Fujifilm’s new LX mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera

Well look what we have here. Fujifilm could be the latest digital camera manufacturer to offer up an interchangeable lens, mirrorless camera, according to these leaked images. The photos first showed up on the Chinese forum Xitek (they’ve since been removed), and it looks like it could have been taken right at the factory itself.

While Panasonic, Olympus, and Sony have become the more veteran purveyors of the MFT/mirrorless market, some big names have hid in the shadows behind their point-and-shoots and DSLRs. Nikon just entered the race with its 1-series, and now it looks like Fujifilm is following hot on its heels.

Fujifilm’s recent big release was the X100, a throwback, fixed-lens camera that took heavy cues from Leica’s M series design. The refresh, the X10, has also been introduced, but up until now a mirrorless, ICL camera from Fujifilm has only been an idea.

According to Photo Rumors, the Fujifilm LX is rumored to have an APS-C sensor and may actually be a full frame device–which would make it something of a game-changer among its competition. You can tell from the images that it appears to have similar styling elements of the X-series, but with a more modern, chrome-like finish on the front. It will ship with an 18mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, a 60mm, and a zoom probably in that 18-60 range. And what about the hybrid viewfinder Fujifilm premiered with the X100? It’s too soon to tell but if that feature is packed into the camera, we expect it to sell quite well. 

The company’s president and CEO last year said the brand would introduce such a camera, and that it would launch in the spring of 2012. But given the timing, maybe we’ll get to see something from Fujifilm sooner.