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3 Observations I Made When I Took My Medium Format On the Road That Will Have Me Taking It Out Again

guest post by Greg Pai – You can follow Greg on his photographingGOD Photography webSIGHT and Instagram

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The goal posts of camera technology are being moved every day. When I say portraiture, you say higher resolution. When I say sports; you say faster, more accurate autofocus performance. When I say weddings and events, you say increased ISO sensitivity. And, when I say journalistic or street photography, you say medium format? Not really…

Most pros relegate medium format to studio, landscape, or tripod-mounted applications and more ergonomic formats for journalistic style photography. So, it was typical that I would pack my Leica gear for a recent one month assignment through the Mekong (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam).

However, at the last minute, I was somehow compelled to swap it out for my medium format Fuji GFX 50s system taking up nearly 3 times the space. What was I thinking? Well, I wasn’t thinking straight for sure. But that is how some of the most remarkable things happen in life (Like when my wife said “Yes”)!

My last minute decision was partially influenced by the fact that image technology across sensor types (e.g., Crop, Full-Frame, and Medium) is converging rapidly and the features are blurring between such systems. So, at some point in the near future, I suspect these choices will be made for me anyway by process of elimination. I suppose I also wanted to test my patience and persistence. But, there was also an element of surprise I was seeking. I really wanted to see what this thing could do in the field under varied conditions and over a lengthy assignment.

Suffice to say, I was exceptionally pleased by the potential of the Fuji GFX 50S medium format in the field and hope that the following observations are an inspiration to all who are (i) facing decisions about upsizing or downsizing formats, (ii) interested in my approach to journalistic photography, or (iii) wanting to simply experience the beauty of the people and colors of the Mekong.

1. Medium format is too heavy and bulky for journalism and street photography; Or is it?

It’s In Stock

The Fujifilm X-H1 is now in stock at AmazonUS – various combinations shipped and sold by AmazonUS.

The X-H1 & various combos are also in stock and read to ship at Adorama and Focuscamera.

BHphoto expects stock on March 6.

Fujifilm X-H1: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama, Focuscamera
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Laowa 9mm F2.8 Hands On

The Spanish site albedomedia made a quick hands on review on one of the third party lenses, that arises most curiosity in the Fuji X community: the Laowa 9mm F2.8.

I know for many of you guys, this lens is on the radar also for eventual astrophotography, but of course we are all still waiting to see how it performs, especially when it comes to coma.

But it seems that Laowa is actively promoting this lens also for astrophotography, since they display a couple of prints of the milky way taken with the Laowa 9mm F2.8.

With that said, here are some first impressions by albedomedia (google translated):

• Zero-D stands for “zero distortion“
• The denomination Zero-D has already been used for lenses such as the Laowa 12mm F2,8 Zero-D or the Laowa 15mm F2 FE Zero-D . The new Laowa includes a complex optical scheme consisting of 15 lenses in 10 groups, with a combination of aspherical lenses and special glasses with low chromatic dispersion.
• Manual Focus only
• The focus ring, of correct dimensions, presents a suitable firmness, but its route is too short to our understanding
• Its metal construction is of good quality, and conveys a sense of quality in its finishes
• At shooting distances more typical of interior design, here at the stand of the CP + , the Laowa 9 mm f / 2.8 Zero-D seems to offer a reasonably rectilinear performance
• On the positive side is its very compact size, the feeling of good finishes […]. On the other hand, in the least positive, it would be short of its route of the focus ring – a price to be paid in part for the compactness – and above all a level of distortion that we believe does not agree with the name of the presumptive one.

The Laowa 9mmF2.8 Zero-D has already been annouced here. Check it out for more specs and price.

After my article yesterday, about the EU regulation that says higher import taxes have to be paid in EU for still cameras that can record over 30 minutes, there was still scepticism if this was indeed correct. Some even went so far to say this is a fake news.

And guys, indeed this rule makes no sense, and it is hard to believe that such a thing exists in these days.

But as the biggest nerd-magazine in EU (which I regularly read ;) ) C’T writes, the rule has been set by the European Union back in 2007. At that time, there were only a few cameras able to be able to record over 30 minutes, so this wasn’t a big deal.

However, technology evolved, and today many cameras could easily break the 30 minutes mark (if the battery life allows it).

But will this limit be removed in future?

The best place research this, is the official site of the European Union itself, because it’s there, where such decisions are taken.

In April 2016, the European Parliament said here:

“[…] the European Union setting out criteria to distinguish between ‘still image cameras with a video camera function’ and ‘video camera recorders with a still image function’, the length of the single sequence of video being just one of them. Video camera recorders are subject to import duty of 4.9% or 14%, still image cameras are duty free.

Following recent technical developments, those criteria are currently being revised. While certain criteria may seem outdated, the combination of the quality of the video image and the length of the video (at least 30 minutes) are deemed to be objective and verifiable criteria which are applied in a uniform manner across Member States. The Commission is not aware of technical limitations to those devices developed by the industry to evade import duties. It is therefore intended to maintain those criteria.”

But in the same statement, the EU also says that, in discussions with the WTO, this limit will be removed for stills cameras:

“The Common Customs Tariff duties are fixed by the Council on proposals of the Commission. The Commission can in this context confirm that the product is part of the coverage of the revised WTO Information Technology Agreement, which has been negotiated by the Commission. This means that the customs duties for camcorder will be removed after the revised agreement enters into force and thus in extension benefit EU consumers.”

At this stage, the limit has NOT yet been removed for digital cameras, and this is the reason why the Fujifilm X-H1 and many other cameras still have the 30 minutes limit. So, whoever says that the X-H1 30 minutes limit is not because of EU legislation, is sharing wrong information.

However, this will change in future, as the EU says here:

The text commits 50 parties, including the EU’s 28 member states, to eliminate tariffs on IT products in four stages over a three-year period ending on 1 July 2019.

As also Sony itself confirmed to Max Yurvey here, Sony is waiting for the EU law to change to remove the 30 minutes record limit. According to Sony, it should happen in 2019.

But today, the 30 minute video record limit is still law, hence companies continue to limit their cameras to 30 minutes to save on import taxes, and make their cameras cheaper.

This will be removed, but given the burocratic monster the EU is, I believe it only when I see it :).

The one question now is, once this nonsense EU law will be removed, can the X-H1 get a FW update to raise the record limit?