Getting to Know the GFX

Not every camera is right for every job. It also goes a little deeper than this, I think certain cameras make you feel and shoot differently when you hold them. I think a lot of newer photographers and non-photographers might not understand this. All cameras take pictures right? I view different cameras almost as I would different paint brushes to a painter or different instruments to a musician. The way a camera feels and operates and the look of the images it produces puts you in different mindsets and can greatly affect the kinds of pictures you make.

I have owned my GFX for a few months now but I haven’t really committed to it to see how it affects my workflow. For 2025 though, I am planning a 365 project and the GFX is perfect for the kinds of images I want to make for this undertaking. I have decided to significantly minimize my gear going into the new year and I plan for the GFX to be the center of my new kit. After a family portrait session near Bethoud I spent an about an hour driving around Carter Lake trying to get a better feel for the camera.

There is a lot more to come and I am really excited to tell you my plans for the year and my new gear setup, but I am happy with the way things are heading.

For the Photogs: Fuji GFX 50s + Pentax 55mm f1.7 + GF35-70mm

Janurary Monochrome

I always struggle shooting in January and February. It is always so cold and dark and drab. This year I decided to embrace it a little bit and shoot a ton of monochrome…in fact I only shot monochrome on my X-pro3. It was a really fun exercise and it made me really appreciate shooting in black and white. For everyday family and around the house snapshots (like most of these are) it really works great. It feels timeless and makes it easier to shoot in weird lighting situations.

On another note I am actually going to sell my X-Pro3. I REALLY love the combo of it and the Voigtlander 23mm, but I am having a werid issue with my right eye and manual focusing on the rangefinder style body is really only doable with my right eye. I am sad to see it go but I ordered a Nikon ZF to replace it and I am really excited to give it a go. This month of black and white turned out to be a fun send-off for this camera.

Voigtlander Primes for Fujifilm: First Impressions

I recently picked up a couple of Voigtlander lenses for my X-Pro3, the 23mm f1.2 and 50mm f1.2, and honestly they are so freaking good. Technically they aren’t perfect by any means but these are exactly what Fujifilm needed and honestly I think Fuji should have made them.

I will definitely do more detailed posts about each lens as I use it and get to know them, but I do want to share some quick first-impressions and thoughts.

• I don’t think these lenses are made for the “SLR” style Fuji bodies. I mean they would work fine on the XH, XT, and XS line of cameras but where I think these really shine is on the X-Pro and XE line.

• Build, size ,and weight are perfect. Seriously. These things are the perfect size for the rangefinder style Fuji bodies. They are small but all metal and feel dense. The aperture ring clicks beautifully and the focus ring has just the perfect amount of tension. Really these lenses feel so freaking good and match the X-Pro3 perfectly.

• The optics are not perfect...but beautiful. I have used several Voigtlander Nokton lenses in the past so I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into with these. From f2 and up they are sharp and beautiful. Faster than f2 should be considered a “boost mode”. You get a bunch of light but add some softness and blooming (which I think looks pretty cool).

• Fuji should have made these lenses. They fit the body so perfectly that I seriously think Fuji is missing the mark by not making small, fast, manual focus lenses for their rangefinder style bodies. Who knows, maybe they will.

I will definitely post more about these lenses later, but I wanted to get my initial thoughts out. I have only had them for less than a week, but below is some of the first images I made with these lenses.

Voigtlander 23mm f1.2 Nokton

Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 Nokton

First Two Weeks BACK With the X-Pro3 and 35mm f1.4

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Two weeks ago I traded my Leica Q and got myself back into a Fuji X-Pro3, which is a camera I have missed ever since I sold it a little over a year ago. I shoot it essentially like a film camera. I only use the OVF, I never open the screen, and I only dump my cards and edit the photos every week or so. It is a really fun and freeing experience.

The main reason I was excited to have an X-Pro3 again was that I get to use my beloved 35mm f1.4. I made a video about that lens that kinda blew up on YouTube. It is my favorite lens of all time and I am so happy to be using it again. It has even more imperfections and flaws than I remembered but in the best way possible.

It can’t be my only setup. I need better autofocus and speed, not only for work but even for just capturing my crazy kids. But when I want to go out into the world and and try to make art this is the perfect setup right now for me.