Today, I begin a series of five articles going in depth into my experience shooting with the Fujifilm GFX 50S medium format mirrorless camera for an entire month.
There is a fine line between having a well defined photographic style, and constantly putting out the same stale, boring work week after week. A fine and dangerous line. A line that can make the difference between being a successful, inspiring photographer and a photographer who has lost his audience and has even lost interest in his/her own work.
Fujifilm's GFX series of medium format mirrorless cameras caught the attention of the photography industry by bringing a lot of modern camera features to larger sensors and doing so at impressively modest prices. The GFX 100S epitomizes that by offering a ton of resolution, dynamic range, and image quality, all at a price that sits at the upper end of the full frame spectrum. Is it the ultimate camera for landscape photographers? This excellent video review takes a look.
Fujifilm has revolutionized the medium format digital world. Their cameras came in at one-tenth of the cost of the existing players, and they want to make them even cheaper! I have worked with the GFX 50S for several months and own a GFX 50R, so when I had the chance to spend a couple of days with the GFX 100, I snapped it up. I'll share my experiences with it here.
The Mamiya RZ67 has something approaching legendary status in the world of medium format film photography, but it’s not to everyone’s taste, as this short video makes clear. Would you buy one?
The Fujifilm GFX 100S is one of the most impressive cameras we have seen in a long time, taking Fuji's highly respected 102-megapixel sensor from the GFX 100 and putting it in a much smaller body at nearly half the price, while still maintaining almost all the features from its larger sibling. This great video takes a first look at the camera and the kind of performance you can expect from it in the real world.
The incredibly young and talented, Joey L. has released a new documentary that was shot while shooting his intimate series of photos, 'Holy Men'. Set in the breathtaking backdrop of India, the documentary filmed by Cale Glendening shows Joey while at work with his assistant Ryan, but more importantly proves that capturing an amazing portrait isn't just about the latest gear or technique, but truly the subject.
The Pentax 645 is undoubtedly a great camera. It can be had at a relatively low cost while boasting great features with an excellent lens lineup, making this camera one of the best entry-level medium format cameras on the market.
The Hasselblad X2D 100C isn’t your average camera. It’s designed for those who prioritize image quality above all else, and if that sounds like you, this camera might just be what you’re looking for.
My good buddy and fantastic car photographer Richard Thompson (check out his facebook page) shared a unique shoot he just completed recently. He photographed over $20 million in rare exotic cars using the Phase One IQ180 (80 MP medium format monster) in an extremely rare and beautiful location over 3 days. Even better, the shoot benefitted a children's charity. Check out the full post below to see more images & to learn more about how everything came together on this remarkable shoot!
According to Hasselblad, now is the time to switch to medium format. Their stunning, flagship camera is now 42% off its original price tag of $25,995. Why is this happening now, and should you buy?
Vintage digital medium format cameras are finally starting to drop below $1,000, opening up a new world of opportunities for enthusiasts who’ve always been intrigued by these massive sensors but put off by the price. But are these older systems actually worth the investment, or are they just expensive paperweights?
Midway through 2015, Phase One released the XF camera system, an impressive digital medium format system which combines modularity, software upgradability, and image quality into the ultimate shooting package. Last August I spent a couple weeks shooting with the XF paired with the IQ3 50MP digital back, and in January I again spent two more weeks with the newly released mind-blowing XF 100MP system. In this review I cover my time with the new Phase One system shooting landscapes and nature photography and my experience playing with the image files in post-processing.
It's easy to dismiss the amount of difficulty involved in location shoots. A few years ago, Joey Lawrence (JoeyL) shot a personal project of portraits in Ethiopia. Whether traveling by van, boat or Indiana Jones plane, it's great to have the opportunity to see how hard the literal journey was on the way to the figurative photographic destination. Just handling the equipment was a pretty substantial undertaking.
Like them or not, medium format cameras are the truth when it comes to image quality. The latest 150 megapixel juggernaut from Phase One is another example of what these systems are capable of, but there's far more to this back than just sheer resolution. Ever shot long exposures at 1/125s?
