ProGrade Digital has announced three new products aimed at making storage extra portable. The company unveiled two highly compact SSDs that each promise fast speeds and excellent reliability, along with a memory card reader meant to work with the iPhone 16 line of phones to unlock 4K 120p recording.

ProGrade CFexpress Type A Mobile Reader

Image: ProGrade

Smartphone cameras are capable of impressive video quality, which is why many content creators rely exclusively on their phones to record video. But those files quickly eat up storage space. Plus, some formats are only unlocked with external recording, such as the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max 120 fps ProRes recording mode. The new PGM12 CFexpress Type A mobile card reader from ProGrade aims to make it easier for users to take full advantage of their phone’s recording capabilities.

The PGM12 card reader is a single-slot CFexpress Type A reader that ProGrade says offers the same performance as its full-sized card readers despite its more compact size. That means promised transfer rates of up to 1.25GB/s. It features a patented magnetic base and metal mounting plates with a flexible cable, making it feasible to mount to your phone or rig in multiple ways. The card reader is small enough to be attached to the back of an iPhone while also using a MagSafe charger, ensuring you don’t run out of storage or battery.

“Our customers can now record video onto low-power, CFexpress Type A memory cards, at the highest possible quality, and not have to worry about running out of storage space, that might be experienced with a fixed capacity storage device,” says ProGrade.

The PGM12 reader is available for preorder now for $80 and will ship at the end of April.

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ProGrade Pro Mini USB 4.0 Solid State Drive

Image: ProGrade Digital

The ProGrade PG10.5 Pro Mini SSD is a compact SSD that, like the above card reader, is equipped with ProGrade’s patented magnetic base. It also comes with an adhesive metal plate, so you could mount it to any work surface or to ProGrade PG20 Pro Hub.

It uses USB 4.0 technology, resulting in a promised maximum bus speed of up to 40Gbits/sec. ProGrade says it will offer read speeds of 4000MB/s, a write speed of up to 3500MB/s. It should also provide a sustained write speed of 1250MB/s, which is critical for high-resolution video workflows. It’s compatible with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.2 and 3.1 Type-C ports.

“The PG10.5’s small physical size and robust design also allow it to be easily removed from the workstation, studio environment, and easily used in more mobile, non-studio environments,” said Wes Brewer, CEO and founder of ProGrade.

The PG10.5 Pro Mini SSD is now available for preorder. It comes in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities and is priced at $180, $300 and $550, respectively.

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ProGrade PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD

Image: ProGrade

SSDs keep getting smaller, as is the case with the ProGrade PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD. This tiny device looks like a classic thumb drive but should offer better performance and reliability. After all, thumb drives aren’t typically meant to be used as working drives, and they often don’t last for extended periods, either.

The ProGrade PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD, though, is more up to the needs of creative professionals. It uses USB 3.2 Gen 2 technology, and ProGrade promises read and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s and a sustained write speed of 300MB/s.

The tiny SSD features tethered caps that protect the Type-A and Type-C ports, while the IP65 rating provides water and dust resistance. It’s also X-ray and shock-proof and comes with a three-year warranty.

“The PG30’s relatively small die-cast aluminum body, dual USB Type A and C connectors, coupled with an impressive IP65 dust and water rating, make it an ideal choice for all imaging professionals seeking the compatibility and reliability that ProGrade is known for,” said Josh Brewer, Product Manager of ProGrade.

The ProGrade PG30 Ultra-Portable SSD will be available for purchase at the end of April and comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities.

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Nikon announced the Z5 II mirrorless camera last night, but in addition to that announcement was another exciting update for Nikon videographers. The company revealed that Adobe will finally offer support for Nikon’s N-Raw video format in Premiere Pro.

N-Raw is Nikon’s proprietary 12-bit Raw video format. It supports Rec2020 color gamut and allows users to adjust white balance in post-production, much like what’s possible with Raw photo files. As a result, it provides more flexibility during the editing process. Despite that extra data for editing purposes, it also produces smaller file sizes compared to Apple ProRes Raw. It’s ideal for those who need editing flexibility while saving space on memory cards and hard drives.

