FUJIFILM GFX 100S
FUJIFILM GFX 100S
Fujifilm redefined the 100MP digital medium format camera with the GFX 100, now it’s done it again with the GFX 100S. It still packs 102 megapixels of resolution, but it’s smaller, lighter and more affordable. Consequently, it’s competitive with any pro-level full-frame mirrorless camera, but beats all of them for imaging performance. Yep, you’re going to want one.
The original GFX 100 embodied a load of firsts for a 100MP camera, and now Fujifilm has shoehorned all the good stuff into a smaller, lighter and even more affordable package. Consequently, it’s even harder to resist.
Not so long ago it was easy to dismiss the idea of having 100MP resolution – the cameras were too big, too heavy, too restrictive and, above all else, way too expensive. Despite the attraction of having so much resolution on tap – and still with comparatively large pixels to give decent signal-to-noise ratio – it really was hard to justify the functional compromises and the huge cost. All that changed with the Fujifilm GFX 100, which could do lots of things that no other 100MP camera could do, and was priced on the right side of $20,000.
Now Fujifilm has done it again, repackaging the GFX 100’s sensor, processor and feature set in a more compact and lighter-weight body similar to that of the GFX 50S. And not only has Fujifilm trimmed off the millimetres and grams, but also the dollars, bringing in the GFX 100S at a shade under $10,000. Yep, that makes you sit up and take notice doesn’t it? A 100MP medium format camera for under ten grand and with essentially the same usability and functionality as any full-frame mirrorless model. What’s not to like?
Presently, the GFX 100S is the most affordable 100MP camera on the market – Phase One’s IQ4 100MP Trichromatic back attached to an XF body will set you back… well, let’s just say, a whole lot more, with the price difference easily buying you two or maybe even three juicy G-mount lenses. In fact, the GFX 100S is also cheaper than the 50MP Hasselblad X1D II 50C, which – if you shop around – you might snag for $10,499 body only. That's only a grand more than the Fujifilm camera. Size wise, it’s smaller than the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III or Nikon D6 pro-level DSLRs. It’s even marginally smaller than the Lumix S1 series of full-frame mirrorless cameras, and about the same size as the Leica SL2 and SL2-S.
So, put simply, it’s not an overly bulky camera, unlike the GFX 100 which is a bit of a beast. Not surprisingly, there’s a big difference between these two – the 100S is 30% smaller and a whole 500g lighter – but the reductions compared to the 50S are more modest at around 20g in weight and around 5mm in height. However, there’s quite a big difference in the depth of the bodies – due to the relocation of the battery compartment – and this makes the GFX 100S look a whole lot more compact. It’s definitely closer to full-frame mirrorless cameras than anything else with 100 megapixels under the bonnet. And Fujifilm continues to cheekily refer to its medium format sensor as “large format” and, to rub it in a bit more, as “more than full frame”.
Staying Sharp
Significantly, compared to the GFX 50S, the 100S gains in-body image stabilisation that uses a more compact module than that in the GFX 100. When the GFX 100 was launched back in May 2019, Fujifilm was quite proud of this model’s IBIS unit, given the considerable challenges associated with shifting such a big sensor at ultra-high speeds. But now it’s gotten even better, not just reducing the size and weight (by 20%
and 10% respectively), but also extending the maximum correction range to six stops (from 5.5 or 5 depending on the lens). Most of the GF lenses can now have 5.5 or 6 stops of correction for camera shake and, additionally, the IBIS now works in conjunction with the optical stabilisation currently in four models (including the GF 45-100mm f/4.0 R LM OIS WR zoom that came with our test camera).
As with the X-T4, Fujifilm’s Sync IS uses both the OIS and IBIS to correct for pitch and yaw. At the ultra-high res of 102MP, image stabilisation is one of the key elements in ensuring optimum sharpness can be maintained, especially when shooting handheld in lower light situations with slower shutter speeds.
The GFX 100S’s mechanical shutter assembly has also been downsized and is 15% lighter. It’s rated to 150,000 cycles and includes a dedicated shock absorber arrangement to minimise vibrations (another important consideration with such a high resolution). While there’s no change to the speed range or the maximum flash sync speed compared to the GFX 100, Fujifilm says lag has been reduced.
Another reason for the GFX 100S being more compact than the 50S is the adoption of a fixed EVF rather than the latter’s interchangeable module. Of course, the GFX 100 also has an interchangeable EVF, and while we praised the feature on both cameras, we suspect the reality is that few photographers ever take them off, so all that extra engineering probably isn’t getting used very often. Using a conventional fixed EVF will certainly reduce manufacturing costs associated with machining the fitting and providing all the necessary connections.
