A Tale of a Hiking Fuller than Full Frame, a Sony Shooter Lusting after Fujifilm Colors and a Rumor Storm to Come

I Was Gone… Fuller than Full Frame!

This summer my Fujifilm APS-C X gear dominated and found its way in my camera bag most of the time.

May it be my X-T4 used during my holidays on the Elba island in Tuscany with my wife and son, or my top-combo X-E3 with XF27mm2.8 R WR used in many of my short 1 day family friendly mountain hikes.

But not this time!

In fact, I just came back from an extensive multi-day mountain hike in the Dolomites, and this is what I packed:

So how did it go?

Well, the reason I mostly instinctively grab my X series gear is because, in addition to offering a great image quality, compared to my GFX gear it is simply lighter and more compact, plus there are some lenses I truly love in that system, like the XF35mmF1.4 R (which never stops to stun me), the Fujifilm X-E3 with XF27mmF2.8MKII (my go to combo to document my everyday family life) and the XF18-135mmF3.5-5-6.

But the lightness and sheer perfect balance of the APS-C X system made me forget one thing: how portable and flexible actually also Fujifilm’s medium format system is!

As you can see, this is how I hiked for several hours a day: a medium format camera and lens on my hip, the tripod most of the time in my camera bag as IBIS took care to compensate for my tired and shaking hands… and in my heart the certainty that no matter how tricky the light will be, no matter how challenging the conditions, no camera will be able to handle it better than my Fujifilm GFX100S does (unless you use one of those monstrous digital MF cameras, but good luck hiking with those… if you can afford it!)

So we can only be grateful to Fujifilm for making medium format so accessible in terms of size and price.

A Sony Shooter Lusts after Fujifilm Colors

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Fujifilm X-T5 and X-H2 Rumors, Managers Talk Kaizen Firmware, New Camera Remote App, X-H2S vs Sony A1 and More (Top 10 July)

The latest Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujifilm X-H2S rumors dominated the top articles ranking for July along with some Fujifilm manager interviews and statements.

But there was definitely more going on last month and especially on Nr.6 I think there is something that will make pretty much every Fujifilm X shooter very happy ;).

So definitely check out our top 10 articles for July.

  1. Fujifilm X-H2: Getting 8K and 40MP for just $1,999 is Crazy Good Price Indeed – A Price Comparison with Canon R5
  2. Fujifilm Manager: “We Are Committed to Bring X-H2S Autofocus Features as much as Possible to Older Models (X-T3/X-T4)”
  3. FujiCast Talk with Fujifilm Manager: About X-T5 and X-T5S Possibilities, X-Pro4, X-H2 and X-H2S, Autofocus, Firmware Updates and More
  4. Fujifilm X-T5 to Feature 40MP Non-Stacked Sensor (No 26MP Stacked Version Planed)
  5. RUMOR: Fujifilm X-T5 will Not Have Battery Grip Option – New Source
  6. RUMOR: Fujifilm Working on a New Camera Remote App
  7. BREAKING: Fujifilm X-H2 and Fujifilm X-T5 Coming with New Lower Base ISO (Less than 160)
  8. “Cr@p Light, Cr@p Backlight and Everything is just There on GFX Medium Format Files” – GFX Roundup
  9. New Firmware Updates for Fujifilm X-H1, X-T200, X-T100, X-A7 and X-A5
  10. Fujifilm X-H2S Reviews: “X-H2S Trumps the Sony A1, Video Dynamic Range is Impressive”

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LEAKED: AstrHori 75mm f/4 for Fujifilm GFX First Image and Specs

With the growing popularity of the Fujifilm GFX system, third party manufacturers started to make G mount lenses.

For example, we have a couple of nice Laowa G mount lenses, Mitakon G mount lenses, Irix G mount lenses and TTArtisan G mount lenses.

Well, another third party manufacturer is about to join the Fujifilm G mount system: AstrHori.

Now, AstrHori isn’t new in the Fujifilm world, as they already make a couple of lenses for the Fujifilm X system.

But the AstrHori 75mm f/4 will be their first lens for the Fujifilm GFX system. You can see an image of it mounted on the Fujifilm GFX100S above (in its original watermark free version ;))

  • 75mm F4
  • Format: medium format 4433
  • Focal length: 75mm
  • Aperture range: F4-16
  • Optical structure: 8 elements in 6 groups
  • Field of view: 44.2°
  • Focus range: 0.82m~∞
  • Filter size: Φ67mm
  • Size: about Φ75mm*L76mm
  • Weight: about 634.5g
  • Bayonet: Fuji GFX / Hasselblad x
  • Focusing method: Manual focus

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RUMOR, NEWS and COMMUNITY

If You Shoot on Tripod, You Might Love this New Product from Atoll

Tripod shooters really have to take a closer look at this new Atoll ring on Kickstarter (Click here). Down below you can see a few videos on how it works.

