The lens selection is growing, the cameras are getting more affordable, and wait for the global shutter, which the GFX system will benefit more than other systems from, as we have elaborated here.
As of today, if I should grab one, I’d go for the Fujifilm GFX50R without a doubt. But I have the impression, to really make the big breakthrough, Fujifilm needs to give us that Fujifilm GFX G.
Don’t get me wrong, the Fujifilm GFX100 (which enjoys a stratospheric success), is a technical marvel for sure. But it is also a clear ergonomic departure from everything else we know from Fujifilm.
So, my recommendation: stick with that awesome retro feel. Give us a 100 megapixel retro camera, and I am sure it will outsell even the very well selling GFX100.
With that said, here is a GFX roundup, which covers cameras and lenses.
Fujifilm manager Toshihisa Iida introduced the Fujifilm X-T4 and teased the Fujinon XF50mm f/1.0 at a recent online 1 hour and 36 minutes event for Fujifilm India. Here is what he says:
X-T4 has new and more accurate IBIS, bigger battery and new shutter mechanism
Fujifilm UK manger Andreas Georghiades returns to the Fujicast postcast.
It’s an almost 1 hour podcast, and if you are in a hurry and can’t listen it all, I provide a summary of everything the manager says, so you can get it all in under 5 minutes.
Whenever I can, I will let you know, which one will be updated (I honestly do not know at this point in time). But don’t miss it when it happens, and follow FujiRumors.
Lensbaby Velvet 28 is a 28mm, f/2.5 all-metal, hand-crafted art lens that captures tack-sharp detail beneath a layer of radiant glow. Velvet 28 also features exceptional 1:2 macro capabilities with a close focus distance of 2” from the front of the lens. Built with landscape, adventure, travel, and street photographers & videographers in mind, the Velvet 28 offers Lensbaby’s popular variable glow effects at a wide 28mm focal length. Lensbaby’s Velvet effect lenses add an ethereal mood to scenes. This unique, in-camera creative effect elevates imagery with depth, dimension and soulful expression. The Velvet 28’s close-focus capabilities, combined with effects varying from impressionistic at bright apertures to just a touch of velvety smoothness at darker apertures, provides a set of visual tools that will help creative shooters expand their vision of the world. One of Velvet 28’s key features is its 1:2 macro capability. It is an ideal in-camera effects lens for photographers & videographers who like to shoot wide, while also offering the versatility to capture closer details. The lens allows image makers to move seamlessly from shooting street scenes or capturing landscape, adventure & travel images to capturing details such as a subject’s clothing or wildflower blooms and butterflies in an alpine meadow.
You can also find a blog post about it on Cinema5D here, where they say:
It’s a remarkable achievement not only for the price. The lens is very sharp, even when shooting wide open at f/1.8, which was totally unexpected for me. It’s well built from metal, and I can see this show up on a lot of low-budget anamorphic productions everywhere. Right now it’s a shame that there isn’t another focal length available, I would love to see a full set of these out now, but we are hoping that they will come.
And to be clear: we apply the conversion to the f-stop, only to indicate the equivalent shallow depth of field, and not the light gathering capabilities of the lens itself, which remains the one mentioned on the lens (with the consequences we told you here).
We also find a lovely Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 lens, which Fujifilm says is meant for street and landscape photography, be very sharp and also focus fast.
Above you can see a size comparison provided by Fujifilm. The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 is 20% smaller and will weight under 800g, as opposed to the GF110mm f/2, which weights 1010g.
The picture above also shows the GF80mm f/1.7 mounted on the Fujifilm GFX100.
Fujifilm gave us some indications on what the differences between both lenses are.
The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 will have a very creamy and softer bokeh compared to the one on the Fujinon GF 110mm f/2. Different bokeh quality for different tastes.
Also, due to its more compact nature, the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 is good for outside and active shooting, whereas the GF110mm f/2 instead is better suited for studio.
I decided to compare the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 to its closes in terms of focal length, the Fujinon GF110mm f/2 and the GF63mm f/2.8.
Petersburg, VA, USA, Feb 21, 2020: Metabones® and Caldwell Photographic Inc. are pleased to jointly announce the NF – GFX mount Expander 1.26x. It allows Nikon F mount lenses to be mounted on Fujifilm GFX camera bodies without getting dark and / or soft corners. The magnification factor of 1.26x perfectly matches the image circle of the full-frame Nikon lenses to the medium-format sensor of the GFX series cameras, and therefore the diagonal FOV remains exactly the same.
The optical design consists of 5 elements in 3 groups, incorporating ultra-high index Lanthanum based optical glass as well as one element made of fused silica, resulting in extremely good performances with professional-grade f/2.8 zoom lenses. For example, a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens becomes a 30-88mm f/3.5 zoom, and a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens becomes an 88-252mm f/3.5 zoom. Please note that because of the nature of focal extenders, the aperture values decrease by 2/3 of a stop; f/2.8 becomes f/3.5 and f/2 becomes f/2.5. High-speed fixed focal length lenses such as the 50mm f/1.4 will be transformed into a very fast standard lens 63mm f/1.8 for the GFX system.
The GFX mount Expander features Metabones’ unique manual G aperture adjustment mechanism, which has the same angular throw distance as earlier Nikon Ai/AiS lenses, which features a linearized f-stop adjustment as a function of aperture ring adjustment angle. The mechanism is clickless in order to maximize its usefulness to cinematographers.
News is news, so I share it. But I wrote a very informative piece about these awards in the past. So, if you want to read how the business around (some of these) awards goes, check out this article.
Now, I do not know if the iF design award works the same like TIPA, EISA and others, but I would not be surprised if it would.
With that said, the iF Design Awards have been assigned, and Fujifilm wins with 10 products (last year they won 20 awards):
Fujifilm wins the internationally prestigious “iF Design Awards” for 10 products
“FUJIFILM GFX100” mirrorless digital camera is awarded the highest ranked “iF Gold Award”
Recognized for design excellence, advanced performance and superior operability
One of the most anticipated lenses, coming for Fujifilm X mount, is surely the Fujinon XF50mm f/1.0.
At the recent Fujifilm X Summit, Fujifilm showed us a working sample including an autofocus demo at minute 43:07 in the live stream video, but that works with CDAF only. The final version will support PDAF.
But even with CDAF only, the live demo showed a rather confident focusing lens.
Fujifilm also showed a sample image of the bokeh, and you can find the screenshot of it down below.
They also disclosed some details:
XF 50mm f/1.0 is coming this year
more beautiful bokeh than the XF56mm f/1.2
XF50mm f/1.0 rear lenses work for autofocus
they show a protoype, which currently works only in contrast AF
77 mm filter size
Also, the folks at digitalcameraworld had a post launch private meeting with Fujifilm, where they could handle the Fujinon XF50mm f/1.0, and they have been told:
The 50mm f/1.0 will not just one of the fastest lenses ever, but will be THE fastest autofocus lens in production. It will also share the record as the fastest autofocus lens ever with the legendary Canon EF 50mm f/1.0 L USM lens which was produced for film SLRs during the 1990s.
this innovative prime will be available to buy by then end of the year.
