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by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:15 am
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A 100 megapixel 44x33 medium format sensor camera that is the size, weight and form factor of full frame cameras with IBIS, eye-af, etc, pretty much a smaller and 1lb lighter GFX-100 for $6K.  Very exciting news for us medium format shooters.  Available at the end of Feb.

Also a GFX 80mm f/1.7 (approximately 64mm f/1.4 in full-frame terms)

For X-mount fans, a pocketable X-E4 rangefinder style 26mp APS-C camera

Finally a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 and a 27mm f/2.8 pancake for the X-mount APS-C cameras.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:25 am
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Comparison of the GFX cameras from Fujirumors.com:
Note that the 14 bit RAW is incorrect based on the Fuji Spec sheet where it says 16 bit just like the GFX 100 however other news sources are also claiming 14bit - in reality, it likely doesn't matter since quite often the extra two bits are within the noise component of the sensor's output - time will tell.
Image
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:02 am
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More complete specs here:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... html/specs
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:09 am
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Probably the single biggest disappointment for me is the archaic 3.7 million dot EVF with a 0.77x magnification which is the same resolution and lower magnification ratio than the 4 year old GFX 50S.  When you compare this to the 5.4M dot and even 9m dot EVF's now being offered by many of the latest cameras, an EVF right out of 2016 seems a bit chincy.  Other than that, I really like what i am seeing so far for landscape shooters.

Also, it still uses SD cards.  I also wish it still had the d-pad but i guess that's just me being old-school.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:22 am
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DPreview's intial review:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifi ... ial-review
 

by Scott Fairbairn on Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:28 am
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It looks amazing.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:40 pm
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From an ambassador but still lots of good info and pictures:
https://jonasraskphotography.com/2021/0 ... ull-frame/
 

by Wildflower-nut on Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:07 pm
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So which to go for. The Sony A1 or the Fuji?
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:17 pm
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Wildflower-nut wrote:So which to go for.  The Sony A1 or the Fuji?
To me, they are completely different cameras for different missions.  If you need a super fast action camera capable of relatively high resolution photos of subjects such as wildlife or sports but still capable of very good resolution for landscapes, then it's the a1 (or a7R4 if you need even more resolution). But, if you need (almost) uncompromising resolution but speed (frame rate and focus) is not a high priority, such as the landscape shooter, then the GFX is not only a bit cheaper but much higher resolution.  Then there's the question of whether or not you already have lenses for either system...

I can see a very serious Sony nature photography shooter owning two bodies, an a7R4 for landscapes and an a1 for everything else.  Either is a very capable backup for the other in virtually all genres of photography.

As for me, my sales these days are almost exclusively for VERY large reproduction, as much as 10 feet by 8 feet murals for public buildings, malls, and medical facilities so for me, the GFX100s will pay for itself essentially with 4 or 5 photos sold so it's a no-brainer.  The only reason I don't own the existing GFX100 is that the form factor, size, and weight don't work for me.  I have been using the a7R4 for this type of work as well as the GFX50S but previously owned the Phase One 100mp system but that was completely unwieldy for what I do so it will be nice getting back to the resolution I used to have.  

I am undecided on the a1 although it may just drive me to sell the remainder of my Nikon DSLR gear...
 

by rajandesai on Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:13 am
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Sad to see those dedicated dials go away - something I love about Fuji system.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:04 pm
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Thanks EJ. Kind of confirms my thinking. Reminds me of my days when I had a 4x5 a Bronica GS-1, Hasselblad xpan and a 35mm SLR. Became confusing as to which one to grab. Eventually simplified my world by getting rid of the 4x5 followed years latter by the GS-1.

Sounds like a great combo. The Fuji for scenic with one or two short lenses and an a1 or r5 for everything else. Really miss the xpan for which there is no replacement yet. Camera and 3 lenses were very compact compared to a SLR lens.

Will be interested in real hands on reviews.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:41 pm
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Wildflower-nut wrote:Thanks EJ.  Kind of confirms my thinking.  Reminds me of my days when I had a 4x5 a Bronica GS-1, Hasselblad xpan and a 35mm SLR.  Became confusing as to which one to grab. Eventually simplified my world by getting rid of the 4x5 followed years latter by the GS-1.  

