Hello everyone I added a new tool to the fleet the other day, a medium format Fujifilm GFX 50S. For some the sensor size would be more aptly described as a Full Frame+, but this digital photography thing has been changing the status quo for quite some now. I remember back in the day about 20 years ago, experts saying 3MP APS-C beat 35mm film quite handily. And you know what, they were right. 😉 So here are some first tests with one of the cheapest lenses available, a manual focus Nikon 50mm 1.8 Ai-S. You can find these lenses in their various rev changes from about $50-150 used online.
The size of the sensor makes the 50mm seem like a 40mm with a lot shallower DOF and periphery due to the native 4:3 aspect ratio of the sensor.
Regardless of what you use though, just know that the gear is supposed to get out of the way and still be a tool for creative image making and pure old fun of photography.
Fujifilm GFX 50S + Nikon 50mm 1.8 Ai-S
The weather in Georgia this early August has been crazy stormy. Which as we know makes for some really amazing sunsets. This really was what the sky looked like at my local QT. You might remember this type of color for my first outing with the Sigma SD15.
I’ve owned many Fuji cameras and to be honest was never pleased with the color that came out of the earlier models, but I would have to say this medium format sensor might be one of the best out there.
Fujifilm GFX 50S + Nikon 50mm 1.8 Ai-S
I’ve been using mostly the E shutter to save some hit points on the mechanical shutter. It does have advantages in that it gives you access to shutter speeds above 1/4000, but unfortunately like many mirrorless cameras of this generation, the readout time is very slow. For landscapes and non moving subjects it’s not a problem, but flickering LED lights and fast moving objects, or simply wobbling the camera with poor technique will cause unusable fun house mirror type of images.
An example of the really slow sensor readout of the Fujifilm GFX 50S in Electronic Shutter mode. The Canon RP is very much like this too in its silent mode. DSLR’s are pretty much immune to this so everyone, please don’t throw away your “old” cameras just yet! As always, know your tools and use the right tool for the job.
Nikon 50mm and K&F adapter
So that’s about it from a few days of driving around after some wild thunderstorms. Really looking forward to using this setup at weddings and portrait shoots–which is of course why I got the thing. The aspect ratio alone is worth it to me. I’ll always like 3:2, but for vertical photos it always seemed a bit too constricted on the sides. This sensor with its ample cropping power will hopefully produce great files for my 12×12 photobooks.
