Fujifilm GFX 50S - Review 2022

The Fujifilm GFX 50S ($6,499.95) isn't the first affordable medium format camera, but its mirrorless design means it's more compact than the Pentax 645Z, which has been on the market place for a few years. Information technology also feels more modern—its EVF is removable, and its tilting LCD is sensitive to touch. A 51MP image sensor delivers superb images, even in difficult low-cal, though photographers that demand high-speed flash sync will be turned off past a lack of native leafage-shutter lenses. Still, that's a weakness shared by the 645Z, our previous Editors' Option. The GFX 50S is less expensive and a better camera, so information technology's our new top selection in the category.

Blueprint

At 3.7 past v.8 past 3.6 inches (HWD), the GFX 50S isn't that much larger than a typical total-frame SLR, but its image sensor is. In its body you'll detect a 33-by-44mm chip, which is about 1.7 times the size of the 24-by-36mm sensor in Canon'south take on the 50MP camera, the EOS 5DS R. An addition vertical grip is available ($599.95) if you prefer a beefier feel.

There are some advantages to a larger surface surface area. Prototype noise, for example, is reduced due to the increased size of each individual pixel, and sharpness and dynamic range are improved too. Lenses also cover wider fields of view at matching focal lengths—a 63mm lens is considered to be a standard angle on the Fujifilm system, where a shorter 50mm covers the same field of view on full-frame and a 35mm lens would mimic the field of view on an APS-C system.

Shooting wider images with a comparatively longer focal length more noticeably compresses the distance betwixt subject area and background. The system promises to be able to capture photos with a shallower depth of field with similar framing to what you get with 35mm, as long as wide aperture glass is available—more than on that after.

The GFX itself is finished in blackness. Its body is sealed to forbid dust and moisture from getting inside, as are all of the available lenses. The all-weather design is a big advantage for landscape photographers, whose work ofttimes takes them out into the wild to catch that perfect shot, regardless of weather condition conditions. The competing Pentax 645Z is also sealed, but not all of its lenses are.

The GFX is mirrorless, and then in that location's non a large altitude between the lens mountain and sensor, but its trunk is similar in bulk to a full-frame SLR. Some of the electronics that would normally alive elsewhere in an SLR are placed behind the sensor, and the battery, which is typically housed in the handgrip surface area, occupies a expert deal of space here as well.

Many of the physical controls can be customized. This includes the lonely, unmarked button on the forepart (Fn2)—information technology sets automatic exposure bracketing by default, but can be remapped to perform a wide range of other functions.

The top plate houses a couple of command dials. The ISO control sits to the left of the removable EVF, and the shutter speed control to its right. Both are lockable—a middle button toggles whether or non the wheel tin plow. It's the type of locking command dial I prefer, as information technology lets yous leave it unlocked if desired.

Also on the top plate, to the tight of the EVF, is a dedicated push to change the Bulldoze mode, i of the few on the camera that can't be reassigned. In that location'southward also a monochrome data LCD, and a corresponding push to activate its backlight so you tin can read information technology when working in dim conditions.

The front end control dial is nestled into the handgrip. Above it is the On/Off switch, which surrounds the shutter release, and right adjacent door is Fn1, which adjusts EV compensation in conjunction with the rear control dial. It can exist reassigned, every bit tin can any other button with the Fn designation.

There's no defended EV dial. This is a large departure from recent Fujifilm models, and an ergonomic step back if you enquire me. You don't have to use the top push button to gear up it—I reassigned that Fn1 to magnify my frame as a manual focus aid. I'd honey for the rear dial to serve as a dedicated control to dial in EV compensation, especially since lenses sport physical aperture adjustment dials, just it's non possible with the current firmware.

The closest I could become is a two-touch solution, first pressing in on the rear dial, and then turning it to gear up the level of adjustment you'd like. But if you lot exit out of taking photos—to review a shot in playback card, change a carte setting, or if the camera goes to sleep—you'll need to remember to once again press in on the button to prepare EV. A firmware update to add the option of making the rear bike a full-fourth dimension EV adjustment control would go a long way to improving the ergonomics associated with that item function.

The toggle switch to adapt the focus mode, and buttons to delete images and enter playback sit at an bending above the rear LCD. To the correct of the LCD, Fn4 and Fn3 flank the rear control wheel to its correct and left; Fn4 locks focus when held in, and Fn3 toggles a live iv-channel histogram display.

