A new look and feel for for an already great camera - FujiFilm GFX100 II
Sneak peek! FujiFilm GFX100 II, GF30mm T/S, GF110mm T/S Macro and GF55mm f1.7 lenses
We were fortunate to have some hands on with the yet to be released FujiFilm GFX100 II medium format camera.
Having seen the unit in it's original form some months ago, we were very pleased that FujiFilm took onboard some of our comments and made some really nice improvements in the pre-production unit that we tested. The GFX100 II was running firmware 1.00, but it seemed to perform well and was generally stable.
Overall, the GFX100 II is a very natural evolutionary step for what has been a very successful range of cameras. The upgrades have been well considered, leading us to believe that Fujifilm have been attentive to the evolving photography (and videography) market. The camera felt great to use due to its improved design, and we were instantly impressed by the new Electronic Viewfinder and the speed of the processor - preview images appeared quickly and the autofocus system felt faster. The addition of the VG-GFX100II grip is welcome as the GFX cameras tend to require significant amounts of battery power due to their advanced processes.
The biggest boon is for photographers that also shoot video, which is something we're seeing more and more. Fujifilm have also obviously noticed this crossover, and have wisely updated the video recording quality to 4k@60fps, thus creating a truly impressive "hybrid" digital medium format camera.
We were also fortunate to test the new lenses from FujiFilm as well:
• FujiFilm GF 30mm f5.6 T/S lens
• FujiFilm GF 110mm f5.6 T/S Macro lens
• FujiFilm GF 55mm f1.7 R WR lens
You can read about these in this blog post GF30mm T/S and GF110 Macro T/S.
FujiFilm GFX100 II new features
The GFX100 II rocks some of the same great features that we love in the GFX100 and GFX100S:
- Highly customisable interface with a great selection of ergonomically placed buttons
- Removable viewfinder as per the GFX100
- The same compact form factor as the GFX100S
- SD card storage
- USB-C for tethering with charging during shooting
- The same NP-W235 batteries as with the GFX100S
- 3 way tilting touchscreen to shoot from waist level or from other angles if required
- Easily updated firmware via Bluetooth (on your phone)
But the GFX100 II also gets the following updates:
- New high speed 102MP BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS II HS sensor with a readout speed that is about two times faster than GFX100S.
- Newly designed, robust (almost industrial) body that looks lux and feels great in the hand
- Dust and Weather Resistant construction, able to operate at -10 °C
- 8 f-stops of IBIS (In Body Image Stabilisation) for improved stability
- 8fps high speed continuous shooting (5.3fps Blackout-Free Burst Operation!!)
- AI subject detection AF with eye tracking
- Optional Vertical Grip
- Higher resolution interchangeable EVF (Electronic Viewfinder)
- CFExpress (Type B) and SD UHS-II card storage enabling buffer free RAW shooting
- Great new video capabilities
- New button arrangements - more ergonomic
- New Ethernet connectivity
- Frame.io support
- A new Reala Ace Film Simulation
- Metadata recording of lens movements and positions for Tilt/Shift lenses
The GFX100 II also gets the following new video related updates:
- 8K/30p (x1.44), 4K/60p (no crop), FHD/120p video and 4:2:2 10bit internal, and external 12bit Apple ProRes/Black Magic Raw
- Support for various cinema formats including 4K/60p (17ms rolling speed) cropped 8K/30p, non cropped FHD/120p and more
- Recording to SSD via USB-C
- Dedicated cinema overlays
- AI subject or face tracking while shooting (control via touch screen)
Other key extras
- New X Processor 5 enables maximum precision & speed (great for AF, image readout and more)
- Record video and RAW stills to SSD via USB-C
- 3x additional buttons located near ON/OFF switch, corresponding to features on the top LCD screen
- 2x new additional customisable buttons at the front of the camera body (useful, but difficult to access)
- Re-designed and relocated “Drive” button (easier to access)
- Illumination button/feature for top LCD screen (handy in dark situations)
- New ISO L40 (vs previous L50) resulting higher image quality
- Ability to control cooling fan for video
- 4K video uses full sensor area (1.0 with GF lenses, no crop factor)
- Frame.io “shoot to cloud” capability - not working on model we tested.
