FUJILOVE

ALL THINGS FUJIFILM X AND GFX 50 / May 2020

KAREN HUTTON
JEANNINE WITT-JENTSCH
JANET EFRATI
LINDA SHIH
ZIPORA LOCKER
Myanmar: A Country Of Simplicity RICO PFIRSTINGER
Raj Sarkar OLAF SZTABA
Let's talk Fujifilm.
 FUJILOVE MAGAZINE
ISSUE 50

COVER IMAGE
Raj Sarkar

EDITORIAL
Tomash Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Baxter Managing Editor
Dani Corbett Design

CONTRIBUTORS
Karen Hutton
Jeannine Witt-Jentsch
Janet Efrati
Linda Shih
Zipora Locker
Rico Pfirstinger
Olaf Sztaba
Raj Sarkar

WWW.FUJILOVE.COM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Photo: Linda Shih

ALL THINGS
FUJILOVE | 3 FUJIFILM X AND GFX
18
ISSUE 50 | MAY 2020

05
80
5 THE VIEW FROM HERE:
ADVENTURES ON THE ROAD
WITH THE GFX 50S
KAREN HUTTON

18 WHY FAMILY
PHOTOGRAPHY IS MUCH
MORE THAN PRESERVING
MEMORIES
JEANNINE WITT-JENTSCH

31 JOURNEY THROUGH
VIETNAM
JANET EFRATI

44 FUJILOVE INTERVIEW:
LINDA SHIH

54 FROM THE FEED

44 70
FUJILOVE COMMUNITY

58 FUJILOVE INTERVIEW:
ZIPORA LOCKER

67 RICO’S QUICK TIPS

70 CONSIDERATIONS WHEN
CHOOSING YOUR FIRST GFX
CAMERA AND GF LENSES
OLAF SZTABA

80 MYANMAR: A COUNTRY OF
SIMPLICITY
RAJ SARKAR
 THE VIEW
FROM HERE:
Adventures
ON THE ROAD WITH
THE GFX 50S

Karen Hutton

After shooting the X-T series for years, Karen Hutton decided it was
finally time to step into medium format for her fine art travel and
landscape work. So, she took a 2500-mile road trip to test her ideas
before taking the plunge. Here’s how it all unfolded.

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 5
IT ALL STARTED WITH THE X-T
SERIES
I’ve been a Fujifilm X-Photographer
since 2015. And I’ll tell you one thing:
since switching to Fujifilm mirrorless
cameras, I’ve never looked back.
Here’s the thing: I think of the world
of nature as the ‘brushstroke of creation’.
It has a particular life, light and meaning
to me. From the moment I picked up a
Fujifilm camera (an X-T10 in 2015), it
made me able to breathe all that in and
pour out expression and intent in a
whole new way. It has truly become a
part of me, my creative paintbrush, from LOVING THOSE POST- STORM
SHADOWS ON THE FIELDS IN IDAHO
the X-T1, X-T2 and X-H1, and now my GFX 50S + GF110mmF2 at f/14,
1/280 sec, ISO 200
X-T3.
The cameras themselves and their
vast lens selection have meant I could
create just about any perspective I could
imagine, from macro to wildlife, portraits
to landscape, awesome telephoto
compression to exactly the periphery
that my eye sees, both out in nature and
anywhere in the world I travel. I can tell
stories that make my heart sing. It’s a
versatility and blue-sky approach that I
absolutely adore.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 6
THE LURE OF LARGER
However, I need to be honest with you
– I always had medium format in mind.
Back when I was studying photography
in school (which I ultimately had to step
back from due to health issues arising
from darkroom chemicals), of course I
studied the masters, their gear and
looked at hundreds of their prints. I
thank the original Westons, Adams,
Caponigros, Whites and others I was
blessed enough to pour over for giving
me a standard and a dream.
I knew then that I ultimately wanted
to work with larger format cameras.
There’s just a look to the images that I
always loved; I call it ‘the goosebump
factor’. They’re like their own romance
language.
A BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL IN A
GROTTO, UTAH
GFX 50S + GF23mmF4 at f/14,
15 sec, ISO 320
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 7
BREATHTAKING VISTAS FROM ENTER THE GFX 50S
THE ROAD, UTAH
GFX 50S + GF32-64mmF4 at Back in 2017, I was fortunate to be one
f/16, 1/600 sec, ISO 320 of the beta testers for the GFX 50S. In
fact, I even became one of the faces
of the launch. Once again, I was
hooked! The images were to die for;
they sang that medium format siren
song.
Interestingly, I didn’t
full ownership until this year. It
was the result of new projects, new
ideas and new creative desires, all
of which seemed to speak to the
talents of the GFX in particular.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 8
For one thing, more and more of my
projects are calling for large prints.
There’s fine art – a desire for fewer
images, but more meaningful ones.
Being there for moments that transform.
Capturing the epicness of awe in pixels.
It was time. But would I love it as
much as I thought I would? I could have
step into all the romantic ideas I wanted but
coming to a decision as to whether I
really wanted to commit to a medium
format system meant putting it to work
in the real world.
 HITTING THE ROAD
Late summer 2019 was my chance. I
took a solo 2500-mile road trip with my
truck and travel trailer through Nevada,
Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. I brought my
trusty X-T3 and all the lenses, yes, but I
also borrowed a GFX 50S with the
GF23mmF4, GF32-64mmF4, GF100-
200mmF5.6 and GF110mmF2 lenses.
This would be the true test. I hit the
road.

MY HOME FOR 2500 MILES

GFX 50S + GF110mmF2 at f/4.5, 1/1100 sec, ISO 200

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 9
MAGICAL SLOT CANYON LIGHT CAPTURING DETAILS
IN ESCALANTE, UTAH
GFX 50S + GF32-64mmF4 at f/20, 1.4 secs, ISO 320

SLOT CANYON LOVE

I’d had a bee in my bonnet for a long
time about shooting slot canyons. But
not the usual Antelope Valley style slots
with the teeming hordes (been there,
done that!). I wanted to find the lesser
known variety – the kind you need a
guide to find.

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 10
 I found the best one ever in Rick Green,
owner of Excursions of Escalante in
Escalante, Utah. I booked a private tour
and he brought me to an absolutely
jaw-dropper of a narrow slot canyon
that made my heart soar! The biggest
condition of going? I had to swear on
my life not to divulge its location. Deal.
It was glorious and the GFX 50S
performed exactly as I’d hoped: detail,
depth, tone and colours like no other.

PRIMORDIAL CURVACEOUSNESS IN THE SLOT CANYON OUTSIDE ESCALANTE, UTAH

GF X50S + GF32-64mmF4 at f/18, 0.3 secs, ISO 250

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 11
MIRRORED AND SPOOKY IN UTAH
GF X50S + GF32-64mmF4 at f/20, 1/20 sec, ISO 200

