Fujifilm’s New GFX100 II Delivers Beastly Medium Format Specs
Fujifilm unveiled one seriously powerful medium-format mirrorless camera during the September 12th X Summit in Stockholm, Sweden. This is the GFX100 II.
The new flagship medium-format mirrorless shooter delivers improved autofocus, increased shooting speed, a huge 102MP sensor and 8K/30p video among other rich pro photography features.
While Fuji’s previous GFX100 variants also sported 102-megapixel sensors, this latest version delivers the same sharpness with twice the readout speed and thus much smoother high-speed continuous shooting. Its AF and video specs are also more robust.
The GFX100 II’s key feature is is redeveloped 102MP CMOS II HS sensor, which features the latest from Fujifilm’s X-Processor 5-image processing engine.
The literal physical size of the sensor is large too, since it measures out at 43.9 x 32.9 millimeters and 54.86mm in diagonal spread. This by the way makes it roughly 1.7 times larger than a typical full-format image sensor in your “average” camera of this type.
Other shooting specs for the CMOS II HS are also impressive. These include an out-of-box ISO range of 80 to 12,800, which can be extended to 40-102,400.
The previous GFX models, the GFX100 and 100S sported similar specs, but with an ISO that only went down to 100 before extension.
Fujifilm also claims that the wider ISO range in the Mark II is due to innovation at the pixel level, claiming that the sensor’s photosites have been improved to boost light efficiency along even the sensor’s edges where many sensors weaken on quality.
The GFX100 II also offers a faster processor with the added bonus of subject-recognition AF that includes today’s inevitable AI buzzwords in its description. In practice, this should mean faster responsiveness in the AF and better, sharper subject capture.
According to Fuji, the AI AF of this new medium-format camera uses deep learning technology and the latest in the company’s prediction AF to rapidly detect and track numerous specific subjects.
These include animals, birds in particular, vehicles, or any distinct thing that moves quickly.
For a medium-format camera, it’s even remarkably good at capturing small subjects like insects and drones in the air, according to Fujifilm.
The powerful shooting specs don’t stop with the size of the GFX100 II’s sensor or its AF speed. The new camera also offers not only the fastest shooting speed in its line of Fuji cameras but also one of the fastest shooting speeds in its class.
In practical terms, this translates to burst shooting speeds of 8fps, which is pretty impressive for such a huge sensor.
Fuji’s previous GFX models, the 100 and 100S could manage up to 5fps of continuous shooting and while we don’t know if the GFX100 II exceeds this, 8fps bursts are still great. Comparatively, Hasselblad’s X2D 100C, with a slightly smaller sensor can only manage 3.3fps.
Another very useful feature of the GFX100 II is its five-axis in-body image stabilization with 8 stops of stabilization. This is two more stops than what’s available in the GFX100S and 2.5 more than those in the GFX100.
For video recording, the GFX100 II also works as a powerful tool. It can deliver 4K video at 60fps and 8K at 30p. Recording formats include Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422 LT and even Blackmagic RAW.
This powerhouse camera can record its video either to an SSD attached via USB-C or through HDMI connectivity. It even has a LAN terminal.
Design-wise, the GFX100 II has the more compact build of its GFX100S cousin but includes a removable EVF and the slot for a removable battery grip. The EVF in question is extremely crisp too, featuring 9.44 million dots on an OLED screen and a 1.0x magnification.
Other external aspects of the camera’s functional design include a traditional mode dial and a digital display for key shooting data along the top of the camera. There are also three customizable function buttons built into the camera body.
Finally, for a bit of fun, Fujifilm has given its newest GFX camera 20 different Film Simulation modes. One of these is a REALAACE mode that’s based on Fuji’s old color negative film for natural color reproduction.
Also worth noting is that the GFX100 II can directly handle cloud functionality through its integration with Frame.io Camera to Cloud. This lets it directly fire RAW and JPEC images or H.264-encoded videos to the cloud right after capturing them via WiFi or Ethernet LAN.
Fujifilm will be releasing its newest medium-format camera onto the market early in autumn for a surprisingly moderate price of $7,500 USD. You can however preorder it right now too.
Image credits: Fujifilm
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
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