Introducing The Fujifilm ETERNA 55 by Kenny McMillan

Today, Fujifilm has officially unveiled the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55, the company’s first digital camera dedicated entirely to professional filmmaking. Built around their phenomenal GFX100II sensor, the GFX ETERNA 55 is a clear statement that Fujifilm is serious about advancing its rich legacy of color and image science to arm us with an incredible new tool. I’ve had the privilege of watching this camera’s development (at least as a member of the press) as it’s progressed through the past couple years and it’s absolutely been one of my most anticipated releases from any camera company.

The demand for this was almost immediate, as evidenced by our visit to Old Fast Glass at NAB and seeing their “built/rehoused” GFX100II for cinema use. I also remember going to the ASC Clubhouse for the GFX100II launch and everyone in attendance saying they loved it, but basically wanted to see that sensor in a X100 body and also in a cinema camera. When the X100RF came out, I knew what was coming and here we are. I’d also like to point out that I suggested they call a potential cinema camera the ETERNA 65, so I was only 10 off!

If you don’t know, the sensor in the ETERNA 55 is the tallest digital filmmaking sensor ever available for purchase on the open market. It’s a native 4:3 Open Gate format that’s nearly 1.7 times larger than 4-perf Super 35mm. Cinematographer Oren Soffer, who shot The Creator as well as the ETERNA launch film OKAY says “GFX ETERNA 55’s robust color science provides all the range I need to craft beautiful imagery that meets the intention behind my and the director’s creative vision. The native 4:3 large format sensor is a massive and flexible canvas – fantastic for anything from landscapes to portraiture-style imagery and beyond.” A separate film shot for the release titled Heritage can be found here.

This immense sensor height, a 102-megapixel large format sensor (GFX 102MP CMOS II HS) measuring 54.8mm diagonally, opens up a huge range of format flexibility, coming in taller than even the Alexa 65. Whether you’re aiming for larger-than-Full Frame images with spherical lenses or want to achieve truly epic cinematic scale with anamorphic glass, this sensor delivers, expanding your field of view dramatically. If you’re the type of person who believes in “a full frame look” then this is the fullest-frame you can get, no speedbooster required.

The camera supports filming in a 4:3 open gate format at up to 48 frames per second, fully leveraging its massive image circle and comes optimized with a four-point Optical Low-Pass Filter to keep optical anomalies at bay. You’ll also find five main formats to play with: GF, Premista, 35mm, Anamorphic (35mm), and Super35, offering incredible versatility with your choice of lenses.

If you know Fujifilm you’re well aware of their history of fantastic color straight out of the box, and the GFX ETERNA 55 carries that torch brilliantly including 20 of their film simulations as well as regular Flog2 & Flog2 C. This is fantastic for projects with quick turnaround times, ensuring you get gorgeous images with intentional creative looks without extensive post-work.

F-Log2 and F-Log2 C (new to the ETERNA) net you a reported 14+ stops of total dynamic range, with CineD reporting that the GFX100II (I assume the performance is the same) will get you 12.8 stops at SNR=2, providing about a stop more DR than the Sony FX series of cameras, the same performance as the RED V-Raptor X and Canon C70/C300mkIII, and just barely less than the Arri Alexa LF and Sony Venice 2 based on their lab tests.

This gives you incredible flexibility in post-production, capturing rich tonal data unique to a large-format sensor that supports demanding production workflows and offers high editing resilience. And here’s another workflow enhancer: the ability to import and store up to 16 different 3D LUTs in-camera. This includes 10 Film Simulation conversion LUTs for Log footage, like ETERNA, ETERNA BLEACH BYPASS, PROVIA/Standard, Velvia, and ACROS, which you can download from the web.

For those challenging lighting conditions, the GFX ETERNA 55 incorporates DUAL-BASE ISO with two base sensitivities: ISO 800 and ISO 3200, which is almost a requirement in today’s field. As someone who almost never shoots over 3200, this is perfect in my opinion. I will say my joke was always “why do you need 12,800, are you shooting in the desert at night!?” until one day I did shoot in the desert at night, but I did actually have lights so I didn’t need all of that. In any case I’ve only done that once in my life, so 3200 is great for my use.

