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Photography News | Issue 38 | absolutephoto.com
Most Wanted
G-whizz! It’s theGFX
Medium-format filmused to be seriously big business as many 35mm shooters moved up to the larger format to enjoy better quality, detail-packed, grain-free pictures. The same hasn’t happened in the transition over to digital capture probably due to cost, weight and the vast improvements to the smaller digital formats. Yet the benefits remain the same. But perhaps another reason is that the right products simply haven’t come along. Yet. Fujifilm’s recent product development announcement could be the very thing to get the 35mm versus medium-format debate going again. And this time it’s digital. The recent announcement concerned Fujifilm’s brand- new GFX medium-format camera system. For clarity, a development announcement is different from a launch. A launch usually comes with an availability date, a guide price and a specification that is almost finalised. A development announcement is literally that – letting the world know that a product is being developed – and it could mean that the product won’t be launched for ages and the feature set could be totally different. Fujifilm’s announcement and the fact that actual working samples, not carved blocks of wood, were available to handle at Photokina does seem to point towards a full launch in the near future, probably in early 2017. That, of course, is up in the air and there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip. When the GFX system finally does land, however, what can you expect? The short answer is ‘a lot’. Of course, the other question is ‘who’s going to buy it?’ Obviously you have to be a pretty keen or professional photographer to invest in a medium-format camera, but landscape, studio and architectural photographers will certainly enjoy the larger format, while social and wedding photographers will appreciate the presence such a camera gives at functions. While Fujifilm has a long history of film medium-format cameras, the GFX system is its first venture into medium-
format digital and the system has been designed from the ground up. The GFX 50S body houses a 51.4-megapixel CMOS 43.8x32.9mm sensor, which is 17x larger than 35mm full- frame and gives a 4:3 image ratio by default. However, there’s the option to shoot other ratios while still retaining very high megapixel counts. Shoot 3:2, 1:1 or 16:9 format ratio and you get 45.4, 38.3 and 38.36 megapixels respectively so we are talking serious file sizes whatever you are shooting. And it also means you can enjoy film formats such as 6:7, 5:4 and 6:17. The camera body has many features you’d expect to see in a Fujifilm camera and close scrutiny does reveal a filial similarity to the X-series, for example in the lockable top-plate ISO and shutter speed dials. The articulating monitor is very much like the X-T2’s, including the upright shooting option, only much bigger. As well as a monitor there is an EVF available too. This, however, can be slipped off if you prefer to use themonitor only and save a few grams. This interchangeability means different finders can be attached and an optional multi-angle finder will be available. Using the camera at waist-level or low level is made simple with this finder. Another optional accessory is the Vertical Battery Grip. This promotes more comfortable upright shooting and as is often the case with such grips, key controls are duplicated to suit shooting in this fashion. Fujifilm has good form when it comes to new system launches. The X-series system was launched just under six years agoandat thismoment the systemfeatures adual flagship line-up with 23 lenses plus two teleconverters available. Its rapidly increasing popularity shows Fujifilm has got it right. A medium-format lens system is never going to be that extensive but Fujifilm is already saying that six lenses will be available by the end of 2017, which will include a mix of Fujinon fixed focal length and zoom lenses. Two will be available for the camera at launch time, the standard GF63mm
f/2.8 R WR (35mm format equivalent is 50mm) and the GF32- 64mm f/4 R LMWR (25-51mm in the 35mm format). The four following optics are a GF120mm f/4 Macro R LM OIS WR (95mm equivalent), GF110mm f/2 R WR (87mm equivalent), GF23mm f/4 R LM WR (18mm equivalent) and GF454mm f/2.8 R WR (35mm equivalent). All sport weather-resistant design to match the GFX 50S body and several use Fujifilm’s Linear Motor technology for fast, near-silent autofocusing. Unlike lenses for the Hasselblad X1D, the Fujifilm lenses do not include any shutter mechanism. It is also worth noting that although the GFX 50S is 51.4 megapixels, Fujifilm says its GF lenses are future-proofed and already suitable for 100-megapixel resolution cameras. We only spent a short whilewith earlyGFX systemsamples, but even that was revealing. It is a medium-format system so inevitably bigger than an equivalent full-frame 35mm camera, but nevertheless the camera body with a GF63mm lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight. Being mirrorless and a short flange back distance of 26.7mm to allow for compact lenses has allowed this. The right-hand grip provides a secure and comfortable hold, while the detailed LCD panel on the top fascia means you can instantly check camera settings without having to use the monitor. In all, handling the GFX body seems very intuitive especially for existing X-series users but should hold no fears for 35mmDSLR shooters. While the GFX system is due for an early 2017 launch, price details are sketchy currently and, with currency fluctuations, prices are unlikely to be confirmed until launch time. However, at the system’s launch, a Fujifilm spokesman said the GFX with 63mm and electronic finder would be ‘well under US $10,000’. How that price translates to the UKwe’ll have towait and see. Roll on 2017!
fujifilm.eu/uk
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