Since I haven't used this new lens that I bought back in October 2025. Therefore it is time to use it now more often - given the much brighter light levels this time of the year. After all, I have started to use the GFX camera much more as of lately. Which is fun when the light is good.

I suggested Sal that we go to the café down at Rågsved center - and have some nice treat. Of course i had in mind to take a few portraits of him there.

I think the lens performs admirably. yet, it is a slow system, and since i use the older GFX 50s II with only contrast based AF, i have to be extra careful with the focus - that i lock onto where I wish it to be (in portraits the eyes of course).

Portraits: Lifting the blacks, not the shadows (so much)

also noticed that it is often better with color portraits, to lift the blacks. You don't really need those anyway. In order to lift the overall face illumination, i raise the black (not so much the shadows) in Photoshop. Because that gives a more natural gradation to the face tones - which you wish to a play in the higher part of the tone scale. It just looks better - especially if the face is aging.

Which ours do *LOL*

The areas under the eyes

In case of Sal, i usually take his pronounced eye bags away. He was relatively newly awakened still - which gives stronger bags under the eyes. In photos thy often look much more pronounced than in reality. The same goes with the color under the eyes, which often (in many people above 40) can look darker than the naked eye perceives them (as less dark). So, i usually lift those, or try to iron them out at least partially - for a more natural look.

In Sal's case, it also depends on how the light falls onto his face - the eye bag either get very pronounced, or are barely visible. Kind of interesting to study every time. Albeit i am not truly so attentive to think of that, when i take photos of him outdoors.

I just (more or less) click away *grin*

Yeah, but well, we ain't getting any younger. So, things in images need to be taken care of, in a more careful way so that it looks natural.

Opening Fujifilm GFX RAW files

I often get the RAW files from Fuji far too cold. And usually a bit darker than normal, because I don't want to overexpose. But that (original) look makes a face' darker areas look grim, plus the colder color combined. Strangely, the preview on the LCD screen on the back, gives more natural colors. But that is never how they look when I open them in the RAW plug-in in Photoshop. Here, there are always far too cold in appearance. *hurrk*

Walking with the GF 110mm ƒ 2 lens

works much better, compared to the 1.6 kilo heavy, very large and chubby Sigma ART 105 mm ƒ1.4 lens. It is one of the reasons I decided to buy the expensive Fujinon 110/2 lens. While it is also large, but not chubby, and weights quite a lot... but doesn't come close to the whopper of lens from Sigma.

I am also aware that it is a lens not that often used, compared to the highly flexible Fujinon GF 55mm ƒ 1.7 lens. Yet, i really wanted a good, native portrait lens without compromises. I still have to do test in the photo studio... that should be fun !

Other alternatives

I have are the aforementioned Sigma ART 105 mm ƒ1.4 lens, but also the manual focus Pentax 6x7 Takumar 105 mm ƒ2.4 lens. Even the Canon EF 135mm ƒ2 L works rather at portrait distances and supports AF via the Fringer EF-GFX adapter.

Also the Canon FD 85/1.2 L works for portraits - which i have already tested 1.5 years ago. When you have highlights in the background, you get more stretched cat eyes.

That is typical with short telephoto lenses made for fullframe sensors. When they are being used on a larger sensor camera like the Fujifilm GFX, they get streched in the corners. I also see that effect with the Sigma ART 105/1.4 lens, albeit not as strong as with the Canon FD 85/1.2 L.

See below:

Pentax 645 - A 150/3.5 lens ?

I have not yet tested the Pentax 645 A 150mm ƒ3.5 lens for portraits. It is light and tiny. I will get to that once i get the Finger P645-GFX adapter, which is now on its way from China to Stockholm.

Fujinon GF 55/1.7 for Portraits ?

Kid of surprising - that it actually works much better than i expected. I mean the lens is an equivalent of a 43mm "wide normal lens". And yet, it actually works to take portraits with it, too. It does of course slightly change the shape of a face (less compressed).

It still looks very natural to my eyes

Sigma ART 105/1.4 for portraits

Just to give an example of how the Sigma ART 105/1.4 does on a Fujifilm GFX camera. It actually very well for portraits (with Fringer EF-GFX adapter), giving beautiful smooth background blur - while rendering very sharp within the thin focus zone. Yet again, it is a 1.6 kilo whopper with 105 mm filter diameter.

Canon EF 135/2 L portraits (with GFX)

another example of how the Canon EF 135/2 L works for portraits when used with the Fujifilm GFX camera. Also here, with the Fringer EF-GFX adapter. The image was originally a vertical image, which i then made into a "Hasselblad 6x6" looking image, using Photoshop AI (called "Generative Expand")

They all work for portraits

So yeah.

All those lenses work well for portraits with a Fujifilm GFX camera. All images shown here, were taken at each lens' wide open aperture.