I recently purchased a Fujifilm GFX 100 mark II for my landscape and seascape photography and I want to share with you what I consider to be my "Starter Kit" for the GFX system, my first foray into Medium Format nature photography. 

These are the lenses that I ordered when I purchased the camera and below you will find the reasons why these lenses made it from the shopping cart to my kit bag.

    1. GF 23mm F/4

    2. GF 55mm F/1.7

    3. GF 250 mm F/4

First, on the wide end. The 23mm. I think all landscape photographers need an ultra wide lens, especially if you are photographing a lot of seascapes like I do. In my seascape photography I like to show the surf whooshing over the sand or show the clouds in a big sky over an ocean blue. For this a wide angle lens is essential. 

The GF 23mm is the equivalent to about an18mm field of view on a full frame system. Now I haven’t shot this wide in a long time as my preferred Full Frame ultra wide focal length is 21mm. I shot a Zeiss Milvus 21mm on the Canon system for many years and a 21mm APO Summicron on the Leica SL system. So this wider view on the Fuji is taking a little while to get used to. And of course, the entire 4:3 frame of the Fujifilm Medium Format system is new to me as well. But I like the challenge and am really enjoying seeing nature in this "high" view.

Now, why did I choose this lens over other Fujifilm offerings, namely the highly regarded GF 20-35 F4 ultra wide zoom. 

Well, there are several reasons:

1. The first reason is, I am hoping Fuji makes a wider aperture, faster, ultra wide lens for astro / night photography. Something like the Hasselbald 23mm F2.5 lens. I don’t think F4 is fast enough for night sky photography. Great for landscapes and seascapes, but night sky? Not so much. Let me know if I’m wrong though. Especially if you have had success with this lens and photographing the night sky. 
2. The second reason why I purchased the 23 is because I was able to find it Used in “Like New Condition” for $1,400. So in my mind I saved $1,000 on a lens that I will likely replace as soon as Fuji releases a similar focal length, with a faster aperture. Something that is, again, more suitable for astro work. So basically, I purchased this lens with the intention of selling it once a faster aperture, ultra wide lens becomes available for the GFX System.
3. The third reason why I chose the 23mm prime is because I like primes, especially for ultra wides. I think they encourage me to see the scene better. It’s true that they make you work a little harder, but ultimately I think you see the scene cleeaner. Primes tend to help me isolate my subject and help me clear the frame of unwanted elements by forcing me to move in relation to the landscape I am photographing. It’s like a dance with nature that primes allow. I also think that with ultra wides you really need to get close to the subject or close to the action in order to bring the viewer into the scene. For me this is easier with primes, because they force me to move my body and camera closer to the subject, rather than simply zooming in with a twist of the wrist. Getting closer makes me feel like I’m in the scene, and I think this feeling translates through the images as well. 
4. And one more reason for the 23 is that I just can’t imagine shooting wider than 23mm. At least not now. You see I am finding the 23 to be very wide on the Medium Format system. It’s very “High” in the vertical portion of the frame and I just can’t see myself— in the way that I shoot— wanting to photograph wider than this on a consistent basis. At least not now. Not at this stage of my Medium Format journey. 

So the 23 is for me, and so far I really like it.

The second lens that I chose for the GFX is the 250mm F4. It’s a midrange telephoto lens, and like the 23 it’s also a prime lens. So what you see is what you get. 

This lens is just awesome and I highly recommend it for your GFX kit. For me, this lens is a no brainer. It’s simply a must have. At 198mm Full Frame Equivalent it gives you the reach and compression that you want for many surf scenes in seascapes and sea sports photography— waves, surfing, body boarding, and etc… And at F4 it is fast enough to stop the action without going to ridiculously high ISO speeds. 

The 250 also gets you into distant waterfalls and mountain ridges that other lenses in the GFX system just can’t reach. For me, the GF 250 was actually one of the determining factors as to why I purchased Fujifilm and not Hasselblad for my Medium Format camera. Hassy just doesn’t have a telephoto lens this long, at least not one that I know of. 

And the auto focus of the GFX 100 II coupled with the 250 even allows one to photograph birds or the occasional animal that may come close. I’m not saying that it’s perfect for wildlife, only that it can be done. You don’t have to give up or reach for something else when the animals appear. 

The bokeh of this baby is really nice, too. The background is well blurred and the subject pops! I mean I just love this lens for walking around and photographing everything from vegetation to critters to waterfalls to waves. I am so happy that I purchased this lens for my kit, and also very pleased (and somewhat surprised) that the GFX 100 II actually makes this lens so useful. 

What do I mean by this? Well, I was worried that the Auto Focus accuracy and Speed of the GFX would render this lens as a landscape only telephoto. But I can assure you that you can photograph sports, animals and waves with this lens. Like I said before, even birds are possible. Albeit the GFX has had difficulty focusing on fast moving / flighty birds, and birds that fly directly towards me. But I am new to the Fuji Auto Focus system and think that, with some tweaks, I can improve on my current form. I look forward to using the GFX in more and more wildlife and wave scenarios. So much so that I already know the next lens for my quiver. But more on that later…

For now, let’s talk about the third and final lens that went from my shopping cart to my camera bag just about a month ago— the GF 55.