A dedicated focus joystick sits beneath—it makes information technology piece of cake to set the active focus area. Also on the rear are Fn5, exposure lock by default, and a four-way arrangement of Fn buttons, surrounding the Carte/OK button. Past default they set the AF area (Fn6), film simulation style (Fn7), adapt white balance (Fn8), and toggle the speedy Rapid AF role (Fn9).

At the bottom of the rear plate is the Disp/Back button, which is used to alter the amount of information shown on the rear brandish and to navigate through menus. In that location'southward also the familiar Q button, located on the pollex grip, which launches an on-screen command carte du jour.

If y'all've shot with a Fujifilm camera earlier, you're familiar with the Q menu. For those new to the brand, it's an on-screen depository financial institution of settings, arranged in a four-past-four grid. It gives y'all quick admission to common functions—autofocus surface area, colour output, white residue, and the similar—and is navigable via touch, or using the rear joystick and command wheel. Each of the sixteen available settings tin can be customized, so you tin configure the Q screen to accommodate your fancy.

The rear display is a three.ii-inch LCD with touch input support and a ii.36-1000000-dot resolution. It's very, very crisp—y'all'll exist able to zoom in on images to ensure the sensor has captured the smallest of details—and plenty bright for outdoor utilize. The brandish is mounted on a hinge and tin tilt upwards or down, as well as face toward the correct, but it can't tilt left or confront frontward for selfies.

The EVF is also very crisp, with a large 3.69-million-dot OLED display that delivers 0.85x magnification to your eye, larger than viewfinders in total-frame mirrorless cameras and SLRs. And it's removable. Why would y'all want to remove the EVF? If you have no trouble working with just the rear LCD, it cuts down on the overall size. Or, if you typically work at a depression bending on a tripod, the EVF-TL1 Tilt Adapter ($569.99), which sits between the camera body and viewfinder, makes information technology possible to tilt the EVF directly upward, or 45 degrees either right or left. If you're tired of getting on your hands and knees for those depression-angle shots, and prefer the EVF to the rear LCD for framing a shot, you'll be interested in information technology.

Connectivity

The GFX 50S includes built-in Wi-Fi. You can transfer images from the camera to your Android or iOS device for quick social sharing using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app, and also utilise your phone every bit a remote photographic camera control. The app allows you to tap on your phone's screen to set the focus point, and supports full manual exposure control, ISO adjustment, and access to motion picture simulation, white balance, wink, and self-timer options.

You can also tether the GFX to a Mac or PC via USB and leverage the gratuitous Ten Larn software in order to automatically store images on your computer organization. Ten Acquire runs in your taskbar or carte bar and only has a few settings available. Different another tethered solutions, the software doesn't command the photographic camera. Instead information technology simply allows yous to set a folder to which Raw, JPG, or both Raw and JPG images are automatically transferred via USB as they're captured. If you want to encounter them appear in real-fourth dimension on your screen, use it in conjunction with a watched binder in Adobe Lightroom to import images into your itemize automatically.

In that location are a number of physical connections on the trunk. Both the EVF and torso itself characteristic a hot shoe, so you can mount an external flash or wireless trigger regardless of whether or not the EVF is attached. The left side of the body boasts 3.5mm headphone and microphone connections, as well equally a ii.5mm remote connection, a DC power input, a micro USB 3.0 port, and a micro HDMI connector.

There are dual retentiveness menu slots, each supporting SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards at upward to UHS-2 speeds. The retention cards are attainable via a door at the right side of the body. If you utilise studio strobes with a wired connection, you can utilize the PC sync socket, on the forepart plate, just ahead of the ISO dial, to connect them.

The GFX has a big battery, but it's also a power-hungry device. CIPA rates the battery for virtually 400 shots per accuse, which seems correct in line with my apply of the photographic camera later on a long weekend of travel photography—I put the bombardment on the charger when it showed about half ability, having shot roughly 200 images. If you plan on using the camera all twenty-four hour period and capturing an intense amount of images, a spare battery or ii ($119) is a worthwhile investment.

Lens System

The GFX 50S is the first camera to employ Fujifilm's G mount. As such, early adopters are faced with a rather scarce selection of lenses compared with more established systems. Fujifilm is aircraft three at the moment—the GF 32-64mm F4 R LM WR ($2,299.95), the GF 120mm F4 R LM OIS WR Macro ($2,699.99), and the GF 63mm F2.8 R WR, which nosotros received forth with the camera for review.

At that place are a few more lenses on the way, all due this year—a broad-discontinuity GF 110mm F2 R LM WR, an ultra-wide GF 23mm F4 R LM WR, and a moderately wide GF 45mm F2.8 R WR. After that, what's coming is anyone'due south guess, just if Fujifilm's rapid development of its APS-C X system is a pattern, expect the G system to be fleshed out in a similar fashion.

