Prime Lenses for GFX Cameras

If you were an early subscriber to the 50R and a prime lens enthusiast, you had a limited selection of lenses. Consequently, your kit might look like the following.

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How Might this Kit Have Been Created

The following train, though, might have resulted in this kit. Given your experience with the full-frame equivalent lenses, you may have avoided the 18mm. You likely would have acquired the 63mm as it was the only choice in this range; needing a good portrait lens, you would have compared the 110mm and the 120mm. Given that the 120 f4 is a macro and the 110mm f2 is a faster, more compact, and not a specialty lens, likely you would have selected the 110mm lens. Finally, at the time, there was a very cheap offer for the 50mm it was a very affordable way to acquire a pancake lens for street photography.

Now that the Lens Road Map has Changed

If you recently acquired a GFX 100 to replace your 50R, you might now be interested in the more extensive GF lens offering. Compared to what was available when the GFX series launched, now there are more ways to construct a prime lens kit.

Looking at the lens road map, the two lenses that might give you pause are the 55mm f1.7 and the 80mm f1.7. The question that comes to mind is whether reconfiguring the kit would be helpful. One way to answer that question might be to consider how you would create a kit if you had just bought your first GFX camera.

GF lens Compared to 35mm

GF lenses can be converted to 35 mm equivalencies by using the multiplier .79. In the case of the GF 63mm in the image below, by using the multiplier, you can see that it has the same field of view as a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera. Its light-gathering capacity, f2.8, gathers the same amount of light as an f2.2 lens on a full-frame camera. T

Click this image to enlarge

How Would a New Purchaser Construct a Kit

Here is how I would approach it: First, I would consider acquiring a lens in the 50mm equivalent range. There would be three choices: 63mm, 55mm, and 80mm. The 55 and 80 mm lenses let in twice the light compared to the 63mm. That would have narrowed the choice to either the 55 or 80. Given the increased interest in the 40mm equivalent lens, with claims that it is more versatile, I would have considered the 55mm lens first. I would then focus on the 80mm as the slight compress might also be helpful. This would then raise the question of a wide angle. If I were to consider the 45mm, it would concern me that it is too close to the field of view I would get from the 55mm lens. I would have settled on the 60mm as my first choice and the 45mm as my second choice.

Given some experience with the 23mm handle distortion, perhaps better than some full-frame lenses, I would have considered this lens instead of the 30mm 24mm equivalent. Then, I added the 110mm as the portrait lens, giving me the kit shown in the following chart.

23mm f4 $3499CDN, 45mm f2.8 $2299CDN, 80mm f1.7 $2989CDN, 110mm f2 $3779CDN

At this point, I would look at the spread between the fields of view to see if it would create a problem. There is a 22mm shift between the two wide angles, but 35mm between 45mm and 80mm and 30mm between 80mm and 110mm. Here, the spread does look quite good. Given some compression with the 80mm lens, the next question I might ask is if I need the 110mm lens. So, if this were my initial lens purchase, I would not have purchased the 110 immediately and left that decision for later. In this case, my initial kit would look like the following:

23mm f4 $3499CDN, 45mm f2.8 $2299CDN, 80mm f1.7 $2989CDN

A final thought would be the cash outlay, and if that was a consideration, I might start with two lenses. My preference would be just the 45mm and 80mm lenses.

Would you Change Your Older Kit?

If you constructed your prime kit early on, similar to the first image, would you consider any new lenses? Given that the 80 mm lens’s field of view is so close to that of the 63mm lens, it would be hard to justify that purchase. The spread between the field of view of the 30 and 45 would present a similar problem. So, a decision might be made on different grounds, perhaps a faster aperture or a preference for a specific field of view. In my case, I think the 80mm might be my first consideration, as it is a faster lens with some compression and easier to carry than the 110mm. I love the field of view the 45mm lens provides, and it is very close in size to the compact 63mm lens, so the decision would be difficult to make, but having the 50mm pancake lens in some ways is a better street lens size wise than the 45mm lens. Given that I already have the 30mm lens, I would not consider the slower, larger 23mm lens.

