Personal ramblings on photography
Equipment for photographers.
Jonas Rask tells Impossibly Possible – The Fujifilm GFX100RF review.
This very comprehensive review of the GFX 100RF as Rask had it for a few month before it was even announced. Rask really like panoramic cameras like the X-Pan or the Fuji G617, which make this camera possibly a natural fit for him.
The long rumored medium format fixed lens camera from Fujifilm was just announced.
It is called the GFX 100RF. RF stands for Rangefinder style, Fixed lens.
This camera will naturally compare with the Leica Q3 that is in a similar market segment.
The GFX 100RF has a 102 Megapixel sensor, larger than full frame (43.8mm x 32.9mm) like the one on the GFX 100II, and a newly developed fixed 35mm f/4 that is a 28mm equivalent FoV with a leaf shutter, and built-in ND filter. The lens can focus as close as 20cm front the front. The electronic viewfinder has a x0.84 magnification and 5.76 Megapixels, and it is complemented by a 3.15 in 2.1 Megapixel tilting LCD.
It has a dial that allows selecting 9 differwent aspect-ratios that, in addition to the usual ones, feature crops like 17:6 and 65:24 which are the Fujifilm G617 and T-X1 panoramic cameras respectively. There is also a vertical 3:4, that would allow taking a cropped picture in the portrait orientation. The aspect ratio dial will change the viewfinder to offer proper framing guides but the raw file will contain it all.
The digital teleconverter is a digital zoom similar to the one found on the Leica Q3 that will crop to any of 43mm, 63mm or 80mm field of view (in 35mm equivalent these are about 36mm, 50mm and 63mm respectively). The crop is done at the cost of less pixels, but since you start at 102 Megapixels, there is plenty of room to work with. Like with the aspect ratio crop, if you shoot raw, the whole image is still captured but it will be marked as cropped by default in your photo processing software (if it supports it).
There is no image stabilisation whether it is lens or in body. High speed flash sync is possible with the leaf shutter, up to 1/500 sec. There is also a dual SD-card slots and the camera is weather sealed if you install the included protective filter PRF-49.
And of course, all the usual film simulations are available.
Video
It wouldn’t be a Fujifilm without video. It doesn’t offer everything but you can shoot 4K in 30 fps, in 10 bits 4:2:2 and F-log2 with a digital images stabiliser, and there are both a headphone and a microphone jack.
Availability
The GFX 100RF is to the GFX-series what the X100 is to the X-series, albeit the latter showed up first.
MSRP is €5499 / US$4899 / CA$6999, less than the Leica Q3 and available in April 2025.
Afterword
Please Fujifilm, bring these crops to the X-series. No need for a dial. Just allow assigning to a button. I want the frames in the EVF of my X-T3.
TTArtisan is known to produce more budget friendly lenses for a variety of camera, including Fujifilm XF mount and Leica M rangefinder.
Now they are entering the market of the Instax cameras. Since the announcement is blocked by the Instagram wall, I’ll link to Kosmophoto: TTArtisan announces Folding Instant Camera which shoots Instax film:
Lens maker TTArtisan has launched a new folding camera which shoots Instax film.
It’s shooting Instax mini, it seems to be based on the Chinese Seagull 203 folding camera, and the shutter is mechanical.
Price is not available at the time.
Well…
The PowerShot G7X Mk3 has been unobtainium for a while (over a year) as my G7X MkII has been malfunctioning/breaking down, and I couldn’t replace it unless I got a Sony.
There was rumors, and they are true. Canon unveiled the PowerShot V1. This video-first camera is their answer to the Sony ZV-1, the “vlogging” camera. One big caveat: you can only get it in major Asian markets, in April 2025.
A few bits: the sensor is roughly the size of a m4/3 sensor, but in 3:2 aspect ratio, which is larger than on the G7X, it has IS, audio jack for input and output, articulated screen, 4K, and a 16-50mm equivalent.
From the picture it looks more bulky, with a bigger grip than the G7X.
To be determined is the price, and the availability in Canada (and the rest of the world).
For reference the G7X MkIII has a MSRP of CA$1069.00, and the MarkII was about CA$100 less, the Fujfilm X-M5 with the kit lens is CA$1199.00, and the Sony Z-V1 II is CA$999.00
To be continued.
Update: The price would be JP¥148500 which is about CA$1400 (incl. 10% VAT)
I just bought a Fujifilm Instax Square Link. It is a device that print Instax Square picture. Send from your smartphone a picture, obtain a hard copy on Instax Square instant film. If you have an Instax Mini Link, this is the same for Instax Square.