To me, the annunciation of an f/2 lens is a big deal, as shooting with a medium format sensor with such a broad aperture can evangelize stunning results. I'd love to come across a premium standard-angle prime at f/2 or wider. Time volition tell. For now, you lot can invest in a lens adapter if you lot want to aggrandize your options. Fujifilm sells the H Mount Adapter for $660. Information technology supports Hasselblad H lenses with electronic aperture command and flash sync of one/800-second, much quicker than the 1/125-2d of native G lenses, but it doesn't support autofocus.

In that location's also an official adapter to mountain the GFX to a 4-by-5-inch large format camera body, with the option to take pictures using the in-photographic camera shutter or an in-lens shutter. And if you want to delve into tertiary-political party options, Fotodiox offers a full range of adapters to attach almost any lens imaginable to the torso, including those designed for 35mm systems. You may take to crop a bit to become rid of darkened corners and edges when using a lens that doesn't comprehend a medium format sensor.

Functioning

Despite costing every bit much as a high-stop full-frame SLR like the Canon EOS-1D X, the GFX 50S isn't congenital for incredible speed and subject tracking. That's simply not the strength of medium format, at to the lowest degree not yet. That said, the GFX isn't tedious. It starts, focuses, and fires a crisp image in well-nigh ane.3 seconds, which is in line with many other mirrorless cameras.

Its autofocus system does take about 0.2-2d to lock focus, a beat slower than smaller sensor models, some of which tin lock on nigh instantly. But it's authentic, and it covers a very big portion of the image sensor. In that location are 425 individual points bachelor, and yous can move the active focus area using the rear joystick. For situations where very fine command of the point isn't crucial the focus box can exist set to be larger, for quicker movement from one portion of the frame to some other, or y'all can size information technology down to focus on a smaller point.

See How We Exam Digital Cameras

Flare-up shooting is available at about 1.9 frames per second. Focus is locked after the kickoff shot, fifty-fifty if the camera is set up to AF-C, and that stride is limited to ten Raw+JPG, 11 Raw, or 52 JPG shots when using a SanDisk 280MBps UHS-II retentiveness carte. The photographic camera completely clears the buffer to the card rather apace—xiii.4 seconds for Raw+JPG, 9.2 seconds for Raw, and 7.1 seconds for JPG.

The mechanical shutter can fire off a shot at 1/4,000-second, with an electronic first curtain option available that's used to reduce vibration when capturing images. There's also a full electronic shutter mode, supporting speeds as short every bit ane/16,000-2d, but information technology's more prone to picking up images with the rolling shutter event and can't be used in conjunction with a flash.

In that location's no flash built into the body, but medium format photographers are very likely to use a photographic camera in a studio with multiple external lights. The GFX 50S will only sync at 1/125-2nd with its mechanical shutter. Yous tin skirt this limitation by using Hasselblad H lenses via an adapter, improving the sync to 1/800-2d, but you'll be limited to manual focus. There'southward certainly zilch stopping Fujifilm from developing its own leafage-shutter lenses with faster sync speeds, just at this time it hasn't announced any plans to do so. The price of development, and need for the feature, will likely decide that event.

In the meantime, there are alternatives to a foliage shutter. You can add an ND filter to the front of your lens, cutting the incoming light and so you can use powerful strobes at wider apertures. Other systems have benefited from wireless flash controllers that ability downward strobes and fire them at extremely short durations—High Speed Sync. There's no question that someone will bring that tech to the GFX organization in time.

Prototype and Video Quality

We've seen other cameras use a very similar 51MP CMOS image sensor. Fujifilm states that this particular sensor blueprint is unique to the GFX, just its operation is very much in line with Sony-fabricated sensors used past Pentax, Phase One, and Hasselblad.

Those other cameras don't offer Fujifilm'south JPG engine, which keeps racket under i.five percent through ISO 6400 while maintaining strong detail. ISO 6400 shots aren't perfectly crisp like images shot at ISO 1600 and below, merely nosotros run into only very minor smudging of particular at ISO 3200 and 6400 when viewing photos at full resolution. There'due south a little more than blur at ISO 12800, only I'd still utilise the setting. It's not until y'all push the camera to its extended range, starting at ISO 25600, that fine lines meld together. That type of blur is more visible at ISO 51200, and you should avoid the height ISO 102400 setting when shooting JPGs no matter what.

