DPReview met up with Yuji Igarashi, Professional Imaging Group Manager, and Makoto Oishi, Head of Product Planning in Stockholm for the launch of the Fujifilm GFX100 II.
Here is a recap and below the link to the full interview.
Kaizen & Customer Feedback
On Saturday, Fujifilm had one of its Italian Roadshow gear presentation in the lovely town of Trento just 30 minutes car drive away from my home.
Much to my surprise, they already had the Fujifilm GFX100II and the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7 R WR there for testing. And I could test it for about 30 minutes only.
Now, initially I wrote an article that contained both, my GFX100II and my GF55mmF1.7 first impressions.
But I decided to split it up in two parts for one reason: the launch of the Fujifilm GFX100II has overshadowed what I believe is a true gem of a lens: the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7.
So much so, that I believe Fujifilm should have given this lens a separate launch date.
But that’s how it is.
And that’s why FujiRumors wants to bring the GFX system world into the right balance again by giving the wonderful Fujinon GF55mmF1.7 the space it deserves.
So, here are my first impressions without GFX100II distraction.
INSANE!
I shot everything at f/1.7.
The reason?
It was so sharp wide open, that I was scared to stop down and to hurt my eyes with even sharper images (if that is even possible).
The good thing?
If you need to take a rest from all that sharpness, then just look at the background of the image and enjoy a massive relaxation for your eyes thanks to a wonderful, dreamy-creamy and buttery-smooth bokeh.
And the autofocus?
Surprisingly fast autofocus for a lens without linear motor in it. I mean, I used it initially on my Fujifilm GFX100S, and my first reaction was to read on the lens front element if there is really not “LM” (linear motor) written on it. I was very positively surprised. Having had experience with the GF80mmF1.7, I can say the GF55mmF1.7 is a significant step up compared to it.
Sure, Linear Motor lenses might still be faster. But shooting with the GF55mmF1.7 won’t be a frustrating experience in terms of autofocus. Actually quite a pleasing one it was for me.
I have also made a tracking test using the Fujifilm GFX100II and GF55mmF1.7. I will share the results in the second part of the review where I talk about the Fujifilm GFX100II, because I need to talk about settings, test conditions to put the results in proper context. So watch out for that one coming soon.
Two problems!
Overall Conclusion
Not the lightest lens on the world, but it is also not too big for an f/1.7 lens. Well balanced overall with my GFX100S.
At f/1.7 it is so sharp that, true story, my wife complaint when she saw the images because she could notice every single little imperfection of her skin.
They say Bokeh is subjective, but this one is objectively very good.
Fujifilm said during X Summit that they use the aspherical lens manufactured with ultra precision resulting in the reduction of axial chromatic aberration and onion ring effect. it is also their first GF lens with 11 aperture blades for near perfect circular aperture.
If you love the versatility of the 40mm-ish full frame equivalent focal length, then this is the one!
And look, I own the Fujinon GF50mm f/3.5 and love it for its fantastic portability. But versatility comes not only from size, but also from speed. And at f/1.7 the GF55mmF1.7 opens up other possibilities in terms of low light performance and subject separation that make it just more suitable and flexible for more use cases.
I can totally recommend this lens if all you want in your life is the humble need for optical perfection in your images :D.
That’s at least my impression after 30 minutes of use. I had no time to test chromatic aberration, focus breathing and what not. So if those are critically important things for you wait for further reviews. Although what I’ve read so far is that also chromatic aberration is well controlled and Fujifilm actually emphasised during launch at the X summit the “reduction of axial chromatic aberration” and “less color fringe“.
Samples
Down below I will share three samples. All taken at f/1.7 using the Fujifilm GFX100S.
Get Yours
And the Rest of the New Gear
Thanks to a new smart system that relies not only on the gyro sensor to stabilise the sensor, but also uses data from the image sensor itself to fine tune stabilisation (more about it in our X summit summary), the Fujifilm GFX100II is capable of achieving 8 stops IBIS.
But this peak 8 stops performance is achieved not with all lenses.
In the chart above shared by Ken L Photo (in text format below) you can see how many stops of IBIS you get on the GFX100II with each GF lens. Also, you get the IBIS performance comparison with the Fujifilm GFX100S.
Fujifilm has released firmware updates for plenty of lenses that will make the autofocus more silent, the aperture operate smoother and also give better tracking performance while zooming.
That’s a very nice upgrade especially for video shooters.
Not all lenses will get all these three updates. You can find the full detailed list below.
I tried, but I failed.
And I failed in less than 48 hours.
I am afraid too many of you guys know what I talk about: try to resist to G.A.S!
It all started February 1st, when Fujifilm launched new deals here in Italy (and all over Europe). And to my surprise, the deals included one of my top 3 Fujifilm items on my 2022 wishlist.
Less than 48 hours after the launch of deals, I found myself at my local photography store, my credit card flying over the sales counter and in my bag a box containing the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.
And don’t worry, my wife approved this purchase… now all I need is her to approve also my other two Fuji-dreams gear 2022, meaning this camera and this lens ;).
Here is why I bought it, and I am so excited about this lens.
As you know, last year I bought into the Fujifilm GFX system by treating myself with a Fujifilm GFX100S and Fujinon GF32-64mmF4.
My main application for this wonderful combo is landscape photography.
So how is that working out?
