Making Movies
A DIGITAL MEDIUM FORMAT camera may not be an obvious choice for video-makers, but they like big sensors for all the same reasons that photographers do – an inherently shallower depth-of-field, enhanced lowlight performance and plenty of scope for cropping (or, in this case, moving or zooming about the frame). The GFX 100S is also a better proposition for video as much as for photography, being smaller, lighter and more affordable than the GFX 100.
Switching the GFX 100S to movie mode turns it into a dedicated video camera with the menus and displays all changing accordingly. The GFX 100S records 4K video internally using the full sensor width with 10-bit 4:2:0 colour in either the DCI or UHD resolutions at 30, 25 or 24fps and 10-bit 4:2:2 colour externally via HDMI. This uses the more efficient HEVC H.265 encoding, but the H.264 codec is available too, along with switching between the All-Intra (intraframe) and Long GOP (interframe) compression routines. The highest bit rate available for 4K is an impressive
400 Mbps. A 12-bit ProRes RAW output (4K DCI at 24, 24 or 30fps) is also available via HDMI and the camera supports the cinema aspect ratio of 17:9 for both 4K and 2K. There’s essentially no limit on the clip length, given Fujifilm states that it’s 120 minutes.
Both F-Log and HLG gamma profiles (with 10-bit colour) are available to enable easier contrast control and colour grading in postproduction. Of course, the Eterna/ Cinema Film Simulation profile is also there for a flatter colour rendering that optimises the dynamic range. Plus there’s the newer Eterna Bleach Bypass profile (introduced with the X-T4) that simulates the bleach bypass film processing technique to give lower colour saturation but higher contrast.
All the other Film Simulation profiles are available too, along with their adjustable parameters (including the warm-tocool B&W Adjustment), noise reduction (including interframe NR for 4K video), dynamic range expansion processing and correction for lens vignetting. Other video features include zebra patterns (with adjustable thresholds), time coding, focus peaking displays for MF assist and movie silent control via the touchscreen. New is Digital IS, which adds digital shifting (i.e. moving the image on the sensor) to the mix, resulting in a small 1.1x crop.
On the audio side, the GFX 100S has built-in stereo microphones with auto and manual levels control, a wind-cut filter, a low-cut filter and an attenuator. Both a stereo audio input and output are provided, and both are the standard 3.5mm minijack terminals.
While there’s really nothing that makes headlines here, the GFX 100S has everything needed to make it a very capable video camera and, as in photography, its combination of sensor and body size – and affordability – make it a viable alternative to a full-frame camera. It delivers the same level of usability, but with superior image quality, particularly in terms of dynamic range, noise levels and high ISO performance.
In The Hand
Although it’s still a big camera, the GFX 100S handles very comfortably and feels well-balanced, no doubt helped by having the battery compartment in the handgrip (rather than at the back of the camera, which is the case with the GFX 50S). In fact, with the possible exception of the rangefinder-style GFX 50R – which is even more compact and lighter – it’s easily the nicest handling GFX model so far. The grip is a good size and shape, and Fujifilm has redesigned the control layout and it feels both more intuitive and more efficient.
On the top deck there’s now just a main mode dial and the large info display panel has moved inboard, leaving space for a couple of multifunction buttons astern of the shutter release, which also incorporates the on/off switch. A dedicated button for applying exposure compensation is also here. The rear panel has been tidied up, deleting the 50S’s four-way navigational keypad and amalgamating all these duties with the focus point selector’s joystick controller, which is consequently a lot bigger and with a flatter head. This makes it much easier to thumb in whichever direction you want. As with the GFX 100, you can still have control dials if you want them, but they’re virtual dials shown in the top panel info display with settings for shutter speeds and ISO, adjusted via the front and rear input wheels. It actually works pretty well and the display looks cool, too. The alternative displays are for basic capture info (dedicated for either stills or video) or a real-time brightness histogram, and you can also switch between white-on-black or black-onwhite. The panel itself is 4.5cm in size with a resolution of 303x230 dots and built-in illumination.
A total of eight controls are customisable, including the rear input dial and, from here, there’s no fewer than eight pages of assignable functions. Items from this long list can also be assigned to four Touch Function actions on the monitor’s touchscreen, which are then executed by up, down, left, or right swipes. The defaults for these are a full set of histograms (up), a dual-axis level indicator (down), white balance settings (right) and the Film Simulation profiles (left). The front input wheel – which Fujifilm calls the Command Dial – can be configured to adjust aperture, shutter speeds, ISO settings and exposure compensation.
Also extensively customisable is the monitor’s Quick Menu screen, which can, firstly, be configured with four, eight, 12 or 16 function tile, then you can determine what these will be from four menu pages that each list eight items. The Quick Menu’s convenience is further enhanced by being included in the touchscreen’s implementation, which also extends to AF point/area selection (with or without auto shutter release), touchpad AF operation when using the EVF, and the replay/review operations. As is the case with most of Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras, the main menus have to be navigated conventionally, although the joystick controller makes this pretty efficient. The layout and organisation is the same as on any of the X-mount cameras, with progressive right-clicks taking you from chapter to page to sub-menu to setting… and obviously left-clicks doing the reverse.
The monitor itself is the same 3.2inch TFT LCD panel as on the GFX 100 with 2.36 million dots resolution and three-way tilt adjustments (the third being an upward tilt when the camera is being held vertically). The EVF is a fixed version of the GFX 50S’s detachable module, so it’s a 1.3cm OLED EVF with 3.69 million dots resolution and 100% vertical/horizontal scene coverage.