Fujifilm has clearly designed this camera with the working filmmaker in mind, having collaborated with dozens of cinematographers including ASC members and other high-end DPs on its development and it hits all of my checkboxes for what makes a “real cinema camera”. One of the most practical additions is an internal electronic variable ND filter, which to me is almost a non-negotiable in today’s world and as Sony fans know is a huge life saver (I do prefer “hard stop” NDs but can easily see the value in the variable ND, like doing ND pulls or adjusting them mid-shot). The body itself is surprisingly compact and lightweight for a large format camera, coming in at approximately 4.4 pounds (2.0 kg), making it a solid choice for even solo operators.

Operability is also well thought out. There are 3-inch side monitors on both sides, ensuring both the camera operator and assistant have full access to the menu, regardless of your rig setup. The front of the camera and the included handle feature a versatile multi-function dial that can control focus, iris, and zoom for FUJIFILM GF lenses, and when set to “ND,” it allows for fine adjustment of that internal variable ND filter density. Plus, the 2000-nit 5-inch LCD monitor is a godsend; it’s touch-enabled, offers multiple adjustable angles, and lets you see your footage clearly even in bright outdoor sunlight.

Power solutions are equally impressive. An internal slot for a high-capacity NP-W235 battery gives you up to 30 minutes of filming without external power. Crucially, it supports “hot swap” functionality for external batteries, sporting an integrated V-Mount plate (and I believe Gold Mount in the future? Don’t quote me.) drawing power from the internal NP-W235 during the swap so you don’t have to restart the camera, and topping it back up when the new cine battery gets attached. For media, it sports single CFexpress type B and SD slots.

In an interesting but likely welcomed move, the ETERNA 55 supports Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, and Apple ProRes 422 LT, and even offers proxy video recording like Apple ProRes 422 Proxy. This significantly reduces post-production workload and lowers the need for transcoding or format-mixing. For lighter-weight recording, H.265/HEVC is also available. And for those who demand the highest quality for external recording, you can output 4:2:2 10-bit uncompressed data and up to 8K/30P 12-bit RAW video via HDMI.

Perhaps one of the most exciting workflow integrations is the Frame.io Camera to Cloud functionality. This means content can be uploaded directly to Frame.io, expediting accessibility, enabling instant review and approval from the wider production team, and allowing editorial to start working immediately with camera-created proxies. That’s a massive leap in production efficiency, and one we’ve used before here at PVC. As my friend Michael Cioni once said “it makes what used to be a linear workflow, parallel”. Imagine stakeholders or editors not having to be on set, but can still see clips as they’re shot and flag anything that might be wrong before you even wrap that setup!

Along with the ETERNA 55 is the launch of the GF32-90mm T3.5 OIS WR zoom. A chonky boi to be sure, but a beautiful lens I got to briefly play with at Cinegear this year, and the fact that it can both be zoomed by a rocker switch and includes OIS is insane. A great hybrid of traditional cinema glass and modern comforts. I personally own a 65mm f1.4 lens that I got for my GFX50R and I’d love to see how that thing looks on this camera. On my 50R, wide open, it honestly looks almost exactly like my RZ67proII with the 110mm lens at 2.8. Very cool.

Initial shipments of the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 are expected to begin in October 2025, with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $16,499.95 USD. Select dealers will be accepting pre-orders starting September 15, 2025, at 12:00 a.m.

