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Photography News | Issue 68 | photographynews.co.uk
I found the GFX 50R’s size and weight to be comfortable in the hand and well balanced
Medium format digital technology, however, has been on my radar more and more as it becomes smaller andmore affordable. The Nikon D850 is often compared to medium format in articles I have read, but I had never done any comparison myself, so the reviews always had to be taken with a large pinch of salt. I was thrilledwhen I found out I would be able to see the real differences with my own eyes. I chose the Fujifilm GFX 50R because of its portable design, which is convenient for travelling or hiking, plus its affordable price point. In order to properly test the camera’s capabilities, I wanted to shoot places I’d shot before, at focal lengths I knew I could work with. I therefore chose the Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR and GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR lenses, because they were the widest available and gave me fields of view I was familiar with in 35mm equivalent terms (that is, 18mm and 36mm, respectively). Upon first receiving the GFX 50R, I found its size and weight to be comfortable in the handandwell balanced, plus the quality of the EVF was excellent – clear and detailed. Being able to set up the camera to use the viewfinder, or the back screen or both is a nice feature. It shows just how well-thought-out and mature the functionality and menu systems from Fujifilm are. All the buttons and dials felt well placed, and being able to set the aperture
by turning a ring on the lens was intuitive when working on a tripod. Plus, the ability to change the ring to controlling aperture via a command dial on the camera body was useful for shooting handheld. For the first outing, I took the GFX 50R to one of my all-time favourite locations, St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay. When I arrived I was a little nervous, because I could see a great sunset shaping up and I was apprehensive about not being able to capture some of the fantastic light starting to show with a new camera I was unfamiliar with. I started firing shots and I remember thinking, ‘I hope this camera is getting this!’ When I got home and downloaded the Raw files, it became clear that I need not have worried – the shots were better than I had hoped. My initial impression was mild shock at how sharp the images were across the full frame. The camera hadn’t missed a beat and I’d captured some of the best light I’ve ever seen at St Mary’s. Such success on my first outing filled me with confidence in the GFX 50R, and it only grew the more I used it. I love photographing water generally, not just at the coast, so I also took the camera to Roughting Linn and Hindhope Linn waterfalls, both in Northumberland. The dappled light at Roughting Linn was challenging, but thedynamic range of theGFX 50R was up to the task and it was no problem
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