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by Wildflower-nut on Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:44 pm
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I keep being tempted by the fuji medium format cameras the latest being the GFX 100S.  There was a time I carried a 4x5, a Bronica GS-1, and a 35mm shooting transparencies and B&W.  The larger formats produced wonderful images.  Don't know if you ever saw a contact print from an 8x10 view camera but wow!  Eventually the 4x5 got left behind.  Later on, I just found it too much to carry and rarely was i printing the 6x7 product from the GS-1.

Later on I started carrying the Hasselblad xpan.  That worked great.  Used the same film as the 35mm and the camera and all three lenses was not much bigger than a 35mm body and one lens.  Carried that with me until I transitioned to digital.  It was with great reluctance that I sold it.

I guess my question is whether it is worth carrying a second outfit to get the 100mpx medium format file over what you get from Sony or the canon R5?  I do everything, birds, animals, scenic, flowers etc. so I cannot give up the smaller cameras and just use medium format.
 

by Bill Chambers on Thu Nov 18, 2021 9:27 am
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Wildflower-nut wrote: I guess my question is whether it is worth carrying a second outfit to get the 100mpx medium format file over what you get from Sony or the canon R5?  
I shoot 90% landscapes, 10% wildlife.  I use the Fuji 50mp GFX50S.  When I first got it I was AMAZED at the difference between my Nikon D810 (36mp) and the 50mp Fuji files.  The Fuji was SO MUCH BETTER.  I switched my system around to where I now use 2 ea. Nikon D500's for wildlife and use the Fuji only for landscapes.  I haven't used the 100mp version of the Fuji yet, but I would imagine the difference, while perhaps not as dramatic as the difference between the D810 & GFX50S, it would still be a real eye-opener.  When they first came out with the GFX100s I considered adding that to my inventory but honestly, I'm so pleased with the 50S I decided not to, at least for now.

To cut to the chase, if you shoot a lot of landscapes, I say go for it.  The only downside is the cost of the middle format lenses, but the Fuji glass is outstanding.
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by E.J. Peiker on Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:16 am
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I've been using the Fuji MF system for several years now, started with the GFX 50S (and 50R as backup but I hated that).  I now shoot with the GFX 100S and absolutely love it.  The IQ is simply amazing and the cropability is off the charts to extract something out of a picture and still have a very decent resolution file.  the lenses top to bottom are exceptional.  It is a heavier system though since the lenses have to be larger due to the requirement for a larger exit pupil.  I also have a second system for wildlife and when i need to travel light - the Sony a1 and a7r4.

The vast majority of my business now is for large murals in office buildings and hospitals so I need every pixel to make 10 foot wide or tall prints.  If you need that kind of resolution, then there is no better value than the Fuji system.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:38 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I've been using the Fuji MF system for several years now, started with the GFX 50S (and 50R as backup but I hated that).  I now shoot with the GFX 100S and absolutely love it.  The IQ is simply amazing and the cropability is off the charts to extract something out of a picture and still have a very decent resolution file.  the lenses top to bottom are exceptional.  It is a heavier system though since the lenses have to be larger due to the requirement for a larger exit pupil.  I also have a second system for wildlife and when i need to travel light - the Sony a1 and a7r4.

The vast majority of my business now is for large murals in office buildings and hospitals so I need every pixel to make 10 foot wide or tall prints.  If you need that kind of resolution, then there is no better value than the Fuji system.
Thanks for your input.  I doubt I really need to ever print larger than say 24x36 and that size would be less than once every few years.  The entry cost seems high figuring around 10K for body and 2 lenses.  I'm an equipment junkie and this is very tempting.  I do more landscapes these days than anything else.  For you it makes a lot of sense.  A friend who spent a lot of time as a 4x5 guy has one which got me dreaming about it a gain. 

Any suggestion on a basic lens collection to go with it?  I remember their glass from my large format days.  It is top notch.
 

by Bill Chambers on Thu Nov 18, 2021 3:50 pm
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I started with the 45-100mm and the 100-200mm lenses.  I found the 45-100mm to not be wide enough, so I added the 32-64mm and I use that now as my main lens. I've since added the 23mm and the 250mm + 1.4 TC, but still use the 32-64mm more than any other.  

I've heard Fuji is going to offer a 23-35 zoom at some point.  If so, that will be really nice, and I will sell my 23mm and go with that.
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by Wildflower-nut on Fri Nov 19, 2021 2:29 pm
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Bill Chambers wrote:I started with the 45-100mm and the 100-200mm lenses.  I found the 45-100mm to not be wide enough, so I added the 32-64mm and I use that now as my main lens. I've since added the 23mm and the 250mm + 1.4 TC, but still use the 32-64mm more than any other.  

