Before the Fujifilm GFX 100 came around, Fujifilm had already done a decent job of redefining what we should expect from medium-format cameras. However, this third edition of Fujifilm’s GFX series is quite a change from the preceding GFX 50S and GFX 50R models that built its foundations.
The sensor, which has 102 megapixels, is the main attraction in this case. It is neither a recent development nor exclusive to medium format cameras that the ability to generate images with this level of resolution possesses. However, the uniqueness of the GFX 100 may be attributed to the camera’s medium format sensor, mirrorless design, price point, and the fact that such photos are delivered as standard rather than through any sensor-shifting sorcery that is specifically designed for this purpose.
Fujifilm GFX100 Features
Although it has the same size as the sensors found in the GFX 100’s sister models, which Fujifilm categorizes as medium format, Fujifilm refers to the 102-megapixel sensor located within the GFX 100 as being “large” format. It is not based on the X-Trans architecture in most of the company’s X-series models. Instead, it has a back-illuminated design for better light gathering, and a conventional Bayer RGB color filter array fronts it. This design will enable it to gather more light.
Fujifilm GFX100 Build Quality
The Fujifilm GFX 100 has been designed with its vertical grip to give it a styling that is more comparable to that of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II or the Nikon D5 professional sports DSLRs. This contrasts the initial GFX 50S, designed to resemble Fujifilm’s X-H1 X-series camera, and the GFX 50R, an enlarged version of the company’s rangefinder-like X-E3 model. Unfortunately, this grip cannot be detached from the camera’s body, perhaps for the best, given that it is home to the two large batteries responsible for power.
The grip may be the area of the GFX 100’s design that is the most lacking. Although it is equipped with a secondary shutter release button, as well as a set of command dials and other controls that make such a practical design for shooting in portrait orientation, the camera is significantly less comfortable to hold and operate in this mode compared to when it is in the landscape orientation.
This is due to the camera’s thinness, the absence of any sculpting or rubber on its body, and an autofocus lever awkwardly recessed on one side. It is possible to use it for the rare photo, but the design seems to have been something of an afterthought, and it is not even close to being as sophisticated as on a camera such as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 X.
Fujifilm GFX100 Autofocus
The Fujifilm GFX 100 is the first camera to include a hybrid phase- and contrast-detect autofocus configuration. This contrasts the GFX 50S and GFX 50R, which only have a contrast-detect autofocus system.
With the same Single Point, Zone, Wide/Tracking, and All choices as on earlier models, as well as the ability to increase the default 117 points to 425 for finer control, anybody coming from these or an X-series model will feel very much at home with this one.
The system found in the GFX 100 has a substantially shorter focusing time lag compared to the designs found in the other GFX models. While the other two models can concentrate well on stationary subjects, the GFX 100 has this advantage.
The ability to focus isn’t nearly as instantaneous as on some other mirrorless cameras. Still, the difference is slight, and the improvement over the earlier GFX models is readily evident. The GFX 100 performs a surprisingly good job of getting a lock on objects as rapidly as it does, and it continues to focus without any issue when light levels decrease. This is incredibly amazing when considering the size of the lenses for the system.
Fujifilm GFX100 Performance
When you bring the Fujifilm GFX 100 up to your eye, the size and clarity of the electronic viewfinder (EVF) are the first things you notice. Now that 5.76 million-dot viewfinders are available on somewhat more reasonably priced cameras – albeit just two, the Panasonic S1 and S1R – we anticipate they will be included as standard on cameras of this type.
The resolution of those EVFs makes them appear comparable on the specifications sheet; nevertheless, the GFX 100 has an advantage in magnification, with 0.86x compared to the 0.78x of the two Panasonic cameras (in 35mm terms).
And the end effect is nothing short of spectacular: the picture is big and bright and fills your field of vision with a crystal-clear recreation of the scene. Unfortunately, there was one little flaw that we discovered, and that was occasional color fringing at the margins of some elements. However, this is a problem that many other viewfinders have as well.
