Changing from Sony A7R V to Fuji GFX 100 II

gregww1

gregww1

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Guys, hold me back, do something. Thinking of chopping in all my Sony gear for a Fuji GFX 100 II medium-format. I shoot mainly landscapes. Someone, talk me out of it...or egg me on, please.
 
What do you hope to improve by changing? How is your present camera holding you back? Or have you simply got an itch you need to scratch? If it’s the latter, fair enough. I understand ;)
 
Tbh I have considered this myself many times :ROFLMAO:

In the end it comes down to lenses for me. I shoot a bit of everything but centred around landscapes, cities, travel and family.
I get better and faster lenses on Sony. Plus now for travelling and/or hiking there's some really decent super zooms like sigma 20-200mm and before it i had 20-70mm+50-300mm. Nothing like this available or probably even possible on GFX.
All in all i think FF is probably the best sensor size for good all round system. You can get shallower DoF if needed, fantastic dynamic range, high res, longer lenses, wider lenses, faster lenses... all in all it works well for most if not all things
 
I've pondered this many times (albeit Nikon to Fuji MF) - in the end the solution for me was to bite the bullet and buy the Nikon lenses and filters I really wanted, but didn't want to pay for! Seems to have damped down the GAS (at least for now). I also found not having a native option for Fuji that went wider than 16mm full frame equivalent a bit limiting (I regularly shoot between 14-16mm FF)
 
I used to lust after Pentax 645D, but since they discontinued it and the Fuji MF's came out, I can completely see the use case for the GFX100. I suspect the argument in favour of keeping the Sony outfit is a compelling one though.
 
Gfx 100 ii is a better kit, particularly if you print at massive sizes (2m+) or need tilt and shift lens. You know if you require these. Not to say about much better camera shape
 
Stephen L said:
What do you hope to improve by changing? How is your present camera holding you back? Or have you simply got an itch you need to scratch? If it’s the latter, fair enough. I understand ;)
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It is both an itch I want to scratch but also it's an attempt to reinvigorate my interest into something that is more challenging by making me slow down and be less trigger happy with a format that has more feel and texture in the final image.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Gfx 100 ii is a better kit, particularly if you print at massive sizes (2m+) or need tilt and shift lens. You know if you require these. Not to say about much better camera shape
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Yes, I use the 24mm Canon TS-E on the Sony, so more T&S options is certainly a draw.
 
gregww1 said:
a format that has more feel and texture in the final image.
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I have the gut feeling that what you describe is more to do with lenses than any particular camera body. How a lens renders (under various circumstances) is a given for that lens. Colour, & much else, can be a function of PP.
 
I shot with a GFX for several years, the image quality is outstanding (as you would expect) along with the tonality. There is a certain 'depth' to the images even shot at typical landscape apertures, as one photographer said to me, you look at a FF image but you look into a GFX one, and to a certain extent I think thats true.

Where the system is let down is in the range of native glass (and its cost/weight). If the focal lengths that you want are available then great (I found swapping lenses in the field more cumbersome than I expected) and there is an absence of fast glass, though for the landscape shooter thats less of an issue. If you are someone who likes changing focal length lenses in their bag a lot, then maybe its not for you.

It was a itch that definitely needed scratching, and I don't regret the foray, I came out of my GFX experience much more focused on the digital kit that I needed. I look back fondly at the GFX kit and still love the images that I took.

The EVF on the GFX100II is a thing of beauty, it really lets you 'see' the image (and its vast!), I also loved the Tilt-EVF (this only fits on certain models), for me it was much better using the EVF than the rear screen for composition and the Tilt-EVF allows this at more opportunities.

My advice would be to go for it, but only if you have a plan/budget for the lenses that you need (and that those focal lengths meet your requirements). Yes it will slow you down by its weight and size alone, it takes just that much longer to set up for a shot.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
I shot with a GFX for several years, the image quality is outstanding (as you would expect) along with the tonality. There is a certain 'depth' to the images even shot at typical landscape apertures, as one photographer said to me, you look at a FF image but you look into a GFX one, and to a certain extent I think thats true.

Where the system is let down is in the range of native glass (and its cost/weight). If the focal lengths that you want are available then great (I found swapping lenses in the field more cumbersome than I expected) and there is an absence of fast glass, though for the landscape shooter thats less of an issue. If you are someone who likes changing focal length lenses in their bag a lot, then maybe its not for you.

It was a itch that definitely needed scratching, and I don't regret the foray, I came out of my GFX experience much more focused on the digital kit that I needed. I look back fondly at the GFX kit and still love the images that I took.

The EVF on the GFX100II is a thing of beauty, it really lets you 'see' the image (and its vast!), I also loved the Tilt-EVF (this only fits on certain models), for me it was much better using the EVF than the rear screen for composition and the Tilt-EVF allows this at more opportunities.

My advice would be to go for it, but only if you have a plan/budget for the lenses that you need (and that those focal lengths meet your requirements). Yes it will slow you down by its weight and size alone, it takes just that much longer to set up for a shot.
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THIS! Or specifically, "you look at a FF image but you look into a GFX one". That's exactly what I mean when I say I'm looking for more feel and texture. Thanks for your comment, I hadn't thought about the Tilt-EVF actually and that is something else to consider. As for budget, not really a problem on this one occasion, the change should largely be cost neutral and I have a bit saved up if I need to splash a little on extra glass.
 
gregww1 said:
THIS! Or specifically, "you look at a FF image but you look into a GFX one". That's exactly what I mean when I say I'm looking for more feel and texture.
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I think that this can be attributed partly to sensor size and partly to glass. Sometimes when the stars align it can be achieved with FF, but in my experience this requires premium glass. I feel that some shots I've taken with the Leica Q3 43 have more of an MF depth to them than similar shots taken with the GFX.

Ultimately for me the GFX didn't have enough of that Medium Format look that I was aiming for, so I have gone back to shooting 6x7 and 6x8 film to satisfy that craving, and there is nothing in the digital world as immersive as staring into a 6x8 Waist Level Finder! (IMHO :) )

If "you look at a FF image but you look into a GFX one", is what you are after then I think your mind is made up, its now a case of when........

When the photography show is on, there almost certainly will be GFX deals to be had (but equally there will be Sony deals around so trade-in will also take a hit), best of luck with it, and please post images in the Digital Medium Format thread
 
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