Fujifilm GFX100 II Camera Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

Fujifilm have a long history of producing interesting medium format cameras of the highest quality. We can look back at the medium format rangefinder designs of the film era, with cameras covering 645, 6×7, 6×9 and even panoramic formats. All of these cameras were relatively compact compared with the huge SLR designs of the day and found a strong following. This continues to this day with the medium format mirrorless designs, offering large pixel counts of 50MP and even 100MP for unparalleled depth and detail. The GFX 100 II adds new levels of video performance and many tweaks to improve handling and the final result is a superb camera, albeit at a price. We have been given a fairly long look at the new camera, alongside the 55mm f/1.7 fast standard lens and the two, 30mm and 110mm, Tilt/Shift lenses. Let’s see how it all panned out, using all three lenses but mainly the 55mm f/1.7 for the technical shots.

Fujifilm GFX100 II Features

As alluded to, the camera is heavy, weighing in at a substantial 948g. Although not overly large for its format, it still measures at a bulky 152.4mm x 117.4mm x 98.6mm. Under the skin, the body houses a CMOS 102MP II HS sensor, along with the X-Processsor 5. 5-Axis IBIS gives up to 8 stops advantage, which is extremely welcome. Burst mode is 8fps, along with a 120fps display that can keep up with the action for sports photography. If we want the highest quality and 102MP is not enough, then the Pixel Shift facility can offer images of 400MP, bringing us into the realm of struggling to find enough superlatives to describe the potential amount of detail.

Processing speed enables remarkable subject detection, which now incorporates Human eye/face, Animals, Birds, Cars, Bikes, Planes and Trains. Needless to say our computers will need plenty of processing power to deal with the large file sizes. The camera can save the images produced in various ways, including CFExpress Type B, SD Cards, Frame.io camera to Cloud, WiFi, Bluetooth and direct saving to SSD via USB-C connection.

The impressive interchangeable EVF-GFX3 boasts 9.44 Million dots and 1.0x magnification. The 3 Way Tilting Monitor is touch sensitive and offers 2.36M dots.

The top plate has a simple mode dial that covers the basics of P, S, A, M plus no less than 6 custom settings. Just in front of the mode dial is a small switch for choosing stills or video. Moving across to the right end, there is a very clear info display that can be lit by pressing another small button. The Q button is an essential part of Fujifilm operational logic and that is on the thumb rest at the back of the camera. There is no tendency for it to be accidentally pressed. The other buttons are on the back, covering menu and play options. The monitor itself is crisp and clear and the three way movement gives a degree of versatility.

The right end of the camera houses the memory cards, giving the choice of either CFExpress Type B or SD. The left end of the camera houses the connectors, LAN, mike/remote, USB and USB-C. The camera can be recharged via USB-C. The battery is housed in the usual right hand end of the base plate.

Fujifilm GFX100 II Key Features

• 102MP 43.8mm x 32.9mm CMOS II HS sensor
• X-Processor 5
• Formats DCF, JPEG, HEIF, RAW, TIFF
• Shutter speeds 1/4000s to 30s (mechanical shutter)
• Shutter speeds 1/32000 to 30s (electronic shutter)
• 5 axis IBIS 8 stops
• 8fps Burst Mode, 5.3fps with no blackout
• Subject detection: human eye/face, animals, birds, cars, bikes, planes, trains
• ISO range 40-51200 (Extended)
• CF Express Cards Type B
• SD Memory Cards: UHS-II, UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC, V90
• Save to SSD via USB-C
• Pixel Shift 400MP
• Interchangeable EVF-GAX3 9.44M dots, 1.0x
• £ Way Tilt 3.2” LCD Touch screen 2.36M dots
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• 4K 60p 4:2:2 10-bit, no crop
• 8K 30p, 1.44x crop
• FHD 120p
• Cine formats Premista, 35mm, Anamorphic
• F-Log2

Fujifilm GFX100 II Handling

We had the opportunity to look at both AF and manual focus lenses. The AF is fast, sharp and not exactly silent but not obtrusive and it certainly shifts all the weight of glass from the larger medium format lenses, without any difficulty at all. Manual focus is actually very straightforward, provided the in-camera focusing aids are used. This works best with the camera on a firm tripod, and of course this also helps with the precision in composition that might be needed, especially for macro shooting.

When used as a field camera it is perfectly feasible to dispense with a tripod for most situations. Landscapes and urban locations where tripods may get in the way, or simply be a burden to carry, are not essential now we have such effective IBIS. This depends upon the kind of lens. Some are compact enough to be fine with this approach. Some of the more complex items such as Tilt/Shift lenses or macro lenses benefit from very accurate focusing and carefully worked out composition. This degree of precision is matched up much better with the use of a good solid tripod. This is especially true if we want to squeeze all the best quality out of 102MP or maybe even 400MP files.

