Fujifilm GFX 100S Review: Medium-strength power in low body

When it set up GFX 50S in 2017, Fujifilm made a big decision to skip the full sensors and go straight. The idea was to offer the highest quality type of studio, location and art that would be possible with the entire framework.

Although it made beautiful and uncertain images, GFX 100 The revelations in 2018 were huge, easy to use and cost over $ 10,000. However, Fujifilm fixed it all and set up a Products, a for example which looks and feels like a “normal” camera without glasses, while costing less than $ 6,000.

The GFX 100S is no bigger than the full Panasonic interface, Megapixel 45 S1R, but it has a sensor that has 70% larger than double adjustment. At the same time, Fujifilm says it is faster than ever, which is what you would expect from a modern camera without glasses like optofocus recognition and stability. The question is, how does it fit into the latest models like Sony A1 and Canon R5? I took it upon myself to see and borrow again for artists who are thinking of buying the same color. Here is what we found.

Body and Coping

The previous GFX 100 is a large camera that weighs 1,400 grams or north of three pounds. With the GFX 100S, Fujifilm cut by 35% to 900 grams (actually south for two pounds). About two-thirds of the height and minimum, to begin with. The main reason for the reduction in weight and weight is to remove the walking alignment and the alignment that follows.

It feels better on the hands than any other old GFX model because it is designed like a glassless camera. At the same time, it works very well, and adds some singing.

It doesn’t offer as many updates as X-T4 or other Fuji X-type cameras, but the functionality is still very complex. You receive two callings with the above description, along with the excitement that moves the next AF position around and not just going up and down as before. Some adjustments include a view switch with car selection buttons, a quick menu and much more. Like other Fuji cameras, the opening can be controlled from the lens ring.

I would love to play back and pay, but I did not miss the shutter and the ISO players from the X-T4. It’s easy (perhaps really easy) to use the charge button and callback, or “click” the front dial to change the controls (shutter speed or ISO, for example). If you missed the diagram, you can see the color shown above, which can also see the edits or histogram. I found the latter to be a useful way to illuminate the view without disturbing the background display.

The experimental machines are great, though not as smart as the Sony and Panasonic menus, but you can customize the items with quick selection or manual adjustments. Overall, the GFX 100S works better than any other mid-range camera I’ve tried. Everything is easy to find, especially if you have used Fujifilm cameras before.

Fujifilm has developed a new graphics system (IBIS) for the GFX 100S which is much smaller than the pre-designed one. It was also able to improve performance with 6 stop-shaking positions, compared to the previous 5.5 stops. Every little thing helps, since the central video sensors can detect the handshake. When I was released by IBIS, I was able to shoot hard at levels of as low as eight to one minute or more.

The 3.69-million digital photovoltaic (EVF) screen was not up to expectations of the $ 6,000 camera, considering the last type (and $ 2,500) Panasonic S1, for example) has a 5.76 million OLED format. On top of that, if you want to take advantage of the existing high-end (flexible menus), the refresh rates drop at a pokey 50Hz. You can have a refreshing speed (85Hz) but his mind is down.

The 3.2-inch, 2.36-million rear view screen tilts down, up and side, giving the best look and a wide range of adjustments. It doesn’t have a slideshow, but I don’t think many people have bought this camera to vote or take selfies.

It comes with two high-speed SD slots that can be used for storage or other storage, a USB port for charging and data transfer, mic ports and headphones and a Micro HDMI port. The battery borrows from the X-T4 and is not as big as the one in other GFX bodies, but it does offer a standard 460 shot at a price. There’s no way to hold a battery like the GFX 50S – but then it’s the right trade-off for power reduction.

Performance

Its functionality is a bag integrated with the GFX 100S. It listens better than any other central camera, offering 5 fps speed with a limit of 14 RAW-free images (approximately 1.4GB of data). However, it is very different from the speed you will see on the most recent major brands from Sony and Canon, or the Fujifilm X series.

The autofocus system is clearly visible on paper with 3.76 million pixels — up to 425 selected AF. It also provides a continuous search option for AF along with AF- face detection.

However, it is not a real threat, and the slightest blemish was seen especially when you looked at Sony’s 50-megapixel A1. The viewing function is a good follow-up to studio heads that don’t go very well, but aren’t good in difficult times. On top of that, the AF speed depends largely on the GFX glasses you use.

In fact, the GFX 100S was designed for studio work, not sports. However, the latest full-featured cameras such as the Sony A1 are able to combine high-resolution images with excellent performance. Not all artists would want to volunteer to get the best out of it (what the GFX 100S offers, as we’ll see soon).

The idea was presented by Nathanael Charpentier and Samuel Dejours, artists who not only use the studio but weddings, birthday photography and much more. He’s looking to buy a studio GFX 100S with advanced performance, but after trying it for a few days, he doesn’t know anymore.

The questions were translated from French and abbreviated.

What do you like and dislike about the GFX 100S?

Nathanael: My favorite thing is to work. I like high quality ideas. What I didn’t really like was autofocus. I had a lot of problems because I got used to Sony cameras. On the GFX 100S, autofocus is slow and slow. And because of the type of work I do, I draw well on the fly, which can be a hindrance.

What work would be affected?

Nathanael: We already knew that he wasn’t made to work honestly, but our experiments prove this. It can be difficult to shoot weddings, birthdays and other forms of photography where I have to have autofocus urgently. The work of the studio, the more time we have, the easier it becomes. In that case, a more comprehensive interpretation of the census becomes interesting. That’s why we’re discussing whether we can use the studio.

What are some of the things that did not meet your expectations in the studio?

Samuel: The more you see the difference, the more you look at the pictures. With 100 megapixels you can plant more and get sharper images. In this way, some of our cameras are few. But if you don’t plant, it’s hard to see the difference. When you take pictures [in Lightroom] sometimes you can see the freedom in Fuji compared to Sony. However, it is not a little different.

Nathanael: We also took a few photos from ISOs up to 12,800. There is some noise, but it is subtle and beautiful.

Has what you just tested the Sony A1 affected your imagination?

True. And our A9s are also fast. We get used to running autofocus which makes our work easier and gives us very few images. What we tested A1 (two weeks ago) will not help us differentiate our thoughts on the AF speed of the GFX 100S. But we are used to having a very good autofocus system, so slow driving on the GFX 100S is often frustrating.

The beauty of the images

The GFX 100S really delivers on graphics, starting with an amazingly lightweight capability. You can’t expect this from a camera with a 102-megapixel sensor. However, those pixels are spread over an area of ​​43.9 x 32.9 mm, so the pixels are the same (3.76 microns) as the 61-megapixel sensor on Sony’s A7R IV.

Shining in the back with a dual design (this is probably a Sony sensor), it performed better than I expected in a slightly brighter environment. I saw a small noise at ISO 6,400 and had white images at ISO 12,800 and reduced the noise a bit.

For low-end ISOs, the GFX 100S offers stunning white graphics, making it ideal for items such as stereotypes on top of photos and visual effects. If 102 megapixels are not enough, you can use the pixel conversion method to get the resolution four times, although this requires a three-dimensional image.

This large camera allows for a much deeper understanding if you would like to do so in digital recording. Combined with a running lens like 80 mm f / 1.7, it offers a great bokeh as well as splits on the head. At the same time, it makes the right direction more difficult. That can be a problem because sometimes AF is not reliable.