User review of the Fujifilm GFX 50S and GF63mm F2.8 by Keith Wee Kheng

The following is a guest post from Keith Wee Kheng (original article and images posted on Clubsnap and reposted with permission. Found via the GFX Facebook group). GFX 50S Medium Format Mirrorless Camera at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

User review of the Fujifilm GFX 50S and GF63mm F2.8
by Keith Wee Kheng

Early 2017 is turning out to be the year of Fujifilm’s many innovations.
Announced in June 2016, the first of Fujifilm’s foray into Medium Format is starting to ship, and of course, end up in the hands of users.
Before one questions why Medium format for Fujifilm, remember that Fujifilm has had a very good history of making glass for many manufacturers (Hasselblad included), and given its experience before digital, medium-format photography is actually a very natural progression.
The Fujifilm GFX 50S pairs the best features of Fujifilm’s X-series cameras with a madly intense 51.4MP sensor (43.8×32.9mm), while putting everything into a camera that, surprisingly, is smaller than a DSLR thats Full frame. Imagine everything Fujifilm X-mount has done, but now at least a notch higher in terms of imaging possibilities.

I’m not going to dvelve into specs here, if you are interested in specs on paper, here’s the link to follow: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/dig…ifilm_gfx_50s/

Thanks to the folks at Fujifilm Asia Pacific, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to use the GFX 50S and the GF63mm F2.8 lens. (50mm equivalent)for a few days and I was very very impressed by the full works of it. The handling was superb for me coming up from Fujifilm X-mount with the dials, menu all aligned to the 3rd generation models such as the X-Pro2, X-T2 and X100F.

Operation was quick, snappy and Auto focus akin to the X-T1 camera series (if you’ve no idea, that’s very fast for a Medium format camera)The full exposure triangle’s setting can all be set without even switching on the camera, with direct access to Shutter Speed, ISO, Aperture values on physical dials.

Size wise, it already wins a Canon 5D Mark IV full-frame DSLR for compactness, thats how compact this medium-format camera is for starters.
I had the set with the kit EVF (non-tilting), and similarly, if one has been impressed by the X-T2’s 0.77x viewfinder churning out 100fps , the GFX’s will blow you away. Words don’t describe it. I had always felt the Leica SL’s to be the best in the market until I looked at the world through the GFX’s evf.

Some simple ‘to note’ for the few day’s experience.

1. I had a pre-prod set of the GFX 50S and GF63mm F2.8.
2. All photos are mostly JPEG SOCC, with minor edits done. There is no LR support for the GFX’s raw files yet.
3. I’m not a professional photographer, and don’t really any intentions to be one for I won’t survive. The X-photographers have shown the camera’s capability is churning our details in a studio setting and hence I decided to do something different – by using the medium format GFX as a everyday camera. Mad? I’ll share the reasons later.

Smooth is not a way most users describe a medium-format’s usage. But that was how it felt for me. No need for a studio , no need for posed shots, adding lights made good great and most of all, this beauty of a beast handles everything I threw at it.
I shot in rain, bad light good light low light, small spaces, motion – the camera never failed to impress me.
I wanted to show one thing, the GFX50S shoots everyday moments, and doesn’t require a studio to reside in.

She was sliding down, imagine the speed – yes, this was shot entirely using 2 clicks and in natural light.

the 50mm world, renewed
The contrast, I don’t understand what’s micro-contrast and to hell with the definitions, look at the separation.

Artsy yes, but same again, the motion and flow – all beautifully rendered.
With light, the good become great.
Full credits to bro Tiong Jin, who’s skills can transform a pigeon into a kingfisher.
I don’t understand the mechanics of bokeh, and this shot is just for those who love looking at balls.
have you ever wondered how deep the thoughts go in your kids?
woof
who says kids aren’t drawn by the medium format?

final impressions:

If one’s pockets can afford this, just do it. At every step, the GFX 50S impressed. One thing to note, I only loaned the GF63mm for a simple reason, portability. That said, the GF120mm F4 and GF32-64mm F4 are also excellent choices though size and weight wise they do go ahead.

That said, medium format isn’t for everyone coming to cost but I believe everyone should for once in their life, shoot a medium format just to be able to appreciate what it can do in imaging production and articulating your vision as a photographer, whether enthusiast or professional.

Written by Keith Wee Kheng (original article and images posted on Clubsnap. Found via the GFX Facebook group).

