Through my 14 years as a photographer using Fujifilm cameras, there are a some cameras that stand out as something special. Cameras that has been almost defining for the next chapter in my photography journey. Obviously the first being the original X100 that started it all for me. Then in turn the X-Pro1 that gave me the idea to start this very blog to share my experiences on lenses etc. In 2018/2019 there was the X-Pro3, a camera with which I was heavily involved in the development of. And today Fujifilm is announcing yet another camera that belong in the company of those before mentioned cameras for me. A defining product that has kickstarted yet another chapter in my photographic journey.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF compact fixed lens rangefinder style medium format camera!
For you to understand how much I’ve wanted Fujifilm to make this product I need to take you back to a meeting during the Nordic Summit in Stockholm in 2019. Almost all of the nordic X-photographers (including yours truly) was there as part of a large event. Fujifilm had arranged a meeting for all of us to exchange ideas with some of the managers from Fujifilm Japan. One of them was Makoto Oishi, the “father of the GFX” – A lot of ideas where exchanged, but no one seemed to suggest what I really wanted. A compact carry-around GFX system. So, situated at the back row of the room I raised my hand and rather bluntly said: “How about a GFX version of the X100 series?” – I remember the rest of the photographers chiming in with a definite confirmation of the relevance of the idea. And then Makoto-san just said “Interesting”. And that was the last I heard of it – That is until I was on a brief conference call in August 2024, where I was briefed that indeed the camera was being made – and that Makoto had actually used my humble request that day in 2019 as the starting point of it all. – To say that I was at loss for words would be a big understatement!
During that august 2024 briefing I was asked if I wanted to participate in the very early stages of testing the camera, as well as doing a test project with it – And on top of that, I was asked if I would be willing to participate in the filming of the launch event at the Prague Fujifilm X-Summit 2025. As you can imagine I was once again quite lost for words. Fast forward to mid November 2024 and I found myself in a conference room in Prague with people from Fujifilm Japan, Fujifilm Czech and 3 other photographers for the handover of the early early prototypes of the GFX100RF camera.
Before we get going for real, I need to do a couple of disclaimers like I usually do, just to set everything straight. Feel free to skip everything but number 3
Disclaimer 1: Let’s start with the obvious. This “review” will never be “neutral”. For this I have been way too involved with development of the camera. I WAS an X-photographer. In case you don’t know, that’s spelled “brand ambassador for Fujifilm”. Even though I quit that program 4 years ago, I still maintain a very close relationship with Fujifilm, however I don’t get paid for doing these write ups (and I have been doing them even before getting involved with Fujifilm). This still means that I’m just about as biased as I can get, and whether you choose to believe my views or not is entirely up to you. I expect you to be adults, capable of forming your own opinions based on presented information. But I will tell you that for the time being you will find no other photographer in the world who has used the GFX100RF as extensively as I have.
Disclaimer 2: All the images in this article has been shot using a prototype of the GFX100RF camera. Image quality might therefore not be final, although I have been told that it is.
Disclaimer 3: All shots with- and of the product has been shot by me, and is not to be used without my explicit permission.
Design, Build and Feel
During the presentation/introduction meeting in november 2024 in Prague I remember pulling the GFX100RF from the rather inconspicuous bubble wrapping, just looking at the small size footprint, the ultra sharp edges, the minimalist design language, with a clear reference to the X100 series, as well as the X-E series. It was all there. Just like I had hoped the product would be designed all those years ago.
(A word of warning for the section below. I could not limit myself to a somewhat reasonable amount of product shots that I wanted to include in this article. This camera was just so damn inspiring to do productshots of. So, there ia a lot of camerapr0n in the following section. Consider yourself warned!)
Available in both Silver and Black, the design of this camera is something else. I mean, I have come to expect great design from Fujifilms design team at Clay Studio with almost any camera launch. They really care about industrial design, and it shows especially in all of Fujifilms camera releases the past 5+ years. They’re not afraid to experiment with different manufacturing processes, and/or styles of design all while maintaining that special Fujifilm DNA.
The X-Pro3, X100VI and lately the X-M5 are great examples of this.
When looking at the GFX100RF it’s very clear that Fujifilm is trying to transfer some of the X100VI DNA onto this new GFX camera. The sharp edges has become even sharper, in part due to new possibilities from the new aluminum-milling process. It’s a minimalist design that still focus on presenting core photographic functionality to the user via classic dial operation.