NOTE: ATOLL is not compatible with Medium Format or larger cameras such as the Fujifilm GFX100S.

  • Fujifilm X-H2s is compatible with ATOLL D + Heightening Plate
  • Fujifilm X-T3 is compatible with ATOLL C + Heightening Plate
  • Fujifilm X-T4 is compatible with ATOLL D + Heightening Plate

X-S10 and other X series cameras are NOT compatible.

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X-ProF, (Re)designing the Perfect Camera :: Fujifilm X-T5 Wishlist :: X80 with 40mm Lens :: Fujifilm GFX 50R II :: FR-Readers Wishlist Corner

FR-Readers Wishlist Corner

Here is another roundup of wishlist shared by the FR-community to me via email at fujirumor@gmail.com.

Previous Wishlist Episodes:

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Jason at TCSTV: “The IQ Difference between Fujifilm GFX and Sony A1/Canon R5 Tortured me, I couldn’t Unsee it, so I bought into GFX”

I don’t buy into the narrative that wants you to believe you can make professional work only with full frame gear.

And it’s not just a “feeling” of mine. It’s a hard core fact proven by the irrefutable reality that you can win the Pulitzer prize or the World Press Photo Award with images taken by Fujifilm APS-C cameras.

And I also don’t buy that “sensor size is everything” narrative.

Look, I’ve shot it all: from my loved Micro Four Thirds to APS-C and Medium Format, and yes, even quite some Sony Full Frame as I have easy access to that system thanks to the SonyAlphaRumors guy living not far away from my home.

So I can confidently say: every system has its Pros and Cons and every system, from M43 to MF, can be used for professional use, of course with some cameras being better suited for certain uses than others.

So if somebody tells you that you absolutely need a system with a 70% larger sensor than full frame (the GFX system) to really stand out with the quality of your images, then you better don’t trust that person.

And yet, as we said, every system has its Pros and Cons, and the advantage of the GFX system is undeniably that it offers the best image quality you can get for a more than reasonable price.

Then add to this that the Fujifilm GFX100S and GFX50SII have the size of the Canon R5, are even smaller than the Panasonic S1 cameras and cheaper than full frame cameras like the Sony A1, and you start to get a combination of advantages that might make the Fujifilm GFX perfect for your needs.

And it sounds like the combination of advantages the GFX system offers was perfect for Jason Eng, who, in a talk with Evelyn from TCSTV explains his move to the GFX system.

Here is a quick summary:

  • Jason’s assistant Aiden was looking to buy into a new system. He looked at Sony, Nikon and Canon and almost pulled the trigger on the Canon
  • Jason suggested him to try the GFX50SII which costs about the same what Aiden was about to spend for the Canon
  • Aiden put his hands on the GFX50S and it had “these magical files“
  • then they also shot the GFX100 side by side with Sony A1 and Canon R5
  • even by just comparing the images on the laptop sized screen, they noticed the detail in shadows and the way that the camera handled gradation from highlight to shadow was just… “I could not unsee it, it tortured me until I inevitably bought the system“
  • he bought the GFX100 with a classic pro body with integrated grip and fully usable autofocus
  • he often shoots vertical, so having the integrated grip is important
  • he was and still is a Sony shooter, enjoying a smaller and lighter body
  • then Fujifilm offered the GFX100S with its smaller and lighter body and it reached a larger target audience than what the GFX100 could do
  • both options, GFX100 and GFX100S, are great
  • he often shoots tethered and loves that the film simulation he uses goes right into Capture One
  • as a long time Sony user for 10 years, color was always hard. The standard was Canon
  • when Fuji released their APS-C mirrorless cameras he loved the colors, but he could not commit to a smaller sensor than FF
  • but now they have exceeded his expectations and gone larger than full frame
  • skin tones are great, reds are beautiful, rich and deep
  • he uses also legacy glass adapted to the GFX system
  • Fujifilm offering GFX cameras from $4,000 to $6,000 is a game changer for medium format
  • color and shadow tonality range, you can’t unsee it once you see it side by side

Get Yours (now that it’s finally in stock ;)):

Laowa 15mm f/4.5R Zero-D Shift New Version Announced: 14 Aperture Blades and Now Native for Fujifilm G Mount

Back in 2020, Venus Optics announced the original Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D shift lens (blue ring version), which thanks to an adapter worked also on Fujfilm GFX with the ability to shift ± 8mm with no vignetting.

