Hey Dylan, I'm Ray. Thanks to this review, I decided to get this lens for street photography and I can attest it is an astonishing lens for every day/general use, while maintaining the level of image quality expected from the GFX system. I paired it with the new(end of 2023) GFX 100 II and its performance is simply flawless in every sense. Cheers mate.
Great “real world” first impressions and nice images I really like you GFXPan work … I bought the lens for my “lightweight” landscape kit 23mm, 35-70mm & 100-200mm, instead of a 30mm or 45mm. Depending on the situation I could even leave the 23mm and/or 100-200mm at home and end up with a useful focal range for landscapes that is even suitable for a little more strenuous hiking. Thx, Frank
Thank you, Dylan. I’ve been looking at reviews of the GFX system and GF lenses for days. Yours was by far the most helpful in helping me to visualize and understand the capabilities. Much appreciated!
I had been owned Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus43/m43, Tamron, Tokina, Sigma .. tier 1s zoom lenses for 30 years ..... this one got the best C/P value in my opinion. At 70mm, it has a special bokeh when I zoom in on my picture(f5.6) .... hahaha funny. Nice reviw.
Can I ask, when you’re doing a single point AF test, like at 12:39 why do you (and other reviewers) move the point with the joystick with the camera fixed, instead of moving the lens around with the centre point fixed. Moving the joystick is too slow, whereas moving the lens is quicker and shows the true speed of the focusing on single point. Btw…I love my 50Sii with the 35-70, single point AFs is lightening quick, even in very low light (12800 iso/30th/5.6).
The limited range of GF native lenses (particularly with wide apertures) is exactly why this camera is much better served by using other manufacturer's lenses with an adapter. Canon EF lenses for instance work beautifully on this camera...
Love my 50Sii/35-70. It’s a sweet duo. The contrast AF doesn’t bother me at all… I came from a Fuji GA645. This is faster. Low light? I tend to be on a tripod if I’m on my medium format rig and will manual focus…
Thanks for the review. I just ordered a GFX 50s II with the kit lens (with the current $500 rebate, the lens is essentially free). The characteristics you pointed out are kinda what I expected...More along the lines things to consider rather than frightening folks with a list of flaws. It's clearly a tool for Fujifilm to get folks into the GFX camera...And that's just fine. I'm looking forward to using it.
Couldn't agree more, Larry. It's one of those lenses that will get you in the door, but you'll certainly be left wanting something a bit more exotic after a while. A "gateway drug" as it were.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Over the years Fuji kit lenses have usually been pretty good. For myself I'm already considering the 30mm and/or the 23mm...And, of course, wondering how the 20-35 turns out price/size/weight.
Very helpful. I have ordered it and am waiting and waiting…..I want this lens more or less in place of the GF 50mm and to cut down on weight when traveling. Also with bounced flash for interiors family shots. The lack of the aperture ring is a pity but this lens is part of a new strategy of only one bag and one camera type. The weight of this lens with the 100S (1290g) is the close to the XH1 and 18-55 (983g) Great slide show !!!
Great review. I like your style. Thanx a lot. Just got the lense and I agree very much on your opinion about it. Nice pictures to. The night shot with the stairs is very nice.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Yes it actually is. Have so far been using my Canon TC 24 mm because I do a lot of artihheture. And for portrait I Use my Canon 100mm macro.
When you did the AF test around 12:37you seem to move the focus point with the joystick quicker on the 100s than the 50sii, so consequently it kinda negates any visible difference there might be. When trying to acquire focus they both were the same… it was your movement of the focus point that was different. I’m guessing the second one was the 100s, as you had 50Sii written for both of them.
Super review, Interesting to see other photographers recognizing that the so called Fuji Photographers often have poor photographic skills and a clear lack of excellence. expenditure
Also: I would have liked to see a comparison with the 32-64mm, very heavy and large lens with really stunning IQ in my opinion. The question is: for tripod landscape work at f8 or f11, is there any real difference between the two lenses? From your slide show it would seem that the 35-70 is more than good enough.
The 32-64 and the 45-100 are pretty much the same in terms of image quality. What you're seeing here should give you a good idea. Unfortunately, I don't own all the lenses. Haha. Honestly, unless you're really pixel peeping, especially in the corners, you won't see much of a difference. There is a little software correction that goes on with the 35-70 that I didn't talk about here, but it doesn't seem to affect the image quality much at all. I'd say that if you're using this lens at f/11 and the focal range suits you, it's an excellent buy.