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 12
SEEING DIFFERENTLY
Everywhere I went on my trip, I had to
plan for the fact that the GFX sees
differently than my X-T cameras do. It
has to do with sensors and lenses and a
host of technical data. Artistically,
though, it meant I had to tailor my
approach to its talents, not the other
way around.
That provides both limitations and
new vistas. Both are vastly intriguing to
me, so the challenge was an absolute
blast. I was richly rewarded with that
epic, fine art medium format vibe that
embedded itself in every pixel.
And hey, if there was something I
really wanted to photograph that called
for, say, a telephoto lens, I just whipped FASCINATED WITH BARLEY
GRAIN DETAILS IN IDAHO
out my X-T3 and XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6
GFX 50S + GF110mmF2 at f/4,
lens and had at it. 1/2000 sec, ISO 250
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 13
FINDING MY FEET
I really found my feet with it on this trip.
I did it by experimenting, and
experimenting a lot. Pushing my own
boundaries. Seeing what worked and
what didn’t. Keeping an open mind
about what the GFX did exceptionally
well and then leaning into that. I find
that process yields ‘fresh eyes’ – vital for
any photographer or artist. Rebooting
your eyes to see in new ways is not only
exceptionally important in photography,
it spills over into life in all kinds of
wondrous and unexpected ways. GRAIN FIELDS IN IDAHO
GFX 50S + GF23mmF4 at f/14,
What I discovered along the way gave 1/500 sec, ISO 400
me chills. The images felt epic, but in
new ways than I’d thought of before.
They felt personal, focused, more
committed somehow. They helped me
capture even a sense of time in new
ways.
I came home high-fiving the entire
notion of adding the GFX 50S to my
quiver. For my first set of lenses, I went
with the 23mm, 32-64mm and 100-
200mm. They suit me.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 14
MOSSY CAVE ON A
STORMY DAY, UTAH HOW WILL I USE IT?
GFX 50S + GF32-64mmF4 There are particular places around my
at f/22, 2 secs, ISO 250
Lake Tahoe home area that I love to
photograph but haven’t captured in
medium format. I plan to do just that! I’ll
also be using this bad boy for my fine art
world and for any images that will be
printed big. I’ll also use GFX images for
certain printing processes I plan to
experiment with, which will benefit
immensely from the extra resolution
and detail. And I have new ideas
involving more extreme editing
processes where I want the image to
stay strong.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 15
Forever and always, I will use and love
it for that ‘medium format look’.
My dream ‘next’ lenses and other
desires gearwise:
• More extreme telephoto lenses (that
also don’t weigh a ton!)
• A macro lens that could rival the
80mm macro that I use on my X-T
cameras
I mention both of those because while
I do love the challenge and reward of
having limitations, I would also love
nothing more than to apply those lenses’
unique perspectives to the GFX way of
seeing. Spine-tingling!
SUN - SWEPT AFTERNOONS MADE TIME SEEM IRRELEVATNT, UTAH
GFX 50S + GF100-200mmF5.6 at f/20, 1/800 sec, ISO 400

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 16
STORMY SUNSET ON And, of course, my next big dream is
MOUNT NEBO, UTAH
GFX 50S + GF23mmF4 at the GFX 100. Of course!
f/18, 1/12 sec, ISO 200
It’s been quite a journey from the first
beta test to now. I feel like I’ve been
honed as a photographer and artist, and
it’s like a new world is opening up as we
speak. I plan to make the most of the
view from here!

KAREN HUTTON
www.karenhutton.com

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 17
 WHY
Family
PHOTOGRAPHY IS
MUCH MORE THAN
PRESERVING
MEMORIES

Jeannine Witt-Jentsch

Jeannine Witt-Jentsch explains how switching to the X100F

revolutionised the way she was documenting the life of her family and
gave her some food for thought when it came to how she was shooting
family photos for her clients.

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 18
X100F + WLC X100 II at f/2.8,
I DON’T WANT TO SHOW OFF MY
1/2000 sec, ISO 200
KIDS, I WANT TO SHOW OFF MY
WORK
I often get asked why I need to show
pictures of my kids on the internet. I am
not sure if this is a thing in other
countries but in Germany, where
everyone is more than aware of their
personal right of privacy, people are not
very open-minded about this topic.
I have thought about the following
questions for a long time:
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 19
• Am I violating the civil rights of my
children?
• Can the photos I post do harm to
them?
• Do I influence my children or other
people with my pictures? (I hope so.)
• Am I acting against their will?
I have to admit that not all of these
questions could be answered with a “no”
and what I do is for an egoistic reason.
 I empower my children to decide by
themselves. I try to explain what it
means when pictures of them are
published on the internet and what
consequences this could have. If they
don’t want to have a photo taken, I don’t
take it. If they don’t want me to show
specific photos, I don’t show them
online. Even if my son (four years old)
isn’t yet able to understand all effects
and consequences, I am very aware of
how I show him and his personality to
others.

X100F at f/2.8, 1/4000 sec, ISO 200

 I cannot count how often the impulsive
photographer in me wanted to take
pictures of my kids screaming and
yelling to document the moment. But I
did not. I respected this very private
moment, and even if taking a picture
and showing it off to others are two very
different things, I wouldn’t do one or the
other knowing that they don’t want this.
With everything you do, you influence
other people. I influence my children by
showing pictures of them. Others
influence children (and adults) by
creating art that shows men and women
in specific ways, albeit beautiful ways
but, in my opinion, in one-dimensional
ways. I do not want to judge this kind of
photography as I, too, love how special
and beautiful people can be from the
outside. But I don’t want to be judged
for my photography showing life like it
is (as close as I can get to that) or the
way I represent it to others too.

I see my photos as art, so what should I do with

them? Why do we create? To leave it for ourself?
Doesn’t every artist want to show his work? Isn’t
the source of all creative work egoism?
X100F at f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 200

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 21
HOW MY CHILDREN CHANGED MY
PHOTOGRAPHY
Since starting in photography, I have
always been interested in what moves
people and how their minds work. After
years of trying to show that in my photo
work, I realised that I was able to take
halfway interesting and sweet portraits
but that wasn’t exactly what I was
searching for.
The first approach of documenting
life like it is started in 2012 when our
first child was born. I started what one
would call a classical 365 project,
documenting with pictures and words
what had been new every day, what
developed, feelings and ‘firsts’. Looking
back, this proceeding was a wonderful
way to keep in mind what happened but,
told to be truth, there was nothing
special about taking a picture a day with
my iPhone, something a lot of people do
to remind themselves and their families
what has happened in that special
period of time.
X100F + WLC X100 II at f/2.0, 1/30 sec, ISO 200
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 22
X100F at f/4.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 200

The same happened when our son

was born. Snapping pictures without
really being inside the situation wasn’t
satisfying for me. I wasn’t able to show
the inner self, the true life.

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 23
 At this time, I felt trapped and my
photography didn’t seem to evolve. I
loved spending time with my family but
back then I didn’t have the time to focus
on my photography skills.
Later on, the most obvious thing came
to my mind: family and photography
were the most important things in my
life, and I had to find a way to combine
the two. In fact, kids had never been my
focus regarding photography: they move
too fast, pull faces all the time and of
course do exactly the opposite of what
you expect them to do. So, I tried to
figure out if there was a way to be part
of their world without being an intruder.

X100F at f/2.0, 1/30 sec, ISO 320

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 24
 Esteeming the purity and innocence
of being a child, I did not want to make
pictures that forced them to act in a way
they never normally would in everyday
situations.
In 2018, I seriously started with a
more ambitious approach
photographing our family life and I soon
discovered that my Nikon DSLR wasn’t
the best choice for taking this kind of
pictures. Even with the lightest prime
lens it was too heavy to carry around, as
X100F + WLC 100 X100 II at f/2.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 200
well as being too loud. The sound of the
shutter took all the attention and
moment was gone. That wasn’t at all
what I was aiming for.
I continued to take a lot of photos of
my family and I even managed to start
of developing again as a photographer, but
I still hadn’t hit the documentary
approach as much as I wanted. So, the
desire of getting a smaller, quieter
camera, and one that was more suitable
for our everyday life, became bigger.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 25
HOW MY NEW COMPANION
CHANGED MY PHOTOGRAPHY
Getting the X100F in December 2018
and starting a new 365 project at the
start of 2019 unleashed my photography.
I shot every day, and I wasn’t afraid of
clicking the shutter anymore or being
discovered. Not being forced to shoot in
RAW and using my own film simulations
inside the camera to have them ready
directly after shooting was another big
advantage for me.
 I had done some research for the right
camera. The technical aspects were
important; I knew I would need reliable
autofocus and I was searching for a fast
and wide prime lens. Although weight
and size were relevant too, I prefer tools
that have a valuable feel and look. In
the end, the lovely retro charm of the
X100F made the difference for me.
The freshly started project had two
main subjects: my beautiful hometown
of Brandenburg and my family, with all X100F + WLC X100 II at f/8.0,
1/800 sec, ISO 200
the life to be offered from both of them.
From then on my new companion went
with me everywhere; I documented my
way to and from work, breakfasts and
dinners, tears and laughs, family walks
and our transatlantic vacation to the
United States. Above all, I had all the
possibilities for training my documentary
eye and developing a keen instinct for
special moments.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 26
 Even inside our house, the camera
was always within my reach. I discovered
that this would be necessary if I seriously
wanted to capture genuine moments.
The kids started an audition or a
theatrical performance, or showed us
their newest dancing skills, or mixed up
the most interesting recipes for
breakfast – I documented it all.

