A Time for Medium Format

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Over the past couple of years, a transition has occurred that is finally bringing medium format digital photography to the masses. With the introduction of the first mirrorless systems in the genre, as well as more players in the game than ever, medium format will likely continue to expand and evolve at a faster pace in the future. More brands are treading into the larger-than-full-frame waters, and evolutions are also taking place in the high-end segment of this market. With more eyes on medium format than ever, it is exciting how this previously professional-only class is now being opened more and more.

Cameras

The biggest hits in the past year, even outside of the medium format world, are the two new competing mirrorless medium format options: the Fujifilm GFX 50S and the Hasselblad X1D-50c. As the flagbearers of “The New Medium Format,” these two relatively compact options are appealing in so many ways. Both cameras make use of the 44 x 33mm 50MP CMOS sensor, first brought to popularity by the Pentax 645Z, which has been enticing due to its awesome image quality, dimensions that are larger than the common 36 x 24mm “full-frame” sensor and, honestly, a price that keeps these cameras in a reasonable market for shooters outside of the professional realm.


Fujifilm GFX 50S Medium Format Mirrorless Camera

Beyond the sensor, the Fujifilm and Hasselblad mirrorless systems stray greatly and appeal to different segments in a unique way. The Fujifilm GFX system is clearly poised as the more modular system of the two, down to the fact that it comes stock with a removable 3.69m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder and was announced alongside a bevy of accessories, such as the EVF-TL1 EVF Tilt Adapter , the H Mount Adapter G, and the View Camera Adapter G, for various shooting applications. Complementing Fujifilm’s own intended versatility, the GFX’s design has even led to third-party manufacturers producing accessories for the camera (a first for a genre that has traditionally been very much proprietary all the way), such as a wide variety of lens adapters for working with lenses outside of the GFX system.


Fujifilm H Mount Adapter G

On the other side of the mirrorless medium format world, Hasselblad’s X1D system has chosen the sleeker and more concise route, which is equally appealing, if not for many different reasons. While the Swedish system does not have the same inherent versatility as the Japanese, it does have a leg up in terms of the impressively small stature of the camera body and its ability to defy the old rule of medium format equaling heavy, studio-focused cameras. The camera body is hardly larger than a full-frame DSLR, making it perfect for the traveling landscape and lifestyle photographer. The Hasselblad also has the benefit of being focused around a leaf-shutter-based lens system, for working with higher flash sync speeds than the Fujifilm.


Hasselblad X1D-50c Medium Format Mirrorless Digital Camera

Looking outside these two popular options, let us not forget that the traditional medium format DSLR is also being improved by leaps and bounds with the Hasselblad H6D series of cameras. Based on the same 50MP sensor as the previous two, the H6D-50c is Hasselblad’s bread and butter, and is an evolutionary update to the H system of professional-intended cameras. Keeping the same modularity as previous versions, the H6D adds a handful of new features to make it more relevant to a current workflow, such as support for the updated HC/HCD lens's 1/2000-second sync speed, upgraded 3.0" rear LCDs and live view performance, improved raw video recording, and a switch to a USB 3.0 interface and CFast memory cards. And in case 50MP isn’t cutting it anymore, Hasselblad also now has the H6D-100c monster, which uses an all-new 53.4 x 40mm 100MP CMOS sensor. In addition to being double the resolution, it is also noticeably larger in dimension and approaches “full-frame” medium format sizes at nearly the size of a 645 film frame. This 100MP flavor also can record UHD 4K raw video, making it a worthwhile tool for multimedia applications.


Hasselblad H6D-100c Medium Format DSLR Camera

Also, for those who already have an H6 body, perhaps an H6X, Hasselblad has also released the H6D-100c Digital Back as a stand-alone, high-resolution option with the H-system interface.


