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 p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Fuji GFX 100 II and new lenses - Pre-order / Shipping Thread | |
bobby350z wrote:
Rob, you would be a very good candidate to test out the Fuji 30mm TSE and compare it with your existing Pentax glass but I know Fuji will only send these lenses to the "youtubers". Maybe you should have your own channel, your write ups are quite good.
I would like to try it out to satisfy my curiosity. But if the only way to do that is to be a YouTuber, then that's not happening. To do a good job on YouTube is a lot of work. Plus I have a voice that is meant for text media. 
I will make some predictions though....
(1) It's going to be a winner. I looked at some files, including one that had shift. Unless something totally bush league is going on with this lens, it's going to kill it. There is no alternative for GFX photographers. If there was a 28-32mm lens that could be adapted to a digital view camera with a GFX on the back and provide 15mm of high quality shift, I would own it already. There are options for people using medium format backs, but nothing that works on a digital view camera with GFX.
* I've tried every option at 28mm, and I use the Leica/Schneider Kreuznach PC Super Angulon 28/2.8. It's sharp and good enough into the corners at f/11, but it gives maximum 4mm of shift. It's not a solution for architectural photographers who use GFX.
* I'm a Pentax-A 645 35/3.5 enthusiast. I've owned all three Pentax 645 35mm lenses, and have done side-by-side comparisons. Overall, for tilt-shift work, I still think the original A is the best of the three. But from looking at the sample RAFs I could find from the 30mm, I'm confident in saying that the Pentax-A 35/3.5 is not in the same league as the Fuji 30mm T/S. That's not a criticism of the old Pentax. I still think it's a minor miracle how good that thing is. I do not leave home without it, and it appears often in just about every project I do. It's small, it's light, it's excellent at f/11, and it gives me ~10 mm of good shift. But the Fuji 30mm looks to be another level. Plus it's wider, and it has a much bigger image circle. If it shifts cleanly to 15mm, that will be phenomenal for architectural types. As a bonus, 15mm is more than enough for flat stitching to the angle of view of a 22.5mm lens on GFX.
(2) Cost is not going to be a barrier. If you need this lens for your professional work, you're going to buy it. You've probably ordered it already. People who can't write it off as a business expense will have more trouble, unless they have deep pockets. But for professionals who actually need what it does, it's a no brainer.
(3) The used market for this lens is going to be decent. I anticipate that a lot of non-professional enthusiasts with money are going to buy the lens, and discover that it's hard to use and heavy. After spending some time on their shelves, their lenses will make it to the used market. I do hope that tons are sold new though so that Fuji will view tilt/shift as a viable market and make more.
(4) I expect that if people have complaints in reviews, it's going to be about the controls. Tilt-shift lenses have lots of controls, and they can be fiddly and tricky to use. Hopefully Fuji didn't cheap out on the knobs, levers and switches, and they feel robust and are easy to use. Reviewers will let us know. Watch for Keith Cooper's review.
(5) Finally, I predict I'm not going to buy it. I don't like tilt-shift lenses. I much prefer the workflow of my F-Universalis. What I really want is for someone to come out with a 30-32 mm lens with a big image circle that I can hack for my setup. In the meantime, because I use tilt and swing much more than large shift movements, I do fine with my Leica PC Super-Angulon 28/2.8 and Pentax-A 645 35/3.5. Who knows though. Maybe my predictions are worthless.
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