Switching Camera Systems - Canon to FujiFilm GFX & X-Series
Switching camera systems is not only one of the hardest decisions a photographer can make, but doing so is extremely expensive. For the past 7 years I had been photographing with the Canon 5D Mark III and 3 core lenses (24-70mm, 70-200mm & 85mm). The 5D III was and still is a fantastic camera, but there were many issues I noticed about the camera the more I progressed. First being the Dynamic Range of the files and focusing were the top 2 areas I felt the camera body struggled with. After I would get back from a shoot, I would find files that were off the mark on focus and the recovery just wasn’t there.
In 2018 I purchased “The Beast” of a mighty camera, the Fuji XT-2 and 35mm F/1.4 (50mm equivalent) and immediately fell in love with not only the style and ergonomics of the camera, but the file quality was amazing. For a cropped sensor, I was so impressed by the dynamic range of the files. I then started to embrace the features of face & eye detection, focus stacking, wireless transferring, 120fps for video, etc… Those features were so new to me, but had been reading about them for a few years. It’s true, once you have those features it’s hard to not have them. The experience got me thinking… “am I willing to move on from Canon? How much will this cost me?”.
Now, fast forward to the present. I caught the Fuji bug and started to slowly chip away at creating a collection of lenses for my XT-2 and then along the way I upgraded from the Canon 5D III to the GFX100 and also added the Fuji XT-4. Which puts me at 3 Fuji camera bodies and nice collection of lenses.
Fuji glass is excellent and all things considered, affordable. When I was crunching the numbers on comparable Fuji lenses to my Canon lenses, I was shocked at how affordable (again, not cheap) the glass is. I could go on and on, but up to this point, I now have a hefty collection of X-Series lenses, with my favorites being the 16-55mm F/2.8, 23mm F/1.4, 56mm F/1.2 & 100-400mm F/4.5-6.
Fuji makes amazing medium format cameras, but up-to this point have not created a full-frame camera body which made my decision to upgrade difficult. Medium format is BIG stuff, man! Most of the work I do is portraiture and commercial and I want a camera system that can be fast and reliable. The GFX100 functions just like the full-frame camera bodies I’ve been using for years. Truly impressed with the speed, ergonomics and quality that I get. To be able to be run & gun with a medium format camera is mind blowing.
I currently have two lenses for the GFX system, the 45-100 F/4 & 110mm F/2. These lenses function flawlessly and are on point every time. Both are great performers for the work that I do and can’t wait to dive into other uses.
Below is a nice sampling of images I’ve taken since the beginning of 2020 with with XT-2, XT-4 and GFX100.
Headshots with GFX100
High School Senior Photos Fuji XT-2 & XT-4
Portraiture with GFX100,GFX50S, XT-2 & XT-4
That’s it for now! I will continue to share my experiences with the FujiFilm camera system. I’ll be posting more projects on the blog with Behind the Scenes of sessions and my creative approach. Who knows? I might even do a few tutorials on retouching Photoshop and using CaptureOne.
Jon Erlien is the Creative Design Manager at Mercury Marine and Freelance Portrait & Commercial photographer based out of Sheboygan, WI. You can follow my work on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn & Pinterest.