12:53 The reason I spent the extra 2k and went with the GFX100S. If I'm gonna be paying thousands and expecting to keep the camera for the next 15 years or so, better to not be an ancient technology. By the way, your photos are consistently amazing lately :)
That sensor is definitely getting a little long in the tooth. I was really hoping to see a PDAF array on a new sensor for this generation, but that all depends on Sony... ;)
Fantastic review 👌 The gfx 50r used is 2k now in price which is a bargain! But it doesn’t have ibis so do you think the gf45-100mm is it’s ois in the lens would help alot getting sharper photos ?
Thanks for watching. It really depends on what you're going to be photographing. If you plan to do a lot of handheld work with slower shutter speeds, then the stabilised lens will certainly help. Don't forget the difference in focal lengths, as well.
Hi Goran, I appreciate where you're coming from. I'm reviewing this from the perspective of someone using it rather than dissecting it. There are plenty of good, full resolution, samples over at places like DPReview. I'd recommend heading over there to see those.
Great video. A lens worth considering. I just purchased the ZhongYi Speedmaster 1.4/65mm lens to use on my GFX50R. Mainly for it's light gathering ability. Have you ever reviewed this lens? Happy New Year!
I owned that lens a while back and loved the results. I hated using it, though. Too heavy and the focus ring was too stiff for my liking. I reviewed it at the time for Fstoppers. fstoppers.com/gear/fstoppers-reviews-zhongyi-mitakon-65mm-f14-fujifilm-gfx-350075
Hello Dylan. What do you think about other GFX zooms (32-64, 45-100) in term of sharpness and color rendition? Which do you think is the best and can they replace primes? Thanks
Thanks very much for your review/presentation, and I enjoyed it as usual . I have decided to acquire the new 50S II, but having the real difficulties to choose between the 35-70mm “kit” lens or 50mm f3.5 for additional Canadian $400 more? I should make it clear that it is not my intention to invest too much on the GFX lenses after as I do have 4 Leica R + 3 Leica M lenses which I intend to use on the 50S II. I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions? In addition, what would be the 35mm equivalent focal length if I adapt a Leica M 28mm lens to the GFX body? Thank you for your attention.
In terms of those two lenses, you're basically dealing with a versatility question. If you don't want the wider aperture, I'd say definitely go for the zoom. As for converting focal lengths and aperture values, use the factor of 0.79 to make conversions for all your existing full-frame lenses.
Dylan, how much farther from the minimum focus distance would you say you need to be to start getting acceptably sharp images, especially at 70mm and f/5.6. You mentioned a few centimeters but wondered if you could give me a little bit more specific number. I realize it won't just magically sharpen up at a specific distance. Thanks.
Beautiful work with that lens. I'am waiting for the XH2. I'am curious if the more megapixels of an XH2 will really be an upgrade for my X-system. Medium format yes would like that but if the XH2 brings anough to the table a GFX will be a investment in the future,
A high resolution X body will make a lot of people happy, I think. For the type of work that I do with my X bodies, 26MP is plenty, but for landscape work like yours, I'm sure you'd be happy with a bit more resolution. How many megapixels would you ideally like for your work?
I try to compose the photographs at best so that i do not need to crop. But i would be happy to have some headroom. A good detailed A2 print of a woodland scene is my ultimate wish at this moment. I do not know what megapixels will be ok. When i look now at the prints they could be some more detailed. But of course it is subjective. The new 33 f1.4 will also give some better results i think.
It really depends on the day. If I have the time and I know I want a 16:9 in the end, I'll often set it in camera so I can nail the composition. If I'm moving quickly, I'll just shoot with the full sensor and do the crop later.
Thanks! I was hoping for nice weather and lots of great locations, but I got stuck in Seoul in the pollution. There are definitely worse problems to have, though!
A lens and a camera I wouldn't buy. It would be the old 50 R as the cheap option, or the 100S with the 50/3.5. A very versatile package, and supplement it with the Nikkor 28mm f3,5 or, and Olympus 35mm f2.8. Both shift lenses and they will cover GFX, if you do not shift them fully. Also think the 80mm f1.7 would be a great match with those lenses, and what more to desire.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I have a 4x5 and a Mamiya 6MF and was in search of a 50R with a 50mm3.5, but then I found a Mamiya 7 with a 45mm, and there they went, all the money for a GFX. But I already have many lenses, working fine with m43, Canon 5D MkII and others with adapter, and of course, they will cover a GFX, as many shift and tilt and shift lenses and teles.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I have a Mitakon Speedmaster 85mm f/1.2 for Nikon F mount that I bought cheap. Mitakon has made the same lens for GFX, and with an adapter will my Nikon F mount work fine with GFX, same way as the Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC Nikon F will do. I have both Nikon and Canon 24mm/3.5 T&S, and they will be nice wide angles with GFX. They can be tilted slightly all ways and still cover the GFX.
