Taking the Fujifilm GFX100S for a spin: Photographer Tim Gerges on his first time
By Tim Gerges
Normally a full-frame shooter, photographer Tim Gerges took the Fujifilm GFX100S large format camera for a spin, shooting the Audi RS 7 ready for a feature in Dossier Magazine. What was his experience like shooting the GFX100S for the first time? Tim tells us more.
This camera is something different. I primarily shoot full frame DSLRs and mirrorless, but I’ve also shot my fair share on medium format cameras. The Fujifilm GFX100S manages to marry these two worlds comfortably. It’s the best of both – the usability of a modern 35mm camera with all the creature comforts one has become accustomed to, and the insane quality of a 102MP medium format sensor.
Medium format cameras are definitely an acquired taste in terms of usability, but the Fujifilm is incredibly easy to use. More than just having 102 megapixels to play with (more on that later), I was blown away by the super accurate autofocus. Traditionally on medium format cameras there is only one autofocus point, and it’s smack in the centre of the frame, so one would continually have to focus and recompose. This was not the case on the Fujifilm. I was able to lock my composition on the tripod and then simply move the autofocus point to where I wanted the focus to be, either with the joystick or simply by pressing on the rear screen – no recomposing. It was dead simple and the camera never missed focus.
On to the 102 megapixels, which I never thought I needed in my life. Turns out I do. The ability to shoot a single shot in horizontal position and crop it to a vertical shot after the fact, and visa-versa, allowed me to deliver far more options to my client without having to frame and reframe on set. It’s an absolute time saver.
Retouching a 102 megapixels file is also a dream. There is so much detail, and being able to zoom in so much really aided me in cleaning up the photographs in post.
Working with the 16bit RAW files really allowed me to push and pull the files in any direction and to accurately match the custom colour of the Audi paint work. There was so much detail in the shadows, while still retaining an incredible amount of detail in the sky. I could simply pull the details out in Lightroom without having to shoot bracket exposures.
Then the GF32-64mmF4 lens, which was able to resolve the finest details and seemed perfectly matched to the sensor – I never felt lacking when it came to details and sharpness.
The GFX100s paired with GF32-64mmF4 is by no means a light camera, but it makes up for the weight through its comfort in hand; it’s big, but definitely not cumbersome and feels just as comfortable as my 35mm cameras.
Find more of Tim’s work here:
www.timgerges.com
www.facebook.com/timgerges.photographer
www.instagram.com/timgerges
Read more about the Audi RS 7 here:
