The GFX 100S is the 4th Medium Format Mirrorless Digital Camera from Fujifilm. The Camera was announced on January 27 , 2021 and was released during February of 2021.

M.R.P in India Rs 5,40,000 (Body Only) M.R.P in the USA $ 5,999

Highlight Specs

Lens Mount. : FUJIFILM G

Sensor Type : 43.8 x 32.9 mm (Medium Format) CMOS Sensor

ResolutionEffective : 102 Megapixel (11,648 x 8736)

Aspect Ratio : 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, 7:6, 16:9, 65:24

Image File Format : DNG, JPEG, TIFF

Bit Depth : 16-Bit

Image Stabilization : Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis

At first glance this camera seems to correct pretty much all the flaws in the existing Medium format lineup from Fuji. The series always had good image quality but after trying out the cameras i’ve stayed away due to ergonomics and build quality issues. So when Fujifilm Chennai offered me a chance to tryout the new camera along with the 32-64mm GF Lens I was more than happy to.

I have been looking for a proper and modern but relatively affordable replacement for my Hasselblad H4D-40 Camera system for high resolution landscape and fine art portrait photography work for quite some time. From seeing some of the initial promos and reviews of the GFX 100S I felt this might finally be the camera Ive been waiting for.

I had the camera and lens on loan from Fujifilm India for about 5 days and I was able to spend a few hours each day learning to operate the camera and try it out in a few different ways. In these five days I think was able to get a good glimpse of what this camera is capable of but for a proper review I would need to be able to use this camera much longer. So these are my initial impressions after shooting some still life images, a portrait photography session in available light and also shooting some landscape images and a few video clips by the beach. I have also had the opportunity to take the images into Lightroom and Capture One Pro to look at the JPEGs straight out of camera and also study the malleability of the RAW Files.

Build Quality - 9/10

My first impression when I held the camera body was how similar it was in size and weight and balance to a full frame DSLR like the Canon 5D Series. But the moment I mounted the 32-64mm f4 GF Lens on the camera it immediately felt more like a medium format camera with the weight and the more than slight front heavy balance of the camera and lens combo. The body weighs a comfortable 900 gms or around 2 lbs with battery and memory cards. The GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR Lens weighs 1.93 lb / 875 gms. So the combination of body and lens makes for a fairly heavy package and the extra weight over say a canon 5D 4 and EF 24-70 F2.8 lens is noticeable. But I did get used to it towards the end of my time with this camera. Its definitely a lot lighter than my Hasselblad H4D-40 and HC 80mm f2.8 Combo which come in at 5.05 lb (2.29 kg). Plus the body and lenses are weather resistant.

The GFX 100S is much improved over the original GFX 100 and the GFX 50S. The redesigned battery compartment for the GFX 100S and the loss of the fixed battery grip from the GFX 100 shows that Fujifilm is listening to feedback from its user base. But I still can’t understand why the original design was approved in the first place with all its quirks.

The viewfinder is nicely integrated with the body and I much prefer this fixed design over the tilting viewfinder from the GFX100. The resolution of the view finder is reduced to 3.69 Mpix as compared to the 5.76 Mpix but I really did not find it to be much of a drawback. The Viewfinder can show a plethora of information which can be a positive or negative depending on how you see it.

Overall the Camera Body and Lens combo had a solid and well engineered feel to them. But only time will tell as these are still early days.

Ergonomics - 8/10

The Button and Command Dials are laid out just one would want them. Q button for accessing the quick menu is located at the right edge of the camera above where the users thumb would normally be which makes it a two handed operation to safely access the menu.

The Joystick is a little stubby and a little sticky as compared to the ons on Canon 5D4 and Leica SL2. Could be a little more sensitive for easy of use.

The Menus are mostly laid out logically and would be familiar to anyone who has used the Fujifilm X system cameras. I found there were a couple of menus that were buried a little too deep in the menu hierarchy. I had to get into the camera user manual to find out how to format the SD Cards.

AF Performance - 8/10

The AF performance is the best that I have seen in a a medium format camera to date. Makes the AF in my Hasselblad H4D-40 feel medieval. And its also way better than the one on the Hasselblad X1D cameras.

I reckon its even faster and just as accurate as the AF on my full frame Leica SL2. Hats off to the engineers at Fujifilm for achieving this. The GFX 100S uses a phase detect AF system which is usually superior to the Contrast detect AF systems used by some cameras such as the Leica SL2 and Panasonic full frame cameras.