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GFX System Camera & Lenses
GFX 50S Medium Format Mirrorless Camera at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 63mm F/2.8 R WR Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 32-64mm F/4 R LM WR Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 120mm F/4 R LM OIS WR Macro Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

GFX 50S Accessories at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm EVF-TL1 EVF Tilt Adapter for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm H Mount Adapter G, for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm RLCP-002 Rear Lens Cap for GFX Lenses at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm BCP-002 Body Cap for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm FLCP-62II Front Lens Cap fpr GF 63mm Lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm VG-GFX1 Vertical Battery Grip f/GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm NP-T125 Rechargeable Battery for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm BC-T125 Battery Charger for NP-T125 Battery at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm AC-15V AC Power Adapter for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

Gordon Laing posts new Fuji GFX sample images, noise tests, video tour & hands-on impressions!

Gordon Laing from CameraLabs posted new Fuji GFX sample images, noise tests, video tour & hands-on impressions. This is his conclusion on the GFX noise performance:

I’d say virtually all the detail is retained between 100 and 400 ISO with only very minor smearing at 800 ISO reducing the ultimate fine details. There’s a bigger drop at 1600 ISO.
If you go back and look at my Canon EOS 5Ds noise results, you’ll see how the images become quite noisy at 800 ISO and for the best results you’ll really want to be shooting at 100 or 200 ISO. So the GXF 50S allows you to enjoy roughly similar 50 Megapixel resolving power, but at higher sensitivities before the quality begins to fall apart.

GFX System Camera & Lenses
GFX 50S Medium Format Mirrorless Camera at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 63mm F/2.8 R WR Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 32-64mm F/4 R LM WR Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm GF 120mm F/4 R LM OIS WR Macro Lens for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

GFX 50S Accessories at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm EVF-TL1 EVF Tilt Adapter for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm H Mount Adapter G, for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm RLCP-002 Rear Lens Cap for GFX Lenses at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm BCP-002 Body Cap for GFX at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm FLCP-62II Front Lens Cap fpr GF 63mm Lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm VG-GFX1 Vertical Battery Grip f/GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm NP-T125 Rechargeable Battery for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm BC-T125 Battery Charger for NP-T125 Battery at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Fujifilm AC-15V AC Power Adapter for GFX 50S at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

Leica M10 review at CameraJabber

Fuji did steal the spotlight on the new Leica M10 camera (available here at BHphoto or Adorama). The camera costs just like the Fuji GFX and this will make you think twice if you shouldn’t go Medium format instead. But I guess true Leica fans will appreciate the rangefinder mechanism and the super high quality compact body of the Leica.

To learn more about the camera you can watch the image samples posted on Dpreview and read the new review from CameraJabber:

Leica had a tricky job on its hands when attempting to update the Typ 240. It’s aim was to bring a camera that’s valued for its traditional build and focus on the essentials of photography a little more up to date. I think it’s done a very good job. The handling has been streamlined and the addition of a sensitivity dial means that you can check and adjust all the exposure settings without powering up the camera.
All things considered, the Leica M10 is an excellent upgrade to the Leica Typ 240. In the right hands it’s capable of producing very attractive images with lots of natural detail. It’s also built to last.

 

The RED Helium is the new DxOmark sensor king!

So far the Sony A7rII sensor had the best score at DxOmark. But the newly tested Red Helium and Red Epic (read test here) are now the king of the DxO ranking. DxO writes:

The RED Helium 8K is the most impressive sensor we’ve ever tested. Rating 10 points above the best of the full-frame DSLRs, it stands alone as our top scorer. Its image quality is even more impressive given its very high maximum frame rates. Our only caveat is that the Helium 8K sensor appears to benefit from some noise reduction to enhance its RAW image quality.

We can likely explain the Helium 8K’s improvement over our previous top scorer, RED’s own Dragon, by a combination of both better sensor technology and temporal noise reduction. The upgrade to 8K video and improved image quality across the board make it a clear upgrade from the RED Dragon – and a clear winner. The Helium 8K is an impressive achievement by RED. For those with the budget, its top-of-the-line image quality, high frame rate, and 16-bit RAW capture capability absolutely make it worth considering as a competitor to high-end DSLRs and medium-format cameras for still image capture.

Watch this: Photography Talent beats gear acquisition syndrome a Zillion to Zero :)


Image source: chaoticmind75 by Alexey Kljatov

Most of us will get depressed when they will learn what gear Alexey Kljatov used to get that incredible snowflake shot. An old [shoplink 303431 ebay]Canon A650[/shoplink] with a cheaply attached [shoplink 303430 ebay]Helios 44M-5 lens[/shoplink]:

Image source: chaoticmind75 by Alexey Kljatov

And please jump over to Alexeys site chaoticmind75 to see the amazing set of pictures he took! Yes folks, Photography Talent beats gear acquisition syndrome a Zillion to Zero!