If you’d like to get hands-on with the ETERNA 55, it’ll be available at the following events:
1. September 28, 2025: Create With Us- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
2. September 28-October 2, 2025: Jackson Wild- Jackson, WY
3. Oct 7–9, 2025: CAPER- Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. October 18-23, 2025: Semana AMC (AMC Week)- Mexico City, MX
5. October 22-23, 2025: NAB NY- New York, NY
6. November 5-6, 2025: ProFusion Expo- Toronto, Canada
7. Nov 4–6, 2025: Ampliar la Mirada- Santiago, Chile
8. November 15-22, 2025: Camerimage- Toruń, Poland

The GFX ETERNA 55 represents a bold step for Fujifilm, delivering rich tonal and true-to-life image quality across all genres, from feature films and documentaries to commercials and music videos in a relatively affordable package for the category. While it may not have things like 120fps highspeed mode or internal raw like some cameras, for 99.8% of filmmaking duties it seems like a phenomenal contender in the space. I know for me it hits all the notes I’d want (I would love a second CFexpress slot) but my work is primarily narrative and doc, so your mileage may vary. It also stands to reason, and I’m completely guessing here, that since Fujifilm is notorious for their “kaizen” firmware updates, adding major features to already-existing cameras, the GFX100II could end up inheriting some of the ETERNA 55’s features making it a perfect B-cam for half the price. I don’t know how the onboard storage or processors work (I know they often say they can’t load new film sims into older cameras because there’s no room) but I’d love to see that happen in the future. What a combo that’d be.

All-in-all, I’m very excited to get this camera in hand to test it out and I’ll be sure to get that review up as fast as I’m able. I’m biased because I do love all of Fujifilm’s offerings, but I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic by saying this is a really exciting addition to the cinema camera space for high-end professionals and working cinematographers alike. While I can’t speak to the response from the general public, I’m confident this will at least be a consideration for many when putting together their next project.

For detailed product specifications, visit https://www.fujifilm-x.com/en-us/products/cameras/gfx-ETERNA-55/.

For more information and access to GFX ETERNA 55 reference materials, including downloadable test footage, visit https://shopusa.fujifilm-x.com/gfx-ETERNA-55-filmmaking-camera-16969715.

 

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Here’s the raw info for those who don’t want my editorialization:

Camera Details

1. Sensor: GFX 102MP CMOS II HS – Bayer Filter Array
2. Full sensor dimensions: 43.8 x 33.9mm

 

2. Processor: X-Processor 5

 

3. Native Sensitivity: Dual-Base ISO: 800 & 3200

 

4. Variable Electronic ND Filter Specifications

• ND Density: ND0.6 – ND2.1 (.015 F-Stop Increments)

 

5. Internal NP-W235 battery power source

• 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

 

6. Internal Memory Card Support

• CF Express Type B and SD media

 

7. Optical Lowpass Filter (OLPF)

 

8. Dynamic Range: 14+ Stops

 

9. Autofocus for GF lenses
10. Type: Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast AF / TTL phase detection AF)
11. Subject Detection: Yes

(FACE/Animal/Bird/Automobile/Motorcycle & Bike/Airplane/Train)

 

10. Support for TASCAM XLR Microphone Adapter on hot shoe of camera Handle

for expanded audio input compatibility

 

11. Support for Adobe Frame.io Camera to Cloud

 

12. GFX ETERNA 55 Available Sensor Formats* (*Subject to change prior to sales

embargo)

GFX ETERNA 55 Sensor 43.8 x 32.9mm

• GF 4:3 Open Gate
• GF DCI
• Premista
• 35mm DCI
• 8K DCI, dot by dot
• Super 35 DCI

 

