Fujifilm GFX100S II Camera Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

 

 

The medium-format digital camera landscape changed forever in 2016 when Fujifilm introduced the market-redefining 51.4MP GFX 50S.

Shooting medium-format digital was way beyond the means of most people although Hasselblad and Pentax had started to make it more affordable. But it was Fujifilm that truly took the bull by the horns to make medium-format more accessible with first the GFX 50S (which cost £6199 at launch) and then the rangefinder style GFX 50R (£3999 at launch) and a range of great lenses. 

The brand has continued to forge ahead and last year we saw the GFX 100 II and now there’s the GFX100S II announced at Fujifilm’s May 2024 X Summit held in Sydney. Watch the X Summit here.

At the same event, the GF lens system grew by one with the GF500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR prime telephoto, the system’s longest lens to date and priced at £3499.

The GFX100S II has big footsteps to follow because the GFX100S was a popular and excellent camera that cost £5499 at the time of its 2021 launch. However, with the new camera looming over the horizon and due in the shops this June and priced at £4999 body only, the GFX100S is currently in the shops for £3499 body only so it’s great value while stocks last.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Features

 

Typical of cameras sporting the type II designation as opposed to a new model name, the differences between the GFX100S II and its predecessor are not massive but they are still significant and wholly worthwhile.

Let’s kick off with the imaging core. The GFX100S II sensor is a backside illuminated 102MP CMOS II unit which has an improved pixel structure allowing ISO 80 to be the base ISO for a 14.2EV dynamic range and even lower noise. The new camera’s sensor also has improved microlenses for even better use of light at the edges of the sensor giving even better image quality and AF accuracy.

The GFX100S II utilises Fujifilm’s latest imaging processor, the X-Processor 5, for super-fast image processing and outstanding colour performance. Speaking of colour there’s Fujifilm latest Film Simulation setting, Reala Ace, so there are 20 in total which includes the six filter variants in the Acros and Monochrome settings.

 

 

For Raws, the GFX 100S II has the choice of 14- or 16-bit capture and for those seeking the ultimate image quality shooting static subjects, there’s the option of four or 16 shot pixel shift shooting with results combined in Fujifilm Pixel Shift Combiner software. With 16 shots, the image sensor is moved by 0.5 pixel between each exposure and once combined you get the equivalent of 400MP files. This mode was available on the original but the four shot mode is new. Dubbed the Accurate Color mode, here the sensor is moved by one pixel between frames to suppress false colours and deliver the same file size as normal shooting.

Other key performance benefits of the new camera are subject recognition AF, better tracking AF, updated in-body image stabilisation with a claimed 8EV benefit (compared with 6EV for the original) and enhanced video tools. For those who want faster shooting, there’s 7fps with the mechanical shutter and 5fps with the electronic shutter, and the faster processor means the frame rate can be sustained for longer.

Physically, the GFX100S II has the same body shell and control layout as its predecessor but it does have a textured Bishamon-Tex finish, the same as that seen on the recently launched GFX100 II.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Key Features

• Newly developed 102MP CMOS II sensor
• X-Processor 5
• Raw (14-, 16-bit), JPEG, HEIF (4:2:2 10-bit)
• BISHAMON-TEX textured finish
• Shutter speeds 1/4000s to 60mins (mechanical shutter)
• Shutter speeds 1/16000 to 60mins (electronic shutter)
• 5 axis IBIS with 8EV benefit
• Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL phase and contrast AF)
• Subject recognition AF: animals/birds/car/motorcycle & bike/airplane/train 
• ISO range 80-12,800, ISO 40, 25,600. 51,200, 102,400 extended
• Dual SD card slots: UHS-II, UHS-I, SD/SDHC/SDXC
• DCI4K (17:9) 4096×2160, 4K (16:9) 3840×2160, Full HD (17:9) 2048×1080
• Up to 7fps continuous shooting with mechanical shutter, up to 30 compressed Raws
• Pixel Shift Multi-shot feature – 4 and 16 shots
• Tilt 3.2in LCD Touch screen 2.36 million dots
• 0.5in OLED, approx. 5.76 million dots
• 20 Film Simulation modes
• Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, HDMI Micro Type D, USB3.2, 3.5mm headphone and microphone sockets
• NP-W235S Li-ion battery for 530 frames
• 150×104.2×87.2mm (wxhxd)
• 883g body, battery and card

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Handling

Fujifiilm’s GFX system is based on a 44x33mm sensor, which is 1.7x larger than 35mm full-frame. Therefore, it follows that GFX cameras and lenses are going to be larger than 35mm but the difference isn’t as great as you might think. Comparing dimensions, the GFX100S II is not that much larger than a 35mm camera body. For example, this Fujifilm measures 150×104.2×87.2mm against 144x119x83mm of the Nikon Z8 and the 150.7×116.4×75.9mm of the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. 

Size-wise, the GFX100S II handles nicely, and its body shape, with the contoured right side, sits very pleasingly in the hand. The same applies to the textured finish, which does feel great compared with the smoother feel of its predecessor.

 

 

Of course, you don’t go anywhere without a lens, and GFX lenses are larger and more rotund than 35mm format lenses. For this test, I had on-hand a GF20-35mm, GF32-64mm, GF45-100mm and the new GF500mm f/5.6. See the Performance section of this review for images taken on this new telephoto. The crop factor for the GFX system is 0.79x so the GF32-64mm is roughly 25-51mm and the GF45-100mm is 36-79mm in 35mm format terms. 

Control layout is excellent and everything works positively. The on/off collar around the shutter button is ideal for quick operation and the exposure mode dial can be locked in position if preferred. There are six custom positions that you can dedicate to favourite settings for your most frequent shooting scenarios. 

The right-side sub menu offers three options: full info, virtual ISO and shutter speed dials with a metering scale, and a live histogram. In full info, you can see key camera settings even when the camera is turned off.

 

 

For me, one anomaly is the AF-ON button. It could be bigger and certainly more prominent. By comparison, the AF-ON button on the APS-C format X-T50 we tested recently is much more user-friendly simply because it is more prominent.

The Q button brings up the quick menu with 16 options which is the default, and this can be edited to show 12, 8 or 4 features. That’s handy if you prefer to keep it simple, and the features change when you switch from still to and from movie shooting.

 

 

An improvement in the GFX100S II not yet mentioned and only comes to notice when you lift the camera up to the eye is the improved EVF. The new model has a higher magnification (0.84x versus 0.77x) and a higher resolution (5.76m dots as opposed to 3.69m). Doing a side by side comparison with the GFX100S II and the original, both give a lovely view but the new model’s higher resolution finder is a clear improvement when critically checking focus and previews. 

Hit the DRIVE button and you get the option of 5fps or 7fps – the latter is greyed out when the electronic shutter is in use. Also, continuous shooting is only possible in 14-bit Raw capture. It’s in this menu that there’s bracketing, multiple exposure and pixel shift shooting.

 

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Fujifilm GFX100S 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.
 

The GFX100II S offers 14- and 16-bit Raw capture in lossless, compressed and lossless compressed settings. Shooting the same scene with the six Raw options, the file sizes were 64MB, 104MB and 210MB in 14-bit and 73MB, 130MB and 210MB in 16-bit compressed, lossless compressed and uncompressed settings, respectively. It’s interesting to note that the uncompressed 14- and 16-bit Raws are the same size even though you’d expect the latter to be bigger. 

For interest, I repeated the exercise with the same scene in JPEG and HEIF formats. In JPEGs the file sizes were 24MB, 37MB and 62MB and HEIFs were 19MB, 27MB and 39MB in normal, fine and super fine options. HEIFs are 10-bit and the more efficient compression algorithm saves space.

I shot several very contrasty scenes in 14- and 16-bit Raw in all three compression levels to see if I could see any obvious differences after editing. Processing the files in Adobe Lightroom, really working the shadows and highlights, I could not see any obvious benefit of using 16-bit even though, in theory, having 65,536 levels per colour compared with 16,384 in 14-bit means there’s more editing headroom. Perhaps it also shows the quality of Fujifilm’s 14-bit capture. 

