A robust and enjoyable digital camera that is removed from good

After watching its fixed-lens X100 VI camera do stratospheric gross sales numbers, Fujifilm determined to construct an even bigger and badder model that would go up in opposition to Leica’s full-frame Q3. The result’s the $4,899 GFX100RF, the first-ever 100-megapixel medium format compact digital camera.

The GFX100RF has some novel options, like a crop dial that permits you to select facet ratios starting from vertical 3:4 to a panoramic 65:24. It could possibly digitally zoom through a devoted toggle and provides all of the social media-friendly advantages of the X100 VI, together with movie simulations. You may even shoot medium-format 4K video.

Nonetheless, the GFX100RF has some flaws. The place Leica’s Q3 has a quick 28mm f/1.7 lens and optical stabilization, Fujifilm’s 35mm lens (28mm equal) right here is proscribed to f4 and lacks any shake discount, hurting the digital camera in low gentle. I’ve used the digital camera for almost two weeks now and loved it, however given the excessive value and quirks, it’s positively not for everybody.

Fujifilm

The GFX100RF is the world’s first 100MP medium format compact digital camera. It provides unimaginable picture high quality and adaptability however isn’t nice in low gentle, and the excessive value makes it a distinct segment product.

Professionals

Extremely sharp photographs
Progressive facet ratio dial
Compact for a medium format digital camera
Good design and construct high quality

Cons

Poor low-light efficiency
No picture stabilization
No hybrid viewfinder
Middling autofocus

$4,899 at B&H Photo Video

Design and dealing with

Although it’s Fujifilm’s smallest medium-format digital camera, the GFX100RF continues to be a hefty unit at 735 grams. That’s greater than many full-frame mirrorless cameras and across the similar weight because the Q3. The management format is just like the X100 VI with management dials on the back and front, together with publicity compensation, shutter velocity and ISO controls on prime.

What’s new is the facet ratio dial that provides modes for 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 17:6, 3:4, 1:1, 7:6, 5:4 and 65:24 (the latter pays tribute to Fujifilm’s TX-1 panoramic camera). The GFX100RF additionally has a toggle up entrance to pick 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 63mm (full-frame equal) zoom ranges. These step by step lose decision as a result of cropping, from 100MP at 28mm right down to 20MP at 63mm. Bokeh can be lowered because the sensor measurement shrinks.

The rear 2.1-million-dot, 3.15-inch show solely tilts up and down, however that’s wonderful for the digital camera’s major road picture position. Although sharp and detailed, the 5.76-million-dot digital viewfinder sadly lacks the X100 VI’s signature hybrid show that permits you to change between optical and digital views. Nonetheless, it does supply three modes to assist the facet ratio dial and make composition simpler. One solely reveals the chosen crop, one other reveals the complete scene with a field across the crop and the third shows the whole lot exterior the crop at 50 p.c opacity.

Fujifilm's GFX100RF includes an innovative new feature on the back, an aspect ratio dial — Fujifilm’s GFX100RF contains an modern facet ratio dial at again (Steve Dent for Engadget)

Battery life on the GFX100RF is excellent with as much as 820 pictures on a cost or about 100 minutes of 4K 30 fps video capturing. For me, that amounted to almost two days of use, which is healthier than almost each different (non-DSLR) digital camera I’ve examined. The digital camera additionally contains twin UHS-II reminiscence card slots plus mic, headphone, microHDMI and USB-C ports. The latter permits not solely knowledge transfers and charging, but additionally SSD video recording.

Efficiency

The GFX100RF is basically a GFX100S II squeezed right into a compact physique, so efficiency is analogous with as much as 6 fps burst capturing speeds. Nonetheless, every RAW file is as much as 150MB in measurement and JPEGs are 70MB, so even at these slower speeds, you possibly can fill your reminiscence playing cards very rapidly. That mentioned, this digital camera positively isn’t designed for sports activities or wildlife, so I didn’t use burst capturing typically.

The autofocus is dependable when capturing single photographs, but it surely’s a bit laggy for bursts. Utilizing the face and eye detect AI modes helps nail eye focus reliably, but it surely’s not as quick as Sony and Canon’s programs. It additionally helps animal, fowl and automobile monitoring, which helped me seize sharp photographs of geese floating on the Seine river in Paris.

The GFX100RF is the world’s first 100MP medium format compact camera. — Steve Dent for Engadget

The GFX100RF has each mechanical and silent digital shutter modes. Rolling shutter skew is an enormous problem with this sensor in silent mode with fast paced topics, although. Fortunately, the mechanical shutter eliminates that and is almost inaudible.

