March 29, 2017

New Arrival: Fuji GFX Medium Format Camera

Over 50 megapixels, a sensor that’s 1.7x the area of a 35mm full frame sensor, lightweight and weather resistant – all these features and more with the Fuji’s GFX 50S, which finally hit our shelves this month.

You can rent this piecemeal or as a bundle where you get the GFX body, the tilt EFV adapter, a battery grip, and an extra battery for less than if you rented all of these same items separately in 1 order.

The tilt EFV adapter is a particularly desirable add-on. It makes shooting much more ergonomic by making the viewfinder adjustable up to 90º and side-to-side 45º.

Our selection of compatible lenses use a larger-diameter G mount to accommodate the 43.8 × 32.9mm sensor. Just as your perceived field of view when using the same lens on a camera with an APS-C sensor compared to a full frame one is narrower (see Introduction to Full Frame vs Crop Frame Sensors for more), it is the same concept but reversed for medium format. The GFX has a crop factor of around .79 (the parlance is still the same, even if you’re not actually “cropping” anything), making the 32-64mm read more like a 25-51mm, the 120mm read more like a 95mm, and the 63mm read more like a 50mm. This is a good thing to remember when choosing what lenses to shoot with this camera. Here are the lenses we rent that are compatible with this camera:

• Fuji GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR
• Fuji GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro
• Fuji GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR
• Fuji GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR Lens
• Fuji GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Lens
• Fuji GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR Lens

Like the Hasselblad X1D (which you can see sample images from in New Gear Arrivals Plus Sample Hasselblad X1D Shots and in A Photographer’s Take on the Hasselblad X1D), the GFX is a mirrorless system – new to the medium format world. This allows everything to be much lighter and compact. The G mount lenses have a short flange back distance and a resolving power that can support up to a 100MP sensor. They maintain the aperture ring you might already be used to from Fuji’s XF line. While lightweight for medium format lenses, the mount is made with a rigidity that withstands wear, tear, and potential abuse. It is 1.6x thicker than the standard X mount.

Fuji recommends shooting at ISO 100 to achieve maximum dynamic range benefits with this camera. The GFX sensor went through a process of gaining an extended “photic saturation point” for a 1/3 step wider range that is most apparent at ISO 100 (particularly in protecting highlights). But it certainly performs well at higher ISOs as well – just know that you may see an added benefit when using ISO 100.

Note that this camera does not use phase-detection AF and the overall shooting speed is lower than what most DSLR shooters are going to be used to – only 3 FPS. Like with the Hasselblad X1D, this camera is for the concentrated, methodical shooter. It is not for a spray-and-pray’er. Also note that the flash synchronization speed is 1/125th of a second. Many of you familiar with medium format shooting know there is a major benefit in using leaf shutter lenses (which these GF lenses are not): strobe synchronization speeds above 1/500th of a second. The GFX system is closer to a DSLR in this way with its lower maximum sync speed. But fear not! There is an H Mount Adapter that allows you to use leaf shutter lenses originally designed for the GX645AF film camera and have sync speeds up to 1/800th of a second. We do not have this adapter to rent (yet) but I’ll update this when that changes. In the meantime, you can pair the GFX with the EF-X500 in FP mode for high-speed flash syncing at any shutter speed (optical only, with up to 33′ line-of-sight triggering).

We never get very long with these cameras because the last one on the shelf is usually needed for an order right away so apologies for lack of sample imagery. But please explore some of these other collections, get inspired, and rent it for yourself and share your work in the comments!