For most people, 14-bit shooting would make more sense and save space. Indeed, you could probably go even further and take the compressed option.

 

 

Of course, the GFX100II S’s 7fps shooting with the mechanical shutter doesn’t compare with the fastest continuous shooting skills of smaller format cameras but it’s still handy. I tried the GFX100S II with the GF 500mm f/5.6 lens at a village cricket match and the pair impressed, especially with human detect and focus tracking. True, a batsman hitting the ball and taking a run is not as unpredictable as a dribbling footballer, but the camera still did a fine job.

Using continuous shooting and bird detect AF on birds feeding on the garden feeder also produced some good results – but a lot of failures, too.

Shooting 14-bit lossless compressed Raws and JPEGs, I got around 30 shots before the camera slowed up but it was still possible to continue shooting and, in a sequence, I would get 40 shots. This was with Sandisk 200MBs SD cards.

Exposure and white-balance performance were generally very good and consistent, shooting indoors and out, in sun and in cloud. I didn’t get any outright failures and even when shooting into the sun I got Raws that had potential for shadow and highlight recovery.

White-balance was fine in daylight but could be less predictable when light levels dropped and night took over. Generally, though, the system worked fine.

 

 

The JPEGs/HEIFs look great straight of camera and naturally I had a play with the Film Simulation modes and you can see some results in this review.

Also on show in this review are pixel shift comparisons I shot four frame and 16 frame pixel shift shots and combined them in the latest Fujifilm Pixel Shift Combiner software. 

Selected in the drive menu the Pixel Shift Multi Shot Accurate Color and Pixel Shift Multi Shot High Resolution + Accurate Color settings, to give them their full titles, take four and 16 shots respectively, and the interval between each frame can be adjusted from the shortest possible time up to 15 seconds. Only 14- or 16-bit Raws can be shot and the ISO limit is 1600.

With a shutter speed of 1/250sec it took around 20secs to shoot and record the 16 shot sequence to a 200MB/s SD card and six seconds for the four shot series to complete. 

Once the four frame series was combined, the 482MB DNG opened to 11,648×8736 pixels, the normal size for files from the GFX100S II. With the combined 16 shots, the DNG file was 1.59GB and opened to a staggering 23,264×17,448 pixels. At 300ppi that gives a print measuring 77.5x58in – and that’s before any interpolation. It is fair to say that you need a powerful computer and plenty of storage to enjoy pixel shift shooting. 

Suffice to say, you also need a static scene, solid tripod and still conditions to get the most from these modes because the slightest tremor would mess up your shots.

Of course, pixel shift shooting is a specialist feature, but if you’re copying artwork or need top-notch record shots, this mode will certainly deliver.

 

 

I tested the camera’s improved five-axis IBIS system outdoors using the GF500mm f/5.6 with its claimed 6EV benefit with IBIS and OIS together and the GF32-64mm where the claimed benefit IBIS only benefit is 7.5EV.

If we assume 1/500sec is the slowest safe shutter speed for a non-stabilised 500mm lens, a 6EV benefit takes us down to 1/8sec. In the case of the GF32-64mm, I assumed you would need 1/60sec for sharp shots so a 7.5EV benefit takes us to 1.5sec.

In my tests, I got reasonably sharp shots with the GF500mm at 1/4sec and 1/8sec, which was impressive. The lens is a powerful telephoto and on the GFX100S II the pair is considerable so it’s reassuring to know that shooting at such shutter speeds even possible. With the GF32-64mm with 50mm, I was getting acceptable shots at 0.5sec and even 1sec which again shows the IBIS in a very favourable light.

 

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Fujifilm GFX100S II Sample Photos

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II ISO test images

 

This set of ISO images was taken with the Fujifilm GFX100S II fitted with the GF32-64mm f/4 R LM WR. The pair was mounted on a Leofoto LS-324 carbon tripod with the shutter released using the self-timer. Images were shot on 14-bit Raw with lossless compression and the Raws processed in Adobe Lightroom with default noise reduction.

