Favourite

Carmine at St. Andrew’s Church.

2026, Beyond 200 feet of My House™, Favourite, Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR, Fujifilm GFX 100SII, Inspiration, Portrait, Print, Street

I met Carmine today, but the process actually started a week ago.  Let me explain:

I had stood in front of this church last weekend debating whether I should enter, but decided against it for fear of intruding or being denied the opportunity to photograph.  I just didn’t want to be rejected.  When I returned home I looked up St. Andrew’s and saw how lovely it was inside, so of course regretted my decision.

Today I found myself there again, and this time I noticed a sign by the front steps advertising a free concert. Well that gave me all the reason (and courage) I needed to enter.

I was happy I did.  When I stepped inside, I saw this tranquil scene of a man playing acoustic guitar, alone, at the front of the church.  He was preparing for his concert.  The sound was simply beautiful.  Without really thinking, I walked down the main aisle toward him, closing the distance between us.  I got within a few steps before he stopped playing; he looked up, quizzically, at which point I awkwardly said “Hi, I would like to take your portrait, would it be okay?”.

He said yes, and the result is what you see.  Thanks Carmine.

—Peter.

 

TEST: Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2 and Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8.

2026, Favourite, Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR, Fujifilm GFX 100SII, Inspiration, Print, Q&A, Teaching point, Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2, Within 200 feet of My House™

We’re testing for central sharpness, with both lenses at f/2.8, on a Fujifilm GFX100SII.

For the GF 45mm, this represents wide open performance.  The Thypoch 50mm is slightly stopped down, which gives it an advantage.

Looking at the images, the GF 45mm wins.  However, the result is much closer than I expected, even though I already knew the Thypoch performance is impressive.

With the Fuji lens, you also get autofocus, weather sealing, and less vignetting.  With the Thypoch, you get a maximum f/2 aperture (not shown here), and a much, much smaller and lighter lens.

For me, both lenses are keepers.

—Peter.

TEST: Thypoch Eureka 50mm + Fujifilm GFX100SII Vignetting @ f/2, f/4 and f/8.

2026, Favourite, Fujifilm GFX 100SII, Print, Q&A, Teaching point, Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2, Within 200 feet of My House™

This sequence was shot with the Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2 lens on the Fujifilm GFX100SII, using the camera’s native (4:3) aspect ratio (i.e., whole sensor, uncropped).

Although the vignetting improves as we close down, the dark corners do not fully disappear.

I don’t find it to be too troublesome for most photos, as a slight crop (or even correcting the horizon), excludes much of the troublesome bits from the final image.  The rest of the vignetting can be largely corrected during post processing.

In dimly lit scenes, I find the that the vignetting/dark corners enhance the final image.

Considering how small the 50mm Eureka is, it is incredible how well it covers the GFX100SII medium format sensor.  I’m also impressed that its sharpness is maintained throughout the frame and there is only the slightest dip in the edges.

—Peter.