13. *Items in bold are unique to GFX ETERNA 55

Format	Mode	Output Size (W x H)	Aspect Ratio	Max FPS	Image Circle (mm)
GF	Open Gate	3840 × 2880	4:3	48fps	43.63 × 32.71
GF	DCI 8K / 8K	8192 × 4320 / 7680 × 4320	17:9 / 16:9	24 / 30fps	30.80 / 28.88 × 16.24
GF	Cine. 5.8K	5824 × 2436	2.39:1	30fps	43.80 × 18.32
GF	DCI 4K / 4K	4096 × 2160 / 3840 × 2160	17:9 / 16:9	60fps	43.63 × 23.01 / 24.55
GF	FHD	2048 × 1080 / 1920 × 1080	17:9 / 16:9	120fps	43.63 × 23.01 / 24.55
Premista	DCI 8K / 8K	8192 × 4320 / 7680 × 4320	17:9 / 16:9	24 / 30fps	30.80 / 28.88 × 16.24
Premista	5.4K	5440 × 2868	17:9	30fps	40.91 × 21.57
Premista	DCI 4K / 4K	4096 × 2160 / 3840 × 2160	17:9 / 16:9	60fps	40.27 × 21.23 / 22.65
Premista	FHD	2048 × 1080 / 1920 × 1080	17:9 / 16:9	120fps	40.27 × 21.25 / 22.65
35mm	DCI 8K / 8K	8192 × 4320 / 7680 × 4320	17:9 / 16:9	24 / 30fps	30.80 / 28.88 × 16.24
35mm	4.8K	4776 × 3184 / 4776 × 2688	3:2 / 16:9	30fps	35.92 × 23.94 / 20.21
35mm	DCI 4K / 4K	4096 × 2160 / 3840 × 2160	17:9 / 16:9	30fps	35.92 × 18.95 / 20.21
35mm	FHD	2048 × 1080 / 1920 × 1080	17:9 / 16:9	60fps	35.92 × 18.95 / 20.20
Anamorphic (35mm)	Anamorphic 8K 2x	8192 × 2968 / 8080 × 3380	2.76:1 / 2.39:1	24fps	35.07 / 30.38 × 25.42
Anamorphic (35mm)	Anamorphic 4.6K	4664 × 3380 / 4040 × 3380	1.38:1 / 1.20:1	24fps	35.07 / 30.38 × 25.42
Super35mm	6.3K	6382 × 3590	16:9	24fps	24.00 × 13.50
Super35mm	DCI 4K / 4K	4096 × 2160 / 3840 × 2160	17:9 / 16:9	30fps	24.00 × 12.66 / 13.50
Super35mm	FHD	2048 × 1080 / 1920 × 1080	17:9 / 16:9	60fps	24.00 × 12.63 / 13.49

 

14. GFX ETERNA 55 In Camera Codecs

GFX ETERNA 55 is based on the GFX100 II system that supports ProRes422, H.265 and H.264

In Camera

• Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Linear PCM (Stereo sound 24-bit / 48KHz sampling)
• Apple ProRes 422, Linear PCM (Stereo sound 24-bit / 48KHz sampling)
• Apple ProRes 422 LT, Linear PCM (Stereo sound 24-bit / 48KHz sampling)
• HEVC/H.265 (4:2:2 10bit), Linear PCM (Stereo sound 24-bit / 48KHz sampling)
• Apple ProRes Proxy
• H.264 Proxy

HDMI (External Recording)

• 4:2:2 10-bit Uncompressed
• 12-bit RAW

 

15. I/O
16. ø3.5mm,stereo mini connector (Microphone)
17. ø3.5mm, stereo mini connector (Headphone)
18. ø2.5mm,connector (Remote Release )
19. TC IN/TC OUT connector
20. GenLock connector
21. 12G SDI OUT connector – max 4K59.94p 12G/6G/3G
22. LENS connector(12-pin) :Power supply 14V-0.5A
23. DC OUT 12V connector :12V 3A
24. DC IN Lemo connector (FGJ.1B.304.CLLD)

 

16. Film Simulation

GFX ETERNA 55 supports 20 types of Film Simulations.

• PROVIA/Standard
• Velvia/Vivid
• ASTIA/Soft
• Classic Chrome
• REALA ACE
• PRO Neg.Hi
• PRO Neg.Std
• Classic Neg.
• Nostalgic Neg.
• ETERNA/Cinema
• ETERNA BLEACH BYPASSACROS
• ACROS + Ye Filter
• ACROS + R Filter
• ACROS + G Filter
• Black & White
• Black & White + Ye Filter
• Black & White + R Filter
• Black & White + G Filter
• Sepia

 

17. Development of Film Simulation 3D LUTs for F-Log2 / F-Log2 C

Fujifilm will develop new 3D LUTs for select Film Simulations for F-Log2 / F-Log2 C (with ITU-R BT.709), that will be downloadable from the web.

