MPB
WHATMCDOUGALL BOUGHT FROMMPB
FUJIFILM GFX100S
Combining portability with unrivalled image quality, the GFX100S produces incredible 102-megapixel images. But this is no clunky medium format body. Designed to operate as easily as a DSLR, it’s compact, lightweight, and even includes in-body image stabilisation for handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. All backed up by Fujifilm’s renowned colour science and legendary Film Simulation modes. You can pick up a second-hand Fujifilm GFX100S ‘like new’ for £5149*, and expect it to be in near mint condition.
*Price correct at the time of press
choice, but more a way of coming to terms with a new landscape. I tried to apply my previous way of working, but it didn’t seem to make sense here. I’d never been a black & white shooter previously, but in experimenting with it and taking some inspiration from British photographers who worked similar landscapes, it felt right. And as a simpler expression of a scene, it makes sense. It’s like you’re learning a new language and starting with the most important words. With black & white, it’s stripping an image down to its essentials to make sense of it, concentrating on light, tone and texture. “That’s an approach that some people overlook,” he continues. “It’s not about giving up or forcing an approach, but more about figuring out how to communicate what you’re feeling.” McDougall finds the same organic success when it comes to picking projects. “It’s about discovering patterns,” he explains. “That was certainly the case with this latest project. As you make work, it’s important to stay open to things. I follow my eye in a non- judgemental way, and then in a few months time, I sit down and see where it’s taken me. On reviewing images, you notice little patterns emerge. So you don’t always need
BODY CHECK McDougall loves using his Fujifilm GFX100S, which he partners with the GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR – a versatile standard zoom across condition and price. Each item is individually shot, so you end up with exactly the one you ordered. With the GFX100S, I think they had three in stock, even when they were out of stock at regular retailers! “There’s also a lot to be said
a hard-and-fast idea to follow. Sometimes the idea finds you later.” As a photographer who enjoys using vintage film cameras, McDougall is no stranger to buying second-hand. But with the Fujifilm GFX100S, it was a cutting-edge digital body he opted for from MPB. “I absolutely love it, and that’s because a big part of photography for me has always been the process,” he proclaims. This camera has brought a lot of that back. It handles beautifully and gives very filmic images straight out of the tin. I’ve used its ACROS mode for this project, but its 102-megapixel
there’s a world of vintage cameras and lenses beyond that, too. There’s so much great kit out there, just waiting to be put to good use.”
resolution was also a big part of picking that camera. It meant I could trade in my Nikon Coolscan and use the GFX100S for that, as well as general photography. “Along with the GFX100S, I’ve been using the GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR, which is optically very good, and also compact, so perfect for all hiking. I also use older Pentax 645 lenses via an adapter. “Buying the GFX100S second- hand from MPB ticked all sorts of boxes for me,” McDougall says. “One of the main attractions was the amount of choice. MPB always seems to have plenty of options
for picking up older bodies and lenses,” McDougall concludes. “As technology has become so good over the past few years, you can go back a few generations and still get great results. I’m as tempted by the latest gear as anyone – hence the GFX100S – but I believe that most gear from the past five years is going to do a fantastic job. And, of course,
MPB puts cameras and lenses into more hands, more sustainably. #ChangeGear at mpb.com
Issue 99 | Photography News 27
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