Hasselblad H6X Medium Format Camera

Lenses

Alongside the two new mirrorless medium format systems, the pair of manufacturers is also racing to bring new lens lineups to suit these more svelte high-resolution options. Fujifilm has quickly taken it to task to develop a full lens portfolio by releasing six lenses for the GFX system in the last year. The kit lens, if you can call it that, is the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR, which is a portable standard prime offering a 50mm equivalent focal length when related to 35mm/full-frame terms. Slightly wider and favored by documentary shooters is the GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR, which gives a 36mm equivalent focal length, and even wider still is the 18mm equivalent GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR. There is a zoom, too, with the GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR, which covers a wide-to-normal 25-51mm equivalent range. At the longer end, Fujifilm has a GF 120mm f/4 Macro R LM OIS WR—an image-stabilized, 95mm equivalent prime with 1:2 magnification and 1.5' minimum focusing distance. And for portrait shooters, there is the fast 87mm equivalent GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR, which is perfect for isolating subject matter and producing shallow-depth-of-field results. Each of these lenses is weather sealed, and lenses with an LM in the name feature a linear motor for smooth, quiet, and internal autofocusing.


Fujifilm GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Lens

On the Hasselblad side, a quartet of primes is currently available, with more coming in the new year. At the wide end is the 24mm equivalent XCD 30mm f/3.5, which is closely followed by the XCD 45mm f/3.5 for a 35mm equivalent focal length. Portrait shooters have the XCD 90mm f/3.2, a 71mm equivalent lens, and the current macro option is the 95mm equivalent, 1:2-magnification XCD 120mm f/3.5 Macro. As previously mentioned, each of these is designed around a Central Lens Shutter system that permits syncing flash with shutter speeds up to 1/2000-second, which is ideal for location lighting and more flexible use of external strobes. Additionally, all lenses have autofocus with an internal focusing design and full-time manual focus override.


Hasselblad XCD 30mm f/3.5 Lens

Looking at the HC- and HCD-series of SLR lenses, Hasselblad completely updated its lens lineup when the H6D cameras were announced. Keeping the same focal lengths and optical designs, these new lenses, which are demarcated by an orange dot, now support flash sync at up to 1/2000-second, up from 1/800-second on the previous versions, and also sport a more robust physical design and a more durable shutter mechanism that is rated for up to one million actuations.

Accessories

Going hand in hand with the multitude of camera and lens options, there are plenty of recent additions to the accessories market to make use of these enticing new imaging platforms. Bolstered by the update to mirrorless, with its absence of a mirror and inherent shorter focal flange distance, Cambo has released a dedicated version of its ACTUS view camera bodies specifically for the GFX: the ACTUS-GFX. This unique bellows allows you to effectively transform your GFX into a view camera for working with perspective and focus control camera movements, as well as the ability to use a variety of lens types, including large format optics. For a bit less functionality, but a much more streamlined appearance, Cambo has also released a pair of sophisticated lens adapters for the two mirrorless options: the CA-XCD and CA-GFX Lens Adapters for Hasselblad X and Fujifilm G, respectively. These adapters allow you to mount Canon EF lenses on your medium format body, and have a built-in motor for onboard aperture control. These adapters are intended for use with Canon’s TS-E tilt-shift lenses, which have a large enough image circle to cover the larger medium format image sensor.


Cambo ACTUS-GFX View Camera Body with Fujifilm GFX Bayonet Mount

Looking Forward

With the medium format world certainly looking up right now, it’s an exciting time to be at the crossroads of common full-frame cameras and professional medium format systems. Prior to late, this gap between the two markets was quite vast, and the new medium format guard is finally filling in the space between the larger sensor sizes and improved image quality while keeping cameras within reach, modest in size, and familiar in usage. The medium format segment is only going to continue transcending into the hobbyist market over time, with more enticing camera options to come and richer lens systems to be formed. Are you ready to make the jump to medium format? What are the features that are still missing from the medium format world? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this exciting market, and target-audience shift, from working pros to avid photography enthusiasts.

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