Online, I don’t think any other Fuji GF lens gets the amount of love that the 55mm F1.7 gets. For landscape photography some may find it to be a curious choice, but I am finding it to be a lot of fun and also quite practical to use. As I mentioned earlier, the 23 is very wide for me and I don’t like shooting that wide when just walking around. So the 55 makes sense. It’s roughly the same view as the human eye, but I think it is a little tighter. For landscape, I will concede that it is— what I call— a “challenge” lens, meaning that it is perhaps more difficult to see a photo with it just because it’s not a focal length that landscape photographer’s often use. But on the Medium Format system, with the 4:3 ratio, I think it is a perfect vertical orientation lens. The vertical images that this lens produces seem natural and unforced. I’m really digging it so far, and used it almost exclusively the last time I went out for a sunset session.

Another reason why I recommend this lens for a GFX nature photography kit is that one must always travel to the location. And this lens is great for photographing the places and people that are seen along the way. And once there—at the location— this lens is perfect for photographing the life moments that add a sense of place that a purely scenic image just can’t provide. The surfers at the bay. Or the hikers on the trail. The friends and family that you share the adventures with. The fun things you see and the things that surprise you. These are all wonderful moments to photograph. And this lens really does it all, except focus fast. So you do have to slow down and be patient. Pic your moments and fire away. 

And as a side note, when handholding the GFX 100 II I like to shoot with Continuous Focus, single point, at 2 frames a second. This feels a little more natural and shortens the blackout time between pictures. 

And this lens, like the 250 is a lot of fun to use. And like the entire GFX system, I am excited to explore it more. To use it more and to see how this lens adds character, life, and a stronger sense of place to my nature photography. 

One area of disappointment that I had in the GFX 100 mark II is the battery life. Now, I get it— it probably takes a lot of juice to power the BEAUTIFUL EVF and to process the gorgeous 102 MP images. But I was running low on power after just a few hours photographing during a single morning session. 

I did order 2 extra batteries in my original purchase— my starter kit— and I soon realized that I would be carrying three batteries at all times so I figured I might as well get the battery grip. So here it is. It’s big. It’s heavy. But it allows for three batteries to be in the camera at all times. It has a shutter button, AE focus on button, and programmable function buttons, one of which I have set to Electronic Level. The battery grip is well designed and allows for quick and easy access to the two batteries held within. I like how the camera with grip feels in the hand with the 23 and 55. However, with the 250 it is a little awkward as the tripod collar and foot get in the way, especially when shooting vertically. 

Once I decided on the battery grip, I knew which Really Right Stuff L plate to get, and this single-piece L plate for the GFX with Battery Grip is the last essential item in my starter kit. The L Plate is, like all Really Right Stuff products, incredibly well constructed and is very comfortable in the hand. It slides into the Arca Swiss compatible Ball Head smoothly and silently and I cannot recommend this accessory highly enough. I am actually very happy to be using Really Right Stuff again as they didn’t make an L Plate for the Leica SL3 with battery grip. This is just another way in which the GFX feels very natural to me. 

So that’s my starter kit. 

But what will I get to round out the kit, you ask?

Well, when the time comes— when I have the money— the first thing that I’ll get will be a second body. And I think I’ll get a GFX 100s II. Possibly new. Possibly used. I haven’t decided on that yet, but I just think it makes sense to save a little money on the second body. And let’s be honest, $2,500 is not a little. It’s a lot. 

Adding the 100s II as a a second body is the best way I know to save the most money while still keeping the image files the same and the shooting experience if not seamless, nearly identical. Another reason why I will add the GFX 100s II is because of it’s slightly smaller size and weight compared to the GFX 100 II. Again, it would be a second body so it will only see about 30 to 40% of use as the main body so it doesn’t need to be exactly like 100 mark II. And if I can save some space in my bag and money in my wallet, well then, as we say on Kauai, ‘mo bettah.

The second thing I will eventually add to my GFX Nature Photography kit will be the GF 500mm F5.6 telephoto lens. Like I said earlier, the GFX 100 II really can shoot waves, sport and wildlife and I think this lens just makes perfect sense for this system. Again, it’s not a Canon Sony Nikon or Fuji X system Auto Focus nor read out and those would be my first choices for sport and wildlife photography, but I am excited by the possibilities of using longer lenses on the GFX system. I think the Auto Focus, speed and tracking will only improve over time and hey, who doesn’t want to see a beautiful cheetah or big ole wave in 102 MPs. I know I do. 

So there you have it, my GFX Starter kit— bought and paid for with my own money— and my wishlist to round out my nature photography kit.

What about you? What’s your ideal starter kit for the GFX system for the photography that you do? Why did you choose what you did? And what is on your wishlist and why? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. And as always, thanks for watching. 

Aloha,

Lee

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