Photography News Issue 44

Photography News | Issue 44 | absolutephoto.com

Camera test 44

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Verdict

Performance: image quality

Features What’s missing? High-speed flash sync maybe Performance Image quality is amazing even at high ISO speeds, AF can be uncertain Handling Excellent body design and control layout, great customisation potential Value formoney The GFX 50S is a great deal of money, but you get a great camera Overall Fujifilm’s first digital medium-format camera is a triumph Pros Image quality, handling, portable, responsive, high ISO performance, battery life Cons Slow flash sync, big lenses 95/100 If you are in a position to invest in the GFX system, you are indeed very fortunate and great quality photography awaits. 24/25 23/25 23/25 25/25 The Fujifilm GFX system was in my view easily the most exciting product announcement of 2016. Now that it is here and having just spent a fortnight with it, that is still my feeling and I love the way it handles (mostly) and the images it produces. But let’s get real here. While the GFX 50S is great value in the rarified world of digital medium-format, it is still £7360 with the 63mm lens and that is a huge sum of money and more than many people spend on a car, so it is difficult for most enthusiasts to justify, let alone afford. Also, while Fujifilm makes great store in the system’s compactness, this is only the case if you stick with the 63mm lens. Add the 120mm or 32-64mm zoom and size is more of an issue, and they have modest maximum apertures too. However, simply looked at as a tool for producing great photographs then there is a lot to love, relish and appreciate in the GFX 50S. The camera is Fujifilm’s first stab at digital medium- format and it has got so much right, obviously learning from its experience with its X-series, and this camera is likely to get even better with Fujifilm’s history of using firmware updates to add and enhance existing features.

Original image

FujifilmGFX

In a word, excellent. I shot portraits, scenics and still life and I loved the quality Iwas getting out. Imageswere just packed with beautiful detail and even those shot at high ISO speeds looked fabulous. The Fujifilm GFX system is based on a sensor size of 43.8x32.9mm. Do the arithmetic and that is 1.7x bigger than full-frame 35mm while in film, medium-format offered 2.7x (6x4.5cm) or 4.3x (6x7cm) more usable image area. I had to try the GFX with the 63mm f/2.8 (50mm full-frame equivalent) lens alongside a 36-megapixel Nikon D810 fitted with

50mm (Nikon and Sigma) lenses. For outdoor scenes the cameras were fixed to a Gitzo Systematic carbon- fibre tripod with exposures made using the self-timer. Raws were then processed in Lightroom. The GFX’s 115MB Raw files open out to 27.5x20.6in (69.9x52.42cm) at 300ppi; the Nikon’s measure 24.5inx16.73in (62.31x41.59cm) at the same resolution. The Fujifilm’s full-size super-fine JPEGswere around 35MB. Comparison between the images was done on-screen and in print. For the prints, the GFX’s files were downsized to match the long dimension of the Nikon’s files and

Nikon D810

Original image

Images Talk image quality and the big question is: how does the medium-format GFX 50S compare with a leading 35mm full-frame DSLR – the Nikon D810 – and is upsizing worth the expense? To be fair, both cameras delivered top-drawer image quality but it didn’t take much digging around to reveal that bigger is better. Of course that has always been the case in the 35mm versus medium-format debate so no shocking revelations here, just confirmation that if quality is your goal, you’re going to have to dig deep into your pockets.

prints made on Epson and PermaJet paper (the new FB Mono Baryta) using an Epson SureColor SC-P800 printer.WeusedA3paperwithprints made full-frame and equivalent to their full size of 24.5x16.73in. It is fair to say that both cameras deliver excellent image quality with noise-free prints full of lovely fine detail but that is no surprise. Move in close and you can see that the Fujifilm revealsmoredetailthanthefull-frame Nikon and everything is crisper and cleaner. But you have to look closely and of course this is not to say that the Nikon is a quality slouch because it isn’t, but the Fujifilmmedium-format images are visually clearly superior.

FujifilmGFX

Nikon D810

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