Fujifilm GFX 100 II system camera

Fujifilm GFX 100 II - the ultimate beautiful medium format camera

The Fujifilm GFX 100 II is not only a truly beautiful piece of equipment, it is also a game changer and a real all-rounder. The camera doesn't take pictures, but in the right hands it can produce some of the most beautiful files on the market. The resolution of this medium format camera is a whopping 102 megapixels.

Oh, what medium format? Well, for the uninitiated, the ”full frame” represents the pinnacle of image quality, but in the film era that 35mm cinema size was known as a small format, and professionals made a more stunning image on an even bigger screen. Fuji has brought the medium format to a wider audience in the digital age. Now the price of the flagship is significantly lower with this camera and the features are getting better.

The sensor is not only large in terms of physical dimensions (43.8 x 32.9mm) and pixels, it is also state-of-the-art in terms of technology. Naturally, the sensor is a BSI or back-illuminated medium format CMOS sensor and its high sensitivity is quite usable natively up to 12800. However, the sensor is not the same as the previous ones but a noticeably faster version. The camera has also received a heart transplant and now has X-processor 5 pumping away inside. These two upgraded components mean you get 16-bit RAW images out of the camera with stunning dynamic range and low noise. BSI helps to achieve accurate colours even in difficult situations.

As with almost everything else in the camera, the viewfinder has had some tweaks, now almost doubling in accuracy to 9.44 million points EVF with 120 fps live view and 5 fps blackout free viewing experience that is almost bloodcurdling. In terms of physical size, it's massive too. Plus, up to 8 aperture IBIS image stabilisation allows for all kinds of creative work.

Superior autofocus. I mean, in the middle of nowhere, we all know where the truly superior AF is but this is probably a photographer's camera.

The new features make the GFX100 II a versatile and reliable mirrorless camera.

Video half

At the launch event, Fuji pushed a lot of video agenda with this camera, and not without reason, even if it seems a bit of a foreign idea at first. 4k/60p is a pretty generous speed for a frame of this size. It can be recorded internally in 4:2:2 10-bit Apple ProRes, or jammed as Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW via HDMI to an external recorder. Of course, the resolution can be as high as 8K if you drop the speed to 30 frames.

You can choose the format depending on the project, everything from anamorphic to wide format is available.

In a first for this type of hybrid camera, Fuji is introducing Waveform and Vectorscope displays. In addition, the camera supports time code synchronisation via Atomos AirGlu. Subject tracking in video is also something not seen before in Fuji cameras, with the added bonus of storage on an external SSD.

New Reala ACE film simulation

With the new camera comes a new simulation as Fuji has always done, this time we get the Reala ACE sim. Fuji categorically talked about it as their new standard colour alongside Provia and it's a good choice for it. A slightly less saturated and contrasty image looks and feels great.

The medium format ”look” is often thought of as a derivative of narrow depth of field, but in reality it comes from stunning colours and colour slides. The look is enhanced by the numerous aspect ratios available from the camera: the standard 4:3, and the common 3:2, but also the traditional 1:1, X-Pan 65:24, and even 5:4, 7:6, and 16:9.

Despite its huge size, the camera can shoot at 8 frames per second and record DCI and UHD 4k60 video. You'd think with such a large sensor you'd get a rolling shutter effect, but thanks to the quad-core X-processor 5 it's mild. Naturally you can shoot video with the F-Log2 profile, but RAW video is also possible via HDMI.

The camera has a 3,5mm microphone slot and also a 3,5mm plug socket.

The frame is a magnesium alloy which makes it durable and lightweight. The camera is sealed at 95 points which makes it weather and dust resistant and it has excellent frost resistance.

The Fujifilm NP-W235 battery provides a CIPA rating of 460 frames of power.

CFExpress II B and UHS-II SD card slots write images to the card quickly.

The mechanical shutter is promised to last at least 150 000 shots. The shutter is effectively damped to prevent high-resolution images from becoming soft due to vibration.

There is a sub-screen on top of the camera where you can choose the info you want to display.

Connected bluetooth 4.2 uses very little electricity and makes Wi-Fi connection to mobile devices fast.

Features

• Bayonet: FujiFilm G
• 102 megapixel 43.8 x 32.9mm BSI CMOS medium format sensor
• X-Processor 4 processor
• 9,44m-point OLED EVF
• 3.2″ 2.36million dot Rotating touch LCD
• 2.09″ LCD Status Display
• DCI 4K30 video; F-Log Gamma & 10-bit output
• 5-axle 8-opening frame brake
• 425 million points PDAF autofocus
• ISO 100-12800 (expandable 50-102400), up to 8 frames per second
• 16-Bit Raw output, multiple aspect ratios (1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, 7:6, 16:9, 65:24)
• 2 UHS-II SD card slots
• Bayonet: Fuifilm G
• Resolution: 102 Megapixels (11648 x 8736)
• 16-bit images
• Buffer: 8 fps 102 MP up to 76 frames (Raw) / unlimited (JPEG)
• Video recording:
  • H.264/H.265/MPEG-4 AVC/ProRes 422/ProRes 422 HQ/ProRes 422LT
  • 8192 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 7680 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 8192 x 2968 at 23.98/24.00 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 5824 x 2476 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 5440 x 2868 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 4776 x 3184 at 23.98/24.00 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 4776 x 2688 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 4664 x 3380 at 23.98/24.00 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 4096 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 3840 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 2048 x 1080 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94/100/120 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  • 1920 x 1080 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94/100/120 fps [50 to 720 Mb/s]
  •  Externally
    • 4:2:2 10-bit via HDMI
    • 7680 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
    • 8192 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00 fps
    • 8192 x 2968 at 23.98/24.00 fps
    • 5824 x 2476 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
    • 5440 x 2868 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
    • 4776 x 2688 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
    • 4664 x 3380 at 23.98/24.00 fps
    • 4096 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps
    • 3840 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps
    • 2048 x 1080 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94/100/120 fps
    • Raw via HDMI
    • 7680 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97 fps
    • 8192 x 4320 at 23.98/24.00 fps
    • 3840 x 2160 at 23.98/24.00/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps
• Connections:3.5mm Headphone, 3.5mm Microphone, DC Input, HDMI (full size), PC Sync Socket, USB Type-C (USB 3.0), RJ 45
• Wireless: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• Battery: NP-W235 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 22000 mAh
• Dimensions: 152.4 x 117.4 x 98.6 mm
• Weight: 1030 g