DPReview’s 2025 wishlist included increased N-Raw codec support from software makers since such a limited choice of editing programs reduces the value of that in-camera Raw capture. The only other options for editing N-Raw files are DaVinci Resolve and RedCine-X Pro, so it is great to see Adobe getting on board.

While support for N-Raw in Premiere Pro is certainly welcome news, users will have to wait until “the end of 2025.” Nikon didn’t provide more specifics than that, simply saying it will come with an updated version of Premiere Pro coming later this year.

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Last week, Fujifilm announced the GFX100RF, a fixed-lens camera with a 102MP medium format sensor. The company graciously flew us to Prague to cover the event live, and we got the chance to sit down and discuss the launch with three of the people who helped make it happen: Makoto Oishi, senior manager of GFX product planning, Yuji Igarashi, Manager of Fujifilm’s Professional Imaging Group and TJ Yoneda, assistant manager of GFX product planning.

Our conversation mostly centered on the new camera and the design decisions that went into it, but we also talked a bit about the company’s content authenticity efforts as well.

Who is the GFX100RF for?

According to Makoto Oishi, the GFX100RF is made for a different kind of photographer than most of the company’s other medium-format cameras. “The GFX 100 II and the 100 S II are mainly for current GFX users who shoot landscapes, portraits or commercial. The GFX100RF is a little bit more for street photography or documentary, because we developed this one to be as small and lightweight as possible.”

It’s designed to be a luxury camera…

Photo: Richard Butler

At first glance, the GFX100RF looks a lot like a larger X100VI, especially with respect to its controls and rangefinder styling. However, according to Oishi, the company didn’t set out to design a camera with a family resemblance. “It’s not that we didn’t care, but we didn’t design this camera with too much respect to the X100.”

Part of the reasoning is that the GFX100RF is a much more expensive camera than the X100VI, which means it needs to feel more premium. “At the beginning, when we discussed how we should design the camera, we already knew about the price point. So this camera should be more luxurious to match the price point,” said Oishi.

“Milled aluminum is the top end of manufacturing”

A major factor in its luxury design is the top plate, which is milled out of a single block of aluminum—it’s the first time Fujifilm has used this type of manufacturing process. “Milled aluminum is the top end of manufacturing,” said Oishi. Because you’re milling from the block, you can have a lot of unique designs—more flexible designs,” said Igarashi. Oishi agreed, saying, “With milling, we can develop any complicated, complex shape.”

A display at Fujikina showing the stages of production for the GFX100RF’s milled aluminum top plate. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Later, during the Fujikina event, Yoneda told us that turning an aluminum ingot into a GFX100RF top plate takes around five hours. Even the side of the hot shoe mount is milled. “It has many special parts,” said Oishi.

The company also redesigned the lens hood, creating an adapter ring that only goes one way, which the rectangular hood then attaches to normally. “With the X100VI, it just attaches by screwing on, which can be quite tough to align. This one has tabs affixed on the lens,” so it aligns perfectly every time.

… while still being as compact as possible

“This is not an interchangeable lens, so we can be kind of flexible on the design of the sensor and the lenses,” said Yoneda. “So the rear element of the lens is really close to the sensor, which is almost covering the sensor size. That’s one of the reasons we can create such a small lens.”

“We actually have considered several options for the focal length and aperture, and this was what we can make the most compact lens with the best image quality.” It also lets you get away with hand-holding the camera at lower shutter speeds, which is important given the camera’s lack of stabilization for the sensor or lens. Unsurprisingly, the exclusions were made to make the camera as small as possible – the company said that adding IBIS would’ve made the camera noticeably larger and heavier.

Photo: Richard Butler

And if you want a closer field of view? “Since it has the 102-megapixel sensor, we can use the digital teleconverter for the telephoto side,” said Yoneda.

