Fujifilm GFX 50S new york brooklyn bridge

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    1. Julia, I am impressed with your knowledge of the GFX! I found it very informative and liked how you broke down the categories for review . I am a travel ,Landscape and product photographer and miss shooting with
      medium format cameras. The GFX-50 is what i have been waiting for ! It is also more affordable .

      Thank You, Virgil Graham
      P.S. I love your work !

    1. Thanks Ohm. I like to do things well :) I searched a lot for info about this camera before I bought it and there wasn’t too much available, so I wanted to fill that gap and help others not struggle like me. Glad to hear it was useful.

  1. Thanks Julia, for taking the time and effort to translate your thoughts and experiences for all to read. I have one question regarding your comment on “EVF lag” and “missed shots”. I believe that you are commenting on the delay for the EVF to start working after you power on the camera? Or is it possible that you notice a lag / delay on the EVF and live action? I had never really considered medium format because of the expense of digital MF, dwindling options for film (RIP Fuji peel apart) and workflow limitations. Now that the GFX is priced not much more than a premium FF camera and small / light enough to take to the street, I’m considering it since I have come to a point where I need to make larger prints and eyeballing the GFX, L SL, and new S A7Riii. Would you think that a street photographer would be satisfied with the EVF speed for capturing critical timing? Would buy because of the high res and printability, but being able to use it for multi-purpose non-traditional duties will make me feel better about the expense.

    1. Hi Tom. Thanks to you. What I meant was indeed the slight lag of the viewfinder when you power on the camera. It’s not a long log, just a split of a second but coming from a DSLR this is noticeable. Maybe I’m too picky by comparing a mirrorless camera with a DSLR but I wanted to share all my experiences since I’m sure it will help others. I have shot Street photography with this camera and I didn’t have real issues but it can happen if you need to take a shot very quickly to need to take into consideration a short lag. One workaround is to keep your camera always on but on standby so you don’t need to switch the on off button but just press the shutter button slightly to activate it. I’m not sure how the Sony behaves in this respect but I think this is a general issue with mirrorless cameras and hopefully it will get better with some firmware update. But the quality of the image is outstanding and you will love it.

  2. I love my Canon 5D III, but am looking to move up to medium format. I had a one day test of the GX50 and found it very challenging and intimidating. Your thorough and informative review has given me incentive to pursue an extended test of the GX50. Thanks, Julia.

    1. Hi Michael. I’m coming from a Canon 5DMKIII so my experience is similar to yours. If you have a look at the manual before you start using the camera it will be much easier to control it from the beginning. It’s not as complicated as it seems at the first glance and, like I was saying in the review, I picked up the camera and started working with it almost without practicing and it went quite well.

  3. Hi Julia Anna, thanks for your thorough review.

    I was surprised by this passage: “From my experience so far, it is preferable to shoot underexposed and push the shadows in post-processing than to increase the ISO to get a brighter image in the camera. I’ve done both and I was more satisfied with the first, since the noise is kept low or and the quality of the retrieved shadows is better when you push the exposure in post-processing than when you push the ISO when you capture the image.”

    I asked that question in a Fujifilm GFX Fb thread very recently (https://www.facebook.com/groups/167185790391985/search/?query=Joseph+Garese+) and the general consensus was that it is preferable to expose to the right (ETTR), of course without clipping. Here you suggest otherwise (ETTL). The main reason was given by someone who linked to this article: https://luminous-landscape.com/expose-right/

    With the GFX, I intuitively was doing what you suggested: underexpose (to keep shutter speed up) rather than boosting ISO. And the results seemed OK. Until I received the other piece of advice, which I haven’t tested but sounds reasonable. I am willing to hear your thoughts about this. And look forward to Part Two of your review!

    1. Hi Joseph. Thanks to you and I’m glad the review was useful. Exposing to the right is definitely what you should do when you can do it because it’s going to give you much more information, since the right side of the histogram contains 8 to 10 times more information than the left side. However, my experience is that increasing the ISO versus retrieving the shadows from an underexposed image with the GFX was more favorable towards retrieving the shadows. As I keep working with the camera I will see how this works in time and I’ll be able to have more information and update the review if necessary. All this being said, the quality of the image in the GFX is so good that either way you would go you’d have more information and a higher quality of the end result than what you would have with a smaller sensor like the ones in the DSLR. Dynamic range was my main interest in this camera and I can say I’m happy with it. And the images are surprisingly clean even at higher ISO.

  4. I was wondering about your comparison of the jpegs to the raws images. Do you see much difference between the images? I have the X-T1& 2 but find the jpegs work most of the time – seldom do I have to process the raw files and the jpegs are more than adequate. What do you find with the GFX?