The first thing you notice when you pick this camera up is the small size footprint. I mean, it’s really not much bigger than an X-Pro3! It’s an incredible achievement to have a medium format camera in such a small housing. It’s completely ridiculous, and after 4 months of constant use I still find myself looking at it while thinking to myself “Bloody he**, how is this medium format!?”
The weight and heft of the camera feels absolutely perfect. It feels solid, condensed and sturdy. The weight is impressively well handled. It weighs a mere 735g. Thats less than the GFX50R body alone, and even less than the XT5 with the 16-50 kit zoom. It’s absolutely impressive to say the least.
Fujifilm has debuted a new way of manufacturing with the GFX100RF. Instead of pressing or molding the aluminum, they now mill it from a single block. It’s this process that makes it possible to have those ultra sharp edges on the camera. It makes the GFX100RF feel like an ultra premium product much like Apple products, even bettering the feel in comparison to the Leica Q series cameras. It REALLY feels like the premium product that it is.
In addition all the dials and even the hotshoecover has been made from milled aluminum. Heck, even the damn battery door is made from highgrade aluminum now!
The dials have new coarser rugged edges compared to the X series cameras. It enhances the feeling that this is a larger format camera with a lot more punch!
When looking at the camera dimensions it’s almost like it has a 4:3 aspect ratio appearance, contrary to the X100VI that has more of an 3:2 aspect ratio appearance. If I know Fujifilms designers, this is no coincidence. It’s a small detail, that just makes a world of difference.
The back of the camera has a newly developed 3:2 aspect ratio 3.1” 2.1mill dot LCD flip screen. It’s ultra crisp, and it’s big enough that it can hold most of the icons outside the image frame when composing, since the image is basically a 4:3 inside a 3:2 screen real estate.
It’s built just like the hidden flip screen that I love from the X100V/X100VI. It sits completely flush with the back of the camera when not in use. The small indent at the bottom left of the screen is really the only thing that gives away the fact that this screen indeed pulls out and moves unlike a fixed screen configuration.
On the back of the camera the buttons has been laid out for perfect one handed operation when you have your eye to the EVF. All the buttons and the joystick knob has been placed to the right of the LCD, and the Q button to the top right corner. The only weird placement is the SCM switch which actually forces you to lift your eye from the EVF while switching.
On the front you have the viewfinder OVF/EVF switch that you can find on the X100 series cameras. However since there’s no OVF to switch to/from, this lever now controls different options. In addition to short flicks to either side, you can now use “long flicks” to either side. The center is still a button as well. All of the 5 possible functions can be assigned freely to whatever the user might wish.
As default a right flick chooses how the area surrounding the cropped area or selected aspect ratio is laid out. Basically three options. “Black bars/surroundings”, “Lines only” and “Lines with dimmed surroundings”
In addition to the well known combined ISO/shutter speed dial, exposure dial, front lever and front/back scroll wheels, the GFX100RF features 2 newly designed integral function dials. At the top of the backside of the camera you have the new Aspect ratio dial, and below the on/off switch and front scroll wheels you have the new crop-lever. Both of these new input elements are integral to how the GFX100RF is being used in the field, and it’s what directly translates into the true multipurpose function of this camera. I will run through the functions further on in this article.
Included in the package when you buy the camera is a specially designed minimalistic strap, a PRF-49 filter and a gorgeous lenshood that is designed with the same square aestetics as the rest of the camera. It looks absolutely amazing on the camera, and I find myself having it mounted all the time. Obviously it functions as a seal of the lens so the GFX100RF becomes weather sealed. This is just like on the X100VI, but whereas you have to buy the weather sealing kit separately for that camera, with the GFX100RF it’s all included. As it should be, really.
The lens is unbelievably compact. It’s a pancake like appearance just like on the X100VI. It protrudes a measly 3 cm from the camera body! Medium format, I remind you! Crazy stuff.
The design of the GFX100RF really stand out to me. It’s probably one of the best designs that Fujifilm has ever done, and they’ve made MANY great designs over the years. Would it have been great to have a hybrid viewfinder with an OVF window to complete the faux-rangefinder style? Sure. Would I want to give up EVF quality and functionality or add size and price to get that OVF in place? Not a chance! I definitely feel like it’s the best option for this camera.