Lens Quality

At this point, a deeper dive needs to be done into the quality of all the lenses, how they resolve the GFX100 sensor, how well they are constructed, the focusing engines, etc. So, I will leave this for another post.

Conversion Tables for APSC, Full Frame and Medium Format

Reading the mm on a lens or the f-stop on the barrel of the lens may look the same on all cameras, but using the same value on cameras with different sensor sizes will provide different results. First, the f-stops do not let the same amount of light into the camera; a Fujifilm APSC camera with an f-stop of 1.4 is similar to f2 on a Sony full-frame camera. A f-2.8 lens on a GFX medium format camera is identical to f-2.2 on a full-frame camera. Second, a 50mm lens on a full frame has a similar field of view to a 35mm APSC lens or a 63mm lens on a medium format camera. The other difference is as sensor sizes get smaller, there are more noise issues. The larger the sensor, the larger the lens; the larger the lens, the more light it can gather.

f/stop Equivalents

The following chart shows that an APSC sensor camera with a 1.4 f-stop is equivalent to f2 on a full-frame camera. However, on a medium format sensor, an f2 lens would be comparable to f-1.6 on a full-frame camera or.

Sensor Sizes, Crop Factor and Lens Equivalency

In the following chart, the key column is the first blue column labelled FF, as in most instances, people compare different sensor sizes by comparing them to Full Frame equivalents. To get the full frame equivalent of a Medium format lens that is 110mm, according to this column in the chart, you would multiply 110 by .79. So a medium format 110mm lens is equivalent to an 85mm (86.9) full frame lens.

Sensor Size Comparison

Reference

Leica Lux Grip for iPhones

Several of these devices are on the market, but the Leica device does not clip to the phone. Instead, it uses a MagSafe connection. Using Bluetooth, it connects to the phone’s camera. It features a two-stage shutter like most cameras, and there is also a button to switch between shooting modes and two additional customizable buttons to allow you to adjust settings. The customizable buttons can be set to control zoom, aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation.

References

Camera Filters

There are a lot of filter systems, and among the more experienced photographers, you will hear them talk about brands like Urth, NiSi, and K&F. Kase, which has become quite popular because of their magnetic system. Rather than having an awkward attachment or having to be constantly screwing filters on or together, their system has on simple magnetic screw mount, onto which you can magnetically attach one or many filters. This simplicity has attracted several professional photographers to their system.

References

Why Do You Take Photographs?

Paulie’s video raises an interesting question: Why are photographers drawn to the practice? One of the individuals responds, “Because I must,” and several others see it as a therapeutic process or a way of being in the world. Still, others see it as a way to engage more with their surroundings. One other muses that having a record of your experience in the world is a good thing, a way of reflecting on your past and bringing it more vividly into the present.

References

Three Different Sensor Arrays

A sensor has a certain number of light gathering pixels, and typically the higher the number of pixels, the higher the image’s resolution. This absolute resolution is directly related to much white light or luminance is reaching it. 

Colour in an image is created through a demosaicing process that interprets the light reaching the sensor through a colour array placed between the light source and the sensor. 

The colour array has a pattern of coloured pixel-sized pieces of glass that allow only one colour to reach each individual pixel on the sensor sensor, usually they are either red, blue or green. A demosaicing algorithm, know as colour reconstruction estimates what the original colours were and then blends this information together to create a colour image.

Bayer Filter Array

Bayer filter arrays are found in most cameras, Fujifilm X cameras being one of the few exceptions. A bayer filter has a two by two array with one red, one blue and two green filters. One of the problems with a bayer filter is the demosaicing algorithm working with this very repetitive pattern can result in the risk of moire. You can see moire in the image below. To prevent this, camera manufacturers would reduce the actual resolution of the image using an anti-aliasing filter. As sensor resolution increased camera manufactures began removing the anti-alias filters in favour of better resolution, however this remove the problem. When moire does occur post processing is one method of removing it, in otherwords the defocusing or slight blurring is done in post processing.