As for whether the GFX100RF will ever get add-on optical lenses to change its field of view, similar to those for the X100 series, the company says it thinks the digital teleconverter is the way. “At this moment, we think that because of the 102MP, the digital teleconverter works,” said Yoneda. “But depending on the users’ feedback, we can, of course, consider any possibility of the wide-angle and teleconverter.”

On the aspect ratio dial

The aspect ratio dial has ten options – the nine aspect ratios the camera supports, and a “C” setting that lets you control it with one of the camera’s control dials. Photo: Richard Butler

One of the most prominent features of the GFX100RF is its large dial for controlling the aspect ratio of your JPEGs. While the company’s GFX cameras have long let you emulate aspect ratios from some of its most famous medium format film cameras, this is the first one with a dedicated physical control for it. “I think this analog dial is kind of a connection between the digital technology and the film cameras we have,” said Igarashi.

“We are trying to grab new customers with respect to our medium format cameras,” said Yoneda. “So we thought this camera was the best one to install that kind of homage to those cameras.”

“We are trying to grab new customers with respect to our medium format cameras”

It’s also part of the company’s philosophy of helping you produce pleasing images straight out of camera. “We wanted to offer to use this to change the aspect ratio not in post-processing, but when you’re starting out with the subject,” said Yoneda.

As for why it’s a dial? “Actually, I wrote the nine types of format vertically,” said Oishi. “And when we discussed how the user should choose between these formats… in a menu, it’s quite tough. Even assigning it to a function dial or button or something like that… hmm. And then someone said, ‘If we can implement it as a dial, is it easier?’ And everybody said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s it!'”

Why there’s no hybrid viewfinder on the GFX100RF

The GFX100RF uses an OLED EVF with 0.84x equiv. magnification. Photo: Richard Butler

Several of Fujifilm’s photo-focused cameras feature a hybrid viewfinder, which can act as both an optical viewfinder with an electronic overlay or as a purely electronic one. While it doesn’t allow for true rangefinder focusing, it does provide a rangefinder-like experience… which is why we were initially confused that the company didn’t include it on a camera whose name explicitly refers to a rangefinder design.

According to Yoneda, there are good reasons for it. “The hybrid viewfinder’s structure is a little bit complicated, which means the magnification would be much smaller for such a high-resolution camera,” he said. Those differences weren’t just theoretical, either. “Of course, we created mockups with the hybrid viewfinder installed.”

“Another reason is the digital teleconverter. If it comes with an OVF, we’d have to cover 20mm of range when using the teleconverter, which would make the guide-lines much smaller. So, from a practical point of view, we decided to install the EVF.”

Will the GFX100RF get support for content credentials?

At its X Summit event announcing the camera, Fujifilm also mentioned that it had begun testing tools for dealing with content credentials, which can help authenticate a photo as being real versus AI-generated and can also provide a record of how a photo was edited. The company is part of the Content Authenticity Initiative and the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity.

“We are still developing and investigating how to implement the CAI and the C2PA,” said Oishi. “Unfortunately, we haven’t decided on the final specification yet. But we believe this is a very important thing for photography.”

“We have to, as an industry, come up with a standard”

As for whether the tech will come to existing cameras like the GFX100RF, Oishi says it depends on the details. “If we have to pay to implement it, or if users have to pay… not so many will want it. Then it’ll only be for professional agencies or something,” he said. “But if it is free, then we can manage the picture generation – what is real photography? And that is quite important.”

“I think, of course, that will become more and more important, so we can’t ignore it,” said Igarashi. “So we have to, as an industry, come up with a standard. And be aligned, so we can at least define what AI is and photography is, and we can separate the images that we create.”

To him, it’s not necessarily about AI versus photography; it’s about transparency. “We’re not saying AI is not good or anything. It’s just knowing what has been done through the process; I think that’s important.”

Interview conducted by Mitchell Clark at the Fujifilm X Summit in Prague, Czech Republic. Answers edited for flow.

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