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 ;)):

Fujifilm Talks Future of X/GFX, Why First 10 Years were Very Difficult, Lens Design vs Production, Fujinon vs Third Party and More

A couple of days ago, Fujifilm managers and engineers have published an almost 20 minutes interview in Japanese.

The whole talk is in Japanese and a real pain to watch using the automatic youtube translator tool.

A pain FujiRumors readers should not go through, so I did what nobody else did: I rolled up my sleeves and put 1.5 hours of my time into making sense of the talk and summing it up for you guys with the greatest care and highest accuracy.

You’re welcome guys ;).

Fujifilm Mangers & Engineers Talk

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

Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program 2021 Winners Announced

The 15 winners of the Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program 2021 have been announced.

Congratz to the winners!

Global Grant Recipients:

  • Rodrigo Illescas (Argentina)
  • András Dobi (Germany)
  • Krittanun Tantraporn (Thailand)
  • Jin Li (China)
  • Atsushi Fukushima (Japan)

Regional Grant Recipients:

  • Jessica Vandenbush (USA)
  • Alejandra Rajal (Mexico)
  • Giulio Di Sturco (Italy)
  • Maria Lax (Finland)
  • Rob Annesley (Australia)
  • Joseph Mathew Daniel (India)
  • Pan Wang (China)
  • Justin Hui (Hong Kong)
  • Shinwoo Park (Korea)
  • Barbara Minishi (Kenya)

For more information check out the dedicated GFX Grant program site at fujifilm-x here.

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.

Documenting the War in Ukraine with Fujifilm X and GFX Gear

Eric Bouvet

Fujifilm X Photographer Eric Bouvet is also a war photographer who has ben to Ukraine already a few times, for example to photograph the “Heroes from Maidan” and to other war zones such as in Iraq here.

Now he is back in Kyiv to document the war unfolding in Ukraine.

So, if you want to see what is happening in Ukraine also through the eyes of Eric Bouvet with his Fujifilm GFX, make sure to follow him on Instagram here.

Ron Haviv

Also on the field with his Fujifilm X-T4 is Ron Haviv.

Over at his instagram here he is sharing powerful, touching and dramatic images that show who really loses in wars: the civil and innocent people, who just want to live their lives in peace.

Be aware that these are strong images coming from a war zone.

I guess at this point I should say something about the fact that people use X and even GFX gear to photograph the war proving that you can well do documentary style photojournalism with Fujifilm gear (even though many on forums and youtube say that’s impossible), but I am not in the mood for any further comment on that.

All that matters is that there are some incredibly courageous photographers are out there, documenting what is happening, no matter which gear they use. Because what we need these days is more information, not less.

 

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

 

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Ron Haviv (@ronhaviv_vii)

Fujifilm X/GFX New Firmware Updates Released and How to Update (Panic-Free) via Camera Remote App

Earlier today Fujifilm has released firmware updates for six Fujifilm X and GFX cameras. You can read all details and access the download links here.

According to a survey we have launched recently, most of you guys prefer to use the good old-fashioned SD-Card way to update your gear.

Personally I’ve switched to updating via camera remote App. The reason is simple: it’s much faster, easier and convenient than updating via SD-Card.

So I definitely recommend to give it a try.

But how does it work?

Well, Fujifilm has given precise instruction on how to do it, but there is one thing that should be mentioned in addition to Fuji’s instruction to avoid updating via App becomes a frustrating experience.

Don’t make the error to connect your phone to the camera the same way you do it when you want to transfer images from your camera to your phone (hence connect via Wifi and fiddle around with the App and Camera to establish a connection).

Nothing of all that is needed.

You can simply leave your camera in live view. Just make sure that it has Bluetooth enabled. Everything will happen automatically and needs just few clicks once you have downloaded the firmware file on your phone.

So the process looks like this:

  1. make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your camera and on your smartphone
  2. download the firmware for your camera on your smartphone
  3. once downloaded, click “update” on your phone first and then “OK” on your camera
  4. you camera will ask you to connect via WiFi to your phone. Click “Connect” on your phone [in my video below you read “verbinden”, which is the German word for “connect”]
  5. once connected via Wifi, your phone will start to transfer the firmware file to your camera
  6. as soon as your camera has received the full file, it will automatically start with the firmware update [you don’t need your phone anymore once the firmware upgrade started on your camera]
  7. switch off the camera when the camera tells you to do so

It’s very easy, and for your convenience I have made a short video that shows the process down below.

Many are afraid that there could be issues due to network instability or what not. But don’t worry about that. You only need Wifi connection to quickly transfer the firmware file from your phone to the camera. The firmware update itself is performed by your camera independently only once it has received and saved the full firmware file from your smartphone to its own memory. So don’t be afraid of losing connection with the phone during the firmware update itself. Your camera is doing its stuff by its own at that point and the smartphone is not needed anymore.

Remember:

  • use a fully charged battery on your camera
  • updates are cumulative, so no matter what firmware update you currently have on your camera, you can right away update to the latest version (hence skip intermediate firmware updates)

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 **

Top 10 Features of Modern Fujifilm X/GFX Cameras that Actually Have their DNA in Older Fujifilm Cameras

Did you ever wonder why Fujifilm cameras are so fun to use?

The short answer could be: because (unlike other brands – as SonyAlphaRumors itself admits) Fujifilm has a massive photographic culture that they cherish and honor also in their newest cameras.

Well, inspired by our recent article about the top 10 digital cameras since the launch of the X mount, FR-reader Patrik Roos decided to make a real all time top 10 list looking at the entire Fujifilm heritage.

With one important distinction, though.

He did not simply pick 10 cameras, but indentified 10 aspects of older Fujifilm cameras that form the basis for the current Fujifilm mirrorless offering.

So, what do our modern X and GFX cameras have in common with older Fujifilm cameras? Patrik will answer this for you down below.

Related Articles

guest post by Patrik Roos – Repair service Svensk Cykelservice – repairs mostly bikes but also cameras on demand

I have had a look at some of the features that make up the DNA of the current X and GFX lines and have tried to pinpoint the Fujifilm cameras that introduced those ideas into the Fuji realm. I decided on these 10 points that together form the basis of what the current Fujifilm mirrorless systems are:

** 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.

 

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von FUJIFILM X WORLD (@fujifilmxworld)