We’ll talk about gear & specs. We will get mad at some, we will love others. But in any case, we are going to have fun.
And yet, that’s not how I’d like to start 2021 here on FujiRumors.
Nope, I’d like to start with an image roundup, because what I love most on my Fujifilm system, is not all the cameras and lenses that I have in my bag, but the images I was able to print big and put on my wall thanks to it.
And little it matters which gear you use, as long as it is fun to you.
May it be APS-C, full frame, or that sensor, that is actually 70% “fuller” or “bigger” than full frame and you find inside Fujifilm GFX cameras.
Every system has its strenghts, and the one of the Fujifilm GFX system is definitely portraits and landscape.
And that’s what we want to focus on today: the Fujifilm GFX.
The Photokina team just announced that photokina has been “suspended until further notice”.
Originally, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Photokina 2020 had been canceled and postponed to May 2022. But apparently there won’t be any photokina in 2022, and probably never again at this point.
I have been to photokina a few times (2016 report here – 2018 report here) and I always hugely enjoyed it. It’s sad to see this show ending. But to me, the error was made when they dropped their 2 years cycle and decided to take place every year in May. It was the wrong answer to a real problem.
Topaz
What is not yet suspended, but won’t last very long, is the following deal:
If you are not into video, you can remove Video Enhance AI from the bundle and hence get it all for just $199!
And if you already own at least one if not more Topaz products already, you’ll only pay for what you don’t own – meaning you still get to take advantage of some serious savings and Topaz will extract what you already own.
DPReview TV has now published their Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5 hands on review, which was filmed with a GF30mm F/3.5 mounted on a Fujifilm GFX100.
The lens is another winner, and can easily keep up with the 100 megapixel of the Fujinon GFX100.
At some point of the video, he took a video of the forest, with a deer far away in the distance, and then cropped in and says “who needs a wildlife lens anymore“. Of course he said it as a joke, and the GF30mmF3.5 can’t replace a proper wildlife lens, but it was also a statement made to underline that with the combination GFX100 and GF30mmF3.5 you are in photographic crop-heaven.
You can find the video above and summary of the video down below:
24mm full frame equivalent
is surprises how compact it is: just over 500g
58mm filter thread
very chunky aperture ring and two-step phase between aperture ring and focus ring means you are not going to confuse where your fingers are
a very nice tactile experience
basically no real chromatic aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration
about 32 cm minimum focus distance, hence you can get fairly close to objects and with that 3.5 aperture get nice and soft background
flare is pretty average, lots of ghosting. Sometimes you see rainbow pattern, but that’s not the lens, it’s reflection coming from the sensor, which you can see on a lot of modern cameras
autofocus speed is fine, it is not super fast, but on medium format you don’t need ultra fast focussing lenses
bokeh is not Chris’ favorite, not the greatest out there, a little bit busy around the edges, and gets more busy if you stop down the lens, but that’s not the end of the world on a wide angle lens
it’s a very sharp lens, especially wide open Chris was quite impressed. Very impressive at f/3.5 from center to corner, and corners sharpen up more really nicely if you stop down
he took a shot of a deer from far away and cropped in and said “who needs a wildlife lens” (of course joking, but to underline how sharp this lens really is)
like the other GF lenses, also this one is optically excellent lens
it’s capable of supporting the 100 megapixel resolution of the GFX100
compact, fairly wide aperture lens for your GFX system, Chris would totally recommend it, except for one thing: there is also the excellent GF32-64mmF4
the GF30mmF3.5 is a little bit better optically compared to the the GF32-64, but the IQ of the 32-64 is great, too
but if you like primes, or if you maybe have already the GF45-100mmF4, this could be your lens
We wait for nokishita to leak the images in the next few days, and as soon as it happens, I’ll report about it on FujiRumors.
Of course there will be a live blogging. When exactly? Well… let’s say you should just trust my sixth sense. I will start the live blog 0.01 seconds after the lens has been announced, don’t worry about that at all. ;)
The Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 equals to a much loved focal length among Fujifilm APS-C X-shooters, the 16mm (in terms of primes, there are the XF16mm f/1.4, and the compact XF16mm f/2.8).
If we want to be precise, the Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5, converted in other formats, is about:
Fujinon GF lenses are about the top lenses you can get on the market.
And in fact, one crucial advantage of medium format GF lenses over full frame or APS-C lenses, is that they can be designed for much higher resolution than lenses for smaller formats.
This is why, if sharp images with tons of detail is what you are looking for, then the best and most future proof system you can buy into (without breaking the bank), is the GFX system.