X100F at f/2.0, 1/15 sec, ISO 500

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 27
 The bond between my children
became stronger, and I am very proud
and happy that I found a very special
and personal way of maintaining our
daily family life. I loved that new role.
From one moment to another, I changed
from being a full working and stressed
mother to being an observer. There was
no need for stopping my children doing
things I normally wouldn’t accept in my
role as mother. On the one hand my
camera worked like a filter, shifting my
perspective towards my little ones, and
on the other I was hiding behind it like
playing hide-and-seek.
I tried to be invisible, but I have to X100F at f/2.8, 1/125 sec,
ISO 1000
admit that this is nearly impossible
when capturing your own kids because
they always try to involve you.
Nevertheless, I began to evaluate how
situations could develop and what my
children would do next. My awareness
of the whys and wherefores of why my
children act like they do grew so much,
which was something that had been
difficult for me during the years before
because I needed to learn how to handle
all the input from my growing family
and my work together.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 28
 With the new camera and an ever-
growing amount of pictures, I needed to
change my workflow. At the beginning, I
loaded the pictures directly to my
iPhone via the Fujifilm Cam Remote app
in order to develop them in the
Lightroom Mobile App. I always use the
same two to four presets, doing simple
tweaks and not needing more than two
minutes per photo. Unfortunately, RAW
files are not supported in Lightroom on
mobile devices and I simply didn’t take
the time to learn enough about the
Fujifilm film simulations. So, I went a
step backward and started working with
good old reliable RAW again.

X100F + WLC X100 II at f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 200

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 29
HOW MY PHOTOGRAPHY COULD
CHANGE THE WAY FAMILIES LOOK
AT THEMSELVES
After developing my personal
photography to a more documentary
approach, I asked myself how I could
transfer that knowledge on a
professional level.
As I had been doing lifestyle-
photoshoots with families for some
years, I thought I would give it a try and
change the setup for those photoshoots.
I asked two of my long-time clients if
we could take a more documentary
approach for an upcoming shoot. I
discovered that while the kids did what
kids do, the more difficult part was to
get the parents out of their role as
coordinating advisors. For this approach,
it’s necessary to change the expectation
to what family portraits look like and to
teach them that there are more
possibilities than one-dimensional
standard family pictures.
I would be happy to have further
documentary photoshoots with other
families to develop my skills more. My
goal is to create pictures that show that
it’s not about how we look in an image
but to remember the feeling they had
while we took it.
X100F + WLC X100 II at f/2.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 200

JEANNINE WITT-JENTSCH
www.abgelichtet.com

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 30
 JOURNEY
THROUGH
Vietnam
Janet Efrati

Travelling through Vietnam with my shabby chic, beaten up and uncompromisingly

faithful X-Pro2 alongside my new X100F, I explored how I could transform travel
documentary photography into storytelling and conceptual art.

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 31
 E
FLOATING MARKET very person with a phone or
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at
17mm, f/4, 1/1900 sec, SIO 400 camera today is in some way a
photographer, and whether they
do it professionally or as a hobby, their
photos are just as out there in social
media as those who consider themselves
professional photographers. For me to
be different and to stand out in today’s
visual flood of information, it was
necessary to develop my own style, my
signature that my audience will
recognise.
My passion lies in the editing of my
photos, transforming them into my own
artistic vision. When I see a frame, I
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 32
already see the finished picture in my
head. That’s how I rock. I often hear from
fellow ‘old school’ photographers that
they don’t like to edit photos more than
a few touches in Lightroom. I beg to
differ, at least for me. I elaborately work
on my photos in Photoshop, change
backgrounds, draw in lights and
shadows, add fog and sometimes objects
to put my subject in a context that suits
the mood I want to convey with each
photograph. For me this is photography
with a different and artistic end result. I
call it ‘photography with a happy ending’.
RICE WORKER IN THE SAPA MOUNTAINS
X100F at f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO 1000
MARKET IN SAIGON
This comparison is a good example
to convey what I mean. I spotted
this tiny old lady in the market. The
finished photo was in my head and
I thought to myself, if she would
only stand somewhere else, it
could have been a great shot. I
almost ended up not taking the
shot because of the surrounding
that stole the story from my
subject, the lady. Here is the result
of how I envisioned it to be along
with the original photo.
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at f/2.8,
1/250 sec, ISO 400
 After completing two years of
exhibitions for my project ‘Human
Facets’, I wanted to explore travel
photography and see what I could
transform it into. I signed up for a
photography trip to Vietnam.
TRAVELING WITH A GROUP ON A
PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP
This trip was quite a challenge for me
for obvious reasons, a major one being
with a group of strangers with different
levels of photography skills. I prefer to
work alone and I cherish the freedom it
gives me. I was way out of my comfort
zone. I found myself focusing on actively
avoiding photographing the same
places and people as my colleagues, not
wanting to have the same photos as the
rest rather than follow my creative vibe.
All my workflow, logic and framings
vanished, and I felt lost, to say the least.
My head filled with doubts and
negativity on the first day already. What
a bummer! I had such high hopes for
MEAT MARKET, SAIGON
this project!
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at 26mm,
f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO 640
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 35
RICE WORKER IN THE SAPA MOUNTAINS
X100F at f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO 640

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 36
FISH MARKET, SAIGON
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at 26mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 400
That first night I reviewed my RAW
photos on my iPad in the hotel room
and I saw nothing. Nothing useful, at
least, just many clicks that did not even
look like mine and some I did not even
remember taking. I felt like leaving the
camera in the hotel the next day.
I talked to our guide, a friend and
photographer who I have admired and
followed for years. His tip was to forget
the group and pretend I was alone, since
it would be better having fewer shots,
taking my time and working as I am
used to. His second piece of advice was
to make contact with the people I
wanted to photograph, talk to them, use
our local guide for translation, learn
something about them, and engage in a
conversation to make a series of shots
with each one, rather than just one shot
of something or someone and moving
straight onto the next one. He suggested
looking at it as a mini storytelling series.
Around the third day, I started to feel
more at ease and familiar with the
group, forming my own little group of
three people that turned into a great
friendship even today. We were an aid to
each other rather than an obstacle.
I followed our guide’s suggestion and
talked to the local people through our
local guide or in English when possible.
This was the turning point which made
my trip pleasant, productive and
successful. Not only did I find it way
more satisfying to learn about the
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 37
people and their culture, but also when
I show the photos to others, I have a
little story to tell about each subject.
I found that people opened up and
were ready to pose more naturally than
when they felt their photo was being
‘stolen’ without a word by photo-tourists.
I switched between my two cameras, the
X100F and the X-Pro2, my heaviest
artillery on the trip, along with my go-to
lens, the XF16-55mmF2.8, which seems
to be glued to my camera most of the
time. Of course, as always, I also took my
27mm, 35mm, 90mm, 55-230mm, but I
didn’t really use any of the other lenses,
as usual!
 Our days started very early at five or
six o’clock in the morning to catch the
morning light and the awakening of the
day. I found it so peaceful and charming
and many of my best shots were during
this time. It has a different pace, a
different mood, and a feeling of
freshness of a new day when people are
at ease and smile or wave back at me.
Watching morning rituals, the opening
of shops, the preparation of the crops
for the market, way before the rush hour
where busy people rush about their
routines.

