Software update for Fujifilm's GFX100 turns it into a 400MP camera
The feature takes advantage of the camera's 102-megapixel sensor and IBIS.
With its 102-megapixel sensor, Fujifilm’s $10,000 GFX100 can already capture incredibly dense images that bring out tiny details in a subject. But with the help of new firmware and a technique called pixel shift multi-shot, the GFX100 can now capture 400-megapixel images.
As PetaPixel explains, to accomplish the feat the camera uses a combination of its 102-megapixel sensor and in-body stabilization. The latter component will move the sensor in tiny, 0.5-pixel increments while it captures 16 separate RAW images. Fuji’s new Pixel Shift Combiner software then stitches together those RAW files into a single 400-megapixel digital negative (DNG) images that apps like Capture One can edit.
As you might have guessed, a 400-megapixel image is substantially bigger than one of its 100-megapixel counterparts, with the former taking up as much as 200 megabytes when compressed into a JPEG file. The denser image is also more cumbersome and time-consuming to process in Photoshop and other image editing apps.
Obviously, no hobbyist needs a camera capable of snapping 400-megapixel images, and most professionals don’t need one either. But as Fujifilm points out, the feature does make a lot of sense for cultural preservation work where those images can help archivists and restorers go about their work. If you’re fancy enough to own a GFX100, you can download the new firmware from Fujifilm’s website.
