Fujifilm GFX 100S II
the evolution of the species
Mirrorless cameras were nothing new at the time. most of the time however (with rare exceptions) they were rather sparse systems of lenses and accessories. Systems, moreover, chosen by brands that until then had not been able to find the way to undermine the photographic dominance of the Nikon and Canon duopoly. A top-selling duopoly, which was careful not to market products that could cannibalize the heritage of optics and accessories created over the years for their reflex cameras.
Few trusted Fujifilm's choice, mainly for having chosen to give up the mirror prematurely and for having chosen the APSC format of the sensor.
It's been 12 years and we all know how things went.
September 2016, while digital SLRs desperately try to prolong their agony, Fujifilm announces the GFX 50S, the first mirrorless medium format designed to break away from the usage patterns into which these types of cameras were confined.
I immediately fell in love with the GFX. For many it was slow and cumbersome but it was clear that they didn't have the slightest experience with this format enough to be able to make a considered judgement.
Photokina 2016 - presentation of the GFX 50S
A judgment which, more often than not, led to comparing the overall performance of the GFX with that of more "traditional" format digital cameras. This highlighted a limitation of experience in the specific use that, until then, characterized medium format.
FUJIFILM GFX 50S - Fujifilm GF 250mm F4 R LM OIS WR (demo test photo of the lens created together with Riccardo Scotti - Fujifilm Italia
The
GFX completely changed my way of approaching professional photography,
offering me new creative opportunities that were previously unthinkable.
Unthinkable especially outside the studio or the sets on which you can
shoot with all the calm possible.
From this moment on, thanks also to Hasselblad, digital medium format was finally cleared through customs.
In 2018, when all brands finally abandon the "mirror", Fujifilm
announces the GFX 50R and, above all, reveals a demo of the GFX 100
which will only be marketed the following year.
FUJIFILM GFX 50R - Fujifilm GF 23mm F4 R LM WR
Already
the GFX 100, an evolution of the 50s not only for the achievement of
100MP and the image stabilizer but also for the autofocus update thanks
to the phase detection which makes the GFX 100 the first medium format
camera that takes advantage of this technology.
The GFX 100 is probably the camera I loved most in my life.
I have used it for many photographic situations, often even
those in which a faster or lighter photographic medium would have been
more suitable. But once you've seen even one GFX 100 file, a sort of
physical addiction is created within you.
It's like a good plate of Carbonara, once you put the first
forkful in your mouth you can no longer be satisfied with plain pasta.
Certainly the X100VI and the XH2s always find a place in my
camera bag especially when discretion and operational speed are the
priority aspects of the photographic work to be carried out. And
therefore I continue to use them with great satisfaction. But the GFX
100 is the GFX 100.
FUJIFILM GFX 100 - Fujifilm GF 80mm F1.7 R WR
In 2021 the GFX series takes a further step towards the "normalization" of medium format. The GFX 50S II and the GFX 100S are essentially two more compact versions of the previous models. In terms of performance and image quality there are no differences. Compared to the GFX 100, the new model has a less refined electronic viewfinder and loses the possibility of having a battery grip. For many, the smaller body and certainly more accessible price represents a valid reason to take the step towards the larger sensor.
FUJIFILM GFX 1OOS - Fujifilm GF 110mm F2 R LM WR
In
2023 the GFX 100II comes to life. New sensor and new image processor.
In reality the image quality remains fundamentally very similar to
previous GFX. The real novelty is the new autofocus system which allows
the GFX to get ever closer to the speeds of other cameras with smaller
sensors on the market. Now you shouldn't expect the exuberance of the
X-H2s (to stay at Fujifilm) or other sports cameras offered by other
brands. But the gap between medium format and the rest of the world has
narrowed further in this respect.
Video performance also reaches heights that were unthinkable until recently.
But the GFX 100II, like the original GFX 100, is an extremely
complete professional machine intended for a specific user.
FUJIFILM GFX 1OO II - Fujifilm GF 30mm F5.6 T/S
The
new GFX 100S II sits in the middle between those who want very high
image quality but want more mobility. Users who deal mainly with
photography and less with videos. Photographers who, at the same price
as a medium-high range full frame, can purchase a highly performing
medium format.
