Camera for making large prints/detail

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photographer100

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Hi,

I'm looking at getting a new camera body. Its specific use will be making large landscape prints and for personal projects (probably portraits as well) 'm looking for detail and a higher MP than standard.

I have experience with the fuji GFX 50s but cameras have come along since I last used one over 2 years ago. In people's opinion, how do other cameras compare to the gFx and its medium format sensor? Such as the ar74, D850 etc (and whatever else there is that rivals it)

I'm not looking for bickering over brands or people telling me I would have enough MP with a standard camera :ROFLMAO:

Thanks in advance
 
AR74 compares very well to anything that doesnt cost a comical amount of money that is impractical for 99% of users
 
@photographer100

Just how big a print are you considering printing and what might the viewing distance of the print be e.g. for what you say will be a large print are you anticipating that viewers will be so close that their noses might touch it.........???
 
It really depends on how deep are your pockets and what galss options you want.

The GFX system probably sits in the middle, flanked by the Sony A7R4 and PhaseOne solutions, but the GFX system doesn't have a wide angle zoom option. (there are 18mm and 24mm equivalent primes) GFX glass is expensive, but not extorionately so compared with Sony GM glass.

Is weight a consideration for landscape work??

I'm a recent GFX50S user, having bought an ex-demo machine and a couple of lenses. I have been very impressed with the detail and the ease of post production with the files, but even more blown away by the depth and tonality of the images. I think the 'detail' at 50MP and above on a FF or larger sensor should be a given.
 
Ultimate detail does depend on number of pixel more than anything else. however it must be coupled with a lens capable of resolving that detail.
Detail is lost in cameras that use antialiasing filters on their sensors, and further detail can be lost in poor choice of algorithms used in the processor.
The GFX system is hard to beat and certainly not by anything around the same price.

Very large landscapes can benefit by stitching multiple images, this is equivalent to using a much larger sensor.
However the Stitching processor and blender make a considerable difference to the resulting quality. The new rewritten PTGUI12 uses Zero overlap blending so you never get fuzzy seams. Gigapixel panoramas give quite astonishing details at vast distances.
 
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Mr Perceptive said:
It really depends on how deep are your pockets and what galss options you want.

The GFX system probably sits in the middle, flanked by the Sony A7R4 and PhaseOne solutions, but the GFX system doesn't have a wide angle zoom option. (there are 18mm and 24mm equivalent primes) GFX glass is expensive, but not extorionately so compared with Sony GM glass.

Is weight a consideration for landscape work??

I'm a recent GFX50S user, having bought an ex-demo machine and a couple of lenses. I have been very impressed with the detail and the ease of post production with the files, but even more blown away by the depth and tonality of the images. I think the 'detail' at 50MP and above on a FF or larger sensor should be a given.
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Although I am a prime user. I would go for the 32-64 on the gfx.
 
GFX100/100s. Then you have Phase Ones as well which hit 150MP.

Maybe an A7RIV then run the files through Adobe's Super Resolution.

Finally, 8x10 sheet film drum scanned.
 
photographer100 said:
Although I am a prime user. I would go for the 32-64 on the gfx.
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photographer100 said:
2 reasons for not getting that

Unnecessary cost at the moment and the size of the files would drive me and my hard drive nuts
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In which case I'd get a secondhand GFX50S (the tiltable EVF option is invaluable for landscape work) and a 32-64 - Cambrian Photography have secondhand copies of each at the moment

or wait for the GFX50S MkII - rumoured to be Sept release, a GFX50 sensor in the GFX100S body, not confirmed if it has IBIS or not, but likely to be around £4000 and there is a new kit lens coming with it at £500 GF35-70mm
 
When thinking about kit I always try to think about the final image size and how it'll be viewed. All else, the gear and the camera settings, can be derived from that.

I'm sorry if that little nugget of thought doesn't help :D but maybe looking at examples of what you want to create and looking at what kit and settings were used will help.

Other factors which may influence are gas related and personnel expectations and the expectations of your target audience (you? customers? likes on friendface?) will come into play too
 
woof woof said:
When thinking about kit I always try to think about the final image size and how it'll be viewed. All else, the gear and the camera settings, can be derived from that.

I'm sorry if that little nugget of thought doesn't help :D but maybe looking at examples of what you want to create and looking at what kit and settings were used will help.

