Australian Geographic Nature Photgrapher of the Year Comp - Fuji?

Hi,

I spent my lunch hour today browsing the SA Museum's exhibition of the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition.  There were some brilliant images in all categories - a wonderful exhibition.

It was clear that some of the images were the result of very hard work, technical skill and absolute persistence.  An inspiration to get 'out there' and do better.

As far as gear goes, images from FF cameras dominated - having being used by photographers for about two thirds of the selected collection.  Of those, FF DSLR images slightly exceeded FF mirror-less images in number.  That's probably predictable as many seasoned photographers would have had FF DSLRs for some time.  DSLRs also still have a significant advantage in battery life - critical in some field use cases.   The other third came from a spread of MF, APSC, MFT, bridge cameras and drones.

Fuji images weren't in abundance.  Out of about 110 images, four out of the five medium format images were GFX.  Only one image came from an X platform camera - an XT3 with 18-55.  I find myself wondering why.  Fuji didn't offer long lenses for some time, despite the reach advantages of APSC.  The 100-400 wasn't quite long enough. And they still don't offer any long primes.  Maybe the 150-600 will add to the attractions of the brand.

However, I'm thinking there must be more to it.   Fuji haven't really pushed themselves as a brand of choice for nature photographers.  That's despite obvious interest in this and other forums, and individual photographers showing that it can be done.  Does something about Fuji's products attract buyers interested in other genres?

Food for thought.....

Cheers, Rod