The Longest Hour by Timothy Poulton

The Longest Hour by Timothy Poulton

Switching camera systems is a huge step and not one to be taken lightly. It’s a big investment – far more expensive than merely upgrading a body to use with existing lenses – plus there’s the additional challenge of learning a new system and developing a suitable workflow. Earlier this year I made the change, from my trusty Nikon D810 and lenses and purchased the Fujifilm GFX 50S, a medium format mirrorless camera. So, why the switch? Well, I felt that not only were medium format cameras very engaging to shoot, with traditional aperture rings and shutter speed dials – but the results sounded fantastic. The colour and tones are outstanding, and extra resolution is essential for landscape photographers, so the bigger sensor appealed to me. So when Fujifilm announced the development of the GFX, I was excited: the prospect of Fujifilm image quality on a 51.4MP medium format sensor was a very tempting prospect. There is always a definite advantage to shooting a format that is considerably larger than 35mm, and I think the adage, ‘bigger is better’ also applies to some extent to digital sensors. I’d looked at digital medium format before, but had been put off by the size and weight of the cameras – an essential consideration if you have to hike long distances to locations – and also, to be honest, by the price. But the GFX was sensibly priced and weighed no more than my full frame Nikon, so it seemed to offer almost everything I was looking for. I came to the system with high expectations, and fortunately, these have been met. The camera is a joy to use, although slightly bulkier than, say, a Nikon D810, the weight is about the same. It balances well, and the control layout is well thought out, with the vast majority of buttons and dials being easily accessible with the right hand. The GFX is highly customizable, and after a little chopping and changing, I’ve now got it set up to suit my style of shooting. In fact, this side of the camera is so right that handling has now become almost instinctive; this is a camera which allows you to get on with the task of taking photos, without getting in the way. Regarding features, there are many that I’ve come to rely on in daily use: the live histogram, live highlight alert, electronic level, being able to switch aspect ratios on the fly, focus peaking, the two-way tilting screen, and the touchscreen facilities. However, for me, the feature I’ve come to appreciate the most is the fact that in ‘T’ mode you can dial in exposure times of up to an hour. This makes long exposures so much easier than locking the shutter open in Bulb mode and keeping an eye on the clock; the fact that the camera meters accurately and the viewfinder ‘sees’ well in really low light is a bonus. Long exposures are incredibly straightforward with the GFX. For this one-minute shot I was able to meter accurately and dialed merely in the necessary shutter speed; no need for exposure calculations and timing a Bulb exposure. Speaking of the viewfinder, this was the one reservation I had before committing to the system. I’ve always preferred optical viewfinders, but Fujifilm’s EVFs are among the best there are; the one on the GFX continues this trend, being large, bright and clear. Of course, the question that everyone wants answering is: what about image quality? Well, put simply, it’s class-leading. If you’ve always thought that 50 megapixels are 50 megapixels, then think again. The Fujifilm delivers indisputably better image quality than the Nikon D810. Sharpness and clarity are simply astonishing. This is partly due to the absence of an AA filter, and partly due to the new microlens design. The trade-off is a higher risk of moiré, but I’ve only seen this in a couple of images so far, both of architectural subjects. It was quickly corrected in post-production, but if I were shooting a lot of architecture and cityscapes, it might be something I’d have to think about. Dynamic range is also impressive – I’m always amazed at how much clean detail I can dig out of deep shadows. To be honest, when I was shooting with my D810, although I was happy with the image quality, I found myself occasionally getting frustrated with its dynamic range when shooting in challenging lighting.

Timothy Poulton: Photos