Help with a GFX 100 or 100S question

[Greg Haag]

I am considering a GFX100 or 100s and was hoping to get a little guidance.

1. Other than weight are there any big benefits of one vs the other?

2. One of the reasons that the GFX interest me is that I have a some Hasselblad H lenses and Leica S lenses and it appears there are adaptors for these. Anyone have experience with adapting these lenses?

3. How do these cameras perform handheld?

4. Best wide lens?

Any additional ideas or feedback would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

 

[glennedens]

Hello Greg,

I haven't been on in weeks and saw your question, here's my 2 cent YMMV of course:

1. Other than weight are there any big benefits of one vs the other?

On the GFX100S no accessory grip, you lose the tilt and swivel EVF, lower resolution EVF 3.69mp
On the GFX100 you have a grip always - although it is not the best feeling, you get the tilt-swivel EVF and higher resolution EVF 5.76mp
In reality the EVF difference is a lot less than I thought, although I missed the tilt and swivel - although that was an extra piece of hardware on the GFX100 that made it even bigger and heavier
On the GFX100s you use the new battery NP-W235, which has a great dual charger option from Fuji and is 2200mAh at 7.2v, the NP-T125 is 1250mAh at 10.8v so the newer battery for the GFX100s has more capacity, the GFX100 can hold two batteries and the GFX100S can only hold one
The GFX100 is much larger and heavier
There are some user interface differences, I prefer the 100S, however that is very personal
Image quality is identical from 1,000s of images on both

2. One of the reasons that the GFX interest me is that I have a some Hasselblad H lenses and Leica S lenses and it appears there are adaptors for these. Anyone have experience with adapting these lenses?

I've used the Hasselblad adapter (Fuji as you know co-designed the H-series lenses) and it worked fine, albeit slower focus. I didn't try the S adaptor since much of the time my S-lenses were on holiday in the EU getting fixed (ultimately that got resolved and the last fix was permanent, however at that time I moved from the S007 to the SL2).

3. How do these cameras perform handheld?

Again YMMV, I didn't like using the GFX100 handheld (at all), I totally enjoy using the GFX100S handheld, the IBIS on both work well and they are both fine on a tripod. I would say I use the GFX100S about 3x more often than I did the GFX100 due to size/weight.

4. Best wide lens?

If you want to stick with Fuji you currently have the 23mm (18mm equivalent), it is a really nice lens. A 20-35mm Zoom is in the works and will most likely be announced in May and ship late this year, although it could slip to next year. My basic kit is the 23, 30, 45 and 110 if I want only primes, which is often the case for me. The 50 is an amazing lens creating a 100mp compact point and shoot for walking around The zooms are a bit more complex - the 32-64 is great and the new 35-70 is great (and might even be a bit better than the 32-64, it is tiny although a slow max aperture). The 45-100 is excellent and the 100-200 is not as bad as often reported, its actually fine. The 250 is a tank but stellar even with the teleconverter. I have never used the 63 or 80. There is also a tilt-shift lens in the works and a few others on the roadmap. Why Fuji used so many filters sizes is annoying though.

Any additional ideas or feedback would be appreciated!

Where I ended up on this journey was H3Dxxx to S007 to X1Dii to GFX100 to GFX100s - that was a 2 decade journey. The S007 is a special system as you know. The GFX100 was purchased used and was the most short-lived (3 months for me, I just didn't get along with it), the X1Dii/907x was about keeping my V-system alive - a whole different journey since I had V-system lenses and bodies going back to the mid-80s. While I loved the S007 optical finder and the beautiful lenses there were just too many issues and the upgrade path to the S3 didn't make sense for my purposes. The SL2 and the L-glass is stellar (along with a safe bet that the SL3 is going to be 60mp) and the SL system gets used a whole lot more than the S007 ever did. The GFX100S is my choice for serious landscape work and serious road trips.

There are a lot of L-brackets for the GFX100S, I found the Kirk to be the overall most usable.