The built-in ND filter can scale back gentle as much as 4 stops, letting you shoot on sunny days whereas retaining some bokeh. Nonetheless, the primary drawback is when there’s not sufficient gentle. The minimal f4 aperture is solely insufficient and the dearth of stabilization exacerbates the problem as you danger blurry photographs at gradual shutter speeds. In dim gentle it’s possible you’ll have to pack a tripod, which isn’t ideally suited for a compact digital camera.

Picture high quality

The facet ratio and zoom choices on the GFX100RF are helpful and enjoyable. Some curmudgeons could want to shoot full sensor 100MP photographs after which simply crop later in put up manufacturing. However the GFX100RF lets you’ve got your cake and eat it, too. You may apply all of the crops, zooms and movie simulations you need and save them as JPEGs for straightforward sharing. Then, if you must return and alter one thing, you even have the complete 100MP RAW picture as a backup (although clearly, capturing each will fill your reminiscence card extra rapidly).

<p>Shot at 4:3 aspect ratio, ISO 1600, 1/200th, f/10</p>

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As with the GFX100S II, the GFX100RF is a prime performer in the case of element and sharpness. Colours are pleasing and RAW recordsdata retain excessive quantities of dynamic vary, permitting for straightforward adjustment in Lightroom. And naturally, Fujifilm’s movie simulations offer you colourful, nostalgic choices — like Reala Ace or the dramatic black and white look of Acros — straight out of the digital camera.

The GFX100RF additionally delivers stunning bokeh, with the f4 aperture equal to round f3 for a full-frame digital camera when it comes to depth of subject (however not gentle gathering). Like different GFX fashions, the big sensor produces extra dramatic photographs than full body for portraits, landscapes or road pictures.

Like I discussed, issues crumble when the sunshine dims, although. With no choice under f4 and no stabilization, I relied on excessive ISOs to spice up publicity. The GFX100RF isn’t dangerous on this space, with controllable noise as much as about ISO 8000, however that’s not excessive sufficient contemplating the opposite components. For these causes, the GFX100RF is much less versatile than it could possibly be.

Video

The GFX100RF can deal with 4K and widescreen DCI 4K at as much as 30 fps with pretty excessive bit charges, so long as you’ve got a quick UHS-II SD card. It could possibly even shoot ProRes with at a lot greater knowledge speeds, however for these, you’ll have to file on to an SSD through the USB Sort-C port.

Autofocus for video is first rate however not extremely quick, so ideally your topics don’t transfer an excessive amount of. The AI-powered face and eye detection helps nail focus when filming folks, however once more, can fail if topics dart round.

Video has a dreamy high quality and bokeh that solely a big sensor can supply. Just like the GFX100S II, the GFX100RF captures video utilizing the complete width of the sensor in most modes, albeit with pixel binning that reduces high quality. The sharpest video comes with a 1.32x crop, however that reduces the picture high quality advantages of a big sensor.

Video on the GFX100RF has one factor going for it that the picture facet lacks: digital stabilization. This smooths out shakiness for handheld pictures, however the extreme rolling shutter limits your capacity to maneuver the digital camera rapidly.

Colours are pleasing and simple to regulate, significantly when utilizing Fujifilim’s F-Log or F-Log2 10-bit modes to spice up dynamic vary. And naturally, Reala Ace, Acros and different movie simulations can be found in video modes to create nice seems straight out of the digital camera.

Wrap-up

Fujifilm's GFX100RF is cool and innovative but definitely not for everyone. — Steve Dent for Engadget

Fujifilm’s $4,899 GFX100RF is a strong digital camera with unimaginable picture high quality that’s hampered by an absence of low-light efficiency. It’s additionally a distinct segment and costly product that, not like Fujifilm’s well-liked X100 VI, solely appeals to a small group of photographers.

Its major rival on this area is Leica’s Q3, which has a smaller 60MP full-frame sensor and better $6,735 price ticket. Nonetheless, the Q3 has a a lot quicker 28mm f/1.7 lens, much less rolling shutter, a single SD UHS-II card slot and as much as 8K video. It additionally has the Leica model cachet, which does imply one thing to folks spending this sort of cash.

The GFX100RF is enjoyable to make use of, although, and introduces a number of improvements just like the facet ratio dial. Although it might by no means have an enormous market, I feel merchandise like this push the business in new instructions and create conversations that draw new folks into pictures. So although I’d by no means purchase one, I’m glad the GFX100RF exists for these causes.

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