One of the huge advantages of using the same marque for both smaller formats and medium format is continuity of operating logic. This might be a Pentax DSLR and a Pentax 645Z, or as in this case perhaps an APS-C Fujifilm camera and this Fujifilm medium format. The operating logic and control layout are very much the same and make life much easier for the photographer. This can even extend to simple things such as the direction a dial such as a focusing ring or aperture ring rotates.

In summary, the GFX100 II is a very satisfactory and enjoyable experience and the results speak for themselves.

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Fujifilm GFX100 II Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
 

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Fujifilm GFX100 II Sample Photos

Lens Performance – During the review period, three GF lenses were on hand, including the two Tilt/Shift lenses, plus the GF 55mm f/1.7 that was used for the majority of the technical tests. This lens was awarded an Editor’s Choice and performance was summed up as follows:

Central sharpness is excellent from f/1.7 all the way through to f/16, pushing into outstanding at f/2 and f/2.8. Sharpness remains very good even at f/22. The edges are good at f/1.7, very good at f/2 and f/2.8 and excellent from f/4 to f/11. The edges are still very good at f/16 and f/22. An amazing amount of detail is recorded right across the frame and really any aperture could be used with confidence.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is also very impressive, centrally being close to zero. The edges are also kept well under control. Overall, CA is unlikely to be a problem and in any event there are software solutions should they be required.

Distortion is almost zero, actually measuring at -0.05% barrel. This is purely academic, and we have a basically rectilinear lens that would put some macro lenses to shame in this respect.

Bokeh is smooth, relaxed and has that gorgeous medium format look about it. What a superb lens for portraiture and social photography such as weddings.

(Below you’ll find images demonstrating the aperture range of the lens)

Fujifilm GFX100 II Lens test images

Fujifilm’s coating technology is well proven and excellent. Even with the most severe lighting tests it is almost impossible to generate any significant artefacts.

Vignetting is present at open aperture to a modest degree, but soon reduces to a very insignificant level.

Fujifilm GFX100 II ISO test images

ISO Performance – ISO performance is truly excellent, and up to ISO 800 images are totally clean and sharp. ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 are almost at the same level, with just the slightest hint of noise creeping in. Sharpness is very slightly reduced, but the standard is so good that these ISO levels are still fully usable. Noise is steadily creeping in at ISO 6400 and ISO 12800, the latter seeing the sensor taken out of its base range and sharpness dipping slightly more. ISO 25600 sees definite levels of noise and lower sharpness, although the boxes of the test chart are still fairly well defined. This continues with ISO 51200, which although as usual really only for emergency use, still has sufficient quality to make images much better than average at this level. The boxes still have integrity on the chart but noise is high and sharpness relatively low. Overall, a really sparkling ISO performance that Fujifilm should be proud of.

Fujifilm GFX100 II White-balance test images

White Balance – Presets are available for a wide range of options. AWB is joined by AWB White Priority and AWB Ambience Priority, the latter keeping some of the characteristics of the ambient lighting. This prevents AWB from being too stark and gives a very attractive result. There are three slots for custom WB settings, plus a Colour Temperature option for those who want to be very specific. Daylight and Shade are self explanatory, the latter being very useful in woodland shadow areas, preventing a purple cast creeping in. Missing is a Cloudy setting, and as this would replicate the effect of a Cloudy or 81A filter, which is so useful when warming up cold daylight, it seems a shame it is not there. Incandescent is there, even though tungsten lighting is not too common, and the palette of options is completed with Underwater. This reviewer would happily ditch Underwater and have Cloudy reinstated, but then others may have different requirements.

Fujifilm GFX100 II Digital filters

Digital Filters – One of the glorious things about Fujifilm digital cameras is the wonderful range of Film Simulation digital filters. For those who have been brought up on film, the different film types offered will make perfect sense. For those who have entered a digital only route into photography will soon pick up the idea, and to help this along many of the settings have an explanatory subtitle. So, for example, we start off with PROVIA/Standard, a good place to start. Most photographers know of Velvia, and the description VELVIA/Vivid is well taken, as is ASTIA/Soft. Thus we can choose what type of “film” we want in our camera, and the huge advantage of digital photography is that this can be changed shot to shot if required. REALA Ace is a new addition, described as having faithful colour reproduction with hard tonality, suitable for all general purpose subjects. This brings the number of options to 20.

Source: Photography News
Fujifilm GFX100 II Camera Review
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