The GFX 100S also adopts the same, more compact battery pack as is used in the X-T4, but the NP-W235 still has a capacity of 2,200mAh, so it’sl good for around 450 shots in the medium format camera. In-camera recharging is available via USB-C, but curiously the 100S can’t be fitted with the 50S’s vertical/battery grip, so anybody planning a long shoot on location will just have to carry spare batteries. Thankfully, the camera can be powered via USB-C as well.
The body covers and chassis are magnesium alloy and there are seals at 60 points to provide protection against dust and moisture, plus there’s insulation to enable operation in sub-zero temperatures down to -10º Celsius.
The body is also reinforced around the lens mount to deal with the weight and stresses created by the bigger and heavier G mount lenses.
Bigger And Brighter
The sensor is a backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS chip with an imaging area of 43.8x32.9mm (the ‘44x33mm’ format, in other words) and the effective pixel count yields a maximum image size of 11,648x8,376 pixels at the standard 4:3 aspect ratio. For the record, this is 1.7x larger than a full-frame sensor. The back-illuminated configuration frees up space on the receiving surface to allow for bigger pixels – to benefit the signal-to-noise ratio – and, to optimise the resolution, an optical low-pass filter is omitted. The native sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 100 to 12,800 with extensions down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 102,400.
JPEGs can be captured in one of three image sizes and three compression levels, while the RAW options comprise either 14-bit or 16-bit RGB colour depth and the choice of lossy or lossless compression or no compression at all. There’s a total of seven aspect ratios: a ‘35mm format’ mode (at 9552x6369 pixels), a bunch of RAW+JPEG combo settings, and the in-camera creation of 8- or 16-bit TIFFs converted in-camera from RAW files.
The sensor is mated with the current generation X Processor 4 quad-core engine which enables continuous shooting at 5fps, as well as uncropped 4K video at 25 or 30fps with
A 100MP medium format camera for under ten grand and with the same usability and functionality as any full frame mirrorless model. What’s not to like?
10-bit colour (see the Making Movies boxout for the rest of the GFX 100S’s video story). Fujifilm has opted to stick with SD format memory cards for the camera’s dual slots, both of which have UHS-II and video speed class
V90 support. While the much faster CFexpress cards are starting to be more widely used, SD is still undoubtedly the universal format, which has no doubt influenced Fujifilm’s thinking here. If the camera was offering 8K video or 4K at 120fps, it would have to go with faster data transfer capabilities, but UHS-II can keep up with what the GFX 100S offers.
The sensor-shifting facility of the in-body stabilisation is fine-tuned to enable a Pixel Shift Multi Shot function (which has been added to the GFX 100 via a firmware upgrade). This captures 16 RAW frames with half-pixel shifts to record full RGGB colour and boost the resolution to 400MP, but you’ll need Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software to finish the job post-camera. Interestingly, Fujifilm provides an adjustment for the interval between each capture – from Short to 15 seconds – but no processing for any slight subject movement. The latter is certainly of more practical use than the former. Consequently, everything will have to be totally still in your multi-shot scene – and the camera mounted on a tripod – to avoid any blurring or ghosting.
With every new mirrorless camera – either X mount or G mount – Fujifilm adds to the list of processing options for JPEGs. With the GFX 100S it’s the
19th Film Simulation profile, another retro-look option called Nostalgic Neg, joining Classic Neg and Classic Chrome. According to Fujifilm, Nostalgic Neg replicates the look of colour prints in old photo albums, giving richer colours in the shadows and a softer tonality in the mid-tones and the highlights. Presumably we’re talking about a wellpreserved photo album here.
As usual, there are globally adjustable parameters for Colour
(i.e. saturation), Sharpness, Highlight/ Shadow Tone Curve and Clarity. This last parameter first arrived on the X-Pro3 and is designed to adjust definition by tweaking the mid-tones to give either more or less ‘punch’. The two B&W profiles – Monochrome and Acros (after Fujifilm’s popular B&W film) – have a Monochromatic Colour adjustment that tints in the warm-to-cool and magentato-green ranges (plus there are the usual contrast control filters in yellow, red and green). Also introduced on the X-Pro3, the tone curve adjustment consolidates the previous highlight
All the usual reasons for dismissing digital medium format are pretty effectively countered by the Fujifilm GFX 100S.