For this video, we traveled to Idaho to meet Thomas Shahan, a macro photography enthusiast and bug expert. We took the 50MP Fujifilm GFX 50S, a couple of flashes and a selection of lenses including the 120mm F4 Macro short telephoto prime.
During a busy day, Thomas showed us how to prepare for a macro shoot, and shared some tips for getting great shots using a variety of simple techniques.
But it's pretty difficult to justify the price of a such system compare to a FF DSLR + Macro... Waiting/looking at upcoming release. Maybe a 60mm (FF 40mm) Pancake :-).
Go Fuji, do not forget to integrate an even better EVF in your cameras
However, sometime disappointed by the lens price, also they seem to move the production to Philippine.. I usually care to not support such thing.
For Macro you don't need anything else than 1:1 lens. That is the thing. Macro is always at least 1:1 magnification, it means that the subject in front of the lens is same size projected to other side of the lens (the sensor/film).
Macro is nothing about specific size or equivalence etc. Only about 1:1 magnification at least.
So, 8x10 format that capture the full person face, is a macro lens when it is 1:1.
Sure you don't capture "full frame bug" but that isn't the definition of the macro lens.
So once you get the 1:1 lens for the MF, it becomes macro.
If Fuji offers only 1:2 then it ain't a macro but just close-up lens.
A 2700 USD Lens plus a 6500 USD camera that can't be used in macrophotography... I'm a proud owner of a Canon Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x and of a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm 1:2.8 MACRO With The first one I can do 1-5x macro (5DS) WIth The second one I can do Focus Stacking "on the fly" (EM1-MKii) Have fun ! Aven PS: A an Fuji X-Pro 2 Owner, I'm still waiting for a real Fuji X Macro lens...
I got the Oshiro 60mm macro f2.8 on my Canon EOS M5. For 179 USD it does a very decent job, even does 2x mag on the macro. It can focus at infinity too but I use it for macro 95% of the time. I got the Timack RF-600D LED ring light for 31 USD and it too works surprisingly well. It isn't necessary to break the bank to do real macro.
@Barney: Not just spiders but also camel spiders, whip scorpions, pseudoscorpions, scorpions, mites, ticks, hooded tickspiders, etc... all are arachnids. Many people make mistake them as insects.
This is a point of view issue. Humans like to make categories of everything. So humans decided how they will categorize various other living things. Humans don't think spiders are insects. But what do the spiders think? Oh, and the insects?
Unnecessary apology for offensive post: Insects are in fact spider lunch. I made a mistake there. Please don't twitter-assasinate me because I am spidersplaining.
This is no hate or trolling, but I guess a 1:1 Makro on fullframe has more sensor-area covered with the desired animal than a (cropped) Mediumformat with 1:2.
Don't get me wrong, this is nothing against the GFX, but the lense should have been a real 1:1 Macro. It's no magic to build after 40 years Zenza Bronica 105PE 4.5 1:1 :( And this even covers full 645-sensorsize.
i used to shoot video for a living, i know how hard it is to write a script and narrate it after the fact, and to me this clip was done pretty well... congrats.
if i won the lottery, i'd be all over mirrorless fuji mf :-)
Meanwhile, Fuji X shooters are still waiting for a proper OIS macro lens. I waited a few years and then last year they cancelled the macro - stating it was too big. So they put a 80mm on the road map instead - which still does not exist as all the love went to the new system. I gave up waiting and switched systems over six months ago since I do love close up work and Fuji lenses are generally poor for this. Never looked back.
Interesting selection of topic for a sponsored video. Here you are next to the Sawtooths with some of the grandest scenics in North America which this camera is too die for and you publish a macro video. Medium Format with its tight depth of field is certainly not the best medium to capture macros...all said I did enjoy the work.
We found that the GFX and 120mm combination was surprisingly versatile, actually. I agree it's not necessarily the most obvious combination, but I was very pleased with how the images came out.
The depth of field argument is silly. If you need more DOF, you close down the aperture, that's all.
Fuji in general is not the best for macro because of lack of macro lenses, not because of depth of field. I don't know what it is with Fuji and 1:1 magnification. x0.5 is what one would expect from a macro labeled zoom, not a prime lens. There's no dedicated first-party lighting system for macro either, as far as I know. And no focus bracketing in-camera.
If you compare x1.25 you can get on 4/3 sensor with x0.5 magnification on MF sensor, the gap is simply huge and even those 50 megapixels can't close it.
But probably not everyone needs to go down to 1:1.
Others such as @panther fan have pointed out the limitation of the Fujifilm GFX 50S and 120mm f4 macro lens for this type of macro photography, as that at minimum focus distance this gives a frame width of 88mm. To put this into perspective my Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS L II on my 80D will give a frame width of 72mm at minimum focus. One of my 1:1 macro lenses will give a frame width of 22.3mm, and my Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8 has a minimum frame width of 4.6mm at minimum focus.