The GFX 100S II is not a detuned GFX 100 II. The GFX 100S II is
rather a photographic device stripped of all those options that are of
secondary importance for many users.
I've always said this. The GFX 100 and GFX 100S travel on two
distinct but parallel roads. The 100S did not replace the original 100,
just as the 100 SII does not replace the 100 II. These are two options
that Fujifilm offers to meet the different needs of its users.
FUJIFILM GFX 100S II - Fujifilm GF 23mm F4 R LM WR
GFX 100S II, first contact.
If it weren't for the new BISHAMON-TEX coating, already seen
with the GFX 100II, it would be difficult to distinguish the new camera
from the previous model (GFX 100s).
But once it is turned on we realize that, if the body has
remained fundamentally unchanged, the soul is completely new.
First of all the new X-Processor 5 image processor guarantees
most of the new functions introduced with the GFX 100 II and some
improvements compared to the GFX 100S.
Base ISO 80, the new Reale Ace simulation, the 5,760,000 dot
viewfinder, further optimization of the sensor to improve the image
especially on the peripheral areas and new intelligent autofocus
functions for subject recognition and tracking.
The image stabilizer also reaches 8 stops.
Many will now be wondering what the real differences are
between the GFX 100II and the GFX 100s II given that at first glance the
performances seem almost comparable.
As previously mentioned, the GFX 100II, at an operational
level, is proposed to a type of user for whom photography and video have
the same importance. Furthermore, size and price are not a problem.
FUJIFILM GFX 100S II - Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 R WR
The
GFX 100S II on the other hand, precisely to be more oriented towards
photography, adopts the new image processor like the GFX 100 II but a new and different image sensor .
Now, what does all this translate into?
In reality we will not perceive anything in the photograph.
In fact, the GFX 102MP CMOS II HS that equips the GFX 100II offers a reading speed approximately twice faster than the previous one.
But it is a solution adopted mainly to maintain a very high standard of video performance.
The of deep learning and advanced tracking and AF detection,
not only on human faces and eyes, but also on animals, birds, cars,
motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains.
So if you mainly deal with photography I would say there is nothing to worry about.
FUJIFILM GFX 100S II - Fujifilm 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR
That's
enough for now, it's difficult to add anything for the moment. For
those who know me well, they know perfectly well that I consider it
impossible to create an accurate review only after a couple of weeks of
using a photographic medium.
The web is already full of "copy and paste" reviews and summary
judgments written in a hasty and superficial manner. I am of the old
school, that of sector magazines so to speak when you had all the time
to thoroughly squeeze a camera or a lens to really understand its
characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. But now I belong to another
photographic era.
FUJIFILM GFX 100S II - Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 R WR
Let
me just add something about the AF's performance since I already
foresee the flood of hasty judgments that we will read on the internet
from today onwards. AF performance is determined by two things: camera
and lens used. Now that the new GFX implement high-performance
solutions, suitable lenses will be released to fully exploit these
characteristics. Obviously, even old lenses will be able to fully
benefit from the new solutions adopted by the new models. But if you
expect miracles from lenses like the GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR or the
Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 R WR you are on the wrong track. They are
spectacular lenses for portraying people, not for photographic hunting
or chasing a Ferrari launched at full speed on the Imola straight.
I say it like this, just for future reference.
I decided to also publish some shots taken during a walk around
Rome. By now we all know the image quality of Fujifilm's 100MP. The
thing I was most interested in understanding were the operating margins
that this model can offer in photographic genres where medium format has
never been the "recommended" system.
So, having activated the AF with human or animal subject
detection, mounted the optimal reportage lens (Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8 R
WR), I start photographing and think: "How long has it been since medium
format was just a object linked to the photographic room”.
And finally, something fantastic that had never happened to me. With all the cameras I tested in preview I was forced to shoot only in JPG due to the obvious absence of software capable of managing raw files. Well, this time Adobe LR (latest version) was able to correctly develop the GFX 100SII raws already three weeks before the launch of the new Fujifilm. Just coincidence?
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GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
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GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
GFX 100S II - GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR -
FUJIFILM GFX 100S II - Fujifilm GF 23mm F4 R LM WR