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Since switching my main camera from Sony mirrorless system after using them for 9 years back to Canon DSLRs. A huge part of me felt missing. While the Canon checks every mark in being a very efficient working camera, it isn't really a fun camera to be used when I am not working. Long story short, I bought into the Leica mirrorless system, Leica CL last 2 years which I love a lot. However, adapting vintage lens to it still felt short, partly because of its sensor size not fully utilising the entire lens image circle to give it enough characteristic.
So my collection of vintage glasses had to take a back seat until last year when I decided its time to experiment with mirrorless medium format. This is when I researched and bought the Fujifilm GFX50s as part of my collection. The decision was simple, I do not need the fastest autofocus for my line of work and the Fujifilm GFX50s just happen to fall under the category of being affordable and check most of the marks, one of them is having a mechanical shutter which means I could once again adapt my collection of vintage glasses.
While pairing a vintage full frame lens with a medium format camera is an unconventional choice, but the results are unexpectedly rewarding. Especially with my favourite Rollei-HFT 135mm F/2.8 Sonnar that was launched back in 1972 which gives a classical rendering while still maintain a decent amount of micro contrast across the frame. The only thing is, the image circle does not cover the entire medium format, so I had to crop slightly on the edges.
The process itself forces a different approach to my usual shooting style, one that is even slower, even more deliberate, and if I can admit, it's deeply immersive. Every shot requires careful thought, making me observe details I had previously overlooked. This shift in pace has sparked a realization that I could push the shooting envelope of this setup with my other vintage glasses whenever I feel like experimenting with my creative limits.
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