Hands-on with the Fujifilm GFX 100 It's here! The long-awaited next-generation Fujifilm GFX has been officially launched. Announced at Photokina back in September last year, and previewed to us in Dubai in February, Fujifilm has kept pretty tight-lipped about the final specification of the camera up to now, but finally the waiting is over.
Click through to learn more about the camera that Fujifilm is hoping will shake up the pro photography market - the GFX 100.
New 100MP medium-format sensor
Central (literally) to the GFX 100 is a brand new 100MP back-illuminated sensor, which, at a technical level, is basically an upsized version of the sensors used in the APS-C format X-T3 and X-T30. Upsized by 4X, in fact. Yes, the 43. 8 x 32. 9mm medium-format sensor in this camera has an area a full four times greater than APS-C, and 1. 7X greater than full-frame. As well as the obvious increase in output resolution, this should also ensure a significant boost in image quality compared to smaller sensor formats, especially when it comes to Raw dynamic range.
In-camera stabilization system
That's not the headline, though. The really big leap in the GFX 100 compared to the earlier GFX 50S/R is that the sensor is stabilized. Using technology developed for (and lessons learned from) the X-H1, Fujifilm created an IBIS system for the GFX 100, which the company claims is effective up to 5. 5 stops. We've shot extensively with a pre-production GFX 100 and we've found that at an equivalent focal length of 35mm, the GFX 100 can safely be hand-held down to at least 1/10 sec, and at even longer shutter speeds when wider lenses are attached.
While not up there with the 6+ stops of stabilization offered by some of today's Micro Four Thirds cameras, having at least a reliable 2-3 stops of stabilization makes the GFX 100 enormously versatile for outdoor and low-light work compared to any previous camera of this type.
'Double structure' construction
The sensor, lens mount and IBIS mechanism are structurally independent of the main magnesium alloy body shell, using what Fujifilm calls a 'double structure'. This design is intended to isolate the key imaging components of the camera from external stresses on the body. Meanwhile, the body itself is sealed at 95 points against dust and moisture incursion.
On-sensor PDAF
The GFX 100's new sensor also enables on-sensor phase-detection autofocus: a first for the GFX line. While focus speed is still somewhat lens dependent, once we updated our lenses with new firmware from Fujifilm, the overall experience of autofocus with the GF100 is noticeably faster and more positive (less 'clunky', essentially) than it is with the GFX 50S or 50R.
In normal / good light, automatic focus is swift (Fujifilm claims a speed increase of up to 210% compared to the GFX 50R) and accurate, with little of the hesitancy or occasional hunting which characterizes the AF experience on earlier GFX models. Near-total frame coverage from 3. 76 million PDAF pixels and face / eye detection means that you don't need to worry about following a subject (i. e. portrait subject) around the scene, either.
High-resolution electronic viewfinder. . .
In many ways, to anyone who has used the previous GFX 50S, the GFX 100 will offer a fairly familiar user experience. But there are some pretty big differences, beyond the obvious stuff like resolution and on-sensor PDAF.
In general terms, almost everything about the GFX 100 just feels upgraded. That's everything from operational speed and control layout to details like viewfinder resolution. This is the new dedicated OLED EVF, which offers 5. 76 million dots - a significant increase in resolution and sharpness compared to the 3. 69 million-dot unit in the GFX 50S.
. . . optional
Like the GFX 50S, the GFX 100 viewfinder is removable. The lower-resolution viewfinder from the GFX 50S will fit the GFX 100 but its resolution will not magically increase.
With the EVF attached, the GF100's overall body dimensions are essentially the same as a professional DSLR like the Nikon D5 or Canon EOS-1D X II. It feels a bit boxier than those cameras, but they'll take up pretty much the same amount of space in a camera bag. With the EVF removed, the GFX 100 obviously becomes a smaller camera, and easier to stow (since it effectively becomes a square). Total body weight (with EVF attached, two batteries installed and a memory card) is about 3 lb, or 1. 4 kilos - again, almost exactly the same as a Nikon D5 and similar DSLRs.
Vertical grip controls
Also like professional DSLRs, the GFX 100 features an integrated, non-removable vertical grip, with duplicated shutter button and some key control buttons. The grip is much less ergonomic than the more evolved bodies offered by Canon and Nikon, but it's not uncomfortable. We do wish it was a bit more contoured though, especially when shooting with longer, heavier lenses.
Battery tray
The grip is home to a long battery tray which can accommodate two NP-T125 batteries, which are the same kind used in the GFX 50S and 50R. These batteries drain sequentially, and if necessary the camera can be used with only one installed in either the left or right slot.
Charging can be performed with an external dedicated charger or via USB, using the USB C socket on the camera. Impressively, battery life is comparable to the GFX 50S. Using CIPA's methodology you should expect at least 400 shots per charge per battery with the 63mm F2. 8 attached and Auto Power Save 'on'. With two fully charged batteries installed videographers can expect around 170 minutes (almost 3 hours) of continuous 4K video capture, or 4 hours of HD.