The GFX100S II’s ISO performance is impressive. From the test images, you can see that at ISO 1600 and 3200, noise levels are low, detail remains well finely rendered, and quality doesn’t seriously drop off until you go beyond ISO 6400. If you bring in the potential of noise reduction in Adobe Lightroom’s Denoise or PureRaw, you could get critically good files from high ISO speeds with no problem at all.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II ISO

 

Trying out Noise Reduction

The GFX100S II has High ISO Noise Reduction available for improving HEIF/JPEG captures. Here’s a series of shots taken at ISO 3200, 6400 and 12,800 without any High ISO NR and then with +4 and -4 settings. A shot taken at ISO 80 is included as a reference point.

Using noise reduction does benefit high ISO HEIF/JPEG but as you can see from the results here the +4 setting is very aggressive can gives a smooth, slightly unnatural appearance. If in doubt stick with 0 or dial in +2 so you get some subtle NR.

 

(Below you’ll find images demonstrating the GFX100S II’s in-body image stabiliser as well as lens test photos taken using the Fujifilm GF500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR.)

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Lens test images

 

Testing the in-body image stabiliser

The GFX100S II has a five-axis in-body image stabiliser offering up to 8EV benefit (depending on the lens), compared with 6EV with its predecessor. 

With the GF500mm f/5.6, the claimed combined OIS+IBIS benefit is 6EV. This series of handheld images using the electronic front curtain shutter at speeds from 1/60sec down to 1/4sec was taken on a reasonably calm evening at the Palace of Westminster. While I was not getting a 100% success rate at the slower speeds, the system still proved itself very capable even at 1/4sec which, for such a long focal length lens, is great news.

 

Fujifilm GF500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens Test

 

The Fujifilm GF500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR is the longest focal lens available for the GFX system – it’s equivalent to 395mm in 35mm full-frame format – and sells for £3499. The price includes a deep lens hood, Arca Swiss compatible tripod collar, caps and a carrying strap. It has an OIS (optical image stabiliser) capable of up to 6EV benefit, two focus ranges (full and infinity to 5m), focus memory features and a linear motor for smooth, rapid autofocusing. There’s a large full-time manual focus barrel and weather-sealing, too.

This set of shots was taken with the camera and lens mounted on a Leofoto LS-324C carbon fibre tripod with the shutter released using the self-timer.

The lens showed itself to be a very fine lens that gives impressive sharpness from f/5.6 to f/16 and then quality drops off at f/22 and f/32 thanks to diffraction.

Despite it being a medium-format long telephoto lens, the GF500mm f/5.6 handles sweetly for its focal length and fast aperture. It balanced nicely on the GFX100S II and on that camera offers a 6EV benefit. In this test, I was getting more than acceptably sharp images at 1/4sec and 1/8sec.

If there is any minor disappointment, it’s the lens’ minimum focusing distance, which is a modest 2.8m and a 0.2x maximum magnification. Being able to focus to around 1.5m would have been lovely and broadened the lens’ appeal.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Other sample images

 

Testing JPEG, HEIF, 16 and 14-bit Raw, Pixel Multi Shot

These are shots taken of a test chart in the image quality modes, including pixel shift shooting available in the Fujifilm GFX100S II. The lens used was a GF45-100mm f/4 with the combination mounted on a Gitzo Systematic tripod and the shutter released using the 10sec self-timer. 

Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software was used to merge the pixel shift shots and the DNG outputted via Adobe Lightroom.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Digital filters

 

The colours of the Film Simulation settings

The Fujifilm GFX100S features the latest full set of Film Simulations so includes Reala Ace. There are 20 in total with four each in Acros and Monochrome settings where there is Std, and three contrast filter options, Ye, R and G. Here are HEIF files of the Film Simulation modes shot of a colour test card.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II White-balance test images

 

The test chart was lit with LED lamps for this set of images. The camera also has three custom settings and a Kelvin range of 2500 to 10,000K.

 

Fujifilm GFX100S II Sample Video

 

Source: Photography News
Fujifilm GFX100S II Camera Review
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