Now Venus Optics announced a new version, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5R Zero-D Shift (red ring version) with 14 aperture blades instead of the 5 aperture blades of its predecessor.

The good news: Laowa is now offering both the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Shift lenses (the blue ring and the red ring versions) in native Fujifilm G mount, hence no more need to use any adapter.

Press Release

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Fujifilm Talks Future of X/GFX, Why First 10 Years were Very Difficult, Lens Design vs Production, Fujinon vs Third Party and More

A couple of days ago, Fujifilm managers and engineers have published an almost 20 minutes interview in Japanese.

The whole talk is in Japanese and a real pain to watch using the automatic youtube translator tool.

A pain FujiRumors readers should not go through, so I did what nobody else did: I rolled up my sleeves and put 1.5 hours of my time into making sense of the talk and summing it up for you guys with the greatest care and highest accuracy.

You’re welcome guys ;).

Fujifilm Mangers & Engineers Talk

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Is Fujifilm Nordic Teasing a Fujifilm GFX with Stacked Sensor?

Fujifilm Nordic has released a new Webinar.

Contrary to what we were used so far, this time they also included non Fujifilm X Photographers to the talk, meaning photographers that are not part of the official X photographers program, but who simply started using X or GFX gear, even though they have no relationship with Fujifilm Corporation.

The first not official X/GFX photographer to be part of the Fujifilm Nordic Webinar series is called Soren Solkaer.

  • Soren Solkaer went digital since 2002
  • he instantly started shooting with Full Frame digital (but in his analog times he shot medium format)
  • about 1 year ago, his prost production guy told him “Sir, we have to talk, there is a new camera in town“
  • Soren was very skeptical. He didn’t want to change his camera as he was so used to his full frame gear
  • his post production partner told him there are files now, that are way better than his full frame files
  • in some of his exhibitions he prints 2×3 meters big, and squeezing that our of full frame can be done, but having a bigger file is a huge advantage
  • his post production partner told him the files of GFX are bigger and the quality is just amazing
  • despite being very reluctant, he tried out the GFX system and he saw that his post production partner was right
  • he did not start with the 50MP GFX but he started right with the 100MP GFX100S
  • on top of the resolution, there were many other things that hugely impress him of the Fujifilm GFX100S
  • he needed to get used to the menu, the buttons, etc
  • in the last 25 years he mainly took portraits of celebrities
  • the interviewer asks about the speed of the GFX100S, and he says that he shoots full manual control (except for autofocus), and after a bit of time of getting used, he now gets 100 out of 100 perfectly exposed and focused images
  • in some other of his project the file size itself is not necessary at all, and in those cases he still uses his full frame gear
  • lately for a projects he photographs bird formations flying in the sky at fairly low light. He shoots at 1/500 of a second and wide aperture, so he only has the ISO left to adjust. And the higher he goes with ISO, what is gained in resolution with the GFX100S, is lost in noise at high ISO.
  • another issue: GFX100S shoots at 5fps continuous AF. For birds, the more fps you get the higher the chance to nail the right moment

And here comes Soren’s question: Will there be any improvements down the line in terms of sensitivity and also buffer? Here is what Fujifilm Nordic answers:

  • there are some secrets Fujifilm Nordic can not reveal, but what they can say is that in May there will be an X summit with an announcement, where we will see new sensor and also new processor technology
  • there will be definitely a speed improvement on the APS-C X system, so why shouldn’t those improvements drop down also to the GFX system?
  • Actually the whole GFX system started this way: first 5 years with X system, then Fuji started with the GFX system and pulled the technical stuff of the GFX system into the X system
  • without telling every secret, but GFX system will get faster and faster with the new hardware
  • speed will increase on the GFX system
  • Fujifilm Nordic can’t tell when, but they are confident that it will go into that direction [of more speed]
  • one day Soren will get a medium format camera that can burst quite a lot more than the current GFX cameras
  • “we are working on it, definitely“

I guess it is safe to assume that Fujifilm Nordic is referring to the stacked APS-C sensor to be announced in May 2022 (as Fujifilm officially teased here) and hence hint to the possibility that the stacked technology could find its way also into future GFX cameras.

Just to be clear, so far in terms of rumors I have no hints about any stacked sensor GFX camera coming. Of course this doesn’t mean it won’t come, I just say that at the time of this article I have no information about it.

The summary above is just an extract of Soren’s part of the talk with Fujifilm Nordic. But actually the whole 2 hours talk also with the official Fujifilm X Photographers is well worth a listen. So make sure to check it out down below.

GFX Gear – Buy within April 3 and submit your claim by May 3