Guys at Mount Bonnell – Austin, Texas
When I was on the top of Mount Bonnell, I came upon this scene, which reminded me of photographer Lauren Greenfield. She is famous for photographing the affluent and their lifestyles. What we have here appears to be a privileged life with six guys drinking beer overlooking some of the finest houses in Austin.
I had my Fujifilm GFX 50R ready to go and made two pictures. My first photo, better framed than this one, focused on the water. My single autofocus point, which I use on every camera, must have focused in between the people. My second try focused better, but my shutter speed had fallen unknowingly to 1/45 of a second, which is a bit slow to handhold for this camera setup.
I could say the camera failed me. But, in reality, I failed the camera. More precisely picking the focus point, which I generally do, could’ve been even more deliberate. Years of using in-body image-stabilized Olympus cameras have made me sloppier, at times, when it comes to shutter speed.
The Fuji GFX 50R, with its 51MP sensor, is capable of creating incredible images with unparalleled details. But, use it with imperfection, and the image degrades. Ironically, the higher resolution highlights more of the image’s weaknesses. This picture is acceptable at this small web size. But, click on it on a computer to see the larger version, and you’ll notice the diminished quality.
Mistakes can be good. And, using the GFX 50R is training for me to remain vigilant about proper photographic techniques.
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9 thoughts on “My Disappointing Failure with the Fujifilm GFX 50R”
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atmtx photo blog 
I. have been chided for taking a lightweight tripod with me on personal photo walks. I have been scolded for not caring about IBIS. I am happy that I ignored the “trends” on the internet photography forums with their fanaticism with hand-holding and IBIS. I focused instead on adapting my technique as needed to get the shots I want. Mistakes still happen, of course.
What I noted in the photograph is despite access to Austin’s many fine craft breweries these men are drinking cheap sh*t beer. We have privilege in this part of New Jersey but drinking alcohol in public without a shirt is not one of them.
Being (overly) casual and drinking cheap beer is a right of Texans. Not everyone in Austin are hipsters.
LOL! From what I’ve read and experienced hipsters don’t drink craft beer. They drink Coors Banquet or Pabst or some other cheap lager. The gents in your photo are hipsters. The age group of craft beer drinkers most likely to drink craft beer weekly in the United States were 35 to 44 year olds. The parking lot at my local craft breweries are full of mini vans.
I’ll default to your expertise. I don’t drink much beer. I like something stronger with less calories.
Hehe. Yeah. I’ve got the six pack from drinking the six packs. 😃
That sounds like the ideal situation.
So much for my observational skills. I thought the failure had to do with an unwanted color cast.
Hi Mike, color that is something that is usually easier to change in post. But, color is a very tricky thing. First, everyone’s monitor has a different color cast, which effects the pictures. I’m sure everyone’s perception of color is different, even if they were looking at the same monitor. Finally, each of us have different likes and dislikes regarding color.