A new video from Fujifilm shows off the "world’s longest 1600mm telephoto and 40x optical zoom" camera – although don't get too excited, it's not meant for you.
Originally announced last year, but now teased in a new video on Fujifilm's YouTube channel (see below), one thing is abundantly clear – this is certainly not a consumer camera. The camera is aimed at security or surveillance applications, with Fujifilm suggesting the camera might be widely used in border security on bridges, ports, or airports, as well as in remote inspection of infrastructure.
While Fujifilm is perhaps best known for its range of retro-looking compact cameras like the uber-popular Fujifilm X100VI – there is a lot more to Fujifilm than that. Fujifilm's lens division – Fujinon – is not just limited to designing and making some of the best Fujifilm XF lenses or the best GF lenses. The company produces lenses for broadcast events, cinema, security, machine vision, binoculars, and more.
The Fujinon SX1600 – which the company claims is the "world’s longest 1600mm telephoto and 40x optical zoom" (disclaimer: this was in 2023 and might no longer be true) covers a native focal range of 40mm to 1600mm, but the camera is also capable of a 2x digital zoom up to an effective 3200mm, or sensor control to extend the wide angle to 20mm.
With this effective 20-3200mm length, the SX1600 is capable of recording a vehicle registration plate up to ~1.6 miles (2.5km) away or a person standing around 2.2 miles (3.5km) away.
The camera comes with an effective 1/1.8in sensor which is supported by both optical image stabilization (OIS) in the lens as well as electronic image stabilization (EIS) in the body, which at 3200mm I am sure is very necessary!
The 16lb camera also has autofocus, which Fuji says can be as fast as 0.1 seconds, and from the video looks to be able to track subjects across the frame including cars and planes. There is also a lot of very cool-looking technology like heat or fog reduction.
How much do you have to pay for the SX1600. The adage that if you need to know the price, you can't applies here. But if you must know Adorama lists it for $37,500. But at least we can enjoy some new footage of Fuji flexing its superzoom muscles.
If you are looking for a Fujifilm camera you can actually buy – check out my guide to the best Fujifilm cameras available right now.