PINEAPPLE INSIDE A BOAT,

MEKONG DELTA
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at
16mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO 5000
HAIR SALON IN THE SAPA MOUNTAINS
100F at f/11, 1/200 sec, ISO 2500

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 39
ADVANTAGE OF SHOOTING WITH
FUJIFILM
Where I found the Fujis to shine was the
focus and the low light abilities. When
we stepped into a dark shop or alley and
others struggled with their ISO, I had no
trouble at all. Another benefit I found is
the dual card slot with the JPEG option,
(I use the Velvia film simulation) – kind.
perfect to share fast and easily on the
go without waiting to be back at the
hotel.
At this point, I have to give tribute to
STREET FOOD, HANOI
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at
24mm, f/2.8, 1/55 sec, ISO 3200
my beloved lens, the XF16-55mmF2.8!
It is such a capable lens – it’s tack sharp
and focuses without missing. I just love
it! Yes, I do wish it was be smaller and
lighter, but hey, one can’t have it all! And
besides, it is a small price to pay for the
quality and versatility it offers. I feel that
no other lens is needed on a trip of this
I brought my X100F for the markets
and I loved it. As always, I will moan
about the lack of a tilting screen (hello,
X100V!), which was a drawback as I like
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 40
to take shots from rather unusual angles
to make the shot more interesting and
playing with the perspectives, especially
in markets. Nevertheless, the X100F
shines like a star for street photography.
Often people did not even notice me at
all, while they declined a photo to others
with bigger cameras. This alone is a
huge bonus in street photography. The
JPEGs are brilliant and it is such a
pleasure to use it this little camera.
FARMER IN THE SAPA MOUNTAINS
X100F at f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO 640

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 41
MY GEAR AND WORKFLOW
My gear for this trip consisted of:
• X-Pro2
• XF16-55mmF2.8
• X100F
• Western Digital My Passport SSD with
500GB WiFi
• iPad Pro 12.9
I keep the Western Digital SSD in my
camera bag; it is rather small and I can
also use it as a battery pack to charge
my phone or whatever is needed. It has
a card reader and once the SD card is
full, I place it into the device inside my LADIES OF THE MEKONG DELTA
X-Pro2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 at 55mm,
bag, where it starts automatically f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO 1600
backing up only new photos so you
don’t need to worry about anything. It’s
pretty straight forward and you can rest
easy knowing that your data is safe on
the go.
When I arrived back at the hotel each
night, I connected the SSD to the WiFi
and backed up the RAW files to my iPad
so I had two copies of the RAW files. The
iPad was usually kept back in the safe at
the hotel.
FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 42
DAILY SHOWER IN THE
MEKONG DELTA CONCLUSION
X-Pro2 + XC50- What I learned on this trip to Vietnam
230mmF4.5-6.7 at 230mm,
f/6.7, 1/100 sec, ISO 2500 was the dynamics of travelling with and
working in a group within a short time
frame. It taught me to work faster and
train my eye to see things differently
and anticipate, rather than wait until
something just happens and if not, to
move on without feeling I lost a possible
good shot. I learned to carry less – just
one lens is enough! It was good to have
my data saved with the backup on the
go for extra peace of mind and not
fiddle around with SD cards or be
deleting photos in the camera because I
ran out of space. Vietnam truly changed
my approach to travel photography.

JANET EFRATI
www.janetefrati.com

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 43
 Linda
FUJILOVE
INTERVIEW

Shih
In the first of this month’s interviews, Stephanie Baxter is chatting to Linda Shih, a
hobbyist travel photographer born and raised in Fremont, California. By day she is a
software engineer and by night she is an artist, photographer, hiker and woodworker.

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 44
Miko, welcome to FujiLove! For those
readers who might not know you, can
you tell us a little bit about who you are
and what you do?
Thank you so much for the opportunity
– it’s a pleasure to be part of your
magazine. I suppose I can start by saying
that I love photography. I love shooting
all different genres and experimenting
with new ideas. I’ve always loved
animals and have developed a real
passion for wildlife photography. I shoot
mainly for myself pursuing my own
interests, but from time to time I do take
on paid gigs.
I know that you shoot a couple of
different genres. So, how would you
describe yourself as a photographer
to reflect your different photographic
interests?
I think the best way I can describe myself
would be as a photography enthusiast.
I simply love the process of capturing
photos of all types. There is no single

X-T2 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/5.6, 1/1100 sec, ISO 200

Linda, welcome to FujiLove! Can you
tell us a little bit about who you are and
what you do?
Thank you for having me! My journey
into photography began at a young
age when I discovered my dad’s Canon
AE-1 film camera stashed away in
a closet. Initially, I started off doing
mostly landscape photography during
hikes and road trips. But after a while
I found myself looking back on older
photos, the most memorable ones
being the ones with people in them. A
lot of my landscape photographs felt
like something you could find doing a
Google search and felt very generic.
At around the same timeframe, I
started travelling a lot for work to
China and also did a trip to India for a
wedding. Both being really populated
places helped shape the way I
incorporate people into my photos. In
my photography I try to bring a mix of
both landscape and street; I try to tell
a story about the relationship of people
and the environment that they’re in.

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 45
X-T2 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/4, 1/180 sec, ISO 200
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 46
 How did you come to start using Fujifilm
cameras and lenses?
My boyfriend first introduced me to
Fujifilm when he got his little X100T
and I was pretty amazed by how small
it was. I had a Canon EOS Rebel t2i at
the time and wanted something more
powerful but less clunky. I bit the bullet
and got myself an X-T2, and haven’t
considered anything else ever since.

X-T2 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/4, 1/950 sec, ISO 200

What gear is usually in your camera bag
when you travel? What’s your perfect
Fujifilm travel setup and why do you
think Fujifilm cameras/lenses are so
great for travelling with?
My boyfriend and I travel together, and
we try to pack very light. He’s very into
something called ‘one-bagging’. Typically,
we’ll try to keep it to carry-on bags only
if it’s 10 days or less. That being said, I
X-T2 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO 200
can’t carry very much with me. I tend to
shoot pretty wide, so most commonly I’ll
have my X-T2 with something flexible
and versatile, so either the XF10-
24mmF4 or the XF18-55mmF2.8-4.
(I’ve been wanting to try out the XF16-
80mmF4, though, which might just
replace both of those!)
I’ll admit I’m pretty rough with my gear,
so the weather sealing on the X-T2 has
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 48
worked out really well for me. I’ve taken
it with me in pouring rain and on very
dusty backpacking trips, and haven’t
had a single problem with it, but maybe
I’ve just gotten lucky. Additionally, the
double SD card slot has saved me on
multiple trips, multiple times. The X-T2
has been incredibly trustworthy and
resilient, which is perfect for my trips.
X-T2 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/4, 1/1500 sec, ISO 400

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 49
X-T2 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/3.2, 1/800 sec, ISO 100
 What has been your favourite place to
shoot in and why?
India, hands down. The food is incredible.
The architecture of the buildings and
temples are mind-blowing. The streets
are vibrant and colourful. And the
people are incredibly sweet, but there
are so many people everywhere! This
has made it an incredibly challenging
photography experience for me, but
it’s changed the way I photograph. I
used to despise having people in my
photos. I’d often wait until people were
gone until I took my shots, but India is
so populated that it’s just impossible
for that to happen. Photographing in
India has forced me to embrace having
people in my view and to include them
in interesting and memorable ways.
Looking back, I’ve found that photos
with people in them make me linger
just a bit longer.

