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 Re: Fujifilm GFX100RF Discussion Thread | |
highdesertmesa wrote:
Greg7579 wrote:
Erich6_ wrote:
Greg7579 wrote:
Eric (I think it was you who said it - I'm editing because the quote thing got screwed up),
I disagree that the crop dial is the whole point of the camera. That is a huge stretch. That crop dial is not the whole point of the cameras. The whole point of the camera is to have a "small" GFX camera with a fixed lens that is along the lines of the Q series or even like the x100 series. It is a stand-alone and very beautiful, attractive, fun little package with the same incredible IQ as the GFX MILC line and a joy to carry and shoot. That is the point of the camera - not the ability to pick a jpeg in-camera crop size with a dial.
You may think it is a convenient feature for you, but I bet money 75% of GFX shooters will never use that dial. Most GFX shooters shoot raw and crop to whatever they want in post on a big monitor where they can better see what ius going on. They may even crop it differently for different output several times in several different ways depending on how the jpeg will be used. I have produced jpegs with 3 or 4 different crops, size, res and radically different edits (like B&W and color) from the same raw file many times. Have we forgotten why we shoot raw?
I also bet even the guys that like to have the EVF display the crop they prefer in order to help with framing will set up a programable dial to quickly change between the two or three crops they prefer vs that dedicated dial of too many crop choices.
You can call it an aspect ratio all you want. But it really is just an in-camera crop for a jpeg output and can be better done in post if you shoot raw which by far the most of us do (95%?).
Well, I can see where you are coming from. If you look at the camera as primarily a small version of your high IQ 100mp GFX then it makes sense why you see the aspect ratio dial as superfluous.
However, if you come to it like me, I will use the dial to make the camera behave like one of several cameras Fuji has made in the past. It will behave differently based on the aspect ratio I select, and my interaction with it and the scene I will photograph will be different depending on the dial setting. I’m elevating the photographic experience as more important than a post workflow and, while I have no preconceived notions on the output being a “GFX output,’ it will be excellent image quality better than any of the film predecessors. The bonus: the RAW file will have the whole frame and I can crop to whatever aspect ratio I want just as in your workflow should I choose to do so.
This is why the part of the Prague summit event that most resonated with me was the story when Josef Koudelka said using the 6x17 format rekindled his photography: “Many photographers stopped to photograph. But I did not stop to photograph, because I started to use panoramic camera.”
I have a feeling that approaching the camera the way I described is likely to yield much satisfaction. Approaching it as you suggest likely will lead to disappointment (and it appears you already are disappointed!)
P.S. Take a look at the Fuji product page for the GFX100RF. As you scroll down, you will see they refer to it as a rangefinder, then a small camera, then the aspect ratio. They don’t get to the fixed lens design or 100mp sensor until nearly the end. What is Fuji saying is the point of this camera?
I get what you are saying but let me give you some advice on shooting with GFX (or any camera with a sensor). Most of us go to the trouble and expense of shooting GFX because of the amazing resolution / image fidelity / IQ and often because of the unique 4:3 native aspect ratio of that sensor. Don't throw that resolution away unless you really have to or specifically want to for that one shot. (In my opinion, that is best done in post processing, not by spinning a dial with 9 aspect ratios on it.)
Most GFX shooters like the sensor because of the native aspect ratio 4:3. If you don't like 4:3 then I would argue it is silly to shoot GFX.
So, look for ways to compose your shot and frame with 4:3. I'm not saying not to crop, which is what you are doing when you pick one of these other "aspect ratios." That dial has 9 aspect ratios. I would not be fiddling with it too much if I were you. I think of that dial, and I just sort of chuckle.
You guys shoot however you want, but one of the beauties of a camera equipment discussion forum is you sometimes learn from other photographers, and I learn everyday reading them.
I will say this. If you look at my work, you will see I shoot a lot of very wide 20mm shots with the 20-35 (my favorite GFX lens). I shoot it and know in my mind that I will often be cropping the bottom of the frame (foreground at me feet) off to some degree for an XPan type of look at 20mm. But that is best done in post on a large high res monitor where I can see what is going on and make a decision about exactly where to crop. Like my old buddy (the Grumpy Old Dictator Jim Kasson) taught me many years ago, if you are going to crop, crop in one direction. If you crop in two directions, you probably made a bad decision on positioning or composition of the shot.
I think that dial with the 9 "aspect ratios" is going to cause some less experienced photographers to learn some bad habits.
Greg, this all sounds a bit close-minded. You've worded this like "I know what GFX shooters like", when in fact it's just what you like and might be what some other GFX shooters like. Also keep in mind not every Fujifilm 44x33 product moving forward will be designed to appeal to the existing GFX user base – they want to grab other piles of cash not aligned with the GFX.
I think the GFX aspect ratio dial is similar in conception and in the intended user experience to the Fuji Film Simulation Modes--they are both modifications of the shooting experience that make it possible to play with elements while shooting that are traditionally done much later in post-processing, if they are ever done at all. Many people enjoy this.
There are lots of ways to use a camera and to enjoy making a photo, and there are many types of photographers who enjoy making pictures in their own ways. Fuji has had a lot of success with their Film Simulation Modes. No reason to diss them or the Aspect Ratio dial.
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