As an experienced macro photographer of invertebrates, I always think in terms of frame width, rather than reproduction ratios. Self-evidently the Fujifilm GFX 50S isn't very practical for the type of photography Thomas Shahan does (which is probably why he uses an APS-C body).
The video was fun, and Thomas is a great macro photographer, but this camera and lens isn't very practical for general invertebrate photography. Having said that it would be great for larger insects if anyone wants to donate one.
Steb, I agree with you. I have been using the nex7 aps-c 24mp with the micro nikkor 105mm f4 ais for insect photography and can fill the frame with the subject fairly easy. I bought last week an a7r full frame and had to add some extra macro rings and had to get a lot closer to the subject. I used a few times the 2x tele converter to get a 210mm macro 1:1 to fill the frame from a reasonable distance with strong fill in flash to ensure I can stop down and prevent movement blur. And the main issue is less depth of field. I did manage some good pictures but had to crop them more. I will try both and see which one I will continue using for hand held macro photos of small lively critters.
I know there is no actual bug in the video. Beatles [wich are Insects, just like true bugs, the Heteroptera], millipedes and spiders are in the class of the Arthropod, commonly called bugs.
Thanks for a fun video. As it happens, i just started photographing insects round the neighborhood this weekend. Macrophotography is some the most fun you can have -every shot is a trip to another world. It's nice to see that even experienced shooters have to fight a bit to get enough DOF. I'm going to try some diffusers next time, and maybe grab some coloring paper.
great video but it just has to be said: GFX 120mm F4 is 2:1 -> resulting in a minimum image size of 88mmx66mm compared to the usuall 36mmx24mm of FF 1:1 macro lenses that is quite large.
Hi, 1:1 means the size of the sensor / capture area is equal to the size of the subject. As the size of the sensor in this camera is larger than "FF" I would say yoir assertion is not entirely correct..
Are you sure? As I've understood it so far, the magnification ratio did not depend on sensor size. It just means that if something is 1mm in reality will have a 2mm large image projected onto the sensor.
@liviutza, @role_of_72 - you are kind of both right, just phrasing it different.
The correct definition, is the one role_of_72 said: For a 1:1 macro lens, a 1mm object will project 1mm on the sensor. (For "FF" that translates as a 36x24 square fills the entire sensor) ... so yes can say that for a 1:1 lens the object will projected at "real size" on the sensor.
For the fuji sensor ... 1:1 would mean that 44x33 mm object will fit the screen. Since it's only 1:2, if means half of that, so it's the size @panther mentioned: a 88x66mm object will fill the sensor (at the closest focusing distance).
Agree, with the note that the correct - kind of conventional but that makes correct in this case - is 1:2 rather than 2:1 as in the original post; my Canon MP-E65 goes to 5:1 from 1:1 for example, meaning it can put 1 mm of "reality" on 5 mms of sensor, so to speak.
Fujifilm's main macro lens for its GFX system is the 120mm F4 Macro – a lens we've been playing around with for some time. We got the opportunity to update our gallery using the GFX 100, and we jumped at the chance to see what this lens can really do.
In our interview with Fujifilm executives we covered everything from the upcoming GFX 100 to plans for APS-C, and why the X100 still occupies such an important position in the company's lineup.
At Dubai's recent Gulf Photo Plus event, Fujifilm showed off several of its early concept mockups for GFX cameras that (sadly) never made it into production. We took a closer look.
The Nikon Z30 is the company's latest 'creator' focused mirrorless camera, a 21MP APS-C model made to be more vlogging friendly than ever. Find out what it offers and what we think so far.
Nikon has announced the Z30, an entry-level Z-mount camera aimed at vloggers and other content creators. What are our initial impressions? Better watch to find out.
Sony has just released a trio of impressively small, light, ultrawide lenses for APS-C. These lenses are designed for vloggers, so Chris decided to film himself and find out how they perform.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.
Most modern cameras will shoot video to one degree or another, but these are the ones we’d look at if you plan to shoot some video alongside your photos. We’ve chosen cameras that can take great photos and make it easy to get great looking video, rather than being the ones you’d choose as a committed videographer.
Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we've chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.
Photographer Stewart Marsden, the official photographer for the London New Year fireworks display and a National Geographic contributor, has written a lengthy tutorial that shows how to capture the best fireworks photographs possible.
Ahead of a full announcement next week, details have emerged about Xiaomi's upcoming flagship smartphone, the 12S Ultra. The phone, co-developed with Leica, will include the Sony IMX989 sensor, a new 1"-type sensor that Xiaomi reportedly developed alongside Sony.