I've heard Fuji is going to offer a 23-35 zoom at some point.  If so, that will be really nice, and I will sell my 23mm and go with that.

Thanks Bill.  I normally carry a 24-105, 16-35, and a 100-500 lens with my canon cameras.  Even just covering the 16-100mm range is going to take a lot of lenses.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sat Nov 20, 2021 3:10 pm
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I have the Laowa GFX 17mm, and the Fuji 23, 32-64, 100-200, 250, 120 macro and the 1.4x. Fuji has a wide zoom on their roadmap for 2022. Once that comes out I would get that and depending on what it's zoom range is, either the 32-64 or the 45-100. Crop factor is about 0.8 if you want to put it into 35mm terms. I do not like the hole that I have between 64 and 100 :(
 

by Wildflower-nut on Sun Nov 21, 2021 4:03 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I have the Laowa GFX 17mm, and the Fuji 23, 32-64, 100-200, 250, 120 macro and the 1.4x.  Fuji has a wide zoom on their roadmap for 2022.  Once that comes out I would get that and depending on what it's zoom range is, either the 32-64 or the 45-100.  Crop factor is about 0.8 if you want to put it into 35mm terms.  I do not like the hole that I have between 64 and 100 :(


Thanks EJ.  Always appreciate your input.  16-105 equivalent 2 lenses, is going to take at least 4 lenses GFX 23or17, 32-65, 45-100, 100-200.  A lot to lug around.  A wide zoom would help the picture.  Back in the exacta days I stopped at 85mm rather than 105 so if I settled for that you could dump the 100-200.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:00 am
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Wildflower-nut wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:I have the Laowa GFX 17mm, and the Fuji 23, 32-64, 100-200, 250, 120 macro and the 1.4x.  Fuji has a wide zoom on their roadmap for 2022.  Once that comes out I would get that and depending on what it's zoom range is, either the 32-64 or the 45-100.  Crop factor is about 0.8 if you want to put it into 35mm terms.  I do not like the hole that I have between 64 and 100 :(


Thanks EJ.  Always appreciate your input.  16-105 equivalent 2 lenses, is going to take at least 4 lenses GFX 23or17, 32-65, 45-100, 100-200.  A lot to lug around.  A wide zoom would help the picture.  Back in the exacta days I stopped at 85mm rather than 105 so if I settled for that you could dump the 100-200.
If the wide zoom is somewhere in the range of 20-40 (16-32 equivalent), then for most situations, 2 lenses would be enough or 3 lenses if you need to go longer than that with the wide zoom, the 45-100, and the 100-200.  Medium format is not compact but the IQ from the GFX 100S is just stunning.

For an ultra light 35mm very high rez kit, I recommend the a7R4, with the Tamron 17-28, 28-75 (now in a G2 which is even better than the already excellent first generation lens), and 70-180 - all f/2.8 lenses and VERY good!  Plus they all share the same filter size so that gives you some weight savings.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:47 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
Wildflower-nut wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:I have the Laowa GFX 17mm, and the Fuji 23, 32-64, 100-200, 250, 120 macro and the 1.4x.  Fuji has a wide zoom on their roadmap for 2022.  Once that comes out I would get that and depending on what it's zoom range is, either the 32-64 or the 45-100.  Crop factor is about 0.8 if you want to put it into 35mm terms.  I do not like the hole that I have between 64 and 100 :(


Thanks EJ.  Always appreciate your input.  16-105 equivalent 2 lenses, is going to take at least 4 lenses GFX 23or17, 32-65, 45-100, 100-200.  A lot to lug around.  A wide zoom would help the picture.  Back in the exacta days I stopped at 85mm rather than 105 so if I settled for that you could dump the 100-200.
If the wide zoom is somewhere in the range of 20-40 (16-32 equivalent), then for most situations, 2 lenses would be enough or 3 lenses if you need to go longer than that with the wide zoom, the 45-100, and the 100-200.  Medium format is not compact but the IQ from the GFX 100S is just stunning.

For an ultra light 35mm very high rez kit, I recommend the a7R4, with the Tamron 17-28, 28-75 (now in a G2 which is even better than the already excellent first generation lens), and 70-180 - all f/2.8 lenses and VERY good!  Plus they all share the same filter size so that gives you some weight savings.
I gather you really like the 100mpx rather than 50mpx Fuji.  I'm kind of stuck with canon for a 35mm kit as I've collected a lot of EF lenses over the years.  I
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:21 am
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The new GFX 50S II is identical to the 100S except for the sensor and the AF - the 50S/S II sensor is an older generation sensor that does not support PDAF but I used to have the original 50S with that same sensor and the AF never gave me any problems whatsoever for landscape photography - wouldn't want to shoot action with the 50S sensor. though  The 100S has a modern PDAF sensor - the exact same sensor technology as what is in the a7R4.  I just sold my old 50S and plan on getting the new 50S II as backup to my 100S.  The reason is that it uses all the same accessories, batteries, etc as the 100S where with the original 50S I had to have separate batteries, charger and even a different cable release.