    1. Hi Carl. I haven’t worked with the XT1 or 2 but I think the same stands with the GFX. I can say that the JPEGs look great and especially if you think about it from before you take the shot and apply a film simulation that works for your image, the result may be very close to a finished image. For most of my images I am processing the files extensively but I can say that if you aim for less processing or you need to use the JPEG images straight out of the camera you can definitely do it with the GFX. This is one of the things that impressed me in this camera.

  5. Hello Julia,

    on long exposure:
    When using ND filters in T-mode, the GFX has a working histogram beyond 30 seconds. That does not have many cameras. Of course you can count, but it makes work easier. For this reason alone, it would be desirable to be able to set smaller steps in the shutter speeds – beyond 30 seconds.

    Subject. Remote Shutter:
    The RR-90 remote control unfortunately uses the USB port of the GFX. So the tethern and remote triggering is not possible at the same time. But the GFX has a 2.5mm jack which is compatible with Canon. So all smart and small remote (radio-) release for Canon can be used in the market.

    And thanks for the nice article.

    Greeting Gerd

    1. Hi Gerd,
      The possibility to shoot exposures of more than 30 sec in T mode is of great help when you want to shoot long exposure images and indeed you cannot do this with many cameras. I’m not sure if you can do this with any full or crop frame camera. I think only medium format cameras offer this feature. One workaround if you want to use the USB port for tethering is to use the Fuji remote app on the phone to actuate the camera. You can find a link to it in the review.

  6. Hi Julia,

    I’m about to purchase a Fuji GFX and am wondering what software you use to process raw files? From my understanding, Capture 1 is a no go. That leaves Lightroom and ON1 to work with.

    Your thoughts are appreciated.

    Troy

  7. Great thorough review Julia….. Just got delivery of mine and looking forward to using it …your article is very helpful and informative !

  8. Dear Julia,

    I’m am architectural photographer using Canon 5D mark III and I’m next to purchase the GFX (or the sony A7r iii but I’m more convinced on Fuji camera). I really thank you for you time to write a such detailed article and I mostly share all your consideration after testing the GFX.
    I shot the 90% with 17mm TSE and I would love to have a Fuji lens like this but it is still not available. I have two question: is the TSE 17 able to match a 50-megapixel camera and give the same quality result as the 23mm fujinon G? did you tested one vs the other? I tested the 23mm and it is incredible but the shop was not able to give me an adapter to test my TSE 17mm. Have you published some raw images of gfx+tse?
    Which adapter do you suggest to use a tilt shift lens? The cambo has the big issue that doesn’t transfer exif data and it costs 1200 euros, I found the Techart Canon EF Lens to Fujifilm GFX Autofocus Adapter (EF-GFX) that transfer exif and cost 500 euros. Any experience of this product? For what I see in an image in your article on GFX you use the TSE with fotodiox, not with cambo, isn’t it? Why?
    The other possibility is to use a kipon adapter tilt shift with the original 23mm fujinon, but, still, I did not find a lot of info on this adapter.

    Thank in advance

    1. Hi Filippo,
      I’ve shot with both the 17mm and the 24mm Canon TS with the GFX and the image quality is very good. I have no complaints about that. However I have shot only with the Fotodiox manual adapter so far, so I can only speak about the image quality of the lens wide open which is the default when you use a manual adapter. As soon as I decide upon which electronic adapter I’ll buy, I will update the review. The one you mention seems interesting, I may add it to the suggestions. I hadn’t found it when searching but if it can transmit EXIF and allow auto-focus, together with aperture control, then it would be perfect. I suppose there will be different other choices soon, as the camera becomes more widespread. For the moment you can’t find so much info on adapters. This is what I’m waiting for at the moment, to decide which is the best choice. As soon as I figure it out I’ll update the review.

  9. Julia Anna:

    Great review. It was one of the ones that got me to finally push the button to get it. I am using it with the 32-64 and was wondering if you had seen some decentering in your copy of the lens. I see a small bit of issue on the right side of the image. May send mine back to Fuji to check but curious as to your experience. Thanks
    Bob

    1. Thanks Bob. I’m happy the review was helpful and I hope you’re enjoying the camera. I had no issues so far with my 32-64mm. Did you get the new one back? I’d be curious to hear if the second one is fine.

  10. Hi Julia Ann
    Very good review. Thanks for that. Ones question, why you decided to go to Fuji medium format instead of trying the Canon 5DSr. Both have the same 50M pixels and you are already invested in Canon lenses. Is the difference between the quality of both camera that difference that makes it worth it to get into a new system with the high cost of doing it? Thanks in advance for your reply.

    1. Hi Mauricio. Why I went with the Fuji was not only the resolution, that you can indeed get from the 5DSr too, but the fact that the sensor is quite larger in a medium format camera, thus the pixels are larger and retain more light, which delivers better quality and a higher dynamic range. Plus I thought that, since I can use my Canon glass with an adapter, at least in the beginning, until I get more native lenses for the Fuji, I would minimize the cost impact and get the best return on my investment, to say so. I wanted to switch to MF for a while and, after some research, this was the best solution quality vs price. Hope it helps. Thanks a lot.