X-T2 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/5.6, 1/900 sec, ISO 400

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 51
X-T2 + XF56mmF1.2 at f/1.4, 1/120 sec, ISO 400
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 52
What is your approach to photography
while travelling?
I’m fairly casual about my travel
planning. I might do a bit of research
on good times of the day for a few nice
locations, but I like to just let the rest
happen organically. I’ve tried doing
meticulous planning, but it ended up
being too stressful to keep to a tight
schedule. In my experience planning
too much in advance creates this
idealised expectation of the perfect
trip experience, and trips aren’t always
going to work out the way you’d expect.
On a recent visit to Barcelona, I threw
www.instagram.com/lindashih.raf
up for three days from food poisoning.
There are things that really can’t be
planned but that’s part of the fun! Part
of making an authentic trip is leaving
room for spontaneity and exploration to
let my own experiences form naturally.
Are there any destinations that you
haven’t yet photographed that you’d
love to in the future? Why is that
particular destination on your bucket
list?
With the COVID-19 pandemic, I don’t
really have much planned right now.
After it’s safe to travel again, there are
LINDA SHIH
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 53
too many places that I’d love to visit.
It’s a depressing thought, but I’d love
to see glaciers before they disappear
and maybe see coral reefs before they
vanish in the next few decades. Venice
is flooding increasingly often every year.
The list goes on. There are a number
of incredible places on this planet that
are slowly disappearing due to climate
change, I’d be incredibly lucky to see
just a few of those.
Thanks so much for taking the time
with me! If any of you have questions or
would like to chat, you can always find
me on my Instagram page!
FUJILOVE
COMMUNITY
FROM THE FEED
Welcome to our community feature for FujiLove Magazine! Each
month, we’re taking you behind the lens of some of the most
popular photographs shared on our Instagram feed taken by
members of the FujiLove community using #myfujilove.

X-Pro1 + XF35mmF1.4 at A few years ago I worked at a ski resort in Sweden. Every day on my way to work, I walked past this little
f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO 400
hill with lonely trees. One morning when the fog was really thick, you could not see where the snow on the
Rikard Landberg
ground ended and the sky began. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera. From that day on, I always
@landberg
brought my X-Pro1 with the XF35mmF1.4 with me to work in case the fog would be that thick again. A few
weeks later, the fog was back.

FUJILOVE | 54
GFX 50S + GF110mmF2 Recently, after a long absence, my friend Deborah reappeared in my life. During our time apart, we each
at f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 100
had discovered new passions, mine being photography and hers acting. Because she was still searching for
Jane Thomson
the confidence needed to be in front of the camera, she agreed to a portrait session in my home studio.
@janethomson
I wanted to photograph her at her most vulnerable: natural and hiding behind nothing. I love this image
because it perfectly captures her raw, authentic beauty.
The image was captured on my GFX 50S with the GF110mmF2 and lit with a Chimera Octa 2
collapsible beauty dish. I placed a black v-flat on each side of my subject.
FUJILOVE | 55
 I have always been drawn to
black and white photography.
The absence of colour drew
me more to the essence of each
image. There is a timelessness
that I believe heightened my
emotional connection to what
was being displayed, but still I
usually found myself shooting
colour because that is how we
see the world. More recently,
I began to push myself to
shoot in black and white with
the purpose of improving my
photography by focusing on
what essentially makes black and
white photography interesting,
such as the textures, tonality and
contrasts that exist within an
array of light conditions.
The idea of this image and
its composition had been a
work in progress for some time.
I would often walk down this
stairway and started thinking
about capturing the view from
the perspective of an onlooker.
I wanted to capture this in
black and white because the
environment possessed all the
ingredients or elements, such as
lines, shapes, textures, contrast
and tones, that would contribute
to the making of an interesting
image. The slightly blurred
human presence brings it to life.
Shifting my focus to only
shooting black and white has
allowed me to see the world
differently and is certainly what
I would like those who see my
images to experience.

X-E3 + XF23mmF2 at f/3.2, 1/8 sec,

ISO 400
John Papula
@johnpapula.photography

FUJILOVE | 56
I was booked as photographer for the documentation of a special concert of Max Herre X-Pro2 + XF80mmF2.8 at f/2.8, 1/70
sec, ISO 1250
and Web Web in the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle in Bielefeld. The soul singer Joy Denalane was a
Jochen Michael
surprise guest that evening. At concerts you usually don’t have much time to take pictures. On
@allesfuji
this particular evening I had the luck of documenting the whole concert. I enjoyed working
with the double exposure function of the camera; that way I can get movement in the picture
even without a flash, capturing the dynamics of the evening. I like the end result very much,
although I find the microphone tripod in the foreground a little distracting.

FUJILOVE | 57
Zipora
FUJILOVE
INTERVIEW

Locker
In the second of this month’s interviews, Stephanie Baxter is chatting to Zipora Locker, a
ten-year-old from New Jersey. The youngest of four children, she has two pet birds named
Puff and Claw (named after Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, the Hogwarts houses they are the
colors of), and loves reading, writing, dancing ballet, learning about science, and, of course,
photography, which she started learning when she was seven.

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 58
PINECONE OR ROSE? Zipora, welcome to FujiLove! Can you
X-E1 + XF23mmF2 at f/4,
1/140 sec, ISO 1250 tell us a little bit about who you are
and what your journey has been with
photography?
When I was about seven, my mother took
a photograph of a pinecone with her
Fujifilm X-H1, which she was fiddling
with in Lightroom. I happened to take
an interest in changing the colours of
it to make it look like a rose. I thought
it was really cool how you can turn an
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 59
ordinary thing into such a great piece
of artwork. Then I started taking photos
of my own with my mother’s cameras
and then one day she got me my very
own camera, the Fujifilm X-E1. I began
taking tons of photos wherever I went
(when I had my camera with me), and
then, one day, I took a pinecone shot of
my very own and turned it into a rose in
Lightroom!
How would you describe yourself as a
photographer? What sorts of things do
you like to shoot?
I mostly photograph nature, but I
recently became more interested in
street photography. I also go along
with my mother as a second shooter on
professional jobs she does for families,
which has given me a strong liking for
photographing people. My mother likes
photographing me and being the one
on the other side of the lens has given
me a taste of what being photographed
feels like. I like letting the people I shoot
do whatever makes them happy and just LITTLE BOY IN TOY CAR
be themselves. X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO 2500

FUJILOVE INSPIRATION | 60
 How has having a parent who’s a
photographer influenced your own
photography? What have you learned
from her and how have you been able to
develop your own style?
I have learnt a lot from my mother about
photography, like how to use Lightroom,
how to adjust aperture based on lighting
and how to apply the rule of thirds. She’s
also taught me a lot about her style. For
example, before we take photos of kids,
we both play with and talk to the kid
first. That way, it’s not a photo of a crying
AUTUMN PHOTO SHOOT
five-year-old, but a photo of a happy kid
X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/4,
1/160 sec, ISO 200 having a fun time!

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 61
MAPLE SYRUP TAP As far as my own style goes, I must admit
X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/11,
1/125 sec, ISO 3200 that I’m still working on developing one.
I’m very good with computers, so editing
and removing patches from photos,
especially in Lightroom, has always
been my thing. Also, I am good with
animals, and going slowly and quietly
towards an animal when I photograph
it usually works for me. Like I said, I’m
still working on my style, and I love
experimenting and trying new things.

