Fujifilm GFX 100
Does this 100-megapixel marvel change the rules for medium-format cameras?
The 100-megapixel Fujifilm GFX 100 changes the rules for medium‑format cameras www.fujifilm.co.uk
When Fujifilm announced the development of its new 100-megapixel medium-format camera at Photokina 2018, it listed specifications and features that sounded like a fantasy wish-list for a medium-format camera, not a product that could actually be made. But now the GFX 100 is here – and it does everything that Fujifilm said it would.
It’s big and expensive (though not by medium format standards), but it’s so much more than just a Fujifilm GFX 50S with a backside-illuminated sensor offering twice as many pixels.
Key features
The GFX 100 is a big camera – and tall too. But thanks to its mirrorless construction, it is a similar size to a flagship professional DSLR, like the Nikon D5 or the Canon EOS -1D X Mark II. It doesn’t have the same top motordrive speed as these pro sports models, of course, but with a five-frame-per-second capability and a 41-shot JPEG buffer, it can move uncharacteristically fast for a camera of this type.
What makes the camera noticeably larger than the GFX 50S is the inclusion of the in-body image stabiliser. Having vibration
reduction built-in as standard is new territory for a medium-format, and has the potential to rewrite the way people use this type of camera.
Fujifilm says the IBIS system in the GFX 100 offers 5.5 stops of stabilisation across five axes, which suggests you could use this camera handheld on many occasions that you wouldn’t dare with other medium‑format cameras.
Creating a stabilisation system for a sensor this size has meant a complete rethink of typical chassis construction. In addition to the usual front plate, back plate and top plate, there is a fourth piece for the lens mount that is independent of the others in this engineering jigsaw.
The extended height of the back plate for the vertical shooting controls and twin batteries means that Fujifilm has found the room to add an additional long thin information panel at the bottom. This can be used to show key camera settings (particularly handy when shooting tethered), or to show the histogram display without it impinging on the rear screen. There is no button to cycle through these options, so the choice needs to be set in the main menu.
The rear LCD is a big 3.2in display with three directions of movement. The eye-level viewfinder is a beautiful 5.76-million-dot display, which is a joy to use – and as this is interchangeable, you can use the older EVF-TL1 tiltable version, as with the 50R.
As ever with a camera, much of its capability is decided by the power of its processor, and in this regard the GFX 100 offers blistering speed. It has four times the speed of the GFX 50S, and offers a data rate of 1 GBps.
It needs this to provide the brawn needed for the image stabilisation and the ability to shoot 100-megapixel pictures at up to five frames per second. But you also see the speed in simple things like replaying images – there is no lag as you cycle between shots, allowing you to whizz through your shots at speed.
Autofocus speed also benefits, with the adoption of a hybrid autofocus system, as we have already seen on Fujifilm’s smaller-format mirrorless
models such as the X-T3. A recent firmware update brings updated autofocus performance.
Processing power is also behind the video capability of this camera. Not only can the GFX 100 shoot uncropped 4K, the ability to switch aspect ratio means this delivers a sensor image area that is larger than practically any cinema camera. Only the Arri Alexa 65 – which costs around 15 times more than the GFX 100 – has a bigger sensor area. This fact alone is almost certain to make the new Fujifilm a popular choice for cinematographers.
There are LOG and HLG options too, giving pro editors complete control over contrast and grading. The camera can shoot 4K 30p 10bit 4:2:0 internally, but ups the game to 10-bit 4:2:2 when it’s hooked up to an external recorder.
Bit depth is also impressive when you shoot stills, with a 16-bit raw option in addition to the more usual 14-bit one. Unbelievably, the camera lets you convert these 16-bit raw files to 16-bit TIFF files in the camera itself, but this conversion increases the image file size from a chunky 200MB up to a whopping 600MB.
The speed of the camera is particularly impressive given that Fujifilm has chosen to stick with dual SD cards. We wonder what might have been if the company had decided to switch to the fast-emerging
memory card standards of the existing XQD or its backwards-compatible successor, CFexpress.
Build and handling
With the traditional shutter speed and ISO dials gone from the top plate, Fujifilm has an option to display virtual dials to show these settings on the large data screen at the top. You can switch to more usual information panel information on this 1.8in screen, or display a large monochromatic histogram.
This might be disappointing to existing Fujifilm users who like having external shutter speed and aperture dials, and it is different to the layout on the GFX 50S and 50R. Fujifilm says it is more in line with how studio photographers use their cameras.
It doesn’t take long to get used to the layout, but some of the buttons and dials do seem small. It’s probably not so bad if you have the camera mounted on a tripod in the studio, but out in the field the controls feel at odds
with the strength and effort you need to use this camera. This is something we noticed with the GFX 50S and the GFX 50R too, although it is a matter of personal preference.
The substantial grip and the presence of in-body stabilisation might tempt you into shooting handheld with the GFX 100. This is fine in short bursts, but its weight and size make it tiring to handle for long periods of time. It’s not just the weight of the body that’s a factor, but the lenses too.
We’ve remarked before that bigger sensors inevitably mean bigger lenses – a factor that can undermine any size advantage offered by mirrorless cameras – and it’s notably true of medium-format models. We tested the GFX 100 with the Fujinon 32-64mm f/4 zoom – the closest thing to a ‘kit lens’ for this camera – and they are a big, heavy combination.
Performance
We were keen to test this camera’s in-body stabilisation system and its advanced hybrid phase-detection autofocus – two ‘firsts’ in a mediumformat camera.
The in-body-stabilisation will be appealing for handheld photographers. This camera’s key selling point is its resolution, and you won’t want to sacrifice any of that to camera shake.
In our tests, however, we didn’t get close to Fujifilm’s claimed 5.5-stop shutter speed advantage. These figures always come with precise qualifications; in this case that figure is measured for the stabilizer’s pitch/yaw shake axes only, and with the Fujinon GF63mm f/2.8 R WR lens mounted.
In our tests with a variety of lenses, the advantage felt more like two or three stops. Even here, there were some variations in sharpness, so the stabiliser is best thought of as extra insurance rather than a guarantee. You might be glad to have it, but you shouldn’t rely on it.
That, though, is because the resolution this camera is capable of is quite extraordinary. Our lab tests
confirm our real-world impressions: this camera raises the resolution bar, and not just by a small amount.
The autofocus is impressive, too. Generally, the bigger the camera format, the slower the AF, but the GFX/32-64mm f/4 lens combination proves fast and responsive. It felt like using a full-frame mirrorless camera, in fact, rather than medium-format.
The speed will depend on the lens, its AF actuators and the size of its focus groups; the Fujinon 32-64mm felt fast, while the GF 120mm f4 R LM OIS WR Macro we had for testing was slower – although this lens is designed for close focusing ahead of speed.
The GFX 100 makes seismic improvements over the GFX 50R and 50S, most notably with its unique built-in image stabilisation system, and improved processing power. The eye-tracking AF function is useful for a camera that offers so much detail, and for one likely to be used for high-end fashion and portrait photography.
It’s equally impressive as a moviemaking tool. Much has been made of the ‘cinematic’ potential of the bigger sensor, though the Fujinon GF lenses have smaller maximum apertures than full-frame rivals, so you may end up with more depth of field than with a full-frame camera and a fast f/2 or f/1.4 prime lens.
On the other hand, the continuous AF is fast and smooth and produces nice focus transitions. This isn’t a run-and-gun camera for fast movements, but it copes very well with slow pans and gently moving subjects.