I am sure the new Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5 will keep the excellent G mount tradition, and deliver spectacular results, too.
Image Roundup
And in order to celebrate the arrival of the Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5, I thought I share a rounudp of GFX images, with some selected photographs taken by members of our massive Fujifilm GFX facebook group.
The roundup includes many Fujinon G mount lenses, but not only that.
The GFX system is a joy to use with adapted lenses, hence in this roundup, you’ll find GFX cameras taking picutres with the following lenses:
If you you think at Italy, my home, you probably think at Rome, Florence and Venice.
And in fact, probably 70% of the tourists coming to Italy, visit those three cities and leave.
But there are many more beautiful spots to visit here in Italy, and one of them is definitely my hometown, the Dolomites.
After I unveiled my location a couple of days ago here, I got a significant numbers of emails from readers, asking me information about the Dolomites. I tried to reply to everybody as good as I can.
One recurring question was: do I recommend visiting the Dolomites also to people, who are not so fit and used to mountains.
My answer is a very clear “absolutely yes!“.
There are tons of cable ways, that bring you everywhere. For example, you can reach the highest peak of the Dolomites, the Marmolada, at 3,300m (10,800 feet) without walking a single step and enjoy views like this.
And if you are more on the adventurous side, of course there are tons of tracks and hikes of all kind of difficulties.
Old or young, single of family, fit or lazy, there is a lot ot enjoy for everyone.
Needless to say, also photographically speaking you are in paradise here, as the images below show.
So, if you ever plan a trip to Italy, try to put the Dolomites on your “to do” list.
Today I decided to go through our Fujifilm X-T and GFX group and pick a couple of images that members shared of the Dolomites, in the hope this article inspires you for you next photographic journey.
Stay safe, let’s go through these challenging times together, and done that, enjoy life again as never before!
And to be clear: we apply the conversion to the f-stop, only to indicate the equivalent shallow depth of field, and not the light gathering capabilities of the lens itself, which remains the one mentioned on the lens (with the consequences we told you here).
We also find a lovely Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 lens, which Fujifilm says is meant for street and landscape photography, be very sharp and also focus fast.
Above you can see a size comparison provided by Fujifilm. The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 is 20% smaller and will weight under 800g, as opposed to the GF110mm f/2, which weights 1010g.
The picture above also shows the GF80mm f/1.7 mounted on the Fujifilm GFX100.
Fujifilm gave us some indications on what the differences between both lenses are.
The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 will have a very creamy and softer bokeh compared to the one on the Fujinon GF 110mm f/2. Different bokeh quality for different tastes.
Also, due to its more compact nature, the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 is good for outside and active shooting, whereas the GF110mm f/2 instead is better suited for studio.
I decided to compare the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 to its closes in terms of focal length, the Fujinon GF110mm f/2 and the GF63mm f/2.8.
The newly announced Fujinon GF50mm f/3.5 is a potential GAS trigger lens for many GFX shooters, given its compact size, especially combined with Fujifilm GFX50R. In fact, Fujifilm says you can’t get a lighter and smaller medium format combo than this one.
0.87x 3.69m-Dot Electronic Viewfinder – original X1D had 2.36MP EVF
3.6″ 2.36m-Dot Touchscreen LCD – original X1D had 3.0″ 920k-Dot monitor
Leaf Shutter System, 1/2000 sec Sync
ISO 100-25600, Up to 2.7 fps Shooting – original X1D shot at 2.3 fp
Dual SD UHS-II Memory Card Slots
Built-In Wi-Fi, USB 3.0 Type-C
New Processor
build-in GPS
Definitely a good price, but still more expensive than th Fujifilm GFX50R (currently $4,000) and Fujifilm GFX50S ($5,500).
This is a fantastic news for Fujifilm GFX lovers, since the more competition there is in the medium format segment, the more companies will fight for customers and offer more features for less price.
Profoto just announced their new Profoto Connect Wireless Transmitter, which will be available for several systems, including the following Fujifilm cameras: GFX 50S, X-T2, X-T20,, X-Pro2, X100F, X-H1, X-E3, X-T3 and GFX 50R.
You can check pricing and availability at BHphoto here.
Product Highlights
Frequency: 2.4 GHz
Operating Range: 330-1000′
8 Channels
Settings: Auto, Manual & Off
Slides into FUJIFILM Hot Shoe
Built-In, Rechargeable LiPo Battery
Control Lights via Profoto App
30-Hour Battery Life
Turns Off after 60 Minutes of Inactivity
For the official product page check out profoto here.