  11. Thanks for the article and investigation. I would like to correct one point: Raw uncompressed and Raw compressed lossless do have the same quality. We may want to switch from one to the other when we prefer to work faster and less storage space vs. slower and more space.

    Fujifilm is also making the best zoom lenses for the super 35 cinema (HK premier in particular). I and many consider these optics as the best among all (including Zeiss and Leica, and Canon).
    http://www.fujifilm.com/products/optical_devices/tv_cine/cine/

    I’ll definitely acquire a GFX !

    1. Good to hear you enjoyed the review, Mathieu, and thank you for your input. I think lossless compression is worth considering especially when you shoot a lot.
      I haven’t used Fuji cinema lenses but they are definitely top-notch.

    1. Hi Fred,
      I haven’t personally worked with the Kipon adapter, but one of my students recently purchased it and it seems to work fine. So it can be a less expensive alternative for the Cambo. However I think it only has manual focus and I’m not sure if it transmits the EXIF data from the lens to the file. But it can control the aperture which is a good thing.

      1. That is what I am thinking, it’s a very good thing to be able to control the aperture and I shoot with ts-e lenses so the lack of autofocus is not an issue for me. No data recorded on the file is perhaps a small price to pay for the aperture control, and big savings overall I would say.

        1. Hi Fred. The Techart Pro adapter that I am using now writes the EXIF data too on the file and you have auto-focus with auto-focus lenses. However I prefer to manually focus with all lenses with this adapter, as it is more accurate.

  12. Thanks for the review. But: not a word on using pentax 6×7 or hasselblad v lenses etc. Old medium format lens are avaliable on ebay and shops around and were(are?) splendid lenses, even because will work only at the centerof the (bigger) image circle. None of the will be close of the sensor as leica wideangle in a mirrorless. A bigger sensor ask less resolution of the lenses as requires less magnification. And I think a medium format camera is intended to be a slower tool so manual focus is not a problem. I have canon ts lenses and they have not stellar resolution, maybe because of the increased image circle. But, anyway, for my needs, it seems fine buyng a dedicated wideangle (23?) and old manual focus macro and teles. But I cant find tests of this combinations.

    1. Hi Magda,
      I haven’t worked with Pentax or Hasselblad lenses on the GFX but with the right adapter they can be used on it and I’m sure you can get great quality from these lenses with the GFX sensor. As for the manual focus, I tend to use it on the GFX with all the non-native lenses as I found that it works best even with adapters that have auto focus. The tilt-shift lenses are anyway manual focus so there’s no difference from using them on a Canon or Nikon camera. I’ve been working with the 23 mm lens and it’s a great lens. It’s a little bit less wide than using the 17 mm Canon tilt-shift on the GFX but when you don’t need to tilt or shift it’s easier to use this lens and it gives you wonderful quality.

  13. A very interesting and thorough article Julia – thank you.

    Remember that Phase One and Hasselblad digital backs can be mirrorless too. Put them on a technical camera like an Alpa, Cambo or Arca-Swiss. Rodenstock and Schneider-Kreuznach lenses can give some enormous image circles.

    1. Glad you enjoyed the article Neil.
      This is a good point about thePhase One and Hasselblad digital backs. Those are more expensive solutions but if you need the size and detail that is the way to go.

  14. Thanks for the usage based great review (as oppose to gear review). I am new to Medium Format and I use GFX 50S.

    I use for mixed purpose (Portraits such as group, events, street, buildings and landscape). I have one question which is related to indoor photographs (portraits, etc..) although you have said it is not where you focus.

    What sort of continuous lighting is recommended for GFX 50S? If you could at least point me to a direction, that will be great.

    I couldn’t find much on the internet and I didn’t want to invest before checking.

  15. Hi Julia

    Thank you for your comprehensive review, it’s very much appreciated.

    Before I commit to the Cambo ACTUS View Camera and GFX Bayonet Mount, are you able to comment whether or not it can be used with the GF 23mm f4?

  16. Thank you for the informative review. I am interested in Fujifilm. However, having a hard time moving away from the comforts of Nikon D850. It has dynamic range and versatile for different photographic use cases. The medium format look is definitely alluring in terms of dynamic range, and color depth. I also love the WYSIWYG look of mirrorless in general. We will see. Thanks.

  17. Hi Julia,

    Awesome review of my all-time favorite camera. I am one of the few who prefers the 50s over the 50sii because of the higher viewfinder magnification, the exchangeable viewfinder and the grip. I wish Fuji would have kept the form factor.

    Like you, I absolutely love the lenses and the image quality. What I enjoy about reading your site is how much of your personal experience with the camera as a photographer you enter into the review. I appreciate you mentioning adapted lenses as it is a real strength of the Fuji over the Hasselblad and others.

    Thanks for your gorgeous images and for highlighting the Fujifilm medium format system.

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