Performance
long as you place the focus point somewhere in the scene with sufficient contrast, and are shooting in reasonably good light, it’ll nail focus perfectly time after time. Unlike any DSLR, it can also focus on subjects practically anywhere in the frame. The large, clear viewfinder gives a really clear indication of whether or not focus has been properly achieved, along with an accurate depth- of-field preview.
For occasions when autofocus fails, manual focusing is also available. You have a choice of magnified view or a peaking display to confirm correct focus, and these aids can be activated automatically when you turn the focus ring. Fujifilm’s GF lenses all use electronic focus-by-wire systems, and while the feel of the focusing isn’t the best I’ve come across, I had no problem at all with achieving critical accuracy. Long gone are the days when medium-format digital was clunky and awkward. Indeed, the GFX 50R is on the whole every bit as slick and polished as its APS- C cousins. It has almost the same on-screen interface, including Fujifilm’s well- designed Q Menu and logical menu structure, and in most respects is just as snappy in operation. Its relatively light weight and excellent ergonomics mean you can shoot with it handheld for extended periods, just like a full-frame DSLR. It’s also remarkably quiet and unobtrusive, especially with electronic first- curtain shutter enabled. Indeed the only clue that you’re dealing with something out of the ordinary is the slightly sluggish autofocus and continuous shooting, which for many applications won’t matter a jot.
As we’ve come to expect from Fujifilm, metering and auto white balance both work really well. Combined with the firm’s peerless colour reproduction and excellent image processing, the camera churns out lovely-looking files shot after shot. I particularly like the Astia film simulation mode for colour images, and Acros for black & white shooting. The in- camera raw processing also makes it easy to adjust or reinterpret your images later, if you want to apply a different look. So while I’d fully expect users to be processing raw by default, it’s entirely plausible to use the camera’s JPEG files for many purposes.
You still have to work hard to make full use of the GFX 50R’s abilities, though. With no image stabilisation on anything but the two longest telephoto lenses, you’ll need to make a point of using fast shutter speeds to be sure of getting pixel-sharp results from that 50MP sensor when shooting handheld. At these resolutions, the old ‘1/focal length’ rule isn’t going to work, and I’d recommend shutter speeds at least a stop faster to be sure of getting really sharp results, for example, 1/125sec with the 63mm f/2.8.
With good technique, though, the GFX 50R will repay you with absolutely breathtaking image quality. The level of detail it’s able to record is exceptional owing to the combination of its mediumformat sensor and excellent lenses. Dynamic range is phenomenal, with a huge amount of detail recoverable in shadow regions when processing raw files. Image quality also holds up well at higher sensitivities: I was quite happy with the output right up to ISO 6,400, with ISO 12,800 being usable if necessary.