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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 ;)):

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.

Fujifilm Firmware Updates for X100V, X-E4, X-Pro3, X-T30II, GFX50R, GFX50SII

As we reported earlier this month, Fujifilm discovered a bug happening with twelve of their cameras when used with Mac computers.

The first batch of firmware had been released a few days ago here and was for the following cameras: X-T4, X-T3, X-S10, GFX100S, GFX100 and GFX50S.

Now six more Fujifilm cameras received an update. All the links and firmware details can be found down below.

Firmware Updates Download Links and Details

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujifilm X/GFX Firmware Fixes macOS SD-Card Bug and Do You Prefer to Update Your Gear via SD-Card or Camera Remote App?

As we reported earlier today, Fujifilm has issued a firmware update for six X/GFX cameras. It fixed the issue we reported about in early February here.

You can read all the details and get the download links in this article.

And here comes my curiosity: I recently started using the Camera Remote App to update my cameras, and I find it so comfortable, that I was wondering if anyone else is using it. Hence, down below is a little survey where you can tell us if you use the App or go old-style via SD-card.

To Update my Fujifilm Cameras I prefer to use:

View Results

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Important Notice: Firmware Bug on Fujifilm X/GFX Cameras can Block Access to Files Saved on SD Cards (Fix Coming Shortly)

Press Release

Feb.2.2022 
FUJIFILM Corporation

FUJIFILM Corporation has identified a firmware incompatibility between specific X and GFX series cameras listed below. This incompatibility can result in macOS users being unable to directly access files if they were initially saved to SDXC memory cards in-camera.

To address this anomaly, Fujifilm is creating a firmware patch, which is expected to be available for free download by X Series and GFX System users soon.

In the interim, please review the following information carefully for further information and recommended next steps.

I. Firmware Incompatibility Overview

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Celebrating 5 Years of Fujifilm GFX Series

5 years ago Fujifilm’s decision became obvious to all of us: unlike everybody else, we are going to skip full frame, build up the best APS-C system in the known universe and offer as an alternative to full frame a medium format mirrorless system. The result: the Fujifilm GFX system.

And well, the Fujifilm GFX series turns 5 years old today.

It all started with the launch of the original Fujifilm GFX50S on January 19 and the slogan “The Game has Changed”.

I remember at that time lots of skeptical comments, especially by influencers who believe that only full frame matters.

But looking back, I guess much of that skepticism has dissipated by now, given that Fujifilm is now offering medium format mirrorless cameras (GFX100S) that are smaller than some full frame mirrorless cameras (Panasonic S1 series) and offer more megapixel at a more affordable price than some full frame mirrorless cameras (Sony A1).

Sure, all the cameras we mentioned above have other strengths, such as video or speed, but all I want to say is that the Fujifilm GFX series is finding a solid ground on which to flourish.

So here we are, 5 years, 5 GFX cameras and 13 lenses later (with more to come) to celebrate a wonderful system that has a terrific potential for the future, as I explained here.

Congratulations Fujifilm.

 

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

 

Ein Beitrag geteilt von FUJIFILM X WORLD (@fujifilmxworld)

TASCAM XLR Audio Adapter for Fujifilm X/GFX Full Specs Online and Coming End of December for €490

Back in August, TEAC announced the development of TASCAM XLR Audio Adapter for Fujifilm Mirrorless Cameras, the Tascam CA-XLR2d-F.

Note that a future firmware update coming in 2022 will make the X-T4, X-S10 and GFX100S compatible with the Tascam CA-XLR2d-F.

Now, in the original press release the expected shipping date was “end of 2021“. Now Tascam confirmed that they will release it at the end of the month.

Now the full specs and the price have been shared and you can find them down below.

As for the price, some stores already list it on their website. For example German Videodata lists it for pre-order for €490 without VAT. In Japan the price will be of 65,780 Yen (converted to $579)

Tascam XLR CA-XLR2d – Features at a Glance

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

BHphoto Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras of 2021: the GFX Medium Format Consecration Continues

We are approaching the end of the year, hence we will be bombarded by 2021 top and flop gear posts and videos.

DPReview shared their top and flop gear already, and we reported about it here.

Now also BHphoto has put up their list for the top 10 mirrorless cameras of 2021.

Once again the latest GFX gear enters the ranking at the very high positions. But the GFX system gets its consecration not only in the year-end rankings, but also at the box office, where especially the Fujifilm GFX100S is causing headache to Fujifilm due to a high demand they simply can’t match.

And what about Fuji’s APS-C series? Well, things look good, very good for the X system in 2022.  Just keep an eye on the latest X-H2 rumors ;).

BHphoto Explora – Top 10 Mirrorless Cameras of 2021

  1. Nikon Z9
  2. Sony A1
  3. Fujifilm GFX100S
    Not too long ago, the thought of a 100MP camera sounded like very wishful thinking, considering 36MP was high-res and 24MP is still a go-to standard for many cameras today. FUJIFILM’s GFX 100S isn’t the first 100MP camera, it’s not even FUJIFILM’s first, but it represents the first time 100MP has been available sub $10K and in a camera body that’s portable and reasonable for walkaround shooting use. It redefines medium format and breaks down the barrier that’s made medium format, especially high-resolution medium format, so inaccessible for virtually everyone until now. What’s even more impressive about the GFX 100S is that it has also benefitted from full-frame and APS-C mirrorless development, too, and features many of the same imaging assets you’d expect from other current cameras, like IBIS, DCI 4K 30p video, and even phase-detection AF. Unlike medium format cameras of the past, which were notoriously slow and outdated in performance, but you’d suck it up for the amazing image quality, the GFX 100S doesn’t need these excuses anymore as it meshes high-resolution medium format quality with current mirrorless performance.
  4. Canon R3
  5. Sony A7IV
  6. Fujifilm GFX50SII
    Accessible and medium format are no longer mutually exclusive terms with the GFX 50S II; the second-gen compact medium format mirrorless with a new integrated design and the same 50MP sensor that put the GFX system on the map. Late summer saw FUJIFILM release the second generation of their first mirrorless medium format camera, the GFX 50S II. Compared to what a conventional second-gen camera is, though, this new GFX trended in a new way, with a focus on becoming even more accessible than the first generation of cameras, meaning medium format is now a realistic consideration for people shopping for full-frame systems. And with that in mind, the GFX 50S II presents a truly interesting choice for photographers who value image quality above all other camera specs. Beyond value alone, the GFX 50S II also saw some physical changes, bringing it in line with its 100MP sibling and featuring a fully integrated viewfinder and forgoing the more modular nature of the first GFX 50S.
  7. Nikon Zfc
  8. Sony ZV-E10
  9. Sigma fp L
  10. Panasonic Lumix GH6 (or GH5 II, for the time being)

You can read the full list here at B&H.

Fujifilm GFX50S Discontinued at BHphoto

FujiRumors broke the news about the crazy Fujifilm GFX50S deal, and as to expect, for such a price, it sold out instantly. So lucky those FR readers who were able to grab it at that crazy price.

Now the Fujifilm GFX50S is marked as discontinued at BHphoto.

If there are other crazy deals, FujiRumors will let you know first again. (and thanks for the FR-reader for letting me know via rumor box)

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