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 62
What has been your history with Fujifilm
cameras and lenses, and what are you
shooting with these days?
My first camera was an X-E1 with an
XC16-50mmF3.5-5.6 lens. Later on, I
got an XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7, which
I use very often. Recently, my mother
came across ‘Students of Storytelling’, a
photography contest run by Fujifilm. It
said it was for students and my mother
asked them if I could join even though I
A NEWBORN COUSIN
X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8 at f/5.6, 1/4 sec, ISO 200
was just ten. They said no, but that they
would send me something, which turned
out to be an X-E3 and XF23mmF2 lens! I
highly recommend the Fujifilm X Series
for children, especially if it’s their first
camera, because with Fujifilm cameras
you can set everything either manually
with the dials or automatically, and for
me, learning photography manually
makes me a much better photographer.
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 63
What has been your experience of
photography during this time of social
distancing? How has it affected what
and how you shoot?
I am home with my three siblings, who
can sometimes be very annoying, but
we are doing some very fun activities,
which can make for great shots. I’m
also learning a lot about how to find
beauty in ordinary things and even AT THE LAKE
X-E1 + XF18-55mm at f/5.6,
if I’m not getting as many photos of 1/125 sec, ISO 200
nature, I think shelter in place is a very
good learning experience for me. That
said, there’s a construction site next
door, which is becoming a sort of zoo to
photograph with all the ducks and deer
who keep coming in, even if it’s an ugly
background!
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 64
What are your hopes for the future with
regards to your photography?
I am interested in becoming a scientist,
so I don’t think that photography is
going to be a professional job for me.
I do think that photography will always
stay with me as a hobby, however. I have
a lot of techniques I want to learn, for
example, light painting, using flash and
experimenting with double exposure. I
also enjoy panning, and I think I could
get better at it.

CENTRAL PARK BIKER

X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 1250

FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 65
What would you say to all the
photographers out there who are
parents?
I think that adults should teach their
kids photography, as that it’s a really
fun thing for kids to do. I think that it’s a
really good skill to know and it teaches
people to find beauty in ordinary, or
even normally ugly, things. I also think
that parents should teach their kids
how to photograph manually, and teach
about shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.!
This way they will actually know what
they are doing and understand how to
STARBURST
make better photos.
X-E1 + XF18-55mmF2.8-4 at
f/22, 1/500 sec, ISO 1600
ZIPORA LOCKER
FUJILOVE INTERVIEW | 66
RICO’S QUICK TIPS
Each month, Rico Pfirstinger brings us his quick tips to answer your most-asked questions related to Fujifilm gear.

QUICK
TIP
LOSSY VS LOSSLESS
1 RAW COMPRESSION
With the X-T4, Fujifilm has introduced a
new, ‘lossy’ RAW file format in addition
to the established uncompressed and
lossless compressed formats. Lossless
compression has always been my
recommendation because it cuts file
sizes in half, doing so without any
penalty on image quality. Compression
speeds up the camera (the buffer can
store additional images in burst or
bracketing modes before it overflows),
and it saves space on your SD cards and
computer.
The new lossy RAW compression
format can be set with IMAGE QUALITY
MENU > RAW RECORDING >
COMPRESSED. Compared with the A
legacy LOSSLESS COMPRESSED option,
Fig. 1: This sample image (A)
the lossy format reduces RAW file sizes was recorded with an
merely by an additional 10%. That’s a underexposure of six stops
(EV) at base-ISO 160 and then
rather modest gain, so there’s one pushed up six stops to
effectively ISO 10,000. I took
obvious question that we have to ask the shot twice: once with
ourselves: is it worth it? lossless and once with lossy
RAW compression. Applying
For shooting in continuous mode, exactly the same processing
settings, a direct comparison
Fujifilm’s official specifications of the at high magnification doesn’t
B
show visible image quality
X-T4 list identical frame numbers until
differences between the two
buffer overflow for lossy and lossless formats (B and C).
X-T4 + XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 at
RAW compression. This suggests that f/10, 1/1000 sec, ISO 160
we can expect (almost) no burst mode (pushed 6 EV to effectively ISO
10,000)
performance benefit with the new
format. It also means that the only
substantial benefit of lossy RAW
compression is reducing the RAW file C

FUJILOVE | 67
RICO’S QUICK TIPS
size by an additional 10%.
How does cutting 10% off lossless
compression affect the image quality?
Typically, lossy compression is applied
to very dark shadow details, so any
compression artefacts would be highly
invisible unless you push the RAW data
up several stops. This is a widely
reported issue with Sony’s infamous
compressed RAW file format, and it
results in a decrease of usable dynamic
range. Is Fujifilm following Sony’s
footsteps? Let’s find out!
To determine the impact of lossy
compression on dark parts of an image,
I underexposed a sample shot six stops
at base-ISO 160, then pushed it up six
stops to effectively ISO 10,000 in
Lightroom. To obtain optimal push
results, I first converted the RAF files to
demosaiced RGB-DNG files using
Fig. 2: In exposure modes A
and P, setting DYNAMIC RANGE
or D RANGE PRIORITY to AUTO
in the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING
menu makes the shutter
speed indicator in the live view
disappear until you half-press
the shutter release button.
Iridient X-Transformer (you can read
more about this in my June 2019 Gear
Talk article, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’). To
retain and reveal as many details and
artefacts as possible, Lightroom’s
luminance noise reduction was left at
zero.
In my example, I cannot spot any
image quality differences between the
lossy and the lossless compressed RAWs.
This suggests that Fujifilm’s lossy
compression algorithm doesn’t visibly
impair the dynamic range of the RAW
file.
Of course, this doesn’t prove that
there aren’t any instances where lossy
compression could have visible adverse
effects compared to lossless compressed
RAWs. Since the size benefit of the lossy
format is rather minuscule, I’ll personally
stick with lossless RAW compression.
FUJILOVE | 68
However, even if size does matter to
you, there may be another reason to
back off lossy RAW compression, at least
for now: compatibility. Only RAW
converters that use the latest version of
Fujifilm’s official RAW decompression
SDK can automatically open and process
the lossy RAF compression format.
While users of Lightroom, Iridient or
Capture One are fine, there may be
issues with other applications, especially
those that rely on open-source
decompression libraries.
QUICK
TIP SHUTTER SPEED
2 DISPLAY CONFUSION
Now you see it. Now you don’t. A frequent
‘cry for help’ in Fuji forums and groups
concerns the display (or disappearance)
of the camera-selected shutter speed in
the live view. Obviously, this can only
RICO’S QUICK TIPS
affect the exposure modes A (aperture
priority AE) and P (program AE). In modes
S (shutter priority AE) and M (manual
exposure), you select the shutter speed
and this speed is always properly
displayed. No worries.
So, what about modes A and P? It’s the
DR setting! If DYNAMIC RANGE is set to
AUTO, the camera will not display the
shutter speed until you half-press the
shutter release button and lock the
exposure. In other words, if you want to
see the shutter speed beforehand,
always set DR to a fixed value, either
DR100%, DR200% or DR400%.
Of course, the same applies to DR-P (D
RANGE PRIORITY). If you set it to AUTO,
the shutter speed indicator disappears.
Hence, set it to either OFF, WEAK or
STRONG.
Please note that SET UP > BUTTON/
DIAL SETTING > SHUTTER AE must be
ON for the selected AF mode. If not,
even half-pressing the shutter won’t
show you the selected shutter speed
when DR or DR-P are set to AUTO.
QUICK
TIP
RELEASE ISSUES
3 Another frequent complaint in
forums and groups is the “my camera
doesn’t shoot, anymore” mantra. The
cause is usually not a broken shutter
button, but an unfitting menu setting.
By default, SET UP > BUTTON/DIAL
SETTING > SHOOT WITHOUT LENS is
OFF, and this can be a problem with
adapters and third-party lenses that
don’t feature Fujifilm-compatible
electronic contacts.
For the camera, a manually (a.k.a.
mechanically) adapted lens looks just
like no lens at all, because nothing is
FUJILOVE SERIES | 69
telling the camera that you have
attached the lens or the adapter. So, if
SHOOT WITHOUT LENS is set to OFF,
the camera won’t shoot when you press
the shutter release button.
That said, there’s another possibility
that affects regular XF/XC/GF lenses
with electronic contacts: RELEASE/
FOCUS PRIORITY. If you shoot in AF-S
mode and set AF-S to FOCUS PRIORITY,
the camera won’t release the shutter
until the autofocus has locked onto a
target. This means that in those rare
situations where the AF fails, the camera
won’t take a picture.
Please note that setting AF+MF to ON
always reverts AF-S to RELEASE
PRIORITY, regardless of its RELEASE/
FOCUS PRIORITY setting.
www.fuji-x-secrets.net
Fig. 3: If you intend to use third-party
lenses or adapters without Fujifilm-
compatible electronic contacts, you must
set SHOOT WITHOUT LENS to ON.
OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT

