The camera with a rightful place in the hearts of Fujifilm fans and a cemented place in medium format history has been allegedly discontinued. While it's understandable given recent announcements, many of us are sad all the same.
I was in Tokyo for Fujikina for the official announcement of the highly anticipated Fujifilm GFX 100. While I'd asked for a pre-production version to take with me on the trip to review, I knew that wasn't going to be possible. I mentioned to Fuji that I'm typically a Sony shooter and it seems a bit odd to turn up with only Sony equipment. They offered me a loan of the Fujifilm GFX 50R and a couple of lenses, which I gratefully accepted.
When it arrived, a few days before my trip, I opened it and genuinely belly laughed. I put it on the table next to my Sony and took a picture and sent it to my fellow editor here, Alex. I asked him if he'd ever held the 50R before because it was the biggest, heaviest, most uncouth modern camera I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe it. With a lens on the front, it was a workout. Then I used it. It won me over almost instantly and I loved it so much I ended up buying one the year after. It was generally well-received as an affordable portal to medium format, so why might it have been discontinued?
I believe the primary motivator would have been the announcement of the GFX 50S II. For $500 less than the 50R's RRP, you are getting a medium format Fujifilm body that is an upgrade in, for all intents and purposes, every conceivable way. Still, a pang of sadness ran through me when I saw this rumor. Not because I have a 50R, but because it's a camera that reignited a slightly waning love for photography.
That's Bad!
The 50s II has the same sensor and autofocus so it’s really not that different. If I had the choice I might get the new one for ibis, but it’s not a deal breaker. I’d like to see a 50r II with backlit sensor, better highlights (50s sensor blows these pretty badly) maybe 4K. It’s not worth upgrading a 50r for the 50s II, IMO
You and several other in the review/critique industry praise Fuji cameras. And based in part on that praise I bought one. I like the camera, despite its hefty price tags. BUT none of you mentions that their app for transferring photos is CRAP. You have to dig deep into the bloggersphere to find the issues and complaints. Why? Why can you not review the support infrastructure when you review the gear? Are you just hawking the latest and greatest to help move product? Please let that not be the case. I am now selling my Fuji, after less than a year, because of this ONE ISSUE. Because these support features are not discussed by reviewers the makers don’t address them or more critically, fix them. Perhaps you could review that. I will lose $400 on selling this equipment. I have only taken 1000 exposures.
Please do better.
- J
Anyway, I have the 50S and 100S, making money to get my 50R, not interested about the 50S II.