• ETERNA
• ETERNA BLEACH BYPASS
• PROVIA/Standard
• Velvia/Vivid
• ASTIA/Soft
• REALA ACE
• Classic Chrome
• Classic Neg.
• ACROS

18. Support for 3D LUTs

GFX ETERNA 55 supports importing and storing up to sixteen 3D LUTs

19. Custom Framing Guides

GFX ETERNA 55 supports customizable Framing Guides.

Create custom guides and select from frame 1 / 2 / 3 setting.

 

Aspects

Custom

2.39:1

17:9

16:9

5:4

4:3

3:2

1:1

 

Scaling 

1-100%

 

Color

Black

White

Yellow

Magenta

Cyan

 

Line Width

1-4

 

20. Remote Multi-Camera Control

GFX ETERNA 55 supports a web browser-based Remote Control Application that runs locally on a Wired or Wireless network.

21. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Support (AirGlu ,TG-BT1)

GFX ETERNA 55 supports BLE connection with ATOMOS AirGlu and FUJIFILM TG-BT1.

External Timecode will be supported via Timecode In/Out connector (BNC), Atomos AirGlu , and via USB-C connection with Ambient devices.

• ATOMOS AirGlu UltraSync Blue
• Tripod Grip TG-BT1
• Smart Phone Browser Remote Rec FunctionTG-BT1

22. LCD Monitor & On-Board Menu Display Specifications

LCD Monitor Specifications

• 5.00-inch Touch Screen Color LCD Monitor
• Brightness: Max. 2,000 nits
• Aspect : 16:9
• Dots: Approx. 6.22 million dots (1920x1080x3)
• Function buttons 6 & 7

On-Board Menu Display Specifications

• 3.0-inch LCD Color Monitor
• Brightness: Max. 700 nits
• Aspect: 3:2
• Dots: Approx. 1.04 million dots (720x480x3)

23. Networking

WiFi: IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac (standard wireless protocol)

Encryption: WPA2, WPA3

Access Mode: Infrastructure

Terminal: RJ45 LAN – 1000BASE-T、100BASE-TX、10BASE-T

Bluetooth: v4.2 (Bluetooth Low Energy)

– Operating Frequency: 2402~2480MHz

24. Physical
25. Dimensions: 110.8 x 138.2 x 176.8mm
26. Weight: ~4.41 lbs. (excluding NP-W235 & media)
27. Operating Temperature: 14-104°F
28. Operating Humidity: 10%~80% (no condensation)

 

25. Power

Nominal power consumption: 21W

Maximum power consumption: 49W

DC Input: 12-16V

V-Mount Input: 11-16.8V

Accessory Power:

– x1 2-pin lemo 12V @ 3A

– 12-Pin Hirose Lens Connector 14V .5A

 

26. Included With Purchase
27. Li-ion battery NP-W235
28. AC power adapter AC-15VS
29. AC cable
30. Body cap
31. Handle
32. LCD Monitor
33. LCD Monitor hood
34. LCD Mounting Bracket
35. PL-Mount Adapter

 

Lens Details

 

1. Lens Configuration: 25 elements in 19 groups (Elements: 3 aspherical & 3

ED)

2. Focal Length: 32-90mm (Full Frame equivalent: 25-71mm)
3. Angle of View: 81.0°-33.8°
4. Max. Aperture: T3.5
5. Min. Aperture: T32
6. Aperture Control: 13 blades – rounded diaphragm opening
7. Minimum Focus Distance: .8M / 2’ 8”
8. Dimensions: Φ114mm Front Diameter x 222.5mm/8.76” length
9. Weight: 4.74 lbs.
10. Filter Size: Φ111