We tested Firmware 1.00
What is Frame.io ?
Frame.io is a cloud-based video review and collaboration platform with which creative teams can upload, review, and share video content privately. Incorporating communication, collaboration and creative integration tools, Frame.io aims to help users streamline the video creation process. Frame.io also gives users the flexibility to collaborate from anywhere via their native iOS mobile app.
With the native Frame.io integrations inside of the FUJIFILM GFX100 II mirrorless digital camera, images and video files can be automatically uploaded into Frame.io directly from the camera using any simple Wi-Fi connection, making them accessible within minutes of being created.
PROS - What we like
Here are some things that we really love about the GFX100 II (for photographers):
- The body look serious and buttons and dials feel solid with a good tactile feel
- The body wrap feels great and is slip resistant
- Images appear crystal clear in the new high definition EVF
- Vertical grip! - The vertical grip fits nicely and feels a part of the camera
- The 8fps means that shooting feels very fluid and unrestrained
- 5.3fps "black-out free" burst shooting great for being able to continuosly see your subject
- 8-stop, five-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS)
Here are some things that we really love about the GFX100 II (for video):
- 4K/60p - nice! (also 8k /30p with 1.44 crop) 4:2:2 10-bit video internally
- 8k /30p 12-bit RAW via HDMI (for use with ATOMOS external monitors)
- Tracking AF function (touch the screen to specific a subject to be tracked while filming)
- F-Log2 with dynamic range expanded up to 14+ stops
- Direct to external SSD recording (via USB-C)
- Addition of CFExpress type B card slot
- Support for three Apple ProRes codecs, i.e. Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422 and Apple ProRes 422 LT.
- Support for various cine recording formats, including Premista, 35mm, and anamorphic (35mm) with mount adaptors
- Timecode support with ATOMOS AirGlu BT
CONS - What we are unsure about
Here are a couple of small things that we feel could have been better on the GFX100 II:
- Same standard FujiFilm packaging. It would be nice to have a more premium experience when opening a camera that is more than $10,000.
- Same standard USB-C port subject to cable movement
- No model number visible on the camera body (Come on Fuji, brand it with what it is!)
We were sad to see that the camera has the same USB-C port as most other cameras have. Becuase of their flush mount, cables can wiggle and wobble and get damaged (even with the best support accessories), or even damage the USB-C port itself.
We would really like to see recessed USB-C ports that would help protect the cable and the port itself and make tethering connections more solid.
We understand that this may limit what brand cables can be used, but companies like Tether Tools make cables specifically for the Phase One IQ4 digtal backs (which have a recessed port - thank-you!), they could make them for FujiFilm.
GFX100 II Summary
Even though there are no more megapixels, all in all this is an exciting upgrade providing a great combination of superior image quality, shooting performance and industry standard video capabilities.
The new body design, the addition of the optional vertical grip and the robustness of buttons and dials makes the system enjoyable to use.
Commercial photographers, artists and enthusiasts will find much to love about the new FujiFilm GFX100 II.
This is a camera for all those who appreciate the finer design elements of a camera system - this would include those existing GFX users who are just wating a bit more from their existing camera. It will be welcomed in the video community with it's rich features, versatility and adaptability.
FujiFilm GFX100 II vs GFX100S vs GFX100 vs GFX50S II - a quick summary
As a simple overview, here is a bit of a summary of the main differences between the GFX models.
Pricing & availability
At launch the Australian price of the FujiFilm GFX100 II is $12,590.
All the GFX100 II and new lenses are ready to ship soon, get your order in now! Check out the GFX100 II in our store.
The GFX100 II and all the GFX lenses are available for hire from our Specular Hire department