Kosmo Foto founder, Stephen Dowling, has written a comprehensive tribute to the Olympus OM-1, a camera that set a new path for SLRs with its compact form factor and extensive lineup of lenses.
The Nettle Magic Project uses a hidden Raspberry Pi device with an IR camera to scan and decode a deck of cards marked with invisible UV reactive ink. The scan produces a full breakdown of the deck and delivers it to the performer in nearly real-time.
We go hands-on with Nikon's new compact super-telephoto lens, the Nikkor Z 400mm F4.5 VR S, to see what all Nikon has managed to pack into this lens, even without the help of PF elements.
Profoto's new A2 monolight is extremely compact and lightweight. It's about the size of a soda can and weighs around 770g with its battery and optional stand adapter attached. The 100Ws light is designed to be portable and easy to use.
DigiKam is a free, open-source raw photo management and editor for macOS, Windows and Linux. The team has recently released the latest version, bringing the app to version 7.7.0. The update adds many bug fixes, new features and file support.
The Nikon Z30 is the company's latest 'creator' focused mirrorless camera, a 21MP APS-C model made to be more vlogging friendly than ever. Find out what it offers and what we think so far.
Nikon has announced the Z30, an entry-level Z-mount camera aimed at vloggers and other content creators. What are our initial impressions? Better watch to find out.
Nikon has announced the Z30, a 21MP APS-C mirrorless camera aimed at vloggers and content creators. It has a lot in common with the existing Z50 and Z fc with a few tweaks and a lower price tag.
The Nikkor Z 400mm F4.5 VR S is incredibly compact, measuring just 104mm (4.1”) in diameter by 235mm (9.3") long and weighing 1245g (2lb 12oz) with the tripod collar. It's set for a July 2022 launch.
NASA and the University of Minnesota are working on a citizen scientist initiative alongside the Juno Mission and need your help. Volunteers are tasked with identifying atmospheric vortices on Jupiter, as captured by the Juno spacecraft.
The PROII CPL-VND 2-in-1 Filter offers a variable neutral density filter with between 3-7 stops of compensation as well as a circular polarizer filter. Independent control means you can dial in the exact type of compensation you want in a single filter.
Joining its diverse lineup of ONE R and RS action cameras, Insta360 has announced the 1-inch 360 Edition camera, co-engineered with Leica. The camera sports dual 1"-type image sensors and records 21MP still photos and 6K/30p video with a full 360-degree field of view.
Capture One Mobile bring Raw photo editing to iPadOS devices. While it's a familiar look and feel, it's clear Capture One has focused on providing a touch-first interface, designed for quick and easy culling and editing on-the-go.
Godox has announced the R200 ring flash for its AD200 and AD200Pro pocket flashes. The new add-on is a lightweight ring flash that works with numerous new light modifiers, promising portable and controllable ring light.
Even sophisticated microphones can't eliminate ambient noise and the effect of acoustics. But researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a camera system that can see sound vibrations and reconstruct the music of a single instrument in an orchestra.
Do you want to shape and create content for the largest audience of photography and video enthusiasts in the world? DPReview is hiring a Reviews Editor to join our Seattle-based team.
In our continuing series about each camera manufacturer's strengths and weakness, we turn our judgemental gaze to Leica. Cherished and derided in equal measure, what does Leica get right, and where can it improve?
A dental office, based in Germany, had a team of pilots create a mesmerizing FPV drone video to give prospective clients a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of their office.
Samsung has announced the ISOCELL HP3, a 200MP sensor with smaller pixels than Samsung's original HP1 sensor, resulting in an approximately 20 percent reduction in the size of the smartphone camera module.
Street photography enthusiast Rajat Srivastava was looking for a 75mm prime lens for his Leica M3. He found a rare SOM Berthiot cinema lens that had been converted from C mount to M mount, and after a day out shooting, Srivastava was hooked.
The lens comes in at an incredibly reasonable price point, complete with a stepping motor autofocus system and an onboard Micro USB port for updating firmware.
The new version of the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K brings it much closer to the 6K Pro model, with the same battery, EVF but a new rear screen. New firmware for the whole PPC series brings enhanced image stabilization for Resolve users
The OM System 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II is an updated version of one of our favorite Olympus zoom lenses. Check out this ensemble gallery from our team, stretching from Washington's North Cascades National Park to rural England, to see how it performs.
The first preset, called 'Katen' or 'Summer Sky,' is designed to accentuate the summer weather for Pentax K-1, K-1 Mark II and K-3 Mark III DSLR cameras with the HD Pentax-D FA 21mm F2.4 ED Limited DC WR and HD Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited lenses attached.
Comments