METROPOLIS
GFX 50R + GF50mmF3.5 at f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO 1000

Considerations
WHEN CHOOSING YOUR
FIRST GFX CAMERA AND
GF LENSES
“The camera doesn’t matter” is one of the most common and misused dogmas in the
photographic industry. Of course it matters, especially when choosing your first medium
format camera and lens. There is no question that moving to medium format is a great
expense for the majority of photographers, so careful consideration should be made to
ensure the choice not only matches technical concerns but, most importantly, fits the
photographer’s way of seeing and shooting.
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OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
A PORTRAIT
GFX 50R + GF32-64mmF4
at f/4, 1/320 sec, ISO 320

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OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
B
efore I touch on specifics, I
have to start with a proviso.
Medium format is different (I
use this word repeatedly over the course
of this series for a reason!) from other
formats and requires different technical
and, on occasion, personal adjustments.
Most importantly, medium format is not
for everyone. The fact that a and GFX 50R are similar, as they both
photographer can purchase medium
format gear doesn’t mean they should
do so. Thanks to recent developments in
technology and Fujifilm’s focus on the
GFX Series, medium format is quickly
catching up to the X Series in terms of
speed and versatility. However, there are BEER CO.
GFX 50R + GF50mmF3.5 at
a number of limitations that a f/14, 1/320 sec, ISO 100
photographer should take into account
before blindly jumping into the system.
Now that’s out of the way, entering the
GFX system camera-wise gives us three
major options: the GFX 50S, GFX 50R
and GFX100. Technically, the GFX 50S
use the same sensor. There is no
difference in the image quality, and this
is where I would like to start. Given the
same output, the main difference
between these cameras involves the
mechanics of shooting.
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OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
The GFX 50S is an SLR-like camera (or
X-T4 if you prefer) with a firm grip and a
central electronic viewfinder. Due to the
massive and well-designed grip, holding
the camera is effortless. It is also very
easy to balance larger and heavier
lenses, such as the GF110mmF2. In
contrast, the GFX 50R is a rangefinder-
style camera, similar to the X-Pro2 but
oversized. It is relatively light and the
viewfinder is positioned on the left. I am
not going to debate the issue as it is a
personal preference. Whichever you
prefer, I strongly encourage you to take
each camera home and try it in real-life
shooting situations. I know that many
people, including me, have often made
assumptions about which camera we
prefer only to find out later this is not
the case. In some countries, Fujifilm
offers an excellent before-purchase
loan program, which allows you to try
the camera for a few days or even a
week. Given the price of the system, it is
worth making the effort to test each
camera. I don’t want to spend any more
time on the differences between these
two products, as you can find countless
excellent articles in the past issues of
FujiLove Magazine and on the FujiLove
NEW YORKER
website. GFX 50R + GF32-64mmF4 at
f/16, 1/320 sec, ISO 1250
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OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT

CONTAINER
GFX 50R + GF50mmF3.5 at
f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 100
OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
STRANGERS The third option is the GFX 100. This
GFX 50R + GF50mmF3.5 at
f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 800 is a totally different product. Not only
have many basic operations been
redesigned, but the camera houses a
much bigger and newer sensor. It is also
big and heavy compared to the GFX 50S
and GFX 50R. The image quality is
spectacular but very different from its
siblings. I know some photographers
who prefer older models. Again, you
must try it before making your decision.
Although we often spend hours
obsessing over a particular camera
model, the choice of accompanying
lenses is much more important. Given
that we already have ten lenses plus a
teleconverter, it’s not an easy decision.
Those who enter any new system start
with message boards, obsessing over
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every tiny technical difference between
the lenses. Unsurprisingly, expert
opinions are in oversupply and the final
answer never materialises. The first
thing to remember is that most medium
format lenses are already great due to
the demands of a larger sensor. In other
words, you are starting with a very
strong pool to choose from. But a purely
technical approach is not the ideal way
to ponder this problem. I strongly
believe that most photographers would
benefit by starting with just one lens.
Indeed, given the price of the system I
have seen many of my photographic
friends selling the entire arsenal of their
X Series or other lenses and investing in
one GFX camera and one GF lens. I did it
myself and I applaud this approach.
OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
The most important question you
should ask yourself is: “Which focal
length am I most comfortable with and
why is that?” Most photographers,
including me, will fall somewhere
between 45mm and 63mm (35mm and
50mm full-frame equivalent) in terms of
their seeing. This is certainly the most
natural way of seeing the world and is
closely in tune with the way our eyes
operate. I have been shooting with the
35mm focal length for the past five
years (almost exclusively) and I am still
learning how to frame properly.

REFLECTION
GFX 50R + GF50mmF3.5 at f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 200

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OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT

NEW YORK
GFX 50R + GF32-64mmF4
at f/16, 1/320 sec, ISO 500
OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
With this in mind, Fujifilm recently
introduced a very bold and interesting
lens: the GF50mmF3.5. It is a pancake-
like lens, very small and light with a full-
frame equivalent of 40mm. It is an
interesting focal length, falling almost
perfectly between the GF45mmF2.8 and
the GF63mmF2.8. Most importantly,
despite its low price and small size, in
my view it is one of the strongest
optically GF lenses available. How
strong? I much prefer it to my beloved
GF45mm. I strongly recommend you
consider this lens as the first one for
your GFX system. The 40mm focal
length allows for creative and careful
framing of any subject from
environmental scenes and creative
street photography, going all the way to
travel. In fact, most images you see here
were taken with this lens.
When pairing this lens with the GFX
50R, you become the operator of one of
the most portable, versatile and least
expensive digital medium format
systems on the market. In fact, I have
seen many photographers selling their
dusty collection of non-native lenses
and cameras and, without costing a cent, Sometimes the most affordable lens
entering the world of medium format
with this amazing and highly capable
combo.
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For those who are looking for zoom
lenses, the GF32-64mmF4 and the latest
GF45-100mmF4 are two versatile
choices. Both are excellent lenses, but
the question is: “Which is more
important: wider field of view or
telephoto?” Keep in mind that both
lenses are considerably heavier and
larger than the GF50mm.
Of course, there are many ways to
grow into more lenses. Again, your visual
interests and framing skills should
navigate you, rather than technical
rankings and internet forums. As a
warning, for example, many
photographers jump into the wide-
angle GF23mm lens without realising
the enormous difficulty of framing
wide-angle lenses.
Fujifilm has done an amazing job of
introducing and expanding the GFX
system and now it is up to the
photographer to choose their entry
point. The key is to try each camera and
make sure it aligns with the
photographer. In terms of the lenses,
this first step into the GFX medium
format doesn’t have to be expensive.
provides a reasonable and smart way to
begin.
OLAF SZTABA DELIBERATIONS ON MEDIUM FORMAT
A WALK WITH A DOG
GFX 50R + GF32-64mmF4
at f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 250

www.olafphotoblog.com
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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/13, 1/205 sec, ISO 160

MYANMAR:
A COUNTRY
OF
Simplicity
The importance of developing a relationship with the subject, along
with the environment, may be the key to get great frames during travel
and to understand that simplicity is the other name of beauty.

