FUJIFILM GFX 50R - First look

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog/journal. I love to write and I used to do it as a job more 20 years ago, working as photojournalist and reporter for a few newspapers. Now it’s just for fun, but I hope you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

Today is all about medium format and because I recently upgraded to a camera that I always dreamt about, here is a preview followed by my thoughts about the Fujifilm GFX 50r. 

DESIGN

Made to hold and resist for many years as well as many weather condition the 50r is probably the most rugged mirrorless camera I ever shoot with. And I said mirrorless because in the past I used many SLR and DSLR cameras. But even compared to those “tanks” the 50r is still a super solid and well built, tho not a very small camera. Magnesium alloy combined with plastic elements for a light weight but strong feel. 

Now, for those of you shooting medium format the Fujifilm 50r might look tiny compared with let’s say the Hasselblad 500C or Mamiya RZ67. Even his “predecessor” the 50s is way more bulkier than it’s little brother.

BUTTONS

If you are in the Fujifilm ecosystem and you’re thinking of an upgrade to medium format the 50r will look very familiar to you. Same buttons, same dials same accessibility, beautiful ergonomics and easy to touch, click and scroll. The placement tho might be a little bit different. For example the Drive button is not on the back like on XE or XPro line but on top next to the shutter speed dial, the focus mode dial is not in front like on all X mount cameras but on the back bone the screen and so on and so forth. The idea is everything is familiar and it’s probably take no more than 12h to get used to this camera and start shooting. I love the fact that some buttons are unmarked and easy to customize to any setting you might need on the go.

DISPLAYS

The 50r is a mirrorless camera so consequently it has an EVF and a back display. Both are high resolution screens that will provide sharp focusing capabilities as well as accurate representation of your photos. The EVF is 3.69mil dots and 0.77x magnification while the back screen is 2.36mil dots and tilts up and down. I had no issue with this camera in terms of manual focusing, the focus peaking being a huge part of it. They are both bright and sharp enough to rely on, even in super sunny situation.

IMAGE QUALITY

The Fujifilm 50r is an impressive 51mpx medium format camera that provides not only a huge array of image formats including 4:3, 4:5, 6:7, 1:1, 65:24 and the more common ones: 16:9 and 3:2 but the option of shooting in 35mm format. That’s probably the best option for wedding photographers or people in need of more photos and not so much of huge resolution files. The colors are the ones that we already know and love, the sharpness and resolution are amazing and obviously the conversation can stop here. it’s a Fujifilm camera and that should says it all. 

Also included are the infamous film simulations that we all grew with since the DSLRS era. Well the 50r has 11 of them, including Eterna, Acros and Classic Chrome. We are still waiting for the Nostalgic Negative to make its appearance on the 100s and maybe...just maybe...

MY THOUGHTS

The Fujifilm 50r is an amazing mirrorless medium format camera that will definitely make an impression especially in the hands of those who never shoot a large sensor. for me it’s a great tool for all the commercial work that i am doing as well as for shooting landscapes and any other genre that requires a lot of details. I love the form factor, the ergonomics, the build and the quality that comes out of it. But is this a camera for everyone? Probably not. And if you think I am saying this because of the price, you’re wrong. actually i consider the price tag to be very fair and based on what this camera offers I think is your best option to get into medium format. But it’s definitely a very narrow niche of photographers in need of such a big boy. So, if you are a seasoned professional landscape, commercial or portrait photographer and you have this camera in your aim, don’t hesitate. But keep in mind that with it you’ll need lenses and other accessories as well. So, factor everything in and if it worth it and you can justify such an investment, go for it. You won’t regret it.

Also if you want to se the difference between a larger format sensor and a full frame sensor and you have some money to invest in an A7R4 or Canon R5, I’d say give this camera a try. You might like it more.

This is it for this preview of the medium format Fujifilm GFX 50r. I hope this article was helpful, don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel were I am talking more in depth about this camera and the benefits of shooting medium format, also follow be om Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes excerpts and images shot with the GFX 50r.

Thank you all for taking the time to read and check my article and …stay focused my friends.