Well, my go-to bag for hiking is my Camslinger Outdoor. I love the practicality of it to a point, that I won’t buy gear (for landscape photography) that does not fit in there. And despite having a sensor about 70% larger than full frame, the GFX100S with GF32-64mmF4 still fits!
So, for me, this combo is compact enough, and I can easily make my usual 4 to 6 hours hike with the GFX100S and GF32-64 on my hips.
Why do I say this?
Because I want to make clear that I don’t perceive the GFX100S with GF32-64 as too big for the purpose of landscape photography, especially considering what it is: a 100 megapixel medium format system that I can carry around all day on my hips. It’s frankly amazing.
But while it is a surprisingly compact combo for the purpose of landscape photography, the GFX100S combined with the GF32-64mmF4 is not small enough for my taste to bring it with me for more casual shooting, may it be for my street photography or to document my family life.
By getting the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5, though, the whole combo gets substantially smaller and lighter, making it much more portable and easier to pick also for casual photography.
And to be clear: my well-equipped APS-C system is and remains king when it comes to flexibility, performance and value for money. I still take my X system with me on hikes, on my travels, on my day trips with family and I also blindly trust it in crucial moments like when I had to photography my first wedding.
But owning the GF50mmF3.5 simply gives me more options and opportunities to pick up my GFX100S more often if I want to.
I am very happy with my purchase and I can’t wait to use use it comprehensively starting with this weekend.
We (my family and me) are probably going to the town of Sirmione this Saturday. I have never been there and can’t wait to test my new lens in such a wonderful little lake town.
Do you remember when back in 2020, photographers using Fujifilm X and GFX gear creamed off tons of prestigious awards at the World Press Photo Awards, including the top spots for the two most prestigious categories, World Press Photo of the Year and World Press Photo Story of the Year?
Well, Yasuyoshi Chiba, the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year, who took this amazing image with his Fujifilm X-H1, has now been nominated “Agency Photographer of the Year” by The Guardian.
Congratulations again to Yasuyoshi Chiba and make sure to check out his instagram here, where all the images shared so far are taken with the Fujifilm X-H1 and Fujifilm GFX100.
As for the images in this specific reportage from Tigray (Ethiopia), Yasuyoshi Chiba used his GFX gear with the one lens I dream to own for my GFX100S, the Fujinon GF50mm f/3.5.
For the full article check out TheGuardian here.
One more thing:
Yasuyoshi Chiba is planning to do photo exhibition of the images of Tigray from Ethiopia (and Sudan for refugees) in February and March, both at Fuji’s imaging plaza (below is info, in japanese though). Pictures at the exhibition are all taken by GFX100+GF50mm.
Some Fuji Pro Work:
Not enough? Well, then know that photographers using Fujifilm cameras also…
Hey Jared… are you really sure about that Fuji, LOL? ;)
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I think I can say that in 2021 I’ve done a decent part in supporting Fujifilm with my hard earned money, as here is the Fujifilm gear I’ve purchased:
For as much as Fujifilm made medium format accessible to the masses, buying into the 100 Megapixel GFX system still requires a significant investment. It’s worth every penny, but it’s not cheap.
So in 2022 I will try to contain my GAS as much as possible and be cautious with my purchases (do I hear you guys laughing?? ;) )
And yet, there is some gear I’d love to buy in 2022. And I mean gear that is either already announced, available or at least on the Fujifilm roadmap for 2022. So this is not about rumored gear.
Bonus
Related Article
The Gear
*From the Interview “Fujifilm Manager: GFX Triumph and Full Frame Attack Strategy, Shrinking IBIS, AI Future, Fuji X-H2 Needs Breakthrough, COVID and More”
Lots, if not everything, has already leaked here on FujiRumors about the upcoming Fujinon GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6.
We know about the collapsible lens design, we know about its size (see above), we know it will not have OIS and no aperture ring, we know its price.
Another tidbit, though, we can add today, is that the Fujinon GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 will weight less than half than the one Fujinon G mount lens I own and I am totally in love with as it is a prime lens that can zoom: the Fujinon GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR (which weights 875g).
I see what Fujifilm is trying to do here.
I mean, how the heck can any zoom lens compete with the stellar GF32-64?
Certainly the GF32-64 is unbeatable in terms of image quality. I mean, have you seen the image I’ve shared of the village I live in and I did a massive crop and you could still clearly recognize the curtains on my sleeping room? And the lovely pop it has even when shot af f/5.6?
If you can’t beat it in terms of image quality, then beat it in almost everything else: make it much smaller, much lighter and much more affordable, and it will have a chance to carve out its niche among Fujifilm GFX shooters.
I personally will stick with the Fujinon GF32-64mmF4. Mainly because I already own it, and because I used it on a 6 hours hike recently. I packed with my GFX100S in my small Camslinger Outdoor bag (yep, it still fits in that small bag !!) and hiked no problem with it.
So for now I don’t see the need for the GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6, although having such a light and compact G mount zoom would certainly be a temptation for those looking to make their GFX system as portable as it gets, maybe in combination with the super small GF50mmF3.5 prime.
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According to information we have received, the upcoming Fujinon GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 will cost $999. However, you can get it for $500 if purchased in kit with a GFX body.
This makes it the most affordable G mount lens along with probably the next lens I’ll buy for my GFX100S, the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.
And you have no idea how tempted I am by the GF50mmF3.5. Just don’t tell my wife about it ;).
