Why I’m switching from Fuji.

So if you’ve made it here well done. Talking about gear can be a huge turn off for a lot of people. The question, ‘What camera do you use?’ is one that professionals probably get asked the most, as if this is the secret to great photography. It’s not of course, it’s what you point your camera at and when you press the shutter that really makes the difference but people new to the hobby don’t always know that. Now those of you who know my history in photography (and if you don’t watch here ) will know that I have used numerous camera systems. I’m not loyal to one brand. I’m not a ‘Fuji guy’ or Canon or Nikon, for me I just want a camera that I feel comfortable with, is intuitive to work with and one that produces excellent prints. It doesn’t really matter what brand name is on the front it just needs to work.

Sure there have been cameras and systems that I have really enjoyed working with over the years. I was very attached to my Bronica ETRS, loved the Sinar 5x4 camera we had at college and I’ve always really enjoyed the Olympus (or OM as it is now) system but unfortunately neither of the first two manufacturers make a mirrorless system and the OM system sensor is too small in my opinion. I think feeling comfortable with what you are using is important if you are using the tools of the trade regularly. I’m sure chippies have got a favourite saw, footballers a favourite pair of boots etc and the same for us togs.

So where am I at and why am I changing? My current main camera is my beloved GFX50R. I only got it last year, used, as they don’t make them anymore. It is a camera that will go down as one of my favourites. I really love using it and it has performed brilliantly. The files it produces are amazing, they are easy to work with in LR and PS, it produces stunning prints and all the controls I need are right where I expect them to be. I love the way that you can view different aspect ratios but still have the full file if you change your mind. I love the two rotary controllers where my finger and thumb fall to adjust the exposure triangle. I love the Q button on which I have put all the settings I commonly need to change. Everything is accessible, the screen is large and it copes with everything I throw at it. A truly stunning camera.

And I would love to carry on using it but… and here comes the problem that I have with the GFX system, I haven’t shot a decent telephoto image in a while and those kind of detail shots are everywhere, and I also love ultra wide. Now the GFX is fine when it come to ultra wide. There is a really lovely 20-35mm zoom lens that I have thought long and hard about buying. I have no doubt that it would be brilliant. However, telephoto images are a different matter. To get any reach at all needs a huge, heavy, expensive piece of glass. And I mean heavy. And I mean expensive! My plans for the next few years involve walking on fells, mountains and vistas where using a telephoto to pick out details is going to be fun. And that also involves climbing and that means carrying kit. And I’m nearly 58!

At the moment I also have an X-T4 and an X-T2, both Fuji cameras which I have paired with an ultra wide zoom and a telephoto zoom. The plan was to use the X-T4 if I needed either of these focal ranges. But, I really don’t get on with it, like really don’t. I got into the Fuji system a fair few years ago when I tested the X-T2 against an OM-D E Mk2 (who on earth thought of that as a name!) and ending up buying the X-T2 along with some great glass from a mate of mine. It was therefore natural to upgrade to the X-T4 in time. When I bought the GFX I sold the mid range zoom as the zoom on the GFX covered this focal range but here is where I made a mistake I think. If I am hiking, climbing or walking I need two camera bodies to cover the focal lengths I want to have with me. If I only take the GFX I will miss out on those telephoto opportunities and if I only take the X-T4 I won’t have the mid range, which is most probably the one I would use the most. So, options.

I could sell the GFX, X-T4 and X-T2 and get one of the new X-T5’s which has a new sensor and more megapixels and also buy a mid range zoom. That would probably be a logical solution and the cheapest but my problem is I don’t enjoy the X series. I have tried to get on with it but I have lost count of the amount of times I have needed to change something on it but couldn’t find it in the menu. I went through the whole menu system once to try and learn what each setting did but when it came to finding what I wanted in the field I couldn’t remember where it was. Just the other day I couldn’t work out why the screen kept turning off, I don’t like the screen and the way it flips out, the shutter button leaves me cold, I could go on but I’m not going to as I’m not going to slag the camera or system off. It’s not you it’s me, as they say. The biggest factor though is the fact that I bought the GFX as it had a wider colour range which is really useful at sunrise and a cropped sensor just won’t do it for me anymore.

