Digital Medium Format Thread

Mr Perceptive said:
Original GFX50S dropped to £2,999 by most retailers

Refurbished GFX50S - 6 months warranty at £1,999 (Park Cameras)

www.parkcameras.com

Fujifilm GFX 50S Medium Format Digital Camera Re-Furbished | Park Cameras

Fujifilm GFX 50S Body - Refurbished
www.parkcameras.com www.parkcameras.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing this out; I just purchased a refurbished model (they had two in stock).

SFTPhotography said:
What does refurbished mean? New shutter, new sensor, or a cleaned sensor and a quick wipe down?

I'd rather pay a chunk more for a new one if I am being honest.
Click to expand...
I phoned the shop and it's supposed to have been extensively inspected and tested by Fuji technicians and come boxed with all the same contents as a new camera. I only own and use medium format film cameras (e.g., Pentax 6x7, Plaubel Makina 67, Rolleiflex, etc.), which are all 40 years or older, so I would expect this camera will be in much better shape than anything else I have.

If the price had been closer, I might have looked at a new one, but 50% more (i.e., £2000 to £3000) is quite a jump and hard to justify. If I'm going to pay £3000, I might as well pay the little more to get the 50s II.

At any rate, I'm a big film guy; we shall see how this compares.
 
Last edited:
SFTPhotography said:
What does refurbished mean? New shutter, new sensor, or a cleaned sensor and a quick wipe down?

I'd rather pay a chunk more for a new one if I am being honest.
Click to expand...

Almost certainly these have come via the Fuji Refurbished Centre, at the moment they are not directly supplying MF cameras but are supplying refurbished GF glass, X series cameras and X series lenses- in the past I’ve bought X series cameras and glass from them and they are indistinguishable from new stock, though often they come in generic packaging - they also have 12 months warranty
 
I bought a refurbished GF lens from Park a couple of months ago, looks like new and came with two years warranty. I'm happy with that.
 
Would anyone know which MF digital has the fastest and most accurate AF?
 
I can only compare an old Hasselblad, GFX50R and GFX100. All are find for studio and landscapes. GFX50R, with care, I found ok for general use. GFX100 wildlife and sports are possible, but nothing like as rock solid AF that I have on the Canon R5.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Fastest is probably GFX100 or 100S as these have phase/contrast detection as most of the others are contrast only- while accurate won’t be as snappy
Click to expand...

TimHughes said:
I can only compare an old Hasselblad, GFX50R and GFX100. All are find for studio and landscapes. GFX50R, with care, I found ok for general use. GFX100 wildlife and sports are possible, but nothing like as rock solid AF that I have on the Canon R5.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I'm seriously tempted to switch to Medium Format. I'm still weighing up what requirement I may have for the A9's AF because at the moment it's not essential, but possibly next year I may still need it and I've also adopted the notion that an image being in focus is the top priority and anything can often be fixed or forgiven.

The images from MF are just so alluring and it's nagging me. I'm now finding myself rarely taking the A9 out with the family etc and just using the phone, whereas the MF would be better suited for those times where I actually will take/need the proper camera.

I think I'll need to look up some MF AF videos if any exist just to be sure.
 
Don’t know much about them. But there’s always Phase. They market themselves as on the side of professional. See if there’s anything on YouTube.
 
gman said:
The images from MF are just so alluring and it's nagging me. I'm now finding myself rarely taking the A9 out with the family etc and just using the phone, whereas the MF would be better suited for those times where I actually will take/need the proper camera.
Click to expand...

Any MF package will be physically quite big (and heavier), especially if faster glass is required.
 
gman said:
Thanks, I'm seriously tempted to switch to Medium Format. I'm still weighing up what requirement I may have for the A9's AF because at the moment it's not essential, but possibly next year I may still need it and I've also adopted the notion that an image being in focus is the top priority and anything can often be fixed or forgiven.

The images from MF are just so alluring and it's nagging me. I'm now finding myself rarely taking the A9 out with the family etc and just using the phone, whereas the MF would be better suited for those times where I actually will take/need the proper camera.

I think I'll need to look up some MF AF videos if any exist just to be sure.
Click to expand...

My honest and very biased advice is to do it. However it pains me to say, get the GFX as you're used to mirror less. You can buy a range of native and 3rd party lenses for GF - adapt certain 35mm digital and film lenses to it and the 50mp sensor is a peach, and so is the 100mp.

The bodes/lenses aren't prohibitively more expensive than the high end full frame gear and the image quality, rendering is just more organic, more special. I just love it.
 
Last edited:
gman said:
Thanks, I'm seriously tempted to switch to Medium Format. I'm still weighing up what requirement I may have for the A9's AF because at the moment it's not essential, but possibly next year I may still need it and I've also adopted the notion that an image being in focus is the top priority and anything can often be fixed or forgiven.

The images from MF are just so alluring and it's nagging me. I'm now finding myself rarely taking the A9 out with the family etc and just using the phone, whereas the MF would be better suited for those times where I actually will take/need the proper camera.

