebrating the work of experienced photographers, with a developed understanding of the craft behind the ‘content’, is really important. This is also a great way to educate those new to ‘creating’ and we’re actively looking for new ways to harness the depth of knowledge within the Fujifilm community.

Q: What is the future of photography as we knew it prior to 2020? Will cameras like the GFX become like the old monorail view camera the editor still uses from time to time, merely an interest for a few grey-haired stalwarts? Or can you envision a renaissance for the art of still photography – in which case, when and how?

A: At Fujifilm, we recognise that there are different ‘creators’ - be that social-first content creators or traditional photographers. Although the requirements and needs of these groups are different, we think that this difference makes the future of Australian photography and content creation really exciting! You’ll see this is broadly reflected in our product development - we’re continuing to focus on our GFX system, for those professional photographers and further along in their journeys, as well as the more accessible X-Series for creators with a social focus.

Q: There’s no doubt photography has exploded in recent years – everyone is a photographer. However, within this explosion there remains my readership, photographers who still love the printed photograph, definitely love the new digital workflow which makes it so accessible, and importantly, have the cash to buy new toys. In many ways, it’s hard to imagine how cameras can get much better for ‘serious’ photographers. What do you see changing and improving in the future?

A: We agree - while new trends such as AI-generated music are taking off within the social space, we think the classic printed photograph is still revered among all ages. All I can say is watch this space, as there’s lots of work going on in the background to develop our product offerings and take it to the next level, particularly as technology evolves.

Q: Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Will we even need cameras in the future or will photography disappear in favour of AI created images, to become a craft of minor interest like gravure printing? What impact will AI image generation have on not only photography, but video production as well? And what does this mean for Fujifilm?

A: While there are understandable anxieties around the rise of AI, like any new technology, it’s bringing new opportunities too! Interestingly, in our report, we had an equal split of creators who are concerned and those who are excited (39%) about the arrival of AI - with easing workflow cited as a particular benefit. We think that true innovation lies in the hands of creators - ultimately, we don’t think that AI can replace human ingenuity!

Q: How will Fujifilm integrate AI features into its cameras in the future? Maybe you already have!

A: We’re always looking for new ways to innovate and AI is one way to do this. We’ve already implemented AI technologies into our X100VI camera. The X-Processor 5 uses deep-learning AI technology to detect a range of moving subjects - this can include animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, trains, insects, and drones!