Hope this helps in some small way, Glenn

 

[Greg Haag]

Hello Greg,

I haven't been on in weeks and saw your question, here's my 2 cent YMMV of course:

1. Other than weight are there any big benefits of one vs the other?

On the GFX100S no accessory grip, you lose the tilt and swivel EVF, lower resolution EVF 3.69mp
On the GFX100 you have a grip always - although it is not the best feeling, you get the tilt-swivel EVF and higher resolution EVF 5.76mp
In reality the EVF difference is a lot less than I thought, although I missed the tilt and swivel - although that was an extra piece of hardware on the GFX100 that made it even bigger and heavier
On the GFX100s you use the new battery NP-W235, which has a great dual charger option from Fuji and is 2200mAh at 7.2v, the NP-T125 is 1250mAh at 10.8v so the newer battery for the GFX100s has more capacity, the GFX100 can hold two batteries and the GFX100S can only hold one
The GFX100 is much larger and heavier
There are some user interface differences, I prefer the 100S, however that is very personal
Image quality is identical from 1,000s of images on both

2. One of the reasons that the GFX interest me is that I have a some Hasselblad H lenses and Leica S lenses and it appears there are adaptors for these. Anyone have experience with adapting these lenses?

I've used the Hasselblad adapter (Fuji as you know co-designed the H-series lenses) and it worked fine, albeit slower focus. I didn't try the S adaptor since much of the time my S-lenses were on holiday in the EU getting fixed (ultimately that got resolved and the last fix was permanent, however at that time I moved from the S007 to the SL2).

3. How do these cameras perform handheld?

Again YMMV, I didn't like using the GFX100 handheld (at all), I totally enjoy using the GFX100S handheld, the IBIS on both work well and they are both fine on a tripod. I would say I use the GFX100S about 3x more often than I did the GFX100 due to size/weight.

4. Best wide lens?

If you want to stick with Fuji you currently have the 23mm (18mm equivalent), it is a really nice lens. A 20-35mm Zoom is in the works and will most likely be announced in May and ship late this year, although it could slip to next year. My basic kit is the 23, 30, 45 and 110 if I want only primes, which is often the case for me. The 50 is an amazing lens creating a 100mp compact point and shoot for walking around The zooms are a bit more complex - the 32-64 is great and the new 35-70 is great (and might even be a bit better than the 32-64, it is tiny although a slow max aperture). The 45-100 is excellent and the 100-200 is not as bad as often reported, its actually fine. The 250 is a tank but stellar even with the teleconverter. I have never used the 63 or 80. There is also a tilt-shift lens in the works and a few others on the roadmap. Why Fuji used so many filters sizes is annoying though.

Any additional ideas or feedback would be appreciated!

Where I ended up on this journey was H3Dxxx to S007 to X1Dii to GFX100 to GFX100s - that was a 2 decade journey. The S007 is a special system as you know. The GFX100 was purchased used and was the most short-lived (3 months for me, I just didn't get along with it), the X1Dii/907x was about keeping my V-system alive - a whole different journey since I had V-system lenses and bodies going back to the mid-80s. While I loved the S007 optical finder and the beautiful lenses there were just too many issues and the upgrade path to the S3 didn't make sense for my purposes. The SL2 and the L-glass is stellar (along with a safe bet that the SL3 is going to be 60mp) and the SL system gets used a whole lot more than the S007 ever did. The GFX100S is my choice for serious landscape work and serious road trips.

There are a lot of L-brackets for the GFX100S, I found the Kirk to be the overall most usable.

Hope this helps in some small way, Glenn

Glenn,
It is great to hear from you! As always great detail and very helpful! I believe I am going to order the 100S in the morning, still a little undecided on the lens kit. I am probably working to hard to keep my S and H lenses, maybe it is time to part with them. Please tell Amelia I said hello!
Thanks again,
Greg

 

[glennedens]

Greg, will do! I found the H lenses had a nice "character" on the GFX. I'd have to add the H lenses are starting to show their age compared to newer optical designs, coatings, software fudging, er' correction, and while I miss the distance and depth scales the aperture rings on the Fuji lenses are a warm and fuzzy feeling for me. OTOH the Leica S glass is still state-of-the-art and hopefully someone's got direct experience with the Fuji S adaptor. I am pretty sure you can't use the leaf shutters in the CS lenses. Good luck with the decisions

I've not had time to get on GETdpi in many weeks so it was nice to start to catch up today.

Kind regards, Glenn

 

[vjbelle]

I have owned both and would stay away from the 100. Big, heavy, expensive and without any visual benefits over the 100s. Most importantly your/my journey is all about lenses. Be careful with the Fuji lenses..... test every one of them. I have all primes 50, 63, 80, 110 and have no experience with the zooms but Chambers seems to really like the GF 35-70 which is fairly light and not very expensive. You also may want to visit Jim Kassons site for his testing of 'H' lenses on the GF and extensive testing of the GFX cameras. As I remember the results with adapting the 'H' lenses were not that good. I do use my 'V' 180mm lens on the 100s and it is really stellar.