I think I'll need to look up some MF AF videos if any exist just to be sure.
Click to expand...
I'm pondering a second A9 but I share your thoughts on MF. It just looks more cinematic to me, there is more depth or something and some of the images on this thread would work nowhere near as well on full frame cameras.
 
wookie6262 said:
I'm pondering a second A9 but I share your thoughts on MF. It just looks more cinematic to me, there is more depth or something and some of the images on this thread would work nowhere near as well on full frame cameras.
Click to expand...

I put it another way. I've got a D850 and it's really nice actually and a new FL ED 24-70 F2.8 for it would be very nice and I could free up a bundle of funds and in this uncertain time that's not dire.

But I know if I did I'd regret it straight away. When you work with the files, you'll know what I mean. They're cleaner, more natural, have bags more adjustability in them.

I've been reprocessing older images from my D810 and D800 with DXO PL4 - as it's cracking and my feeling with a lot are - I wish I'd had the 645z then - and that says it all.

Critisms of the 645z remain small - hard to clean sensor, harder to find someone capable of doing a really good job of getting it spotless. And that's really it. Usability is off the charts easy - and tbh it's the best DSLR on sale today for landscape photographers. The AF is very accurate - might not be quick, might not have much frame coverage but it never misses or hunts - and that matters, the lenses are really excellent and the used range amazing if you're willing to hit up evil bay. The weather sealing on Pentax is off the charts good and it fits in every big camera bag I have.

In the mirrorless market, looking at new RF prices, Z prices, Sony E Mount G master prices, you'd be mad not to get the GF if you can make do with the lens selection and slower AF (think landscape, travel and studio) as cost wise there isn't much in it.

The files really do have a certain feeling, emotion, and organicness to them. They feel less digital yet in all technical ways are demonstratively better.
 
Last edited:
SFTPhotography said:
I put it another way. I've got a D850 and it's really nice actually and a new FL ED 24-70 F2.8 for it would be very nice and I could free up a bundle of funds and in this uncertain time that's not dire.

But I know if I did I'd regret it straight away. When you work with the files, you'll know what I mean. They're cleaner, more natural, have bags more adjustability in them.

I've been reprocessing older images from my D810 and D800 with DXO PL4 - as it's cracking and my feeling with a lot are - I wish I'd had the 645z then - and that says it all.

Critisms of the 645z remain small - hard to clean sensor, harder to find someone capabale of doing a really good job of getting it spotless. And that's really it.

In the mirrorless market, looking at new RF prices, Z prices, Sony E Mount G master prices, you'd be mad not to get the GF if you can make do with the lens selection and slower AF (think landscape, travel and studio) as cost wise there isn't much in it.
Click to expand...
D850 files are very workable. I still prefer them to my A7R IV. It has taken me a long time and lots of wheeling and dealing to sell all my Olympus and Nikon kit and move fully to Sony. It is a brilliant system but I suffer badly from GAS and the wish for that perfect file. Having a single system, particularly one that takes the same batteries and cards, is a massive plus. I think I am completely sold on Sony for anything moving and for the size and weight but for Landscapes I know a MF would be a better choice. Maybe when I retire and the current cameras are 5 years old and cheaper but then the weight will be a bigger issue
 
SFTPhotography said:
The files really do have a certain feeling, emotion, and organicness to them. They feel less digital yet in all technical ways are demonstratively better.
Click to expand...

@wookie6262 - yes they feel less digital, I'm processing the GFX50S files with DXO-RAW and then barely touching them in Lightroom, they are very easy to edit, and if you want/need it there is excellent shadow recovery and pretty decent highlight recovery. The colours are usually pretty much spot on what I saw with my eyes. The detail is a given but the tonality and depth of the images really catches you at times.

I know @SFTPhotography bangs the Pentax drum, but (rumours excluded), Fujifilm currently really the only player who are building a system, their roadmap is quite strong, though some things like a wide angle zoom are further away than many would like, what they have produced so far, is all of excellent quality. With a significant number of second user GFX50S's about at the moment (and the stonking deal that is the GFX50S II +GF35-70mm), they are probably the most cost effective system to get going with.
 
wookie6262 said:
D850 files are very workable. I still prefer them to my A7R IV. It has taken me a long time and lots of wheeling and dealing to sell all my Olympus and Nikon kit and move fully to Sony. It is a brilliant system but I suffer badly from GAS and the wish for that perfect file. Having a single system, particularly one that takes the same batteries and cards, is a massive plus. I think I am completely sold on Sony for anything moving and for the size and weight but for Landscapes I know a MF would be a better choice. Maybe when I retire and the current cameras are 5 years old and cheaper but then the weight will be a bigger issue
Click to expand...

They seem really good the D850 files..for the very few I've worked with- it's churlish to say they're not good, they are...but...GFX/645 ones are just that little more natural.

