Fujifilm’s authentic GFX100S was a well-liked various to the GFX100, because it provided the identical image high quality in a slimmer physique at a a lot lower cost. It did have some flaws, although, most notably its autofocus that didn’t all the time sustain with the topic. In the same vein, the corporate not too long ago launched the $5,000 GFX100S II as a smaller and cheaper various to the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It seems to be a lot the identical as earlier than, however has an up to date sensor, processor, autofocus and extra.
Each cameras are clearly aimed toward professionals, however is the GFX100 II price the additional $2,500, or is the S mannequin effective for many?
Fujifilm
Fujifilm’s GFX100S II is an enormous enchancment over the unique and presents the identical image high quality because the GFX100 II for $2,500 much less.
- Excellent picture high quality
- Improved autofocus
- Good dealing with
- First rate battery life
- Weak video capabilities
- High quality diminished for burst capturing
$4,999 at Adorama
Physique
At 1.9 kilos, the GFX100S II weighs an oz. lower than its predecessor and its physique’s design and controls are practically the identical. As earlier than, it comes with a mode dial and focus selector swap, twin management dials, drive choose buttons and a fast menu. On high is a small, always-on show that reveals settings, simulated mode dials and a histogram. That approach, you’ll be able to see all of your key settings when capturing at hip stage.
It feels much more like a mirrorless than a traditional medium format digital camera. It handles effectively, however after spending time with each fashions, I desire the GFX100 II’s bigger physique and additional controls, regardless that it is 5 ounces heavier.
The rear 3.2-inch, 2.36-million-dot-display is unchanged, tilting up, down and to the fitting, nevertheless it would not flip out. Nevertheless, Fujifilm boosted the viewfinder’s decision to five.76 million dots, so it’s noticeably sharper than the final mannequin’s 3.69-million-dot EVF.
The GFX100S II contains twin SD UHS-II card slots however lacks a high-speed CFexpress port just like the GFX100 II. Although it makes use of the identical battery as earlier than, it could actually now shoot 540 pictures on a cost, up from 530. Different options embody USB-C, mic and headphone ports, together with a micro HDMI connection. A brand new function is USB-SSD connectivity that permits for quicker burst capturing and ProRes video seize.
Efficiency
The GFX100S II does shoot quicker than its predecessor at as much as 7 fps in comparison with 5 fps in mechanical shutter mode. And not using a quick CFexpress card, although, you’ll be able to solely seize about 30 compressed RAW frames earlier than the buffer fills. There’s additionally a slight picture high quality penalty because the digital camera downshifts from 16- to 14-bit RAW photographs when capturing bursts. Thankfully, a lot of the frames are prone to be sharp because of some massive autofocus enhancements. Even with the quicker burst speeds, I seen a big increase within the share of sharp pictures when capturing fast transferring topics.
The AF enhancements don’t finish there. AI face and eye monitoring is smarter and extra correct, that means your topic’s eye and never their eyelash is extra prone to be in focus — one thing that’s crucial with 100 megapixels of decision. Fujifilm additionally launched new topic monitoring modes for animals, birds, cars, bikes, bicycles, airplanes and trains.
In-body stabilization additionally will get an improve, with eight stops in shake discount in comparison with six earlier than. That lets you seize dimly lit scenes or blur motion at shutter speeds as little as a half second, with out the necessity for a tripod. As with the earlier mannequin, rolling shutter distortion is an actual downside with this digital camera in digital mode, so neither you nor your topic can transfer a lot when utilizing it. In any other case, you’ll get some nasty skewing that can wreck your photograph.
Picture high quality
For professional photographers who can afford it, the GFX100S II presents unmatched picture high quality. The 100-megapixel sensor delivers pin-sharp pictures and 16-bit RAW pixel depth that delivers 14 stops of dynamic vary, beating most different mirrorless cameras. Meaning you’ll be able to shoot in very darkish, vibrant or contrasty circumstances and retain element in all components of the photograph.
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Fujifilm’s shade science is right for portrait work, with correct and pleasing pores and skin tones. The extent of element means prints could be blown as much as very massive sizes, practically 40 x 30 inches at 300 pixels per inch (PPI). The decision and precision shade rendering additionally makes it splendid for panorama images, artwork archival work and extra.
The excellent RAW high quality lets photographers carry out detailed post-production work with out hurting picture high quality, even on pictures not uncovered appropriately. In low-light, you’ll begin to see a good quantity of noise above ISO 8000 or so. Nevertheless, a whole lot of that grain disappears if you shrink these 100-megapixel photographs right down to a extra affordable measurement.
On the similar time, JPEG photographs are excellent straight out of the digital camera. Like different Fuji fashions, the GFX100S II comes with an array of movie simulations, from the brand new Reala Ace to Velvia, Acros and others. Most professional photographers prefer to tweak their photographs, however many could shoot each RAW and JPEG with movie simulations to allow them to present their shoppers one thing immediately and make detailed changes afterward.
Video
In contrast to the dearer GFX100 II, video is a weak level with this digital camera. Decision is proscribed to 4K 10-bit, and whereas there’s no cropping, there’s appreciable pixel binning that reduces sharpness. You possibly can seize 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes video at as much as 30fps, although that entails hooking up an SSD drive. There aren’t actually any slo-mo modes, as each 4K and 1080p recording are restricted to 60fps.
Whereas video lacks the sharpness seen on different mirrorless cameras just like the Sony A1, shade rendering is superb. You may also enhance dynamic vary by capturing in Fujifilm’s FLog or FLog2 modes and making use of a LUT afterward in publish.
Rolling shutter in video mode is diminished in comparison with pictures due to the pixel binning, however you continue to have to be cautious to not transfer the digital camera an excessive amount of to keep away from extreme wobble and skewing. The in-body stabilization is simply efficient for handheld capturing with out a lot motion. In the event you attempt to stroll whereas vlogging, you’ll see some extreme jolts. All instructed, I’d say the Fujifilm GFX100S II is generally a photograph digital camera, with video obtainable for emergency use solely.
Wrap-up
The $5,000 Fujifilm GFX100S II provides professionals excellent image high quality at a considerably diminished worth over the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It even goes past what patrons would possibly anticipate by providing pretty fast burst capturing with autofocus that’s far more dependable than on the unique GFX100S. Video isn’t a robust level, however that gained’t be essential for its goal market.
The GFX100S II can be the most cost effective digital camera within the mainstream medium format area, with its major competitors being both the GFX100 II or Hasselblad’s $8,200 X2D100C. I’d extremely suggest it for portraits and different sorts of capturing the place element is essential. Nevertheless, burst speeds and autofocus nonetheless aren’t fairly ok in fast-paced eventualities.
Those that want extra pace and reliability for issues like weddings or stay occasions could be higher off with high-resolution full-frame fashions just like the $3,700 Nikon Z8, $6,500 Sony A1 or Canon’s new $4,300 EOS R5 II.