For me the 100s really shines on my Actus where I can use it with all lenses 72mm and beyond. I don't shoot wide that often so the GFX/Actus combination works well for me. My 4150 has not seen much use since the purchase of my 100s.

You will enjoy the 100s.....

Victor B.

 

[Greg Haag]

I have owned both and would stay away from the 100. Big, heavy, expensive and without any visual benefits over the 100s. Most importantly your/my journey is all about lenses. Be careful with the Fuji lenses..... test every one of them. I have all primes 50, 63, 80, 110 and have no experience with the zooms but Chambers seems to really like the GF 35-70 which is fairly light and not very expensive. You also may want to visit Jim Kassons site for his testing of 'H' lenses on the GF and extensive testing of the GFX cameras. As I remember the results with adapting the 'H' lenses were not that good. I do use my 'V' 180mm lens on the 100s and it is really stellar.

For me the 100s really shines on my Actus where I can use it with all lenses 72mm and beyond. I don't shoot wide that often so the GFX/Actus combination works well for me. My 4150 has not seen much use since the purchase of my 100s.

You will enjoy the 100s.....

Victor B.

Thank you Victor! I am still trying to decide where to land on lenses, I had been thinking the 23, 45, 110 and possibly the 250, but I will visit the sites you mentioned see if that changes my thoughts. I hope you had a great trip to the Florida's keys!

 

[glennedens]

The GFX100s, 23, 45, 110 and 250 weigh 10.3 lbs, add the 1.4x and weight is 11.2 lbs - with the teleconverter that gets you 18, 45, 87, 200 and 280 effective focal lengths, which is both about what I can carry in a backpack for a day and a very flexible range. I'll leave the 250+1.4x behind unless I know I'll need it and that gets the weight to 7.15 lbs. Filters for the 23, 45, 110 and 250 are 82, 62, 77 and 82 respectively if you use filters at all. If you get the 250mm you might want the Haoge LMR-FX122 replacement foot with Arca Swiss dovetail (Amazon). Victor is spot on you do need to test the lenses.

I bring 4 batteries and the Fuji Dual Charger with a USB-c to 12V adaptor and the included AC adaptor for charging, I've rarely ever used more than 2 or 3 batteries in a day. Lots of choices for L-brackets and I found the Kirk has the best finish, I don't believe RRS is shipping their version yet (haven't checked in a while). I've been using the Sony Tough M (SF-M128T) memory cards without any issues so far.

I use a cable release, the Fuji RR100. Tripod wise I've found the RRS BH40 head and the TFC33 MkII work fine and are very light weight, although the BH55 and TVC33 MkII are a bit better but heavier, so I'll usually carry the BH40/TFC33. I know the BH40 is not everyone's favorite ball head, and there are so many choices today.

Bag wise (YMMV a lot) I've really liked the Shimoda Explore 35 V2. Upper left is 23mm, upper middle is RR100 cable release and upper right 110mm. Middle left is 1.4x + Fuji Macro Extension Tubes with a light meter below, middle is GFX100S with Kirk plate, middle right is 45mm with SD cards below, bottom left is 250mm with Haoge foot and bottom right are batteries. Cleaning kit, charger and filters (if any) are in the upper top pocket, water bottle and tripod on outer left and right.

I'm just doing Dante's work here

 

[Greg Haag]

Glenn, Dante would be so proud! This picture is almost the exact setup I would have. I have an older Shimoda Explore 40 or F-Stop Ajna that I will probably use and a TFC-34 w either Arca Swiss D4 or RRS40 ball head. Thanks for the picture and all the help!

 

[vjbelle]

Thank you Victor! I am still trying to decide where to land on lenses, I had been thinking the 23, 45, 110 and possibly the 250, but I will visit the sites you mentioned see if that changes my thoughts. I hope you had a great trip to the Florida's keys!

Not the 45..... for sure the 50mm.

Victor B.

 

[Greg Haag]

Not the 45..... for sure the 50mm.

Victor B.

Thanks Victor!

 

[glennedens]

Victor why not the 45? I have both and the 50 is a lot smaller than the 45, both of my copies are fine.

 

[jecxz]

1. Other than weight are there any big benefits of one vs the other?

I have both bodies and originally purchased the 100S as a backup. However, I use them interchangeably now that I've got them programmed similarly. I can't use the 100 handheld, but the 100S is perfect for it and I set up an Action "profile" for that purpose. If you had to choose, one or the other, other than depending on your style of photography, you might be able to do more with the 100S because of its compactness. Otherwise I can do the same with both. One other point: with the 100 you have the option of the different viewfinder eyepiece, if you can use that.