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
I
X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at was really surprised when I got the
f/22, 1/500 sec, ISO 4000
pre-launch version of the X-Pro3
from Fujifilm India for review. It had
happened just before my personal trip
to Myanmar in November last year and I
jumped with joy when I got to hold it in
my hands.
I was pretty sure that it would be an
adventurous journey to Myanmar. We all
need some kind of mindset about our
preparations in terms of gear and other
accessories before the journey. Certainly,
when you get an opportunity to test out
the latest camera, that generates even
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more excitement! Though people say
that it is always the person behind the
viewfinder that is important, I would say
that entire act of photography is
connected with some kind of emotion
associated with various things.
Most people believe that relationships
can only be built with living objects, but
this is not true for me. It depends how
you consider those things. For me, gear
plays an important role in photography.
Gear teaches us attachment, love,
dependability, trust, friendship and
more.
RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
I always say that deep observation is
the key to everything, but I would like to
include an addition to that, and that is
building a relationship or psychological
attachment to something. If you are a
street or landscape photographer, for
example, you need to build a relationship
with the subject, which, in these cases,
would be humans or nature.
It is desirable that before we start
freezing the moment, we should always
X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/9, 1/125 sec, ISO 10000
take some time to understand the
ambience with deep observations and
feeling. When I talk about forming
relationships in this context, I do not
refer to that which you would experience
with close friends or family members,
but rather developing an understanding
of your subject and their surroundings. If
you can develop an understanding of
anything, it will offer lifetime rewards.
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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

In the same way, one should develop X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at

f/10, 1/250 sec, ISO 1250
an understanding of his/her camera and
lenses so that during the decisive
moment he or she should not miss any
frame. When understanding of a certain
level is achieved, the photographer
becomes emotional and an emotion can
only find another emotional thing as a
result, the reflection of which can be
seen in their work. Most of the great
photographers are very emotional and
their philosophy about art reflects in
their works. It’s more like signals for
those who can understand the
significance of its presence in
photography.

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/6.4, 1/125 sec, ISO 640

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
So, back to my trip to Myanmar. I had
started my journey in the third week of
November. Firstly, we reached the Inle
Lake area via Rangoon. My first
impression of Myanmar was the
simplicity. When I had come close to
some of the locals, I understood that
simplicity is the other name of beauty.
During my nine days’ visit, I never felt
any negativity about this country, though
the resources of food and other facilities
was limited considering the land area of
the country. Myanmar is not as advanced
as other countries in the world, yet its
simplicity and warmth towards tourists
made this country a unique place for
travelling.
After reaching the Inle Lake area in
the early morning (around 4:00am), we
checked into a hotel and I went out to
shoot for an hour. After a nightlong
journey, most people would rest first,
then go out and shoot after. But I did not
want to waste time by taking any rest at
the hotel. I find that I can recover from
my pain, jet lag and tiredness by freezing
beautiful moments. I am that passionate
about discovering new places.
X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO 10000
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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/22, 1/500 sec, ISO 640

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at
f/14, 1/160 sec, ISO 200

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
The more time you offer to a city, the
city will give back to you the same
volume. This is something that has been
proven to be the case several times in
my life. In Myanmar I was trying to
locate some interesting subjects or
locations where I could shoot and found
a tomato factory where 99% of the
workers were female. I was shooting
from outside and after few minutes of
shooting, the workers invited me to
shoot the tomato factory from the inside.
At first I was hesitant to go inside but I
couldn’t reject the invitation as it was a
great opportunity. There was an amazing
ambience inside the factory where tons
X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO 640
of tomatoes were piled up. The workers
were separating them according to
colour, which were mostly red and green.
All the good tomatoes were being
packed in wooden boxes, which were to
be delivered to various places in
Myanmar and neighbouring countries.
After separating by colour, they were
then sorting the tomatoes by their
degrees of quality and then packaging
them up. The entire cycle was very
interesting. As it was early in the
morning, the location was covered with
mist, so for me it provided a really great
ambiance in which to shoot the activity.
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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-T100 + XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 After the tomato factory chapter was

at f/6.4, 1/50 sec, ISO 6400
over, I decided to shoot at a nearby lake
as my hotel was just beside it. Without
any warning, an aged man invited me to
have a cup of tea with him at his
roadside tea stall, so I had no option but
to accept his invitation. I was surprised
by the lovely flavour of the tea, as well
as their warmth towards a stranger like
me. Later, I took some photographs of
them and offered them some money for
the tea, but they would not accept it.

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/11, 1/160 sec, ISO 200

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
I believe in a photographer building a
relationship with an unknown subject
but here it was the other way around –
my subject was building a relationship
with me! Somebody has rightly said that
life is stranger than fiction. When a
relationship is built without any
expectation, it stays with you forever.
Even today, I am writing this article, but
they remain firmly in my memory. This
moment was more important to me
than any other I experience during my
trip. I am not talking about shutter speed
or aperture here, but simplicity. If you
meet these types of people and can feel
their soul, your art will automatically
get simpler and emotionally stronger.

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO 12600

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/9, 1/500 sec, ISO 200

As the entire world is currently under

a lockdown situation, we now have
plenty of time to review our work,
explore creativity, and once again get
the chance to enhance relationships
with friends, colleagues and relatives, as
well as to look back on the result of
ignoring these important parts of our
life and what we have lost in the process.
Our life has become nicely juxtaposed.

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/16, 1/250 sec, ISO 500

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
Life is the best teacher. We would
have never been able to understand the
experience of being in isolation for a
month before this. We find it difficult to
stay calm inside our house for 30 days
and yet we expect a bird to spend its
whole life inside a cage! Unless, we, as
photographers, develop emotion and
compassion towards nature, believe me,
we will never be able to truly feel the
joy of our creativity.

X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/10, 1/125 sec, ISO 250

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES

X-Pro3 + XF23mmF2 at f/2, 1/250 sec, ISO 320

In Myanmar I visited a few cities like

Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan, and tried
to capture some activities of the monks
and other people of these places. I was
also trying various options available in
X-Pro3, sometimes in low light,
sometimes in harsh sunlight so that I
could get the best results out of it and
fully understand the capabilities it
offers.

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RAJ SARKAR EYEFUL EPIPHANIES
I actually took three cameras in total:
the X-T100, X-T2 and X-Pro3. However,
most of the nine days were spent testing
out the X-Pro3. As a result, I developed a
good connection with the camera.
During that period, most of the time I
took travel shots and a few street shots.
For this sort of shooting, the great auto
focus and sharpness of X-Pro3 plays a
www.rajsarkar.com
great role in capturing the decisive
moments. I think that the X-Pro3 is the
best X Series camera I have used to date.
It is wonderful that Fujifilm always
update the firmware in order to
overcome any flaws the cameras may
have. For me, personally, I found the
X-Pro3 to be perfect as it is.
X-Pro3 + XF10-24mmF4 at f/22, 1/250 sec, ISO 160
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KEEP YOUR PASSION ON FIRE
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