Pixii Unveils New 26MP APS-C Rangefinder with ‘Interactive’ Viewfinder
Pixii, the company behind the Pixii Camera originally announced in 2018, has unveiled an upgraded version of the APS-C M-mount rangefinder that boasts a new 26-megapixel sensor, USB-C support, a new “interactive” viewfinder, and a $3,000 price.
The new Pixii camera uses a new backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with increased resolution that the company says will allow it to capture finer details. The design also supposedly enhances the “angular response to perform with wider focal lengths and modern optical designs.” The 26-megapixel sensor offers photos at 6,244 x 4,168 pixels and has 14-stops of dynamic range.
On that note, Pixii says that the new sensor has extended dynamic range over its predecessor and an ultra-low noise floor that will allow it to work more reliably in difficult lighting situations. The new ISO range starts at 160 and extends up to 12,800 natively, with higher sensitivities available in software post-processing.
The new interactive viewfinder integrates a miniature display that Pixii says projects key information directly into the optical viewfinder. This information includes data points like exposure speed, compensation, or white balance. Pixii says that the settings are presented at the periphery of a user’s field of view, which helps keep the new information from becoming distracting. Pixii also says that, for the first time in a rangefinder camera, photographers can interact with camera settings and menus without leaving the viewfinder, which it says results in a more immersive experience.
According to Pixxi, the rangefinder assembly combines four distinct optical paths together. The wide view in the viewfinder is overlaid with frame lines, interactive settings, and the rangefinder patch in the center.
The new Pixii Rangefinder camera also has upgraded USB-C connectivity, a better battery meter, and faster charging speeds. As was the case with the original Pixii, the new rangefinder doesn’t support removable media storage. This new model comes standard with 8GB of internal storage that can be increased up to 128GB.
Pixii says that other features that were built into the original Pixii camera and are still not available on other digital rangefinders make a return here, such as LUT-based color profiles, a fast and silent electronic shutter (that can shoot as fast as 1/32,000 of a second), native iOS and Android support along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and GPR compression support that results in up to ten times smaller RAW files.
“We listened to photographers using the camera and we addressed their feedback with this newmodel.” David Barth, Founder of Pixii, says. “Crucially, we also engineered the upgrade path to let A1112 model owners upgrade their camera to the new sensor.”
The new Pixii camera will start at $2,999 with upgraded 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB versions available for $3240, $3380, and $3540 respectively. Pre-orders will begin on September 30 and the first orders are slated to ship starting on November 10.