Other factors which may influence are gas related and personnel expectations and the expectations of your target audience (you? customers? likes on friendface?) will come into play too
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I'm pretty set on getting a new camera.

I have 4 weeks off soon, it's my bday. I'm doing Scotland for 2 weeks and some other locations.

I don't care about anyone else Haha... these images are purely for the detail and large print, which I will sell and possibly some may end up as part of an exhibition.

I will most likely get the gfx. But I'm open to suggestions as I don't know much about the other offerings from other brands. I
 
Mr Perceptive said:
In which case I'd get a secondhand GFX50S (the tiltable EVF option is invaluable for landscape work) and a 32-64 - Cambrian Photography have secondhand copies of each at the moment

or wait for the GFX50S MkII - rumoured to be Sept release, a GFX50 sensor in the GFX100S body, not confirmed if it has IBIS or not, but likely to be around £4000 and there is a new kit lens coming with it at £500 GF35-70mm
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I'm happy to hold off. Its needed for October.

I didn't even know they were being released that soon. I don't really pay much attention to the new gear releases. I will take a look
 
What do you mean by "large" in relation to print size?
 
My suggestion is to try dig deep for the 100s. In relation to Fuji pricing it isn't double the price of the 50s but it is double the resolution. It definitely is the one to get if you can step up to the £5550 required (bearing in mind a 50s is £3900) - if it were me I'd try find that extra £1600 for the extra 50mp.

Lens wise I've seen a sample from the 23mm on this system and it was amazing. I've seen several samples of various quality of the 32-64 - one was pretty decent from @TimHughes and performed like a high end zoom, others were more variable in quality and one was awful.

I have the Pentax 645z and it is phenomenal...but it's "only" 50mp and it's an SLR - which I love and others might not. I think on this system the 28-45 is mega and the 45-85 and 18-160 are decent. I will buy a 100mp one if they make it at the earliest affordable opportunity. I would recommend a 645z if you are happy with 50mp. As a camera I find it's perfect for landscape use and the build is phenomenal. It feels expensive and is extensively weather sealed. If you are also willing to go used, you will find a wealth of second hand glass so it can be a very economical way into the medium format digital - maybe the most economical way.

Never seen the A7RiV in action but £ for £ it seems a great body for landscape use, but you'll need very good lenses to get the best out the sensor so might not be as cheap as you think - you can however adapt Canon and other lenses to them - and this makes them an insanely attractive proposition on paper - as well as the large native lens selection. I myself aren't sold on the small form factor of them, but they are capable little things.

If you want a DSLR and a new camera you do worse than a D850 or 645z but these are only 45mp and 50mp respectively. Now that's a lot of MP but it's still 45% and 50% of the 100s. A left field suggestion would be a Pentax K1-II DSLR - only 36mp but with a feature called Pixel shift which shifts the sensor around and stitches together some monster 100mp plus file - as a TIFF. Now I've never used this camera but by all accounts this works well - so long as nothing moves in the shot so it's only for certain uses - but perhaps a different path.
 
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SFTPhotography said:
My suggestion is to try dig deep for the 100s. In relation to Fuji pricing it isn't double the price of the 50s but it is double the resolution. It definitely is the one to get if you can step up to the £5550 required (bearing in mind a 50s is £3900) - if it were me I'd try find that extra £1600 for the extra 50mp.
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You would be mad to consider a new GFX50S with a Mk2 on the horizon, s/h a 50S is £2200-£2700 which is a big prioce difference with a new 100S
 
Mr Perceptive said:
You would be mad to consider a new GFX50S with a Mk2 on the horizon, s/h a 50S is £2200-£2700 which is a big prioce difference with a new 100S
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Maybe - but with a Mk2 one costing potentially £4000 and a 100s £5500 you'd be mad to consider a new 50S Mk2.

If the OP is willing to go used a used 50s would be an economical entry point to MF digital though.

It really depends on budget.

The OP mentioned disk space as a limitation. Terabytes have never been cheaper but 50mp files, and especially 100mp ones really do need a powerful machine to run well. I run 2x EPYC 7282, 128gb RAM and RTX4000 and it monsters 50mp files, 100mp no problem but just not quite as quickly going in and out of 100% preview. I'd hate to think how a machine with less specs than mine would cope with 100mp files.
 
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I would suggest you download some sample RAW files, edit them and make prints according to the size you require.
 
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