I’ve had my FUJI GFX 50s II for a while now. I kept wondering after I bought it if I hadn’t made the correct decision. An odd sensation that I can’t explain. There is nothing negative to find when I work with the camera. Seeing the photos in capture one always surprises me. The sharpness and details in the photographs are fantastic, yet something is missing that I truly like.

I adore photos with soul, and when I began working with my Leica M cameras, I discovered this in my images. For many years, I fantasized about owning a Hasselblad camera, which I consider to be the gold standard of photography. However, the investment associated with this grail is difficult to bear. I almost bought a Leica SL2 to have beside my Leica M since I adore working with Leica; I’ve previously used it with M-lenses and the M adapter and it performed admirably.

But I wanted to take a step ahead in my photographs, something new and unusual. Today I’d like to show you the photographs I created with the FUJI GFX 50s II, the Artisan M adapter, and Leica M lenses. Is this bringing the soul to my images?

Well, there isn’t much of a change when you utilize it, but there is something that caught my attention.
One thing is certain: when I use a 24mm Leica M lens on the Fuji, the vignetting in the corners is excessive, so you utilize some areas. The higher I raise the distance, the less vignetting appears in my photographs. The 90 mm Leica M combo produced the best results. Less vignetting and more movement in the photographs generate softness for me. The photographs of the city hall were taken with the Fuji kit lens 35mm, and the images are much crisper.

The image was created with the 90mm F2.4 lens and the Fuji. I took a picture I liked and applied the Ilford HP5 preset to it. I truly like the film’s visual style. When you look at the photographs, you can feel the softness of the Leica M lens bringing in the image.

The photo below depicts the correct difference between using a FUJI lens and the Leica M 50MM.

The color difference in the photographs is noticeable, and Leica wins the game for me if you look at the reds in the image. The crispness in between is also a new planet with the Fuji GFX50s II. The 50-megapixel Mid format camera gives excellent results. The sensor would be the same as that used in the Hasselblad X1D.

And this was the camera I had been considering for almost a year. However, the outcomes would be quite different, and the price tag for the Hasselblad would be doubled.
That always made me put this purchase on the back burner, and I genuinely like the simplicity of the Leica Menu.

The results of the photographs reveal a significant difference.
Does the Leica M lens on the FUJI GFX50s II add anything special? Not for me, to be honest.

For me, the Leica M camera in combination with the M lenses creates magic. I still melt every time I view photographs taken with the Hasselblad H. Especially when I see H3… it’s like magic to me.
But where do I want magic to appear in this story…

Well, I just used the Fuji for landscaping, which does an excellent job. It is sealed, and the high ISO produces magnificent sunsets. However, there is no personality in the photographs, which makes me distrust future investments in the brand.

I used the phrase “testing is knowing.” That is why I can ride this story and be loyal to what I feel and do in the future.
I’m just too taken by the soul in photographs, especially when they’re shot with an antique flare.

It’s an addiction, I suppose, but why invest in new when you’re so in love with old traditions?
Someone said to me.

Be honest with yourself about what you want to achieve through photography. Not trying to impress people.

• Thank you, Thorsten Overgaard

That, I suppose, is also my response.

Thank you