Best Gear of 2019 According to Tony Northrup, Philip Bloom and More

BEST GEAR OF 2019

DPReviewTV already made their best of 2019 gear list here.

But these days many others make their own lists, too, such as Philip Bloom, Tony Northrup and more.

So I thought it might be nice to make a “best of 2019” roundup.

SPOILER: Fujifilm GFX100 grabs quite some attention, Fujifilm X-T30 wins too, and the Fujifilm X-Pro3 is wtf camera of the year.

Ready?

Then check it all out down below.

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DPReview TV Best and Worst of 2019: Sony and Fujifilm Battle for Best Camera of 2019 and Kaizen Crown Goes to Canon

DPReview just published their best and worst of 2019.

Here is their ranking:

BEST CAMERA 2019

There was a disagreement here, as just when Chris declared the Sony A7rIV best of 2019, you hear Jordan out of the frame saying “GFX !!!”

  • Sony A7rIV – it can not reach the GFX100 image quality
  • Fujifilm GFX100 – the best image quality they have ever tested, great AF, IBIS, excellent video features
  • Leica Q2

In my opinion, the Fujifilm GFX100 pushed the boundaries in its class (MF) much more than the Sony A7rIV did in its class (FF), and therefore the Fujifilm GFX100 deserves to be called camera of the year.

BEST HYBRID CAMERA

BEST LENSES

  1. Tamron 35mm f/1.4
  2. Panasonic 10-25mm f/1.7
  3. Fujifilm XF200mm f/2 [announced in 2018, but they only tested in 2019]

MOST IMPROVED CAMERA via FIRMWARE

  1. Canon EOS R
  2. Panasonic G9
  3. Olympus EM-1 MK II

WORST LENS

  1. Lensbaby Omni
  2. Nikkor Noct – mega expensive

WORST CAMERA 2019

  • Canon SL3
  • Sigma FP – does not have a shutter. For stills you get rolling shutter, banding etc. It’s a great video camera, but not good for stills
  • Panasonic G95

BEST BLOG 2019 ;)

This Photographer Left Fujifilm APS-C for Sony FF and then Switched Back Fujifilm APS-C… Here is Why!

From Sony to Fuji – Why?

Italian photographer Roberto owned Fujifilm X series gear, but at some point followed the siren songs of full frame Sony.

Now, after using Sony for a while, he switched back to Fujifilm.

In his (Italian) video he explains why.

But don’t worry, you are lucky that FujiRumors is a polyglot (I speak 4 languages), so I am going to translate it for you ;).

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Fujifilm X-H1 (and X-T2) Marked as Discontinued: The Era of 24 Megapixel is Over, but the Time for Fujifilm X-H2 has Not Yet Come

Good Bye Fujifilm X-H1

The Fujifilm X-H1 is now marked as discontinued at BHphoto in basically all its configurations.

Just a few days ago, the same happened to the Fujifilm X-T2 here.

The era of Fujifilm’s 24 megapixel cameras is over.

But I feel I need to say a few words about the Fujifilm X-H1, a camera that didn’t get the success it deserved, mainly for a very unlucky timing by Fujifilm: releasing the more powerful Fujifilm X-T3 just half a year later.

I have no idea how Fujifilm Japan thought this could work out well. Maybe they thought that IBIS alone is enough to keep the X-H1 attractive also once the X-T3 hits the market. But apparently they were wrong.

And yet, at its very last moments, the Fujifilm X-H1 lived moments of glory, by selling like hot cakes thanks to massive rebates.

Ok, I hear you say… Fujifilm X-H2 is coming.

Well, the Fujifilm X-H2 is on Fuji’s “to do” list, and it will come, but Fuji won’t release it in 2020.

X-H1 anyone?

The Fujifilm X-H1 is running out of stock, but you can still find it available in some stores, for example at Adorama here.

So, if you want to grab one, you better do it now.

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Rumors and Discussions

Stay in the Loop

Fujifilm X-T4 Rumors Surfaced – REPORT

Fujifilm X-T4 – SPECS

Over at our wonderful Fujifilm X-T facebook group, Jason claims to have talked to a reliable contact at Fujifilm, and it told him here regarding the Fujifilm X-T4.

  • X-T4 with IBIS
  • expect a T4 about 1/3 of an inch thicker, and about 5-6oz heavier
  • On a good note expect 6k60 and 10bit internal
  • anamorphic ratio
  • fully articulating flippy…essentially an S1H but APSc with Fuji color and obviously much smaller
  • release end of 2020

I don’t know if this is correct. Surely IBIS sounds plausile, as Fujifilm managers repeatedly said, that they work on making the IBIS unit smaller, so that they can fit it into other (not X-H) X series cameras

Where I disagree, though, is Jason’s report that the Fujifilm X-H2 will never come. To my knowledge, the X-H2 will come!