Around this time last year Phase One released the IQ4 line of digital backs. The IQ4 expanded on the IQ3 and introduced a new Infinity Platform (the UI and operating system in the backs), as well as two brand new sensors: the 151 megapixel full frame medium format IQ4 150MP and 150MP...
Medium format cameras offer unique advantages, but are they worth the investment? The photographer took the Fujifilm GFX 100 II to Iceland to see how it performs in real-world conditions.
The 645 film format is sometimes overlooked, but it offers a practical middle ground between 35mm and 6x7 medium format. You get more shots per roll of 120 film and maintain high resolution, making it ideal for various photography adventures.
Fujifilm's newest medium format bodies beat everyone else on price. But will they be good enough to convince us to buy them? At least one of them will be.
Larger images provide a world of options for photographers, but if you're not careful, more pixels could mean more problems. If you're one of the many photographers finding yourself with a new high resolution camera after the holidays, here's a guide to wrangling that newfound resolution.
It's the camera manufacturer that documented the moon landing. Its build quality and design are one thing, but the images it takes with its Sony sensor and lenses are truly one of a kind. In this video, Business Insider breaks down why it's so expensive, and gives a rough estimate of how many they sell each year.
Today, Hasselblad launched the CFV-50c -- a medium format back using the same 50-megapixel CMOS censor in the H5D-50c that can be attached to any existing V-system camera. With no external cables required to connect the backs, the back is incredibly well priced at €11,000. While we're not quite sure what that means for the US market, the new back seems poised to be an incredibly affordable 50MP CMOS medium format system.
A few weeks back, I posted a full behind the scenes blog about my Robocop photoshoot. I had such a fun time with the shoot and final images that I figured others may enjoy playing with my Phase One MF raw files as well. I posted a contest on my personal photography blog that challenged people to re-interpret Robocop using up to 8 of my supplied Phase One RAW files. There was hundreds of entries from across the globe a handful of star-studded judges to review the entries.
If you're into landscape and portrait photography, finding the right camera for your needs can make all the difference. While fast-action shooting and convenience matter in many situations, there’s also something to be said for slowing down, being intentional, and capturing the perfect shot. The Hasselblad X2D might just be the camera to help you do that.
Hasselblad announced an updated multi-shot camera based on its flagship 100c 100-megapixel, full-frame 645 CMOS sensor. The result: the Hasselbald H6D-400c MS. The 400c MS allows for a 400-megapixel image by shifting the sensor in one-pixel and half-pixel increments as it takes six shots that are then combined later for a true 400-megapixel file.
Hasselblad has just released one of the fastest medium format lenses out there today and after being able to test it out, I think its safe to say that this thing is awesome.
Medium format photography offers a wide variety of benefits in terms of image quality, but is it possible to try to achieve those results when shooting on a camera with a much smaller sensor?
The other week, I wrote that I was excited about Phase One's newest gear announcements for a multitude of reasons. Well, thanks to my friends at Digital Transitions and Phase One, I was lucky enough to do a photoshoot with the BRAND NEW Phase One XF body, the updated IQ350 50 megapixel CMOS medium format back, and their newest 35mm leaf shutter lens. As an owner of their previous generation 645DF+ body and IQ140 back, I was incredibly impressed by the notable technology advancements in their newest gear. Read below to see why.
That's 10K – as in your 4K monitor, but not really...because it's 10K. Yes, photographer Joe Capra created a stunning 10K time-lapse with a PhaseOne IQ180 that shoots images with a resolution of 10,328 x 7,760 pixels. While this video is clearly put together in a proof-of-concept style, the clips still astound. We can't expect anyone to be able to view this at a real 10K resolution (the video is edited to 1080p and zooms in to show the full resolution), but the least you can do is view it in HD in full screen, at which point it becomes a gratifying kind of dizzying.
The Hasselblad X1D-50c is one of the more recent of the more affordable medium-format digital cameras to come out. And it sports Sony’s 50-megapixel CMOS sensor that has made these cameras much more affordable than their predecessors — all in a body that is by no small margin the most compact and portable in its class. The only question is can it perform?