I asked the developers about the lack of built in flash, and the reason is that there simply isn’t any available room to fit one inside the camera. I just end up mounting the old EF-X20 flash. It looks amazing on the camera. Maybe Fujifilm should re-introduce it? Maybe using some of the new manufacturing techniques for a slightly refined housing?
Specifications
At the core of the GFX100RF is the amazing 44x33mm 102MP CMOS II medium format sensor that Fujifilm also uses in their GFX100sII. All image processing is done via the X-Processor 5 – And you guessed it… Just like the GFX100sII. That also means that the image quality you can expect from the GFX100RF is at the absolute pinnacle of what is possible with cameras in 2025. I know that there are bigger, wilder sensor systems out there, but they’re all well out of reach in terms of price. And you can probably fit 3 GFX100RF cameras inside one of those modular cameras.
I’m not going to recite the spec sheet with the complete specs here, rather I’m posting the link to Fujifilms own site below. But what I will do, however, is talk about some of the key factors that makes this camera such an impressive machine.
Spec sheet
The full spec sheet of the GFX100RF can be found at Fujifilm-x.com
Sensor and Processor
First and foremost I need to address the heart of the operation. The medium format 44x33mm 102MP CMOS II sensor. I never reviewed the GFX100sII, cause it was never my kind of camera, and I didn’t give it a proper testing. The sensor is amazing, but the GFX100SII formfactor is not for me. It has a completely different target audience. That’s not to say the IQ coming from that beast isn’t jawdroppingly beautiful. It is. But for me, it has just been wrapped in the wrong shell… until now.
The GFX100RF integrates this advanced 102MP medium format BSI CMOS sensor with the latest X-Processor 5, resulting in quite impressive speed, efficiency, and image fidelity specs.
The sensor has back-side illumination (BSI) to deliver exceptional resolution while maintaining low noise performance across a wide ISO range (ISO 80-12,800, expandable to 40-102,400). The BSI architecture allows for superior light collection, improving shadow detail and reducing noise in low-light conditions. Fujifilm claims improved readout speeds, reducing rolling shutter artifacts and enhancing responsiveness for fast-moving subjects. Furthermore the sensor’s 16-bit color depth enables a 14+ stop dynamic range, ensuring smooth tonal transitions and high precision in color reproduction, as well as some of the most impressive shadow recovery I have ever come across in any camera. Below are a couple of before/after examples of just that.
The ISO performance of this sensor is truly magnificent. It’s at least a couple of stops better in signal/noise ratio when compared to the APSC system. I really like to shoot at night, and winters here in Denmark are long and dark! And with the lens being an f/4 lens, I definitely find myself using ISO6400 a lot. But I really don’t mind when it looks as good as this. The grain structure is super pretty and the colordepth and fidelity is really well handled even at these high ISO values.
With the GFX100 / GFX100sII, the introduction of the X-Processor 5 made notable improvements in image processing, noise reduction, and power efficiency. Compared to the previous X-Processor 4, this chip offers a lot faster computational speeds, allowing for :
• Fast AI-based subject detection AF (human, animal, vehicle, and object tracking)
• Faster continuous shooting at 6 fps (mechanical shutter)
• 4K/30p 10-bit video recording with improved rolling shutter performance
• HEIF format support, providing 10-bit color depth with 30% smaller file sizes than JPEG
I don’t do much video, so I rarely switch into that mode, however in addition to being a crazy capable photography centric camera, the GFX100RF is also a full fledged video machine. It records 4K 30p 4:2:2 10bit H.264/H.265 mov internally and outputs ProRes or b-RAW externally. For video usage it also features 5 axis E.I.S when using a 1.32 crop mode.
The camera takes 2 UHS-II SD cards, and I’ve found it to be fast and reliable, even for the large 16bit raw files.
(No) IBIS
Now that I mentioned the E.I.S function in regards to the video mode, let’s start addressing the elephant in the room. Or at least “the elephant” that the various forums and rumor sites have focused on while tidbits of info about the camera leaked. – The GFX100RF has no IBIS.
Yup, you read that right. No IBIS, and no OIS either.
But before we pull out the torches and pitchforks with the intention to hunt down those responsible, let’s have a closer look at that whole situation, shall we.
In the past I have always been a firm believer in the fact that IBIS or OIS was largely superfluous technology that allowed for people to be a little more sloppy with their techniques. Of course to a lot of people with different disabilities it is a gift sent from heaven. I completely respect and acknowledge that.