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New Fujifilm Financial Results: Instax Declines, Mirrorless Suffers, Revenue Down 12.4% but Fujifilm GFX100 Sells Strong!

Fujifilm Fiscal Year Report

Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony and others have already reported their financial results.

Most of them are devastating bad. Sony is doing best, even though even Sony has to record a -3,4% sale decrease.

And Fujifilm?

Well, Fujifilm now published their financial results for the this quarter (ends September 30, 2019) and the numbers are not good either*.

Fujifilm’s cashcow Instax keeps slowing down, and digital camera sales suffer strong. All this results in a revenue decrease for the imaging division of 12.4%.

But Fujifilm remains optimistic and says:

we will further enhance the sales by providing products with competitive advantages utilizing our unique technologies, and by running effective promotions to achieve a performance target.

The only camera Fujifilm mentions clearly positively, is the Fujifilm GFX100, which enjoyed “strong sales“. And that must be right, since 6 months after announcement, the camera is still hard to find on the market.

FujiRumors recommends:

Dear Fujifilm, do you know that plan not to release any Fujifilm X-H2 not even in 2020? Forget that! Give us the Fujifilm X-H2 now with Samsung/Fujifilm ISOCELL+ sensor technology, and you’ll see the numbers go positive again. And a Fujifilm X-T4 with IBIS could help, too! Hurry up!

Fujifilm GFX 100: B&H Photo, AmazonUS, Adorama, Focuscamera

* As it always leads to confusion, we remind fellow readers that the Japanese fiscal year 2020 is divided as follows:
   – 1st quarter: April to June 2019 (revenue down 15%)
   – 2nd quarter: July to September 2019 (revenue down 12.4%)
   – 3rd quarter: October to December 2019 (to be determined)
   – 4rd quarter: January to March 2020 (to be determined)

REPORTS SUMMARY

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Why I Chose the Fujifilm X-T3 over the X-H1 for Wedding Photography

Wedding Photography with Fujifilm

Reggie Ballesteros picked the Fujifilm X-T3 for his wedding photography business, and not the Fujifilm X-H1. Why?

You can see it in the video above. Down below a summary for those, who are in a hurry and can’t watch it right now.

Why X-T3 is better for weddings:

  • Low Light AF: X-T3 has -3EV autofocus, whereas the X-H1 is at about -1EV
  • AF speed: X-T3 has fastest AF in AF-S and AF-C
  • X-T3 has 100% phase detection coverage (X-H1 only center part)
  • Good enough image quality in low light, dynamic range and ISO performance to deliver high quality images to his clients
  • X-T3 is smaller and lighter
  • X-T3 has better video specs and features
  • X-H1 has IBIS, but it stabilizes only camera shake. It does not freeze the motion of people in your picture. That you can only do by raising shutter speeds or flash
  • at weddings he captures lively images of people in motion
  • he usually shoots at 1/250s and in low light he drops down at a minimum of 1/160s. He never goes slower than that, unless he uses flash
  • one of his workhorses is the 56mmf/1.2, and with that lens, IBIS would only be effective at slower speeds than he uses

Raggie then asked other X shooters, why they think the X-H1 is better for wedding photography, and they said:

Why X-H1 is better for weddings:

  • some drop down to 1/10s to do exterior shots. But Raggie takes maybe 2% of exterior shots on a wedding
  • some say they don’t trust that their hands are steady enough
  • a good reason is if you use the 90mm f/2, where IBIS becomes effective at 1/270, which is faster than what he shoots (1/160). But the XF90mm F2 is the least use lens in his lineup
  • X-H1 ergonomics are way better than X-T3
  • X-H1 shutter is very quite and discrete
  • X-H1 has better high ISO performance over X-T3, because X-T3 has more megapixel. It’s not a huge difference, but a little bit there is difference
  • X-H1 smooths out any handheld video. It does not replace a gimbal, but gives you stable handheld look

Conclusion:

  • he could find IBIS useful in less than 5% or 10% of his shots
  • he uses autofocus 95% to 100% of his shots
  • if he must buy a camera based on better autofocus or IBIS, he goes for the one with better AF
  • there is no best camera for everybody, just cameras that suite your style better

BIG X-T3 + X-H1 DEALS

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Fujifilm X-Pro3: Massive Leaks, Facts and Compared to Fujifilm X-Pro2

Fujifilm X-Pro3 – Everything we Know

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 will be announced October 23 at 1 AM New York time (7AM Berlin time). Of course there will be a live blogging on FujiRumors :).

So what do we know about the X-Pro3 so far?