As a camera it feels like a toy next to a 645z but a weather-sealed long zoom is a very important part of my system - which the 645z doesn't have. Two systems isn't too bad...but it's awkward in some ways and fun in others.

The Fuji for you really would be the way to go. The weight is probably akin to a D850 and trinity of zooms for your landscapes - something like the rumored 20-35-45-100 and 100-200 zooms for the GF which would cover a lot of landscapes - and a Sony A something or other with a 100-400 would be a very compelling mirrorless rig for things like airshows, wildlife and really distant landscapes.

If Pentax really do pull the plug on 645 I will probably end up with just such a series of bodies/lenses.
 
Last edited:
SFTPhotography said:
They seem really good the D850 files..for the very few I've worked with. As a camera it feels like a toy next to a 645z but a weather sealed long zoom is a very important part of my system - which the 645z doesn't have. Two systems isn't too bad...but it's awkward in some ways and fun in others.

The Fuji for you really would be the way to go. The weight is probably akin to a D850 and trinity of zooms for your landscapes - something like the rumoured 20-35-45-100 and 100-200 zooms for the GF which would cover a lot of landscapes - and a Sony A something or other with a 100-400 would be a very compelling mirrorless rig for things like airshows, wild life and really distant landscapes.

If Pentax really do pull the plug on 645 I will probably end up with just such a series of bodies/lenses.
Click to expand...
Cheers, I never had the itch over summer as I hardly ever shoot summer landscapes, I know that is your preference. It is just as much about the crowds and midges as the landscapes themselves and I usually use the summer to get the garden(1/4 acre) in some sort of order and catch up on repairs. The itch has started now I have seen a few leaves starting to discolour. I'll never go back to an SLR and love the mirrorless cameras. I tried an XT3 a couple of years back and loved the dials for the tripod but not so much for fast action. Just saw @Mr Perceptive post re the deal on the GFX Sii with kit lens and that might be a good starting point.
 
wookie6262 said:
Cheers, I never had the itch over summer as I hardly ever shoot summer landscapes, I know that is your preference. It is just as much about the crowds and midges as the landscapes themselves and I usually use the summer to get the garden(1/4 acre) in some sort of order and catch up on repairs. The itch has started now I have seen a few leaves starting to discolour. I'll never go back to an SLR and love the mirrorless cameras. I tried an XT3 a couple of years back and loved the dials for the tripod but not so much for fast action. Just saw @Mr Perceptive post re the deal on the GFX Sii with kit lens and that might be a good starting point.
Click to expand...

The GFX lenses have a C on the Aperture ring, in this mode the Aperture and Shutter Speed are set by the dials (front/rear - these are configurable for your preference), or you can use it in the 'dial'/aperture ring mode - best of both worlds
 
wookie6262 said:
Cheers, I never had the itch over summer as I hardly ever shoot summer landscapes, I know that is your preference. It is just as much about the crowds and midges as the landscapes themselves and I usually use the summer to get the garden(1/4 acre) in some sort of order and catch up on repairs. The itch has started now I have seen a few leaves starting to discolour. I'll never go back to an SLR and love the mirrorless cameras. I tried an XT3 a couple of years back and loved the dials for the tripod but not so much for fast action. Just saw @Mr Perceptive post re the deal on the GFX Sii with kit lens and that might be a good starting point.
Click to expand...

I honestly think you should. Given the standard of your photography, presence on the thread will you just give in to GAS.

If you PM me your email address I'll send you some files via wetransfer. Ok, from a Pentax but it's the same sensor in the camera you are looking to buy anyway so it'll give you an idea of what to expect.

As @Mr Perceptive has said - it has dials more like a DSLR so basic tripod controls will be fine. Never used one but you can see from picutres of the body's that layout looks normal. You've used Sony, Fuji APSC and Nikon so you'll know you're way around a camera anyway.

If you are buying - I'd move fast, with Fuji GF there is more demand than cameras and same for lenses. A lot of stuff is out of stock, now that might be Corona, Brexit or the times but if you want, don't delay.
 
Last edited:
SFTPhotography said:
LOL - thats £200 more than a UK Canon R5.

Google GFX100s shutter failure - some concerning comments regarding this. It's not super common, but not unheard of either.
Click to expand...
Did a bit of Googling. Seems pretty quiet of late.
 
trevorbray said:
Now £4249
Click to expand...

Jesus - had I known that I might have waited until now to go MF digital and just gone mirrorless.

I suspect the shutter issue is an early model thing. Buying one now seems less risky - they've made lots of them - and at this price they'll make a lot more.

I adore the 645z - but if I were Pentax I would be worried now there's a 100mp alternative for not a lot more money than a 50mp 645z. I'd be willing to overlook a lot of pitfalls for an extra 50mp for £600.

I'd also be terrified if I were Phase One, Hasselblad who offer only 150mp but for 8 fold the price.

The GFX100s is a bargain and one that has me rethinking my equipment line up. If there is no announcement by Pentax in the next 24 months re a 100mp 645z - I'll flog it all and move over.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top