The box contains the printer, a light manual and a USB-C to A cable for charging.
The printer is battery powered (hence the cable). There is no film. I got a pack of white border and a pack of black borders.
The printer is like a big bar of soap. It is still slightly larger than my Instax Mini 90 Neo camera, but that’s to factor in the difference in size of the film pack.
I has two buttons, large one having a LED to show the status, a large door at the back for the film cartridge and a small trap door hiding the USB charging port and a reset hole. The latter is for cases where the troubleshooting involve turning it off and on. There is no display, like for the number of frames left.
The initial setup consist of charging the printer using the provided USB cable (or any USB-C cable for that matter) and a charger (not included); and loading the instax square cartridge. That step is exactly the same as loading you favourite Instax camera.
To turn the printer on, press the big button for a solid second, it will light up white. The colour will change to flashing purple when printing
To use it you need a compatible smart phone (Android or iOS), install the Instax app and connect to the printer with Bluetooth. Within the app you can select images to print, and it’s fairly easy. There are other features within the app but beside the collage or frame print, I really don’t get it.
From my phone I printed a picture I posted a while ago on Instagram, works great. I also printed a picture I took recently directly with my phone. As long that the image is on your phone, you can print it.
Once you printed a picture, you can press the smaller button to reprint it, until the printer turns off. Otherwise you can use the application history to re-print later on. In some circumstance it doesn’t recollect the picture printed on the iOS app. This seems to happen if you use “share” to the Instax Link Square instead of selecting the picture from the application.
Fujifilm manual state that the print takes 90 seconds to develop, but in my tests after 2 minutes it wasn’t developed.
In the end you obtain a colourful print.
The output ressemble a lot to the scan.
One of the feature in the app is the “Instax Camera”. It is basically the camera app to take the picture before printing it. It put the live view inside a small Instax frame. It allow adding the date time superimposed, printed as a 9 segments led display, another bout of nostalgia that the demographics of that device have no recollection of.
The printer cost CAD$180 (I got mine on sale at CAD$160). On regular price, it’s priced between the SQ1, the cheapest Instax Square and the SQ40 the more comprehensive model. It’s not gonna break the bank.
The 2x 10-pack of film with white borders was CAD$28, and the single 10-pack of black border was CAD$17. That make a cost per print to CAD$1.40 for the white border and CAD$1.70 for the black border. There are other colours a bit more fancy if you like. You can buy the white border film in bigger pack which bring down the price per unit. A 100 pack bring the cost down to CAD1.20 a print. Also while I can find Instax Mini at my local pharmacy, Instax Square is less common. This is to be considered if you need resupplies in a hurry.
The image size is a 62mm square (2.4in). The image printed is 800×800 pixels, which boils to 318 dpi. That’s a resolution similar to any print you got from a minilab. According to the manufacturer you can print around 100 pictures (that’s 10 packs) with a single recharge.
Pros:
– Simple to use.
– Device reasonably priced.
– Battery powered.
– Output quality.
Cons:
– Requires a phone app, very limited interoperability.
– Unlike older models can’t be used from a Fuji-X camera.
– What will die first? The printing mechanism or its battery that can’t be replaced.
I enjoy using my Instax Mini but I’m often left off guard with the quality, and it seem all related to the optics on the camera and the exposure, with a limited dynamic range. It’s possibly part of the challenge. The printer demonstrate that the film rendition is good and that an hybrid like the Instax Mini Evo would probably offer similar results. Sadly the hybrid Instax Square SQ10 and SQ20 cameras that were in the earlier Instax Square lineup are no more so the search for a better image quality will probably need to be sought out of the other camare makers like Lomography, MINT or NONS.
Previously: NONS instant cameras
Petapixel, back in August: Manufacturers Were Unprepared for the Point And Shoot Camera Revival
As a result, 2019 saw the last major point-and-shoot releases from Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic. While Sony’s latest photography-first point-and-shoot, the RX100 VII, also released in 2019, newer pocket-sized models like the ZV-1 II and ZV-1F have shifted towards focusing on vlogging and content creation.
I have been complaining about the lack of availability of both the Fujifilm X100VI that is literally unobtainium and something to replace my defective G7X MkII (Canon is out of stock everywhere and whoever answers the Canon forums gaslight readers by telling them to check their retailers, while they can’t even replace camera they refuse to repair).