The recent nokishita leak confirmed what we already rumored, and adds more details:

X-Pro3 vs X-Pro2

X-Pro3 X-Pro2
Size 140.5 x 82.8 x 46.1mm 140.5mm x 82.8mm x 45.9mm
Weight 497g 495g
EVF 3.69-million-dot organic EL panel 0.48-in TFT color viewfinder Approx 2.36 millions dots
EVF Refresh rate 100 fps
+
new “Smoothness priority” for equivalent refresh rate of approx. 200fps		 85 fps
LCD 1.62-million-dot
Yes, Touch Screen		 1.62 millions dots

No Touch Screen
Low Light AF -6.0EV -1.0EV
Connection USB-C USB 2.0
Grain Effect Strong/Weak Strength/Size (more precise control)
Clarity Setting Yes No
Tonal Curve Yes No
Ratings Compatibility with 3rd party software Not Compatible with 3rd Party Software
Q Menu Choose the number of icons to be displayed in the menu from 16, 12, 8 or 4

– – –
Transparent Background Option

 Fixed to 12 itmes

 

– – –

No Transparent Background Option
Film Simulation Classic Negative No Classic Negative
AF Range Limiter Yes No
Computational Photography New HDR Feature

multiple exposures of up to 9 frames in the Additive, Average, Comparative Bright or Comparative Dark mode

 No

The Facts

  • coming October 23 at 1 AM New York time
  • hidden LCD screen
  • no D-Pad
  • some buttons re-arrangements
  • mini screen for camera data or film simulation display
  • coming with new Classic Negative film simulation
  • made out of titanium
  • coming in 3 colors, Black, DURA Black, and DURA Silver
  • complete hybrid viewfinder re-design
  • OVF has increased clarity, reduced distortion, and wider angle of view
  • EVF re-design: higher resolution, brighter, wider color space, faster frame rate

The Rumors

  • X Processor 4
  • X Trans 4
  • In Camera Tone Curves and Clarity Adjustments
  • “Clarity setting” has been included as an image quality parameter to complement the existing Highlight Tone, Shadow Tone and Sharpness
  • no IBIS
  • ISO dial has a “C” instead of “H” (confirmed by leaked images)
  • leaked hands on images
  • leaked hands on video
  • 4K video
  • autofocus at the minimum luminance of -6EV
  • new HDR shooting function, which combines multiple continuously shot images of different exposure levels to expand the dynamic range. It produces natural tones without causing exaggerated amplification of colour tones
  • multiple exposures of up to 9 frames in the Additive, Average, Comparative Bright or Comparative Dark mode to combine images taken from multiple viewpoints or at different times into a single image
  • exterior made out of titanium, interior of magnesium alloy
  • 70 points of weather sealing. Works at -10℃
  • AF range limiter function – select from two preset values or use the focus ring to specify any focus range. This gives the focus preset function available to all XF lenses
  • EVF: 3.69-million-dot organic EL panel with high contrast ratio of over 1:5000 and the maximum luminance of 1500cd/m2 to display the finest details even in shadows and highlights. It covers 97% of the sRGB colour space
  • EVF has a “Smoothness priority” for equivalent refresh rate of approx. 200fps (recommended when you are taking pictures of fast moving subjects and need to track the erratic motion)
  • 1.62-million-dot high-resolution tilting LCD touchscreen display (tilts down 180 degrees)
  • rear 1.28-inch colour Memory LCD, protected with toughened glass, displays shooting settings regardless if the camera is turned on or not or Film Simulation, white balance and other image settings reminiscent of film cameras
  • Updated Black & White adjustment function called “Monochromatic Colour” function: choose the key colour from a matrix of Warm / Cool tones and Magenta / Green hues, incorporating the rich gradation into your images
  • The Grain Effect function, which simulates the photographic film, has been evolved so that you can adjust “strength” and “size” to attain a more precise control over graininess
  • Compatibility with 3rd party software has been improved so they can now read ratings given to pictures using the “Rating” function.
  • Q Button: You can now choose the number of icons to be displayed in the menu from 16, 12, 8 or 4. “Transparent” has been added as a new background option, allowing you to change the settings but ensuring you won’t miss a photo opportunity
  • USB-C
  • Size : 140.5 x 82.8 x 46.1mm
  • Weight : 497g

X-Pro3 Reactions & Mixed

3 things you should NOT forget:

Live Soon

One Year After Leaving Full Frame and Shooting Weddings with Fujifilm X-T3 – Did it Work?

Fujifilm for Weddings

Reggie Ballesteros switched from full frame to Fujiiflm APS-C, and after one year of work, he sums up his experience in a 34 minutes long video (see below).

His camera of choice is the Fujifilm X-T3 (now with big savings)

Down below a summary:

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