X-Tran Filter Array

An X-tran filter array placed over the sensor has a six by six pattern instead of the two by two pattern of the Bayer filter. So it will have a more complex demosaicing algorithm than the Bayer array. The resolution from cameras will be the same as a similar sensor that does not use an anti-alias filter, however the colour resolution will be less. Colour simplification is not necessarily a negative thing as it is often used used in post processing to enhance an image. As the resolution is not impacted it becomes a matter of personal taste. All cameras use a different processing engine which will result in a different look to its JPGs or RAW files, and in some instances this influences photographers camera choices.

RGBW Filter Array

A RGBW filter array uses a six by six array like the X-Tran array but rather additional green filters it uses white. In otherwords there is no filter the open pixel allows more light to pass through the array onto the sensor. The colours for the white filter are estimated by looking at the surrounding coloured filters. The net result is superior performance in low-light situations. This can be done in a number of ways as illustrated in the image below.

References

DJI Pocket 3 the iPhone and Microphones

Should I Use My iPhone and Add a Miniature Microphone?

The iPhone has an excellent video system, which I have been using exclusively, having avoided my cameras because of the size of the files it might produce. However, the sound quality is an issue; solving this would mean using a mic system after looking at the Hollyland, Rode, and DJi miniature mics and comparing both the sound quality and simplicity of the kits. It would appear that the DJI system is likely the best solution.

The DJI system is wholly contained within the charging case; some accessories items do not fit with the container provided. The DJI sound quality seems better balanced than the Rode system, emphasizing the lower tones, and the Hollywood mics seem to have too much treble. (DJI Mic Mini vs Rode Wireless Micro vs Hollyland Lark M2: COMPLETE Mini Mic Showdown)

There is an added benefit to the DJI system as it is entirely compatible with the Pocket 3 system should I decide to abandon using the iPhone for video purposes. Remember that the Pocket Three professional kit, which comes with a microphone kit, does not give a discount for buying the kit. The microphone system would cost the same whether or not you acquire it with the kit or separately. This means I can buy the microphone kit individually and see if the iPhone is all I need, and later, if I change my mind and purchase the Pocket Three, the cost will be the same.

DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case)
$239.00 CAD

There will be savings if you consider the smaller DJI microphone system. However, it is a little more limited than the one that comes with the kit, as it does not independently store your recording on the microphone, nor does it have an external microphone port; it does have a more extended range, is much smaller and has a smaller transmitter. It is also more straightforward to synchronize with a camera or phone.

The Case for the Pocket 3

If I found the iPhone was inadequate, I could easily upgrade to the Pocket 3 video camera, a very lightweight portable system and use the same microphones. The Pocket 3’s main advantage is that it uses a one-inch sensor, so when compared to other similar small devices or an iPhone, the image quality is likely to be better, as most other devices, including the iPhone, have smaller sensors. However, compared to a camera, the quality will not be as good as most cameras have 4/3, APSC, FF or MF sensors. Cameras will perform better in low light and deal with dynamic range more effectively. Reviewers suggest at 800 ISO, the Pocket 3 will have very unpleasant noises, which is not the case with late-model cameras. Even so, when compared to capturing video on an iPhone, some have found it hard to distinguish the difference in quality. The first big difference between the Pocket 3 and an iPhone will be the gimbal, which provides much smoother video than an iPhone unless the iPhone is mounted on a gimbal. The second big difference the camera can be set to automatically track the subject.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3. $719 CAD
DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo

$929.00 CAD

DJO Mimo App

DJI produces an app for the iPhone that allows you to view the Pocket 3 as it is recording. It can also download the videos, edit them on the phone, and share them. It also connects directly, allowing you to control the gimbal movements and view on a larger screen that provides a histogram and other information. The editor has a suite of tools with templates, filters, music and watermarks.

Black Magic App

The Blackmagic Camera app can connect the DJI microphones to iPhones and Google phones without a transmitter. This makes it possible if one does not want to buy DJI’s microphone kit to purchase one microphone independently and allow it to record directly to a smartphone. The app itself provides you with a more professional interface where you can adjust frame rate, shutter angle, white balance, and ISO. It also provides the ability to connect directly to DaVinci Resolve.

References