Fujifilm GFX50s my thoughts
as a Dance & Circus photographer
I am going, to be honest... I never looked at Fuji cameras seriously. This is when I realize marketing is really powerful... Canon here and there, Nikon and now Sony is hitting really really hard with amazing new releases... and everywhere on YouTube, I see videos of people switching back and forth mainly between these 3 brands.
I first heard about the Fuji XT2 in late 2016 and passed through the Fuji booth in early 2017 during the Salon de la photo in Paris. I quickly saw the Fuji GFX 50s, a few huge prints showing how many details this camera was able to render and that's it... I wasn't curious enough to actually go near and touch the camera.
We are now in 2019 and a local store in Toulouse was proposing a workshop with the 50s and the 50r (the rangefinder version). And this time I was curious enough to go there and see what this was all about.
So Medium-format... Hum what is that? For me, the "medium" format meant, a bigger sensor, amazing images, but a slow system, and limited autofocus options. A camera only a few can afford that was built for studio work.
But in the mouth of the lucky ones who can afford to work with such systems, "Medium" format delivers images that that full-frame sensors just cannot match.
The sensor of the gfx50 is smaller than the Phase one H6D... This might explain the almost attractive price of the camera.
The sensor is still (roughly) 68% larger than full-frame so the question is: What does this camera offer that full-frame bodies cannot. Can we really feel and see the difference in terms of image quality... and is it worth the price? Do I need such a system... I think this last question is the most important one!
The GFX50s sensor for some is old technology now. The camera started shipping in February 2017 almost 2 years and a half later, is this camera still relevant?
When considering a new tool for my work, my only question is will this tool boost, will it stimulate my creativity, and help me make the images I want efficiently?
So this is really personal, and when doing your own research you have to keep this in mind. We all work differently, we all have different goals, and different tastes you cannot choose a camera based on somebody else's experience.
So I reached out to Fujifilm France and asked them if I could get my hands on the camera and use it in my work for some time. Renting it for a weekend is nice, but if I really want to know what it's capable of I need to have it for at least a week. To my surprise, they said yes! They sent it to me without asking me anything in return. My plan was simple, use the GFX50s as my main camera, not for 1 but for 2 weeks.
Shipped with the camera and to my demand, 3 lenses: the Fujifilm GF 23mm F4 R WR, the GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR, and the almighty GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR.
Cyd Sailor
Théatre de la Pergola
Fujifilm GFX50s + GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f4 ISO1250 at 32mm
I had to go up to ISO 1250 on this private session, you can see in the BTS video how poor the light was inside the theater. I really like the result, the noise is there but you have to zoom in to see it. I would even add that the noise almost feels "organic" it is almost like film, it doesn't feel digital and is not distracting...
Hélène Bernadou
Château Pape Clément
Fujifilm GFX50s + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f2 ISO100 at 110mm
Hélène Bernadou
Château Pape Clément
Fujifilm GFX50s + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f2 ISO100 at 110mm