So to your question, I love the 50S/50S II but for the majority of my business now, the 100S is more suitable as most of what I sell now gets blown up to 6 feet to 12 feet along the longest edge.  So yes, I am eagerly anticipating a 150S or 200S :p

As for your EF lenses, they work well on an a7R4 with a number of adapters.  Canon lenses are by far the easiest to adapt and there are several really good full function adapters out there.  They also adapt well to the GFX series although most will vignette but even when you crop that out, you are generally still left with 75 megapixels or so.  One of the most popular Canon lenses on the Fuji medium format system is the 17mm TSE because it is very wide (13.6mm FF equivalent) and does not vignette due to the wide exit pupil required for the shift operation.  
 

by Bill Chambers on Mon Dec 13, 2021 5:27 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I just sold my old 50S and plan on getting the new 50S II as backup to my 100S.  The reason is that it uses all the same accessories, batteries, etc as the 100S where with the original 50S I had to have separate batteries, charger and even a different cable release.
I'm just reading this, and that's makes a real strong argument to sell my 50s and upgrade to the 100s II.  My 50s is less than a year old and has less than 10,000 shutter activations so hopefully I can get a decent price for it.

E.J., have you found any downsides/disadvantages to the II upgrade?
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by SantaFeJoe on Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:19 pm
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You might find this video of interest. I haven’t watched it, so I don’t know what it says.

https://fstoppers.com/reviews/fujifilm- ... phy-589610

Joe
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by Bill Chambers on Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:49 pm
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SantaFeJoe wrote:You might find this video of interest. I haven’t watched it, so I don’t know what it says.

https://fstoppers.com/reviews/fujifilm- ... phy-589610

Joe
Thanks Joe, I'll check it out.
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by E.J. Peiker on Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:34 pm
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Bill Chambers wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:I just sold my old 50S and plan on getting the new 50S II as backup to my 100S.  The reason is that it uses all the same accessories, batteries, etc as the 100S where with the original 50S I had to have separate batteries, charger and even a different cable release.
I'm just reading this, and that's makes a real strong argument to sell my 50s and upgrade to the 100s II.  My 50s is less than a year old and has less than 10,000 shutter activations so hopefully I can get a decent price for it.

E.J., have you found any downsides/disadvantages to the II upgrade?
None whatsoever!
 

by Bill Chambers on Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:48 pm
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I just found one disadvantage, I think.  With my 50s I use the EVF Tilt Adapter and that has been, without a doubt, the best accessory I've ever spent money on, especially when shooting at ground level.  I know, the LCD screen can be tilted, but here on the beach the LCD cannot be seen at all if the sun is out (our beach sand is pure white and the reflection is so bright the LCD cannot be viewed at all if the sun is shining). 

From looking at the new 50s II and the 100s descriptions it doesn't appear they will accept the adapter.  From your actual usage, do you know if this is accurate?

I hate to have a camera that's been discontinued, plus the different battery/charger situation you mentioned earlier, but losing the use of the tilt adapter is going to really be a pain.
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by SantaFeJoe on Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:25 pm
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Here's a workaround for that:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65087113

Joe
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by E.J. Peiker on Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:20 am
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You are right Bill, the viewfinder is not removable. I never used that so it didn't really occur to me as a disadvantage but if you are used to that, it is a disadvantage.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Dec 16, 2021 11:42 am
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well I found one in stock with a 32-64 lens. We'll see. I'm on the fence still but there seems to be enough demand that if I wanted to, I could sell it. Looking forward to a wide zoom. These are all basically 2x zooms. Seems like the first 35mm zooms like the canon 35-70 FD L lens of many many years ago. Why can't they at least bump it up to 3x?
 

by Wildflower-nut on Thu Dec 16, 2021 2:44 pm
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Any accessories you can think of that I need?? I ordered a USB battery charger from Nitecore, a spare Fuji battery, and an L bracket from Kirk. I believe I have a cable release with a 2.5mm plug that will work. I'll figure out a Lenscoat body bag and lens bag when it gets here. Hoping something I already have fits. I have 77mm filters already for my canon stuff and lens should have lens hood with it.
 

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