Uh, oh

[Mike Farley]

For a long time, I have thought that APS-C hits the sweet spot for digital sensors. The Goldilocks zone, if you like. Not too large, not too small. The trouble was that the camera manufacturers had systems based on 35mm film and only paid lip service to the smaller format. Despite it forming the majority of their sales. Now that Canon, Nikon, Sony and latterly Panasonic all have mirrorless systems, they have continued the trend of using a sensor size which was determined by Oskar Barnack more than 100 years ago. (And he only hit on the format based on film stocks which were available at the time.) My suspicion is that their joint decision is driven more by the pursuit of profit rather than the best technical solution. They all started with a clean slate and had no need to be governed by the conventions of the past. Only Fuji, Olympus and Panasonic bucked the trend although the market has not rewarded them for it. Full frame is sexy.

Mike Johnston has written a post at The Online Photographer which shows I am not alone in my views. (Even though his main camera is currently a m43 Panasonic G9. But for a quirk in the timing of the Fuji X-H1 price reduction, he would probably have needed up with that.) He also says that APS-C and medium format is a good combination to ensure diversity in the way images are rendered. I agree with that as well. There is something about the transition from the area in focus to out of focus which the smaller formats cannot quite match. On that basis, I should be seriously considering the addition of a Fuji GFX system. Or Leica S, or Hasselbald, or Phase One if I am feeling especially extravagant. None of that will not be happening. Another point on Mike Johnston and I concur, but it would be fun to hire a GFX for a few days.

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