AI photography without optics and techniques is no different from AI painting.

If you've been following the recent camera market, you probably share the same sentiment as LeiTech—camera manufacturers are indeed "in a hurry." However, unfortunately, instead of reducing prices to compete with the surging mobile photography, camera brands have chosen to "increase prices" for their remaining users. After all, those still willing to use cameras in 2024 likely have a "rigid demand" attribute, and these users may have no choice but to buy, no matter how much the price increases.

For example, at the FUJI X Summit event two months ago, Fujifilm released the new generation X-series compact camera, the X100VI, with an official price of 11,390 yuan, an increase of 1,600 yuan compared to the previous generation. Keep in mind that the X100VI is only a "semi-professional" APS-C camera, but despite its "extreme" cost-performance ratio, the X100 VI is still sold out on e-commerce platforms, and offline purchases require bundling packages.

Image source: JD.com

Due to such unrealistic pricing, there were quite a few Fujifilm enthusiasts online who said, "Fujifilm has gone crazy," but in light of recent news about the GFX 100S II, LeiTech believes that the Fujifilm X100VI is only the beginning of Fujifilm's "harvesting."

GFX 100S II Will Be the Start of Fujifilm's "Harvesting"

As a sequel to the GFX100S, the GFX100S II is expected to make its official debut at the X Summit event in Sydney, Australia, on May 16.

Image source: Fuji Rumors.com

In terms of performance, the GFX100S II's 100-megapixel sensor is one of its biggest selling points, but the new-generation autofocus tracking function will also be a highlight. Although functionally similar to other camera brands' autofocus tracking (both based on pixel tracking technology for object tracking and focusing), considering that the GFX100S II is a medium-format camera with over 100 million pixels, the amount of processing power required for autofocus tracking is significantly different from 62MP, 40MP, or even 24MP models.

If the GFX100S II can truly achieve strong autofocus tracking based on its high-pixel sensor, it is believed to bring a significant impact on the professional photography market. With the upcoming Paris Olympics, camera brands will be more actively updating their high-speed burst and autofocus tracking sports cameras, and the Fuji GFX100S II is arriving at the right time.

In fact, in the field of mobile photography, AI autofocus tracking and even AI snapshot photography are no longer novel concepts. Why don't cameras learn from mobile phones and use AI to accomplish challenges that were previously impossible?

AI in Professional Cameras Is Not a New Phenomenon

In fact, most professional camera systems have utilized AI systems to some extent, leveraging AI to provide computational support for autofocus tracking. AI autofocus tracking technology can automatically recognize and track moving objects through real-time image processing and scene analysis. For example, in fast-paced sports such as track and field or swimming, AI autofocus tracking can precisely lock onto athletes, maintaining focus stability even under dramatic movements or other interference factors.

This is a major boon for sports photographers as it significantly reduces the risk of missing精彩moments and improves shooting success rates. Some high-end models can even maintain autofocus tracking throughout 100 continuous shots, meaning photographers only need to press the shutter at the start of a 100-meter race, and the camera will track and capture the race from start to finish.

Image source: Nikon

Moreover, AI autofocus tracking technology is also crucial for video production. With the increasing consumption of video content, from documentaries to live sports events, an efficient and precise autofocus system is essential to ensure video quality. AI autofocus tracking optimizes transitions between frames, ensuring that objects remain in the center of focus during video recording, providing a smoother and higher-quality viewing experience.

In terms of the market, the introduction of AI autofocus tracking technology represents technological innovation that keeps pace with the times for camera brands. This will help brands stand out in the fierce market competition. Therefore, the evolving AI autofocus technology not only enhances the functionality of existing photography equipment but also drives the evolution of industry technology.

But the question is, can AI really solve all the problems in professional photography? I don't think so.

AI Is Useful, But Photographers Trust Themselves More

For example, when F1 racing returned to China recently, for many new fans, capturing the tail speed of 320 km/h race cars clearly became a significant challenge. During the three-day Chinese Grand Prix, we also saw on Weibo that Huawei Pura 70 invited the media to capture numerous photos using AI snapshot photography. Although the race cars left trails on the track, with the help of AI snapshot photography, they could still be easily captured by mobile phones.

Image source: Weibo

However, in LeiTech's opinion, while these photos are exceptionally clear, they lack a sense of speed. In fact, professional race car photographers utilize a technique called "panning" to capture moving race cars, using a slower shutter speed to preserve the dynamism of the scene. Unlike AI snapshot photography, which relies entirely on AI without requiring any technique, panning poses certain demands on the photographer's skills and has a higher learning curve. But whether it's the team's photographers, professional photography media within the paddock, or even LeiTech itself, we actually prefer the visual impact brought by panning.

Image source: Weibo user @某天明

Of course, based on the trust in large manufacturers' AI imaging technology, I have no doubt that brands like Huawei can introduce AI functions supporting "panning" in a short time, allowing even beginners to capture stunning photos without any skills. However, such nearly AIGC-like photography often becomes a shackle limiting photographers' creativity:

Although cameras have entered the digital era, the essence of this "art of light" remains very traditional—photographers use the existing light relationship in reality to "draw" the desired image on film (or a sensor in the digital era). The introduction of AIGC makes the creative process of photography no longer important: photographers are not so much taking photos as they are using the functions provided by AI cameras to "assemble" the final image. You use what AI provides, and you don't even consider what AI doesn't have. This means that "photography" itself has changed, from an art of light and shadow to a technique of creation, and this photography is not that photography.

Where Is the Boundary Between AIGC and Photography?

For photographers, AI has always been an "auxiliary" tool since its inception. It can indeed enhance our work efficiency but cannot completely replace our work. In terms of photography:

On the one hand, even if AI can now generate a picture or even a stack of "beautiful photos" that ordinary people could never take in their lifetime, an excellent photographic work must be completed through composition, framing, shooting, and post-processing methods. The ideological connotation contained therein is something that current AI cannot possess.

Although many professional photographers have attempted artistic creation using AI, and AI can produce unexpected surprises under "intelligent emergence," they do not possess the fundamentals of human civilization, including the thoughts, spirit, and soul behind it.

On the other hand, in AI imaging, the premise for algorithms to exert their power is that the hardware is sufficiently powerful. The optical solution composed of sensors and lenses determines the basic content obtained by the mobile phone, which is the foundation of everything. Without optics, AI imaging is nothing more than AIGC "painting."

Image source: Nikon

AI imaging and optical imaging should complement each other and enhance each other's strengths. As the era of AI-dominated imaging arrives, more manufacturers will undoubtedly need to customize imaging chips or even sensors based on algorithms, achieving full-chain coordination between hardware, sensors, and AI algorithms. This will push the power consumption and effects of imaging to new levels, further narrowing the gap with mirrorless cameras and even professional cameras.

In other words, although with AI support, smartphone photography technology is increasingly approaching traditional cameras, especially sufficient for most people's daily needs, there is still a clear boundary between the two.

It is certain that we will see more AI functions in the field of professional cameras in the future. But at least for now, high-end photography in the professional field will still rely on the high performance of traditional cameras and the professional skills of photographers. Although AI technology continues to progress, changing our shooting habits and photographic concepts, true artistic creation still requires photographers' profound skills and unique insights, which no technology can fully replace.

Source: LeiTech