I really don’t enjoy smart phone as camera. In the beginning it was the quality, then at one point it ended being good enough, and I enjoyed it for a bit. But I’m over this. Don’t get me wrong the best camera is the one I have with me, and likely I have a phone, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy using it or that it inspires me. Also now with “computational photography” they add plenty of software to make them look better, sometime just turning the photo to goop like I have seen on some cheap Android smartphones.
We’ll see what the future brings.
Jonas Dyhr Rask talks about The future of the elusive 65:24 format.
65x24mm is the panoramic format of the Fujifilm TX-1 / Hasselblad X-Pan film camera. It is a very wide aspect ratio which can be made to work to stunning results.
But can we do that with a modern digital camera?
Also A look at/through the X-Pan which show us genuine shots with the TX-1 / X-Pan.
Here is an attempt with a casual shot with my Ricoh GR Digital II. The ground and the sky are cropped out to letterbox the 65:24 aspect ratio in post from the DNG file (Darktable has the aspect ratio in its presets).
Previously: Fujifilm TX-1 long term review, Hasselblad X-Pan
Dante Stella tell us about the Kodak / Pakon F235 Plus high-speed film scanner:
First, it is designed for speed. An F235 Plus, for example, will do 800 frames an hour at 3000×2000 resolution (yes, that’s 33 rolls per hour, or a roll or 24 frames about every two minutes). With Digital ICE turned on, it still does 400 frames an hour.
Colour correction. Kodak basically owns the world of colour correction, and this machine nails the colours 99.5% of the time.
In sum, this is an exiting piece of equipment made accessible, sadly, by the collapse of commercial film processing.
I mentioned this previously as an alternative to the Frontier. Fujifilm vs Kodak. It’s sad nobody produce these and that the know how has disappeared, but then would they exist new at $2000 a piece? The used refurbished market from these seems to be the way to buy what cost much more initially.
The 2017 followup article: The Kodak/Pakon F235 Plus, revisited.
Previously: The magic of Fuji Frontier SP-3000
Apparently it’s still hard to get a Fujifilm X100VI.
In an April 2024 interview, Fujifilm admits that they make 15,000 units a month, which is twice as much as for the previous model, and that they are looking at increasing it. Also the rumor has that they have a 500,000 order backlog. That number is unconfirmed, but with some light math, we can guesstimate it would take over 33 month to fulfill!
This backlog has people that really want one, people that ordered from multiple retailer as to jump the queue, people that are still undecided, and scalpers.
It seems that today the only way to get one is:
At that point I have to forego the trying it out phase, and have to place an order if I want one. With a little luck the X100VII will be announced and either it will be cheaper or I will have to move up to the next level.
Meanwhile, it’s not like I don’t have any camera to shoot. My X-Pro1 still works (I got it repaired a few years ago) and the X-T3 as well. Not forgetting that the Olympus E-P1 still works, unlike the G7X MkII that can’t be replaced, and the 5DMkII is still in order. Lately, I also have been using an original Ricoh GR Digital 2 (the small sensor from 2007). And I have a stash of film in the freezer with both 35mm and medium format. Maybe I don’t need a new camera after all…
Previously: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras…, Fujifilm upgrades
I already talked about my Canon G7X Mk II giving up the ghost. Turns out that Canon repair policy is a flat rate USD650 and you get a replacement except there are none available and people in the Canon forums say they end up not having a camera… and the Mark III is unobtainium everywhere I looked. “Check with you re-sellers” Canon said. Aha. That doesn’t feel like good customer service. Rumors are that Canon is quietly discontinuing P&S, leading me think that I should get a Sony (ZV-1 II) as this is a camera I bought for video.
Anyway.
I pulled out of my bag my old Olympus E-P1. I bought this m4/3 camera back in 2010 to supplement my Canon 5D MkII, and mostly replaced using it with a Fujifilm X-Pro1. I used it a lot when we crossed the country on a train as it was the convenient camera suitable in that situation. I still had my 5D MkII in the bag though.
Turning it back on, the IS1 icon on the screen is red. Not good.
If the image stabilizer icon blinks in red on the monitor, it indicates a failure of the image
stabilizer function. If you take a picture as is, the composition may be off. Consult your
Olympus Authorized Service Center
It’s probably not worth it to take it in. I’ll have to live without IBIS, which should be fine. I can keep shooting with it. Like a lot of other cameras, I think what I dislike the most is the lack of viewfinder, and it’s probably my biggest regret.