2. One of the reasons that the GFX interest me is that I have a some Hasselblad H lenses and Leica S lenses and it appears there are adaptors for these. Anyone have experience with adapting these lenses?

I use my HC lenses on the GFX and they perform much better than my Canon L lenses (not that you asked that). My goto HC lenses were always the 35 and 100. The Fuji 23mm has sort of taken the place of yhe HC35 and the Fuji 80mm over their 110mm takes the place of the HC100. However, nothing in the Fuji lens line up matches the bokeh of the HC100, in my opinion, and i frequently use the HC100. I'm very happy with the HC lenses on the GFX. I'm not a pixel peeper, whatever, I'm an artist, these lenses are like paintbrushes, each has a quality and purpose; I refrain from words about lens performance comparisons, instead seek what artists have created with a lens - but that is me and lens performance can certainly be in issue in other photographic pursuits i.e. architecture or portraiture.

3. How do these cameras perform handheld?

100S is your handheld choice. The 100 would require far more gym time for me.

4. Best wide lens?

23mm for sure, but I use the 30mm too.

Any additional ideas or feedback would be appreciated!

It took me a year to get acquainted with the GFX, I struggled, however you may not. If you want more on my experience: https://www.derekjecxz.com/post/fujigfx100

I hope I've helped!

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Greg Haag]

Thank you Derek, this was very helpful! I am so please to hear about the HC lenses, I will order the adaptor this morning!
Thanks again,
Greg

 

[Greg Haag]

Thanks for everyones help! I ordered the 100s from @Steve Hendrix and it should be here today. Lenses appear to be in short supple, so I will work with a kit lens and experiment with some adapted lenses for the time being.
Thanks again,
Greg

 

[vjbelle]

Victor why not the 45? I have both and the 50 is a lot smaller than the 45, both of my copies are fine.

I had two bad copies so my experiences are very different from yours. My 50mm is a great copy and the focal length is so close to the 45mm that I wouldn't take a chance on a 45mm purchase again. Im sure there are great copies of the 45mm out there but I sure didn't get one.

Victor B.

 

[jecxz]

Greg, Steve is a good person, he will take care of you. I might order a 2nd HC adapter. Good luck and be safe.

 

[vjbelle]

Greg..... B&H has most of the GF lenses in stock. If a lens turns out to be a bad copy a replacement or return is very easy.

Victor B.

 

[glennedens]

Victor, yes totally understand now, I went through two 32-64 and two 120s. As you originally said, test.......

I had two bad copies so my experiences are very different from yours. My 50mm is a great copy and the focal length is so close to the 45mm that I wouldn't take a chance on the a 45mm purchase again. Im sure there are great copies of the 45mm out there but I sure didn't get one.

Victor B.

 

[algrove]

Greg
So I own the 100S after selling my 50R's. The 23 is a very nice WA lens. I like the LM lenses and regard them as the best ones for me. I also like the 50 but seem to use the 32-64 all the time on one body and the 100-200 on another body. I also like the 250 however it can be limited use unless you go to death Valley where it shines especially with the 1.4x.

If you want a 45 I am selling mine which I never used. Also will sell either he 120 or 110 soon too. 120 never left the house and 110 was used one day. Much of the Death Valley book you have was shot with the 50R and the entire steam engine series was shot with the 50R and 23, 32-64 and 100-200. I also like that the 1.4x fits either the 100-200 or my 250.

 

[Greg Haag]

Greg
So I own the 100S after selling my 50R's. The 23 is a very nice WA lens. I like the LM lenses and regard them as the best ones for me. I also like the 50 but seem to use the 32-64 all the time on one body and the 100-200 on another body. I also like the 250 however it can be limited use unless you go to death Valley where it shines especially with the 1.4x.

If you want a 45 I am selling mine which I never used. Also will sell either he 120 or 110 soon too. 120 never left the house and 110 was used one day. Much of the Death Valley book you have was shot with the 50R and the entire steam engine series was shot with the 50R and 23, 32-64 and 100-200. I also like that the 1.4x fits either the 100-200 or my 250.

Lou, I am in the market for a 23, 45, 110 and 250 if you decide to sell yours. My priorities are the following from highest to lowest; 23mm, 110mm, 250mm and 45mm.
Thanks!