The magnification is slightly lower at 0.77x (35mm equivalent). Presumably the decision not to use the GFX 100’s higher-res EVF is related to managing manufacturing costs. The refresh rate is 85fps. Both the EVF and the monitor can be adjusted for brightness, colour saturation, and colour balance. Both can be cycled through a number of display configurations, but exclusive to the monitor is an Info Display that includes 15 function tiles, the exposure settings, a real-time histogram, and the selected AF area mode. When focusing manually, there’s an additional Dual Display option that comprises the live view screen accompanied by an additional small panel that shows the manual focus assists separately (or you can switch
them about).
The live view screen can be extensively customised in terms of status icons and read-outs, plus there’s the options of a level display (single- or dual-axis), a guide grid (either 3x3 or 6x4), a real-time histogram, highlight warning, focusing distance scale, exposure compensation scale, and audio channel level meters. You can select up to 32 items in all and even designate which ones will be displayed in a larger size (and also independently in either the EVF or the monitor).
The image replay/review screen can be cycled through four displays that comprise an RGB/brightness histogram overlay and a highlight warning, a thumbnail accompanied by capture data and a brightness histogram, and a page of more additional capture info, including the lens settings. The main thumbnail page also provides a highlight warning and a focus-point indication. Pressing the rear command dial instantly zooms in on this point for checking the focus and you can then scroll around the image using the joystick controller.
Functionally then, the GFX 100S is very similar to the X-T4 and the X-Pro3, but operationally it’s quite different, with a control layout that’s closer to that of the X-S10, centred on a main mode dial. Plus there’s the added convenience of the top-panel info screen and its choice of displays, including the virtual dials for shutter speed and ISO, which work just as well as the real things. It’s hard to fault the overall efficiency of both the external controls and the touchscreen in conjunction with the Quick Menu.
Full touchscreen implementation would be even better, but the GFX 100S’s mix works well enough, and the joystick’s ergonomic execution is one of the best we’ve seen.
Speed And Performance
Using a Panasonic 64GB SDXC UHS-II V90 speed memory card, the GFX 100S captured a sequence of 26 JPEG/large/ superfine files in 5.041 seconds, which represents a shooting speed of 5.15fps. The test files were sized around 63MB.
The GFX 100 set new standards for the autofocusing performance with a digital medium format camera, and the GFX 100S is just as responsive and fastto-focus. It performs even better in low light/contrast situations and the eye/ face detection locks on instantaneously and stays locked on as the subject moves around the frame. While there’s none of the latest AI-based algorithms to facilitate object recognition, the focus tracking is still very accurate, even with fairly fast-moving subjects. Obviously, the GFX 100S isn’t intended to be a sports camera, but the continuous autofocusing is certainly able to keep up with the sort of action you might want to shoot.
Reliable autofocusing is just one aspect of image sharpness with such a high resolution sensor, and effective image stabilisation is another. Additionally, the GFX 100S is a whole lot easier to use handheld than the bigger and much heavier GFX
100, enabling the lower ISO settings to be used in more available light situations (unless, of course, you need faster shutter speeds to deal with subject movement). In fact, in terms of handheld shooting, the GFX 100S really doesn’t need any extra considerations as it has the same flexibility and handling as a smaller format mirrorless camera. As we found with the
GFX 100, the noise management is exemplary across the native ISO range – very good definition and saturation are maintained all the way up to ISO 12,800. The dynamic range is still wide here too. With RAW capture, this translates into a huge amount of exposure latitude for rescuing both the shadows and highlights postcamera. It’s also worth noting here the considerable scope for cropping that’s available with 102MP – even the 35mm crop still delivers 60MP resolution – so, as was the case with medium format film, there’s plenty of flexibility when it comes to framing and composition.
Detailing and dynamic range is what you get in spades with a 33x44mm sensor that’s packing 102MP… because there is both loads of resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio. With even the best-quality superfine JPEGs regularly topping 65MB in file size with a highly-detailed subject, it’s a whole new experience in terms of super-crisp definition, smoother-than-smooth tonal gradations, and negligible noise even when shooting at ISO 1600 or 3200. As we noted with the GFX 100, it’s a level of image quality to which you can very quickly become addicted, and then anything less starts to look inferior. Be warned.
The Verdict
All the usual reasons for dismissing digital medium format are pretty effectively countered by the GFX 100S, and not just because it’s unmatched in terms of performance- versus- price- versusportability, but also because it handles superbly and operates so smoothly. It still demands a bit of physical effort, but everything else is effortless… and the rewards are indeed great. Compared to top- end full- frame cameras, all the 100S lacks is outright speed, but this has never really been a requirement of a medium format camera as sports photographers simply don’t need all that resolution for their typical end uses. And 5fps is still going to be quick enough for applications such as fashion, weddings or travel. Given its mix of everything, this camera is an exceptional all- rounder and as workable as any full framer, but with the added talent of 102MP resolution on a medium format sensor… the cropping flexibility alone is worth the price of admission.
Fujifilm has stated on quite a few occasions that it won’t ever build a fullframe mirrorless camera, but now it doesn’t have to… the GFX 100S is more than able to step in as its pixel-packing competitor in this sector. And it’s even competitive on pricing too. Of course, there are other considerations if you’re going to make the step up to the GFX 100S – mostly those related to handling the bigger file sizes – but this camera just has so many ticks in the ‘pros’ column, it can’t be ignored. Medium format is back in the (bigger) frame.