Sounds like a great combo.  The Fuji for scenic with one or two short lenses and an a1 or r5 for everything else.  Really miss the xpan for which there is no replacement yet.  Camera and 3 lenses were very compact compared to a SLR lens.

Will be interested in real hands on reviews.
All the Fuji MF cameras have an X-pan like crop mode around 2.7:1 but of course in a bigger body.  With the 100S and 100 you still get about 50mp in that mode!!!
 

by E.J. Peiker on Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:50 pm
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I have noticed that many specs on various sites online have one or more errors in them. here is the official Fujifilm spec sheet for the GFX 100S. Note that I am linking to the Fuji Canada site because the US site has not been updated with the new camera yet:
https://fujifilm-x.com/en-ca/products/c ... fications/
 

by Mark Walrod on Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:25 pm
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I'm considering switching from the Sony A7RIV to the GFX 100S (primarily for landscape), but after reading some reviews of the GFX 100, I have a couple of concerns. First concern is the reduced depth of field with medium format. One reviewer mentioned his frustration with needing to focus stack most landscape images to achieve across the frame sharpness . He also mentioned something about having to remove the EVF to return the camera to his backpack.

The other concern is portability. I like to hike with my gear and wonder if overall weight will become an issue.

I don't envision keeping my Sony setup if I buy into the Fuji system, so I need to make sure it checks most of the boxes for my needs.
 

by Bill Chambers on Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:09 pm
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And, of course, I purchased the GFX50S just last week!!! My timing remains perfect. Oh well, I still can't complain as I'm sure the 50S will be more than enough.
Please visit my web site, simply nature - Photographic Art by Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
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by E.J. Peiker on Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:06 am
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Mark Walrod wrote:I'm considering switching from the Sony A7RIV to the GFX 100S (primarily for landscape), but after reading some reviews of the GFX 100, I have a couple of concerns. First concern is the reduced depth of field with medium format. One reviewer mentioned his frustration with needing to focus stack most landscape images to achieve across the frame sharpness . He also mentioned something about having to remove the EVF to return the camera to his backpack.

The other concern is portability. I like to hike with my gear and wonder if overall weight will become an issue.

I don't envision keeping my Sony setup if I buy into the Fuji system, so I need to make sure it checks most of the boxes for my needs.
Yes, the DOF for a certain size of subject in the image will be less because the magnification is greater in order to fill the frame the same way on a bigger sensor - in other words you have to use a longer lens - the focal length needed compared to full frame is fl/0.79 so if you shoot something with a 35mm lens on the Sony, it would require a 45mm lens to fill the frame the same way with your subject - thus you have to compensate for the shallower DOF by stopping down by 2/3 of a stop or stack.  The loss with this sensor size is 2/3 stop of DOF.  However the Fuji has the best and easiest to use focus stacking on the market.  With Sony I focus stack most landscape shots otherwise having an a7R4 is almost pointless since it becomes diffraction limited above f/6.3 so if you actually want the true resolution you'd be stacking most landscape shots anyway.  The difference is that with a Sony you have to do the stacking manually which is a pain as you have to move the focus point between each shot, where the Fuji does it automatically, you just set the closest focus point and it takes it from there.
 

by Mark Walrod on Mon Feb 01, 2021 5:44 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
Mark Walrod wrote:I'm considering switching from the Sony A7RIV to the GFX 100S (primarily for landscape), but after reading some reviews of the GFX 100, I have a couple of concerns. First concern is the reduced depth of field with medium format. One reviewer mentioned his frustration with needing to focus stack most landscape images to achieve across the frame sharpness . He also mentioned something about having to remove the EVF to return the camera to his backpack.

The other concern is portability. I like to hike with my gear and wonder if overall weight will become an issue.