The Eye AF works pretty well .Its not as fast the DPAF systems of Canon or Sony’s Phase detect AF but its still very usable.

Features and Customizability - 9/10

Both common dials can be customised and are also clickable meaning they can be used to control upto 4 parameters in a given setup. Again I suggest studying the user manual to get the most out of this camera. The GFX 100S is highly customisable and its worth taking the time to setup the camera to meet your shooting style. After 5 days of use I had the impression that I had only scratched the surface of this camera’s customisation options.

The camera has a nifty focus bracketing feature which makes it easier to shoot focus stacked images in both manual and auto modes. This can be handy feature while shooting macro, product and landscape photos.

The camera can be setup separately for Still and Video functions so changing settings in one mode does not affect the settings in thee other.

IBIS - 8/10

The IBIS on such a camera is more than just a nice add on feature. I would argue that it is almost required to get the best image sharpness while shooting hand held. The slower lenses available for this camera means that very quickly either the shutter speeds can drop into uncomfortably low levels even if its just a cloudy day. And the 102 Mpix sensor is very unforgiving as it can magnify any shake that occurs. The IBIS fitted to this camera is a great balance for the slower lenses and high resolution sensor. I was able to shoot fairly sharp images at shutter speeds as low as 1/4 and 1/6th of a second with a fairly good consistency.

The IBIS on this camera also creates new opportunities to creatively use slower shutter speeds for images as the one above or even shutter drag portraits. It’s really impressive. I shot the above image at 1/6 of a second blurring the waves while maintaining sharpness in the static rocks.

Image Quality - 9/10

The quality of the images produced by the GFX100S are impressive. They will not stun you at first glance but when you do take the time to study the images in an unhurried way you will definitely start appreciating the output. The JPEGs themselves look good and will depend upon the film simulation you have applied. I did not find them to be all that malleable. Specially the highlights were almost impossible to recover if over exposed but there was some leeway with the shadows. Things get much better when working with the RAF(FUJI RAW) files. The 16 bit RAF (RAW) files have a lot of leeway for creative expression.

For Landscape Photography - 9/10

This camera has got a lot going for it from the perspective of a landscape photography tool. It has the ergonomics, high resolution, image quality, image stabilisation for handheld images, and a quality lens lineup which i’m sure is only going to get better with time. Plus other lenses like HC mount can be adapted to the camera if required via adaptors. I have put this system on my bucket list and you should definitely consider this body and system if you plan to print and exhibit your photographs in large format.

For Fine Art Photography - 9/10

All of the above plus the high dynamic range of this medium format sensor makes the body a great choice for fine art photography.

For Travel Photography - 7/10

For travel and street photography I would not put this camera on top of a list of choices available today. A full frame camera or APS-C camera or even a range finder camera would make more sense. That is not to say you cannot use this camera but the weight and build and also slower shooting method required of this camera might not make it the ideal choice.

For Wedding and Event Photography 7/10

I can see this camera being a specialised tool in the camera bag of the event and photographer for shooting some more of the posed images for printing in large format.

Due to the size and weight of this system and the lack of very fast zoom lenses the GFX100S in my opinion would not the best tool for shooting fast paced run and gun style Photo and Video for Wedding or engagement photography.

For Portrait Photography - 8/10

With its choice of film colour profiles built in and also the ability to setup skin texture in setting this camera also is a good option for high end portrait photography of a more static or deliberate nature. More testing is required to see how it would fare up to dynamic fashion or portfolio shoots.

With its choice of film colour profiles built in and also the ability to setup skin texture in setting this camera also is a good option for high end portrait photography of a more static or deliberate nature. More testing is required to see how it would fare up to dynamic fashion or portfolio shoots.

Usability Overall - 8/10

This camera grows on you more you use it. After 5 days of shooting with this camera I felt a lil sad to have to return the camera to Fujifilm . But I have seen enough to know this is a capable photographic tool in the right hands. And it really does make shooting in medium format so much easier and enjoyable.

Suggest you get a good strap to carry this camera around .

Value for Money - 10/10

I don’t think there is a better value fo money camera body than the Fuji GFX 100S in the market currently. Even taken as a system as a whole with fairly expensive and limited lens lineup this is still very good value based on what is has to offer.

Sample Image Gallery