So it’s going to all go. I’m not going to spend a large sum of money on the GFX glass, lovely though it is, I just don’t think its going to be practical and the quality of the X-T4 files aren’t what I’d like. Weight also discounts any of the medium format choices. Hasselblad is another brand I love but the price and weight give me the same problem as the GFX. Cropped sensors are also out and I really feel that I’d like a few pixels to play around with crops etc so something upwards of 40mp is what I’m after.

So what to choose? Discounting medium format for weight and price and cropped sensors for colour and dynamic range leaves full frame. And there are three choices as far as I can see, Canon, Nikon and Sony.

Sony is a brand I have never used, so that may be an interesting experience. They have a model which has over 60mp, the biggest full frame sensor out there. The quality is apparently stunning. But, I’ve discounted it as the menu system has a reputation of being really hard to fathom and that is the exact problem I have with the X-T4! So no, not this time.

That leaves Canon and Nikon, both brands that I have used extensively over the years. I spent many years of my life looking through the viewfinder of the Nikon FM2. I knew how to fix the motor drive when they got stuck, which they did regularly. I knew how to take out the focussing screen and what was wrong with the camera just by looking at the negs. The FM2 was a workhorse and I’ve used hundreds. I also used the F1, F2 and F3 and we had the very first Nikon D1 in the UK at our office which I got to take home and use. It was truly amazing. It was 2.7 megapixels and was around £4k from memory. I’ve always got on well with Nikon and respect them as a brand. I trust them.

My history with Canon is more recent. When I first started taking landscapes (2010) I bought a 350D purely because it had more megapixels than the Nikon equivalent (8 v 6). From there I moved onto a 40D, then a 7D and then to full frame with a 5DS. All of those cameras were great and I understood the menu system and how to set them up properly for me.

Before we look at individual models though it’s important to look at the camera system itself as I don’t really want to switch again, unless something amazing comes out in a few years time. And both companies have an excellent track record. If you asked a member of the public to name two camera brands I’m pretty sure most of them would mention at least one of them. Both have been a little slow to the mirrorless party, slowly turning the big ship they steer away from DSLRs. Both now though have a good range of glass, cameras and accessories however, certainly enough for what I need. They both have adapters which will allow older lenses to work with them. So both systems are big enough, stable enough and they keep developing (excuse the pun).

The choice then comes down to three at the time of writing this. First the Nikon Z9. This fantastic piece of kit has some amazing features…if you shoot sports and portraits etc as well as landscapes. I don’t tend to (although I have done and never say never) and I don’t want to pay for the extra features that the Z9 has that I will never use, plus its big and heavy.

So two left. The Nikon Z7ii (got to have two card slots in my opinion) and the Canon R5.

I can get both used for a similar price although the Canon is slightly more expensive. I love the look of the R5 and I just know I will love the menu system and it will be like riding a bike the moment I hold it. The Z7ii is used by many of the landscapers I admire and whose opinion I trust. The Canon not as much. I use a Z30 to vlog with and I understand the menu system, it’s been a joy to use. It would make sense to have two cameras where the controls are pretty much the same and then commit to learning it all.

Quality wise they are both great. Some have said as good as the GFX and certainly the quality will be the same on an A2 print. The Z has slightly better dynamic range and is around £500 cheaper altogether. With the Canon I would again be paying for features that I wouldn’t make use of such as the excellent autofocus.

There are rumours that there will soon be a Z8 released and there is talk of a R5S which is supposed to be a high resolution version, so is it worth waiting? The answer for me is no not really. I’m sure future models will be even more amazing and I will definitively want to use them but they will be expensive and there will no doubt be a waiting list. The longer I wait the less the Fuji gear is worth so its a catch 22 situation.

So all things considered I’m going to switch to the Z7ii. Safe in the knowledge that photographers like Stuart McGlennon, Thomas Heaton and Nigel Danson have chosen Nikon along with others plus everything I’ve read, watched etc points towards Nikon Z7ii being the right decision. The Z does not have the same aspect ratios that the GFX does, you can select some but you don’t get the full RAW file at the end (why?) and I will miss that feature but I never used it before the GFX so I’m sure I’ll cope.

I hope I have made the right decision. What do you think? Feel free to let me know your thoughts.