Scenes Seen: GFX + Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2.
Subtitle: A worthy M body alternative.
As stated in a recent post…
…after giving a lot of attention to modern cameras with modern luxuries like AF, I needed a rangefinder lens fix. Also mentioned in that post that after letting go of my rangefinder camera…
…the GFX stepped up as my new rig to put behind this wonderful lens. A lens that regularly creates images that drop my jaw.
I already shared most images taken last weekend during t a low rider show…
…and a Dad Duty Photo Exhibit and Talk.
These are the pics taken after the last event and the next day.
Thoughts.
What a fantastic lens.
- Flexible focal length.
- Wonderful sharpness.
- Great focus fall off and bokeh.
- Grest colors.
- Relativelyt compact and reasonably priced.
I have used no better M lens including Leica glass costing far more.
What a great camera.
Thoughts after switching from an actual M camera.
<Leica adherents look away.> I prefer the GFX. There, I said it out loud. Let me get the main thing out of th eway. The “why” on why I championed the Type M 240 before. Rangefinder focusing. Welp. Fujifilm cracked the rangefinder focusing code as far as I am concerned. I genuinely enjoy using this camera with M glass. Acquiring focus was not an issue at all. I owe it all to FUJIFILM’s two screen MF aid.
It accurately replicates everything I enjoy about framing and focusing seperately. The only thing lost is the ability to see outside of the framelines. But since I manual focus with both eyes open this is actually a non issue since I see the whole scene anyway. And even if that were not the case there are quite a few tangible advantages to be had.
- Used with the full sensor you get 100MP and a 31.6MP field of view which provides quite a special look with the full frame equivalent of an f/0.948 aperture.
- Used cropped to full frame you have 61MP, same as the over three times more expensive Leica rangefinder option.
- At the least, an equivalent IQ of the Leica options.
- IBIS.
- TTL flash with HSS.
- More accurate focusing with very fast glass.
- I have read in several spaces that for critical focus using very fast glass with a digital M body an optional add on EVF is recommended. I prefer the two screen solution FUJIFILM offers.
- Um… It is medium format… That alone could be used to justify choosing it for me at any price.
For my purposes, no downsides. And with this lower priced solution I also have access to some of the best AF glass I have ever used.
So a medium format camera that does a fair impression of a rangefinder focusing experience with access to modern features. For <checks notes again> much less money.
Well done, FUJIFILM.
Well done, Voigtlander.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 