Lately I've been thinking about upgrading my digital camera arsenal. Currently I use a 51.4MP Pentax 645Z as my main digital shooter and a 50.6MP Canon EOS 5DsR for my aviation photography. I've switched to Pentax medium format in 2014 and got the Canon when it was released in 2015. They are both great cameras that I love to shoot with, they still deliver when it comes to the quality of the images. But they have been used for around ten years and technology has moved forward quite a bit.
The story so far
Now, I am quite happy with my current arrangement, two cameras for two different purposes. Back when I switched to the Pentax medium format camera I came from using a Canon EOS-1D Mark II and a Canon EOS-1Ds. I had quite a few EF lenses as well. At the same time I used the Pentax 645 medium format film camera and again had a few lenses for that. So selecting the Pentax 645D in 2014 I got that whopping medium format sensor and the quality of the images blew me away. Choosing the Pentax 645D as a replacement for my Canon EOS-1Ds was a logical choice for me as I already owned lenses for the system. Now the Pentax 645D is not a practical camera for aviation photography use so I augmented my Canon EOS-1D Mark II with a EOS-1Ds Mark II which I bought second hand. Ok, the Canon EOS-1D X was available too in 2014 and as expensive as the Pentax. But that camera lacked the punch in resolution I was after so that was never a realistic option for me at the time. I was so blown away with the qualities of the large sensor of the Pentax that when the EOS 5DsR was released a year later I knew that this was the upgrade I needed for my aviation photography. Aside from adding the Pentax 645Z to my arsenal at a later date I have never looked back.
The 100MP barrier
Back in 2015 50MP was about the best resolution you could get. True, in 2016 Phase One released a 100MP camera back but that came with such a price that it was completely out of my budget. In 2024 however, there are several cameras and camera systems that utilize a 100MP sensor. Sadly, the brands I use do not offer such cameras. Canon abandoned DSLRs and their EF lens lineup completely and Ricoh never released an update to the Pentax 645Z (which in fact can still be bought new). So if I want an upgrade in image quality both are not an option. That really is too bad as I really like the Canon and would probably get a new EOS camera that combined a more-than-50MP sensor with the latest autofocus system or a 'Pentax 645Z II' with more resolution.
Other options
This poses a bit of a problem for me. I am heavily invested in Canon EF and Pentax 645 lenses. Just throwing those aside does not sit well with me. So I need to look for other options. At this point I am mainly looking to upgrade my main shooter, so I want something that can really add to the image quality the Pentax provides. Ideally this would be a camera that I could use existing lenses on (with an adapter) and with a higher pixel count than 50MP. So what is available these days?
First on the list is the Leica S3, a 64MP camera that currently sells for € 18,600. Now this is one I don't have to think about long, 64MP is not that much of a step up compared to my 51.4MP Pentax and the price is way out of my budget. Add to this the fact that I need new lenses as well, that only drives up the price even more. The ridiculous choice.
The Hasselblad X2D 100c 100MP camera is the second option on my list. € 8,699 for a body only. Add the cost of adding lenses to this and it becomes really expensive really fast. The insane choice.
The Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100C is next. 100MP in a tiny package for € 7,799. Now this is a setup I would love to use combined with a Hasselblad 500 series camera but since I don't own one of those or the lenses they use that would inflate the price. If I owned a Hasselblad body and lenses I would consider it, but for now it remains the impossible choice.
Slightly more expensive than the 907X & CFV 100C is the 2023 Fujifilm GFX 100 II. This is the current Fujifilm flagship camera. This 102MP camera, body only, is yours for € 7.999. To sweeten the deal you'll temporary get € 500 off that price when you trade in another camera (plus whatever they deem that other camera to be worth I guess). What makes the GFS system interesting is the amount of third party lenses you can use with adapters. That would really benefit the transition to this system. However, € 7,499 is still a lot of money. The expensive choice.
The second GFX camera in this lineup is the 2021 Fujifilm GFX 100S. Older than the GFX 100 II it is also less expensive at € 5,999 for a body only. To sweeten this deal, there is a temporary € 1,600 cash back offered. This lowers the price to € 4,399. Despite being an older camera it offers the same benefits regarding third party lenses and with the cash back program it is currently the least expensive camera. The sane choice.
Added to this list on May 16th, 2024 is the brand new Fujifilm GFX 100S II. It combines the sensor and processor of the flagship GFX 100 II with better autofocus in a smaller package comparable to the GFX 100S. Body only, this goes for € 5,499 so it is € 1,100 more expensive than its predecessor when you take the cash back program into account. There is however one other thing to consider. It is said that the AF on this GFX camera is the best so far, making it an ideal camera for nature- sports- or, yes, aviation photographers. And to emphasize this Fujifilm also released a 500mm f/5.6 G series lens on the same day. This translates to a 396mm lens in full frame nomenclature. That would make this camera together with this 500mm lens a viable aviation camera set. You can buy them both for € 9.498. Now that is too much for my taste, but with the added potential this might work as a future replacement for my Canon as well. The challenging choice.
Food for thought...
I was laughing out loud here by your classification of the choices! It helps if you can refer to complicated phenomena by easy to remember one liners, even though it is paramount that one remembers the actual complicated phenomena behind the juicy oneliners (something, alas, somewhat missing in current society).
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and your sanity during these challenging times.
Haha, challenging times! I know that this is a first-world problem and that these medium format cameras are bloody expensive no matter what. I have not yet explored the second-hand market, although in the case of the challenging choice that may prove to be, well, challenging.
ReplyDeleteOh and I fully agree with your one-liner analysis, sound bites (fake or real) are the trend of the town these days...
ReplyDelete