I don't envision keeping my Sony setup if I buy into the Fuji system, so I need to make sure it checks most of the boxes for my needs.
Yes, the DOF for a certain size of subject in the image will be less because the magnification is greater in order to fill the frame the same way on a bigger sensor - in other words you have to use a longer lens - the focal length needed compared to full frame is fl/0.79 so if you shoot something with a 35mm lens on the Sony, it would require a 45mm lens to fill the frame the same way with your subject - thus you have to compensate for the shallower DOF by stopping down by 2/3 of a stop or stack.  The loss with this sensor size is 2/3 stop of DOF.  However the Fuji has the best and easiest to use focus stacking on the market. With Sony I focus stack most landscape shots otherwise having an a7R4 is almost pointless since it becomes diffraction limited above f/6.3 so if you actually want the true resolution you'd be stacking most landscape shots anyway.  The difference is that with a Sony you have to do the stacking manually which is a pain as you have to move the focus point between each shot, where the Fuji does it automatically, you just set the closest focus point and it takes it from there.

Thanks, E.J.  That's the conclusion I came to and look forward to an automatic focus stacking feature. 
 

by E.J. Peiker on Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:44 pm
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GFX 100S does Arizona - the guy definitely likes blocked up high contrast processing but it's nice to see some real world stuff shot in my neck of the woods with my next landscape camera :)
https://bryanminear.com/gfx100s/
 

by Mark Walrod on Sat Feb 06, 2021 9:02 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:GFX 100S does Arizona - the guy definitely likes blocked up high contrast processing but it's nice to see some real world stuff shot in my neck of the woods with my next landscape camera :)
https://bryanminear.com/gfx100s/
Are you planning to travel with the new GFX or are you keeping the Sony for that? Also, what lenses do you like best on the GFX for landscape?
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:59 pm
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Mark Walrod wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:GFX 100S does Arizona - the guy definitely likes blocked up high contrast processing but it's nice to see some real world stuff shot in my neck of the woods with my next landscape camera :)
https://bryanminear.com/gfx100s/
Are you planning to travel with the new GFX or are you keeping the Sony for that? Also, what lenses do you like best on the GFX for landscape?
Sony is definitely my lightweight set-up for when there will be significant hiking or weight restrictions (in which case I use the Tamron lenses rather than the Sonys due to their smaller size and weight) but I do (or will again) travel with the GFX when I won't have a lot of miles to hike - my entire UK trip to Northumberland and the Lake District as well as Edinburgh was all shot on the Fuji system.  All of my Death valley stuff is Fuji as is my Utah Badlands/Capitol Reef stuff...   The 100S is pretty small and significantly smaller than the GFX50S although the lenses are bigger due to the larger exit pupil requirement of a 44x33 sensor.  My current landscape set-up is the Laowa 17mm (13mm FF equiv), the Fuji 23mm (18mm equiv), 32-64mm (25-50 equiv), and 100-200 (80-160 equiv), and the 1.4x which works well with the 100-200.  I also own the 120 Macro and the 250 prime but the latter a bit too big and heavy for travel.  I do wish we had a wide zoom in the GFX system, something like an 18-36 or 20-40 then I could pretty much get by with just 3 lenses.  I much prefer the Fuji GFX to the Sony for pure landscape photography due to the 4x3 aspect ratio and the excellent focus stacking.

As for adapting lenses, some are OK with the 50 mp sensor camera and the Laowa optical medium format adapter (expands field of view of FF lenses to medium format) works too, but no adapted lens nor FF lens shot with the medium format adapter are up to the resolution requirements of the 100mp sensor (with the exception of the Zeiss Otus lenses) - might as well save your money and get a GFX-50R or stay with 35mm.  If you really want to utilize the resolution of a camera like the GFX100/100S, you have to go with the lenses made specifically for it.  Fuji GFX lenses from the very beginning of the system were made to exceed 100mp resolution capability.  They are all excellent, every one of them is very good.  One thing you notice right away when shooting with any of the GFX cameras and the Fuji lenses is that if you sharpen the way you used to sharpen with FF or APS-C, regardless of camera/lens manufacturer you were using, the Fuji files will look oversharpened.  The system is just plain sharper; sharper than even an a7R4 with the very best lenses money can buy for that system.
 

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