Fujifilm GFX100 Image Quality
A 100-megapixel sensor for a medium format camera is enough to pique the interest of many photographers, and the resulting degree of detail in photos is genuinely astonishing. As a result, we were allowed to test the camera with the GF 110mm F2 R LM WR and the GF 32-64mm F4 R LM WR lenses. Both of these lenses proved capable when we used them with the camera, and you can view the results of our testing below.
The GFX 50R and GFX 50R have demonstrated that they are pretty good at controlling noise, and the GFX 100 follows in their footsteps by also being very good at handling noise. Images taken inside at sensitivities as high as ISO6400 or ISO8000 can still be used in their entirety, and superb details can be found hiding beneath extremely slight noise. If you opt to have this feature enabled for JPEGs, noise reduction in the camera does not do too much damage to the image.
To obtain a broader dynamic range, some photographers prefer to use a medium format camera rather than a camera with a smaller sensor. This is one of the reasons why. However, the most crucial advantage for most people is the ability to underexpose photographs to preserve highlights and then recover a more suitable exposure by lifting shadows.
How well does this function when put into practice? We underexposed the photographs to varying degrees and then used post-processing to correct the raw files. We were impressed with how effectively the underexposed images could be brought back to life without incurring a significant loss.
Images that were underexposed by three or four stops could be safely adjusted, while images that were underexposed by a full five stops did end up with a fair bit of noise that would have to be processed out, but the level of detail that was still lurking there was superb. This was achieved by pushing the camera to its extremes. Images that were underexposed by three or four stops could be safely adjusted.
Fujifilm GFX100 Specs
| Body type | SLR-style mirrorless |
|---|---|
| Body material | Magnesium alloy |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 11648 x 8736 |
| Image ratio w h | 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 102 megapixels |
| Sensor size | Medium format (44 x 33 mm) |
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS |
| Processor | X-Processor 4 |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Color filter array | Primary color filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 100-12800 (expands to 50-102400) |
| Boosted ISO (minimum) | 50 |
| Boosted ISO (maximum) | 102400 |
| White balance presets | 7 |
| Custom white balance | Yes (3 slots) |
| Image stabilization | Sensor-shift |
| CIPA image stabilization rating | 5.5 stop(s) |
| Uncompressed format | RAW + TIFF |
| JPEG quality levels | Super fine, fine, normal |
| File format | JPEG (Exif v2.3)Raw (14/16-bit RAF)TIFF (8/16-bit) |
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus | Contrast Detect (sensor)Phase DetectMulti-areaCenterSelective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousTouchFace DetectionLive view. |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 425 |
| Lens mount | Fujifilm G |
| Focal length multiplier | 0.79× |
| Screen/viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 2,360,000 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Screen type | TFT LCD |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.68× (0.86× 35mm equiv.) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 5,760,000 |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed (electronic) | 1/16000 sec |
| Exposure modes | ProgramAperture priorityShutter priorityManual |
| Built-in flash | No |
| External flash | Yes (via hot shoe or flash sync port) |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/125 sec |
| Continuous drive | 5.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes |
| Metering modes | MultiCenter-weightedAverageSpot |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±5 (2, 3, 5, 7 frames at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV, 2 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes |
| Videography features | |
| Format | MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 |
| Modes | 4096 x 2160 @ 30p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM4096 x 2160 @ 25p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM4096 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 400 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p / 200 Mbps, MOV, H.265, Linear PCM |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (UHS-II supported) |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) |
| USB charging | Yes |
| HDMI | Yes (micro HDMI) |
| Microphone port | Yes |
| Headphone port | Yes |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | 802.11ac + Bluetooth |
| Remote control | Yes (via wired remote or smartphone) |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | Yes |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | Built-in grip holds one or two NP-T125 batteries |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 800 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 1320 g (2.91 lb / 46.56 oz) |
| Dimensions | 156 x 144 x 75 mm (6.14 x 5.67 x 2.95″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes |
| GPS | None |
Fujifilm GFX100 Verdict
Even if it has a few minor issues, there is no denying that the GFX 100 is a groundbreaking medium format camera. A fantastic level of picture quality, supported by years of X-series technology, and the most excellent electronic viewfinder (EVF) available, lightning-fast autofocus, amazing 4K videos, and efficient image stabilization combine to provide a stunning end product.
