Review: Fujifilm GFX 100 Medium-format Mirrorless Camera

In this Fujifilm GFX 100 review, Ian Howorth evaluates the 100-megapixel medium-format mirrorless camera's capabilities and image quality. Plus, check out Ian's sample photography from the GFX 100. Over to you, Ian.

Having become pretty familiar with the Fujifilm GFX 50R and Fujifilm GFX 50S since their release, I came to love the GFX100’s predecessors. They're effectively larger versions of their smaller APS-C siblings. That might sound like I'm selling the GFX50R and GFX50S short. They are obviously much more than that. But, considering that medium format digital used to be cumbersome and quite different in terms of its operation, it was refreshing to use a pair of cameras that provided so much image quality but with familiar handling and usability.

The Fujifilm GFX100 may seem unnecessary to many. After all, how many people out there really need 100 megapixels? While 50 megapixels doesn’t sound that special anymore, you have to remember they’re spread across a medium-format sensor. It’s not the same as a full-frame sensor. When you have a bigger palette for those pixels, it means—in theory—better low light ability, better colour and light tonality across the frame, and better access to that special rendition only larger formats can yield.

The first time I held a GFX100 in my hand was at Berlin Photo Week in October 2019. And, truth be told, I was sold on its handling straight away. It feels similar to holding a Canon EOS 1DX Mark II—you forgive its weight in favour of its excellent ergonomics and near-perfect usability. Shooting in any situation is a breeze. Compare that to shooting with Phase One and Hasselblad H systems—cameras that demand respect and patience—where button placement isn’t ideal and haphazardly changing settings can lead to bad results. And that’s not to mention the shutter slap and poor high-ISO performance. Traditionally, using a medium-format camera means you’re dependent on optimal lighting conditions or confined to the studio. But not the Fujifilm GFX series—and the GFX100 takes it that much further than the GFX50.

Handling: the GFX100 is mostly a joy to use

The Fujifilm GFX100 has a wonderfully textured feel in hand, aided by the generous hand grip. This is a camera you feel safe holding, even without a strap—you might not want to, but you could! Unlike the GFX50R/S, which is weighty in the rear, the GFX100 body has its weight spread over a larger area. With the 45mm f/2.8 or 63mm f/2.8, this means your setup’s balance is good and never feels either rear- or forward-heavy. Button and dial placement are different from the GFX 50R and GFX 50S. But, somehow, Fujifilm managed to make everything intuitive. So, while it took some getting used to, everything just made sense. When I had to change settings quickly, I was able to rely on muscle memory. The menu system is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from Fujifilm, with vertical navigation of the main menu and horizontal for sub-menus. The rear joystick is a joy to use. On the top LCD screen, there are buttons for everything. Once you have these memorised, they’re easy to use and operate when your hand is on the handgrip.

My only criticism is the confusing menus for changing custom settings. If you have specific shooting menus for different genres, it’s fiddly to make permanent changes. The camera resets Q-menu changes if you turn it off, or if you navigate to another menu. If you have a permanent change, then you have to succumb to this poorly-designed menu. The one positive thing is that—aside from exposure compensation—it’s something that once it’s set, it shouldn’t need to be accessed many times.

A top-level shooting experience

I recently shot some images for an MPB brochure. From reviewing the rear LCD, the shots wowed me. But it wasn’t until I loaded them onto Lightroom that I could see their incredible renditions.  Stupidly, I shot all of these in Fine JPEG—I forgot to check my camera again after having set it up prior to going out. Still. These images were still juicy enough to do plenty of editing, to finish up with the cinematic image above.

When reviewing the Fujifilm GFX50S and Hasselblad X1D, I realised something. While they had huge resolution and incredible lenses, sharpness wasn’t the first thing you noticed. And by that, I mean that synthetic oversharpened look. When it came to the GFX100, I was worried the 100 megapixels would have this same problem. These GF lenses are so sharp. But just look at these images. Even with the masses of resolution on tap, they still yield a beautifully organic-looking image. You notice light gradation, colour and dynamic range before sharpness. Crop into 100% though, and you can see just how sharp and detailed these images are.

For portraiture, the images out of the GFX are complimentary. The resolution is there to increase print or display size rather than scream over-sharpness when viewing on screens.

The detail at 100% crop is simply astonishing.

The depth of colour is incredible. The petals in this image have so many shades of red, that they render beautifully-detailed images. This gets us arguably closer than any other camera to the depth of colour and tonality that the eye can see.

Metering on aperture priority mode was top-notch. Even in dynamic scenes, the camera always seemed to choose optimum exposure. Saying that though, it was nice to know that with incredible low-light performance and dynamic range, lifting shadows on a slightly underexposed scene would be handled well.

In-camera black-and-white conversion is always a possibility. Fujifilm is renowned for its attention to detail when it comes to presets. And Acros is among the best there is. Although impressive on cropped-sensor cameras—like the Fujifilm X100F and X-Pro3—on medium-format cameras it’s on another level. The gradation of tones across the greyscale gives a look not dissimilar from what large-format film is capable of.

Much like with the colour examples, 100% crops show the incredible amount of detail the combination of resolution and large sensor can provide.

Final verdict on the Fujifilm GFX100

To be honest, I was slightly scared of using the GFX100. Primarily, of being disappointed by it. My worries about using the GFX50S were quickly quashed with its great handling, image quality and usability. But the GFX100 was even bigger, and it carried with it even more resolution. For me, this presented a problem—not just from a preconceived idea that the images might be over-sharp, but also because my laptop might struggle with such beefy files!

While the images are indeed beefy, and my laptop fan sounded like a helicopter taking off, I was rewarded with incredible detail, an organic-looking image and class-leading dynamic range. The camera’s handling was, in many ways, the icing on the cake—comfortable to grip and shoot, plus an easy-to-use menu system aided by great button placement.

Of course, this camera shines in the studio. Its size and weight don’t give allusions of an everyday carry. But, I did use it for a full day of shooting on a ten-mile walk. And while I did feel its heft, it didn’t kill me.

Fujifilm has done a phenomenal job with this camera. Some photographers could be disappointed with autofocus speed or shooting speed, but it’s safe to say that anyone with deep pockets won’t care too much about these things. Image quality and a slower pace are the name of the game with the GFX100.

A phenomenal camera.