User Review of the Fujifilm GFX – Compared to Hasselblad X1D, Leica, and Sony
Written for Fuji Rumors by Rick Birt of romeobravophoto.com
*Note* This is a long post – I have a summary of pros and cons in my conclusion
As soon as the Hasselblad X1D-50c and Fuji GFX 50s were announced, I wanted one. The promise of Medium Format in a cheaper, and smaller package was incredibly alluring. For the past year my main camera has been a Fuji X-Pro2. I love it. I love the image quality, the colors, the size, and the Rangefinder styling. I also love Fujifilm’s Kaizen philosophy of constantly updating their camera lineup via firmware. All of these things influenced my decision toward the GFX. Luckily, my wife (Kelly Williams), and I were also given the opportunity to demo the Hasselblad X1D. The svelte styling, leaf shutter (ability to sync strobes at 1/2000s), and simple menus were all big pluses in the Hassy’s favor.
When we opened the boxes, we were woefully unimpressed by the Fuji GFX. Even though it kind of looks like a bigger X-T2, it’s actually kind of ugly in person. It almost looks like three different teams designed parts of the camera, and then they Frankenstein’d it all together in the end.
In stark contrast when we opened the X1D box, my wife said,
“We may have to buy two of these so we don’t fight over it.”
Similarly, we conducted two fashion shoots with these cameras. When we brought out the X1D, both models said
“Oh! A Hasselblad!”
Neither commented on the GFX.
Should this matter? My left brain says no. However, it does matter. What is this industry about? IMAGE. These tools are used to take images, because the world has placed value on images of pretty things. Don’t kid yourself, image is paramount in this business – especially in fashion and portraits.
Back to testing…