Nice and definitely on the money. I did get if as a kit with the GFX50SII as the $500 more makes it almost negligible and a steel. I think the lens does work well for street were it is compact enough to make it easy enough to carry around.
Thanks for the video. I am generally a landscape photographer in Australia and I really love my FujifilmXT5 surprisingly for landscape photography and before that I was using a Nikon the 850 and I still use that for some of my landscape work, which your thoughts on the GFX 50s ii in terms of would that be equitable to the Nikon D850?.... And I'm getting actually great results out of the XT5 I do larger prints as well sometimes up to 2 m x 1 m for customers as well. I'm not a full-time professional photographer but I really do love Fiji film and I'm thinking of selling the D850 getting some Coen together and taking the plunge on the Fujifilm GFX 50 S2.
Here are my two cents, with a bonus grain of salt. The difference you'll see between the D850 and the GFX 50SII will likely not be as big as you might hope for. The tonality will be slightly improved, you'll get slightly more fine detail, and you'll get those lovely Fujifilm colours to work with as your base. However, to get a jump that will really "wow" you, you'd really want to save for the 100 series GFX cameras. That will give you a massive jump in resolution on top of all the other benefits. Don't forget that until you pair the GFX with its best lenses, you D850 may even be the better option for image quality over all. The GFX system is a serious investment. Take your time and, if you can, borrow one or rent it before purchasing to make sure you'll be getting what you hope for.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer yeah thanks I will do more research. I do love the GFX system and Fujifilm in general because of the film simulations and other work. I got great results out of the D850. The only thing I noticed and I was using good lenses .... I got the XT5 and I just noticed how sharp the files were, and I suspect the Fuji film files out of a GFX 50. S2 would be very sharp. I'm probably one of those landscape photographers that really does look at sharpness because I do large prints sometimes up to, 2 m x 1 m and even prints on caravans and other things I do classical Australian landscape photography so I do need to mega pixels and I do need the low light performance and I just love Fuji. I understand that they're probably isn't a huge difference between the D850 and this camera
@@nevvanclarke9225 The GFX files will definitely satisfy that sharpness itch if that's what you're looking for. They're ridiculously sharp, especially with the native lenses. If you can work with primes like the 23mm, you'll be rewarded for your work.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer yeah thanks mate really appreciate your advice. It's probably the one time in my life when I've actually got the money to purchase a camera like this. I did feel that the hundred megapixels was just a bit excessive and there's also features in Lightroom now where you can enhance the megapixels and den noise in that kind of thing as well with the software so my thinking was that 50 megapixels is enough with the additions that Lightroom have made. You can catch super sharp images. And like I said the price in Australia where I live has actually dropped for this camera so I'm thinking that it's a good bargain at about 4K for a bass camera and then lenses on top of that I can actually sell my D8 50 for probably almost 3K still secondhand, so it's held its value really well, and I've sold a Calendar this year of my landscape photography. I've sold almost 200 calendars already, so I've got the money so it's kinda like let's just have a play kind of feel to i at the end of the day if I could hire one from somewhere I live in a small place on the south coast of Western Australia, so I need to get to the city which is about 400 km away and go and hire one which your mates suggested as well. Thank you for your sound advice and I do enjoy your videos.
great review and using it in conditions in what its most likely for. I would like to ask if you have any comments about this lens compared to the 50mm 3.5 as a 1st purchase lens and which one you might be choosing? or maybe for general "pro" work would you pick the 45 instead?
Thanks for watching! It really depends on what you're shooting. Between the 45 and the 50, I'd go with the 45 any day. It's got a bit more feeling and depth to its rendering. Not a huge difference, but enough for me. As for this, I'd say it's a completely different lens. This your all-round kit lens. Think 18-50mm on the X series. For versatility, this is your tool.
I have a question, at 13:39: Do you sell on your website this beatbox autofocus SFX ? I would like to install it on my Fuji's, I would also pay for a cool shutter SFX. 😂
OK I'll save viewers a bit of time. The lens is simply awful as is the camera, or at least the one I had was. in 38 years of photography it was a very low point in my photographic experience.