robvisual - photography

After using this camera for about four weeks I almost get used to the new format. What are the differences compared to a full frame or aps-c camera? The main difference for me is a physical due to the change in sensor size. You have to stop down to higher aperture values to get everything in focus. This leads to higher ISO values to get a decent shutter speed. So if you're coming from the aps-c world, you need to update your shooting routine. Despite this change it opens up a whole new world in working with a shallower depth of field when it comes to portraits etc. This means taking environmental portraits with the 63mm lens at a distance (full body portrait) that has that pop out factor. The quality of the resulting images blew me away. And just to mention it again. The quality of the glass is outstanding. Too less photo fanatics out there are talking about the GF lenses. For your money you get tack sharp lenses (even sharp wide open) that are all weather sealed. Fuji is produ...

The GF50 3.5 is on sale now. Fuji just cut the price in half, making this buy a steal. I bought the lens at my local dealer and had the time take some photos with it. After taking the glass out of the box I noticed how light and small it is in terms of medium format. The build quality is like the 63mm. After screwing it on my GFX50R the lens was ready to shoot. The first thing I noticed is a constant light buzzing noise coming from the lens when the camera is on shooting mode. I've asked Olaf Stzaba who owns the same lens and his lens is behaving the same. The 63mm is totally quiet. I guess it has to do with the linear motor drive inside. With an maximum aperture of 3.5 it this lens can't be considered as a fast lens. For normal street photography at daylight it is fast enough. The image quality is flawless and there are no visible distortions and vignetting (autom. corrected in software anyway). For around 500 bucks this lens is a real bargain. Go and get it. I...

I've started with the Fuji X100 in 2012 and this was the begin of a long love story with the Fuji brand. After using bulky Nikon cameras for a long time (don't get me wrong, they were great) I had enough and needed a change. I found out that I am more of a street shooter who needs smaller gear that travels with me and the X-series came at the right time to start over with a new smaller mirrorless form factor. And now after more than six years of using Fuji cameras I sold my X100F, X-PRO2 and five lenses to trade them for a GFX50R and the GF 63mm 2.8 via a great camera store in Hamburg that is specialized in selling new and used gear. I was in the lucky position to get an almost unused GFX50R with lens coming back from a professional photo studio because they stepped up to a GFX100. But why did I sold my whole gear for a medium format camera? After being satisfied with my X-PRO2 I decided to challenge myself with a new experience. Medium format is different in terms of p...

After the develop machine broke down at my local photo shop I had to wait some more days for the first results. The first strips of negatives are now in my hands (three more to come from the lab) and I put them on a Epson Perfection V750 for a first dirty scan and some retouching. After fiddling around with the interface of the Epson software I got some nice results to show here on my blog. I did not spent too much time with post processing and other stuff. I will dive deeper into this later. My favorite photo is the woman that is going up the stairs. Due to the less sensitive Ektar film I had a longer exposure time and the subject has some fine motion blur at the fast moving feet. The overall details and colors of the image are awesome. I love the square format on this scene. The first image was a long exposure. I metered the light inside the new Elbphilharmonie building in Hamburg and put the camera down behind a window inside the ticket shop. You see the main f...

Back in the days I was a little film shooter. But nowadays I love the convenience of digital photography without waiting for lab results etc. But why going just into one direction? I don't think that film is outdated. It is a completely different medium with it's own characteristics and pros and cons and if you start with medium format you can achieve superb results without paying ten to thirty grand for a digital medium format system. Just buy a TLR or a Pentax 67 and start medium!  I recently bought a Yashica Mat 124 6x6 camera to start with medium format. I've tried out some films and I am still waiting for the results back from the lab. I always wanted to own a TLR because I love the way you shot with it. It is a full manual way of shooting. Everything needs to be set by you. The square format is a different way of looking at a scene and you need to be careful to hold the camera right to get everything straight the way you want it. It slows you a bit down and makes...