New control interface
There are big changes on the top of the GFX 100, which features a much more stripped-down, minimalist design than either the GFX 50S or 50R, both of which look rather more 'retro' by comparison. In fact, at the risk of wearing out a predictable comparison, the GFX 100 is more reminiscent of the cleaner interface pioneered in Canon's EOS-1 series D/SLRs. No big chunky dials for exposure compensation, shutter speed or shooting mode, and no big fat dedicated switches.
Instead, on the upper left you'll find a simple 3-position lockable switch which places the camera in one of three modes: 'Movie' (self-explanatory), 'Multi' (any one of various multiple-exposure / bracketing modes which can be selected in the menu system) and 'Still'. Pressing the central 'Drive' button allows you to select single shooting, continuous frame-rates and self-timer (etc. )
Top-mounted status display
On the upper right of the camera is a large multi-mode status display panel, which serves as the main display for key shooting parameters such as exposure settings / mode, film simulation, exposure compensation and so on. The display has several modes, including a full-screen histogram display. The two buttons to the right of the screen (on the left in this picture) toggle the display modes and change exposure mode (PASM) respectively. The panel itself is of the same monochrome type featured in the GFX 50S, but larger and higher resolution.
Just in front of the screen you'll see the exposure compensation button, which follows the contours of the sloping ridge down to the shutter button and integrated on/off switch. One of our few frustrations with the ergonomics of the GFX 100 is that the exposure compensation button sits quite flush to the camera's body and can be hard to locate and operate with your eye to the EVF.
Rear controls and OLED panel
There's another screen on the rear of the GFX 100, a thin OLED display just below the main LCD. This was working in the pre-production camera that we've used, but not finalized. As such, we're showing it here with the camera turned off. In the camera that we've used, this screen is used to show the status of several key shooting parameters, and we don't expect this essential behavior to change in final shipping cameras.
This shot also shows the general disposition of the GFX 100's rear controls, as well as the lack of textured rubber on the secondary vertical grip. Fans will be pleased to see that the Q button and AF joystick from previous Fujifilm cameras is retained, but there's no 4-way controller or vertically mounted rear dial. Instead, the twin front and rear control dials, joystick and touch-screen are used for operations that don't have a dedicated button.
Articulating touchscreen
On the rear of the GFX 100 we find an articulating 2. 36 million-dot LCD touchscreen, of the same kind that GFX 50S users will be used to. While not fully articulating, the fold out, hinged design allows for low-angle framing in both landscape and portrait orientations.
Q button and vertical shooting
This shot illustrates a minor frustration with the GFX 100 (at least of the pre-production sample that we used) - the 'Q' button is really easy to press accidentally, especially the one on the vertical grip. As such, when setting up for a portrait-format shot, the first thing we saw in the viewfinder was often the Q menu display.
Fortunately, this display is easily dismissed with a half-press of the shutter button. Given Fujifilm's rapid response to similar issues with the X-T30, we wouldn't be surprised to see this behavior tweaked via firmware in shipping cameras.
Twin SD card slots
Twin SD card slots operate as you'd expect, and can be set up for overflow storage, backup or separate stills / video storage. The GFX 100 is UHS-II compatible, and with a fast card installed, the camera is remarkably quick in operation.
Whereas it's not uncommon for other medium-format digital cameras to start to moan and wheeze after a few high-resolution Raw exposures, the GFX 100 appears to have power to spare from its quad-core X-Processor 4 engine. To photographers, the benefits of this speediness should go without saying. The downside is that with 100MP to play with, and a processor that can keep up with that many pixels, it's all too easy to 'overshoot' and run out of card space.
That being said, our shooting so far has been in 14-bit Raw mode. It's unlikely that the GFX 100 will be quite so light on its feet when capturing extended 16-bit Raw sequences.
4K video and I/O ports
One of the reasons the GFX 100 packs so much processing power is that as well as high-resolution stills (with the option for 16-bit capture), it also features an advanced 4K video feature set. While the video functions weren't finalized on the pre-production camera that we've used, the 4K video footage that we captured at the GFX 100's maximum bitrate looks very, very nice, and we're looking forward to diving into this feature as soon as we can get our hands on a reviewable camera.
With features like F-Log Rec 2020, the popular Eterna cine profile and the ability to capture 4:2:2 10-bit uncompressed footage via the HDMI port, the GFX 100 has the potential to be a genuinely impressive video camera, and our initial impressions are very positive.
This shot shows the microphone and headphone monitoring sockets, as well as USB-C and micro HDMI interfaces, and a port for 15V DC power in. Towards the bottom of this image you can also see the catch for the battery tray, which fits lengthways into the vertical grip. Surprisingly - and perhaps a little alarmingly - this catch does not have a lock, which presents the theoretical risk of accidentally opening the battery tray if the catch snags on an item of clothing, etc.
Yours for only $10,000
The GFX 100 will be available at the end of June, for an MSRP (body only) of $9,999. 95, which works out to roughly $100 per megapixel.
What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.
. dpreview.com2019-5-24 09:00
