GFX50S II: Landscape x Kentaro Fukuda

GFX50S II Impression

In the spring when I was 23 years old, I quit my job as an assistant to photographer Toshinobu Takeuchi to start my own business, and one of the first cameras I bought was a 120 film standard medium format camera, the GW680 III professional. That was 25 years ago. Thankfully, as a newcomer, I was offered regular photo shoots. I absolutely needed the camera I had purchased. It was a really good camera that was simple to operate without hesitation, was extremely resistant to backlighting, and could be used without worry.

When I held the GFX50S II in my hand, I remembered the shape of the right thumb, the simple design, the weight of the kit zoom lens, and the fact that GFX50S II felt similar to my first camera. The GFX50S II is the latest digital camera, so although the contents are very different, I felt as if the concept of Fujifilm, which has been producing cameras for many years, has been inherited, which made me somewhat happy.

What I look for in equipment is the ability to build a compact and lightweight system. The reason for this is that I shoot on foot in mountains, plateaus, mountain streams, and coastlines. Although the GFX50S II is equipped with a large format sensor, it is the same size and weight as or less than a 35mm full size digital SLR camera. The combination of the GF35-70mm kit zoom lens and the FX50S II is well-balanced and, in my opinion, does justice to the features of the camera.

This is a shot of the marsh wet with morning dew and glistening in the backlight. The area was covered with sharp, thin grasses and flowers, but when I zoomed in on the image on my computer monitor, I could see that each one of them was separate and finely detailed. I was amazed at the realism of the image, as everything was captured even more vividly than when I saw it with my eyes.

In addition, I felt that the potential of the GFX50S II should be greatly enjoyed when shooting natural scenery because of its superiority in the high sensitivity range. In natural scenery, the amount of light is not constant, so you have to constantly judge the situation and decide the best combination of aperture value, shutter speed, and ISO sensitivity without compromising the finished image. We all know how wonderful it would be to be able to freely control the ISO sensitivity without sacrificing image quality.

In a damp forest covered with fluffy moss, I encountered a landscape where I was reluctant to step off the path or set up my tripod. I wanted to convey the texture of the scene and deliver a detailed depiction of it by stopping down the aperture and reproducing the entire image sharply. I set the aperture to F11, the sensitivity to ISO 640, and the shutter speed to 1/30 second. Combined with the powerful in-body image stabilization, this suppressed blur and enabled me to produce detailed images even when shooting handheld in a dimly lit forest.

The GF35-70mm is surprisingly light in the hand, but it doesn’t feel cheap at all; the AF is quiet and smooth, and the image quality is excellent. 28-50mm focal length in 35mm format is ideal for capturing the scenery as you see it. The minimum focusing distance is only 35cm, which is useful when you want to get close to a small subject such as a flower or mushroom to emphasize its presence.

It is reassuring to know that the lens and the GFX50S II are both weather resistant , giving me the courage to take a step into the harsh natural environment. I approached the waterfall, which was full of water after the rain, and persistently tried to take pictures while being splashed by the water.

I was tickled by the fact that I could choose from a variety of aspect ratio formats, which was familiar to me as I had been shooting with GA645zi, GF670W, and 4×5 large format cameras in addition to GW680 III. I enjoy shooting in various ways to respond to the scenery in front.

The GFX50S II and landscape photography seem to be a good match. I think my way of approaching the subject is to enjoy a peaceful dialogue with nature and the landscape, and to capture it honestly. Sometimes it’s tempting to bring all kinds of interchangeable lenses with you, but sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and walk slowly. It is one of the benefits of the GFX50S II that it gives me a sense of freedom.