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Buying Advice vs Fujifilm GFX vs Standing Pat
This essay links to critical findings, but is primarily an editorial on how I think through acquiring new camera system like the Hasselblad X1D.
The acid test for me with any new gear is pretty simple: setting aside cost, would I either drop or supplement my workhorse cameras (Nikon D810 and Sony A7R II) in favor of something new. That kind of changeover (cost aside) is something not to be taken likely, nor is it likely to come without downsides. So there have to be compelling reasons to switch, reasons that don’t just equal, but trump existing proven solutions in handling and quality and reliability (I assume most pros think similarly).
What if
Accordingly, let me digress with an idealized “what if”. What if Nikon released a D900 that carries forward the D810 pluses, adds no new negatives and just creates an “even better” camera. This is what happened back in 2013 with the Nikon D810 vs the Nikon D800E (which makes Nikon’s inaction for nearly four years startling). What would such a D900 have to offer? For me, I’d ideally want ~50 megapixels with per-pixel quality matching and ideally exceeding the D810 at ISO 64, with 16-bit files (16-bit gradation). I’d want a built-in high-res state of the art EVF, and I’d be OK with dropping the OVF. I’d want a very high quality lens adapter for Nikon F lenses but the camera would be mirrorless at its core, thus affording a platform for new very high performance lenses of moderate speed (think Zeiss Loxia). It should be smaller than the D810, but not much smaller and the ergonomics and buttons should not be compromised as with the Sony A7R II. Such an approach seems obvious to those outside the Nikon corporate bubble.
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Diglloyd Medium Format covers medium format camera systems, including the Hasselblad X1D and Fujifilm GFX.
These systems are hugely expensive, so make the right choice for your own needs (full frame vs medium format).
- In-depth lens evaluations covering behaviors not likely to be found anywhere else, based on real-world field shooting.
- How to configure menus and buttons and best operating practices, gotchas and how-to.
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens and camera behaviors.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to 100 megapixels filling up to 5K display, plus large crops.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.