Digital Medium Format Photography

The Fuji GFX50 has become a workhorse for me. The body and lenses are well-sealed. I love some of the features such as focus stacking and long exposures that extend up to an hour without an intervalometer, but what matters most is the image quality. Longer exposures can be shockingly good in terms of low noise, dynamic range, and color. The resolution is only a little better than my Sony A7RII but the impact is greater.I can only imagine what the GFX 100 will deliver.

Some people complain that the Fujis are expensive but that argument doesn’t fly. The GFX 100 delivers 102 Megapixels with groundbreaking feature- IBIS, Phase Detection autofocus, 16bit color depth- at a cost of $10,000. For that money nothing else comes close. My first digital SLR was the Canon 1DS, an 11 megapixel behemoth that sold for an eye-watering $8000 in 2002, the equivalent of $11,000 after inflation. My recent iPhone shots look better.

Consider for a moment the flexibility of the new GFX 100. At moments when you don’t have time to switch lenses- and given that Fuji offers only one zoom, that will happen- you can crop down to Sony A7RII levels,i.e. by 58%, with 16 bit color instead of Sony’s 14 bit files. This affords greater room work while editing without degrading the image, something unavailable for any current full frame camera.

Like other medium format cameras, the Fujis fail to match the rapid fire autofocus speeds of the best full frame DSLRs, but in their realm- landscapes, portraits, and even studio, nothing touches them until you enter Phase One land at a major premium.

Hasselblad apparently has quietly discontinued its lightweight medium format body, the X1D, as noted on the B&H site. There is no notice on the Hasselblad site I can see. Perhaps they will resurrect it with improvements in the future.

The Temple of the Sun in Capitol Reef National Park, UT, a medium format panorama.

Three shot panorama of Monument Valley shot with the quasi Medium Format Fuji GFX 50S.

Fuji has returned to medium format with a 50 megapixel mirrorless offering due in early 2017 with three available lenses. The initial kit, which will include one lens, it expected to cost less than $10k. It will be interesting to see how it fares against the new Hassleblad mirrorless body. https://www.dpreview.com/news/8411827820/fujfilm-announces-development-gfx-50s-medium-format-digital/1

Fujfilm announces development of GFX 50S medium-format digital Fujifilm is getting (back) into medium-format. A major player in the days of film, Fujifilm has announced its first medium-format digital camera, the GFX 50S. Read more

Drone and gimbal maker DJI invested in Hassleblad recently. Hassleblad announced the first mirrorless medium format camera last month. The new partnership produced the highest resolution drone camera system, a flying 50 megapixel medium format camera that outshines any DSLR.http://www.dpreview.com/news/5438453594/hasselblad-dji-medium-format-drone-kit

Hasselblad and DJI announce 50MP medium-format drone kit The first product of the collaboration between Hasselblad and drone maker DJI will be a long range drone fitted with the same 50MP CMOS sensor that is used in the new X1D mirrorless camera. Read more

Hasselblad has rewritten the rules of medium format. Their new X1D is the first mirrorless medium format camera. Only slightly larger than a Sony A7RII and dramatically smaller than a Canon 5DS R, it boasts a 50 megapixel sensor twice the size of those full frame cameras. Those fat pixels should produce richer files that any FF with equivalent megapixels. Only two lenses are available at present but they promise to introduce new lenses quickly.

Wow

http://petapixel.com/2016/06/22/hasselblad-x1d-worlds-first-compact-mirrorless-medium-format-camera/

Mirrorless Medium Format is Here: Hasselblad Unveils the X1D After several tantalizing teasers and one very serious leak yesterday, the Hasselblad X1D, the world's first compact mirrorless medium format camera, has o

The medium format world is becoming more crowded, not what I expected. Mamiya entered the fray with the 645 DF+ at significantly lower prices than Phase One or Hasselblad, and now Pentax 645z with a Sony 51 MP back for just $7000. Ming Thein evaluated the Pentax's performance in several posts and found it exemplary, suggesting that it had the best sensor of the lot. Still, he decided on the new Hasselblad for it's superior lens selection, accessories, and support, which you can find in later posts.

https://blog.mingthein.com/2014/12/10/pentax-645z-six-months/

Long term experiences: the Pentax 645Z, six months in

Phase One is widening its lead in medium format with the announcement of a 100 megapixel CMOS back. https://www.phaseone.com/en/Products/Camera-Systems/XF100MP.aspx?

XF 100MP Camera System The XF 100MP Camera System is the culmination of 20 years dedication to digital image quality. The XF 100MP Camera System creates the ultimate experience for professional photographers who demand for the best in image quality and creative freedom. With 100MP Full Frame CMOS, 16 bit analogue feel, 15…

Phase One backs are the industry leaders, both for quality of your files and construction, but the bodies, essentially relabeled Mamiya 645s, were relatively clunky. The new system offers lots of new, useful features and better handling. Drool-worthy. http://tinyurl.com/ncqksf2

XF Camera System The Phase One XF Camera System is built using full-frame Medium Format sensors 2.5 times larger than the ones found in high-end DSLRs.

Mark Dubovoy talks about conceptual planning in the latest post in Photoaesthetics. Some of the images were shot with a Leica S, requiring a close approach.. http://photoaesthetics.com/dont-just-get-picture/

Don't "Just Get The Picture!" - Photo Aesthetics Don't just get the picture. Determine the look and feel of your images, develop a style and tell a story!

If you must have the highest resolution medium format system, this is it, the marriage of Phase One and Alpa. From DP Review: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/2458339852/phase-one-and-alpa-release-official-details-and-pricing-of-a-series-medium-format-cameras

Phase One and Alpa release official details and pricing of A-Series medium format cameras Phase One has announced official details of its new A-Series medium format cameras after information about the new pairing of the company's digital backs with an Alpa body and lenses was leaked in November. As was reported at the time, the series will comprise Phase One 50MP, 60MP and 80MP backs, co…