Shooting in Raw is likewise an pick, ane that most photographers investing in a camera like the GFX will be wise to practice. Raw images show excellent detail through ISO 6400. At ISO 12800 the very smallest dots in our ISO test paradigm begin to meld together, but you merely observe it on the closest examination. Raw quality is still quite stiff every bit you push to the first extended ISO setting, 25600. Only it takes a step back, with noisy grain eradicating small item at ISO 51200. The acme ISO 102400 setting is very, very crude and should exist seen as an option of last resort.

The GFX supports in-camera Raw conversion to JPG. Not ordinarily a huge deal, you may want to play with it, or enable Raw+JPG capture, every bit Fujifilm'southward JPG engine offers some creative options not seen in other cameras. This includes Moving-picture show Simulation modes like the muted Classic Chrome, monochrome Acros, and vivid Velvia settings, forth with the ability to use a Color Chrome effect to color images and a simulated film grain to whatsoever photo. I love the versatility that a Raw epitome provides, especially when working in medium format and a sensor like this one with excellent dynamic range to reign in highlights and pull details out of shadows. But for less challenging scenes, the Film Simulation modes ofttimes evangelize more pleasing results than I'd be able to manage on my ain with Lightroom.

Video recording is included, only the large size of the sensor makes the GFX 50S more prone to showing the rolling shutter effect, which causes fast-moving objects to render with a jelly-like skew. Video is captured in QuickTime format at 1080p or 720p quality at 24, 25, or 30fps. The full width of the sensor is used, which is a plus, but autofocus is spotty, taking a long time to react to changes in the scene. I also had to deal with some oestrus problems when recording video—my kickoff examination prune cut off around the two minute mark due to warmth.

Remember of the GFX 50S as a still camera that happens to accept video adequacy—I was happy to have the feature available to capture a brusk prune of flying higher up the Rocky Mountains on a recent trip, only as you tin can see from the footage, the lack of stabilization resulted in some shaky handheld piece of work, even from a seated position. At that place are full-frame models out there that are much improve suited for video—the Sony a7S Ii is a top choice for dedicated video use, and if yous want a mix of high-resolution imaging and 4K capture, the a7R Ii is a potent performer in both regards.

Conclusions

The Fujifilm GFX 50S is the best medium format camera y'all can buy in this price range, and earns our Editors' Option. It doesn't exercise some things that loftier-end medium format cameras do—the Phase 1 XF 100MP is our favorite in the loftier-priced realm and offers a physically larger, 100MP paradigm sensor, leaf-shutter lenses, and a modular design with a removable digital back, for example. Just it doesn't cost $50,000 either.

The GFX is especially highly-seasoned for mural photographers. Its loftier-resolution sensor, strong dynamic range, all-weather build, and portable pattern make it an appealing option for capturing the wonders of nature. And while lens choices are a flake limited right at present, we're confident Fujifilm will aggrandize the organization, and do so aggressively.

In that location are some applications the GFX 50S doesn't lend itself perfectly to, of form. Information technology's not a sports camera, and I'd be a flake wary using information technology to capture the fast-moving action of a dimly lit wedding reception. Just if you're a loftier-end event photographer, y'all may want to add 1 to a kit for portraits, especially one time the 110mm F2 lens becomes bachelor. If you similar to shoot outdoors with a powerful strobe, the 1/125-second flash sync can be a business organization, merely you can work around it past calculation a potent ND filter to the lens, and there are sure to be third-political party Loftier Speed Sync (HSS) flash solutions bachelor in time.

Medium format isn't only about resolution. At that place are 35mm format cameras that match or near the GFX 50S in pixel count, and if that is your just concern, I'thousand going to advise that you also give a hard look at the 42MP Sony a7R Ii. It's a bit more portable, offers an array of broad aperture lens options, and includes in-body stabilization. Its being is one of the reasons I'k giving the GFX 50S a four-star rating—in that location are full-frame options that compete with medium format in resolution now. There weren't when we reviewed the Pentax 645Z in early on 2022.

If you decide that your piece of work will benefit from a larger sensor, and you lot don't desire to suspension the banking company with a loftier-terminate Hasselblad or Phase One SLR arrangement, there'due south no question the GFX 50S is the best choice out there. It'south more affordable and meaty than the Pentax 645Z, and by the end of the yr it will take more than mod, all-weather lenses available. The Hasselblad X1D is besides bachelor in this cost range, simply it feels like much more of a piece of work in progress than the finished, polished product that is the GFX 50S.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/consumer-electronics-reviews-ratings-comparisons/15706/fujifilm-gfx-50s

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