I’ve recently started to expand my coverage of Fuji from their APS-C XF platforms to their medium format GFX lineup. Fujifilm has revolutionized the medium format space with more accessible, more affordable cameras and lens, though all of this is relative. There’s nothing inexpensive about medium format, but it has traditionally been the domain of either very successful photographers or businesses. It’s been typical for a medium format camera to cost tens of thousands of dollars and lenses to run many thousands. Fujifilm has been developing a more affordable approach to medium format that has been well received, though medium format continues to be a niche space compared to the much more popular full frame cameras and lenses. I’ve been spending some time with the extremely high resolution Fujfilm GFX 100 camera body (my review here) and its incredible 102 megapixels of resolution along with two lenses, the slightly older GF 45mm F2.8 WR and the brand new GF 80mm F1.7 WR short telephoto lens (my review here). Today’s focus is on the former lens, which is a useful, practical wide angle prime.

Fuji’s medium format sensor is somewhere between the larger medium format sensor size utilized by Hasselblad and the smaller 35mm/full frame sensor. Full frame (35mm) is considered the standard for focal length equivalency for the simple reason that it has a 1.0 crop factor, which makes it a simple standard to establish focal length. A 100mm lens on a full frame camera has…wait for it…a 100mm focal length. Fuji’s APS-C has a crop factor of about 1.5, which means that the same lens would behave like a 150mm lens on full frame. Fuji’s medium format, with its bigger sensor, generates a crop factor of 0.79, meaning that the same 100mm lens will behave like a 79mm lens on full frame. That’s relevant because it allows us to get a sense of the GF 45mm’s effective focal length: 45mm x 0.79 = 35.55mm, or roughly corresponding to the traditional 35mm focal length. I love the 35mm focal length range, as it works well for so many subjects. It’s good for landscapes (see above), but also good for so many general purpose subjects.

It is lenses like the GF45 that are necessary for every system, as they are the workhorses that give you good results without a lot of fuss or drama. They aren’t exotic, but are practical due to being less expensive, smaller, and lighter than the more exotic options (much like the F2 options on Fuji’s APS-C systems)…though all of those things are relative here. The price point of $1699 USD is both cheaper than most other autofocusing medium format lenses but relatively expensive for an F2.8 lens in general. It is smaller and lighter than many other medium format lenses, though at 88mm long, 84mm in diameter, and 490g in weight, it isn’t exactly “pocketable”. You have to be willing to accept certain tradeoffs when you embrace medium format.

During my review, I determined that the Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8 is a more practical than magical lens. It delivers very good image quality, but without any “special sauce” that makes for magical rendering. It will become a favorite more for its size, reliability, and strong performance rather than some special artistic quality. But art is in the eye of the beholder, of course, so that’s why I have these galleries where you can decide for yourself just how much you like the photos this lens can provide.

Thanks to Fujifilm Canada for providing me a pre-production sample of the GF 80mm F1.7 WR and the GFX100 to test it on.

Images of the Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8 WR

Photos Taken with the Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8 WR

Gear Used:

Purchase the Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon UK | Ebay

Purchase the Fujfilm GFX 100 camera @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Ebay

Purchase the Fujinon GF 80mm F1.7 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Ebay

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Keywords: Fujinon, Fuji, GF, GF 45mm, GF 45 2.8, Fuji 45mm F2.8, GF, 45mm, 45, 2.8, F2.8, WR, Medium Format, Fuji GFX100, GFX, 100, MF, Portrait, Bokeh, Sharpness, Resolution, Video Test, Sample Images, Real World, Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8 Review, Fuji GF 45 Review, review, Dustin Abbott

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