My feeling about IBIS changed with the addition of the technology into the X100VI. It allowed me to do some creative stuff that wasn’t possible to me without carrying a small tripod around. But I must say that 15 months in with the X100VI, the novelty of those situations has yet again worn off, and I find myself rarely shooting slower than 1/15th sec.
But then there’s the whole medium format sensor resolution and shake. When launching the GFX100, Fujifilm was very intent on telling the world that for 100 megapixel medium format photography the IBIS was very crucial to get steady shots. And I completely agree. Even when shooting my lesser resolving GFX50R I get unsharp pictures handheld below 1/40s.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. These premises was due to one thing. The large focal plane shutter! No matter how much dampening you put onto that mechanism, it will still give you camera shakes. But in the GFX100RF, that has been completely eliminated, because..
The GFX100RF has the same leaf shutter mechanism as the X100VI!
The EXACT same leaf shutter to be precise!
Lo and behold, with a shutter mechanism like that in place – there’s zero camera shake unless the user inflicts it. And I will show you in the following examples below, that handholding a 102mp medium format at 1/15th sec and below and still getting sharp images is indeed not an issue with the GFX100RF.
Lens and leaf shutter
A big part of the package appeal of the GFX100RF camera is the newly developed 35mm f/4 lens. When you see and use it you will not believe that this is a lens that covers a huge 44x33mm sensor. The lens itself only protrudes 3cm from the body itself and the diameter is kept impressively small. So much so that it actually takes the same 49mm filters as the lens on the X100VI.
Because it’s a fixed lens construction, Fujifilm was able to discard the GF-mount. And instead making the “mounting point” not much wider than the lens itself.
The lens is a 10 element in 8 groups design. It includes 2 aspherical elements. As examplified above it has a leaf shutter mechanism built in with shutter speeds ranging from 60min in bulb mode to 1/4000s in mechanical shutter mode. The way Fujjifilm has created this lens is with a huge rear-lens element, that is placed super close to the sensor itself. This is only possible because of the inclusion of the leaf shutter and the omission of the focal plane shutter.
The lens has incredible resolution and already at f/4 it’s tack sharp. The lack of IBIS in the body, actually also ensures that you get improved corner sharpness from this lens. I must say, I’m VERY impressed with how well this little pancake lens handles the resolution demands from the 102mp sensor. I know that I have said it a million times in this article so far, but it really boggles my mind how Fujifilm is able to fit such performing elements into such a small package.
Furthermore it has the same 4 stop ND filter built in as the X100VI.
The aperture ranges from f/4 to f/22 and can be adjusted in 1/3rd stop increments directly on the lens barrel. Just like we all know and love from the X100VI.
The closest focusdistance is 20cm. So you can actually get quite close to your subject with this lens. When combined with the crop modes you can actually achieve something very close to proper macro photography.
Operation of the lens itself is very smooth. The rippled/knurled texture on the focusing ring as well as on the aperture tabs has been made coarser in conjunction with the rest of the dials on the camera to ensure great grip and feel while making it look really sleek.
The lens comes with an extension/adapter ring that allows for mounting the included 49mm filters on the front as well as the included (gorgeous) lens hood. In addition to making the camera look absolutely amazing, it makes the camera completely weather sealed.
The lens focus capabilities are definitely up to par with the AF capabilities of the camera tech itself. In all my time of testing it I found it to be faster and more precise with less hunting under low lighting conditions than even the X100VI.
EVF
I LOVE my hybrid viewfinders on my X-Pro’s and X100’s. Back when they made the X-Pro3 they actually had to sacrifice some optical magnification to be able to fit a modern EVF. And as much as it tortures me, physics just don’t allow for those to things to coexist in the same space, without making sacrifices to either or.
So I completely get why Fujifilm decided to omit the OVF portion of the finder in the GFX100RF and instead focusing on delivering a top notch EVF experience and then mimic the rangefinder framelines. It makes perfect sense, even though a part of me still would have liked an OVF window as a design choice.
The EVF is a 0.84x magnification, 5.76 mill dot OLED display. Actually from the specs that I could find it’s the exact same EVF as the oneused in the GFX100SII. I cannot begin to tell you how lovely this EVF is. Big, bright, responsive and with amazing color rendition. It’s just a joy to use!
Features and Usage
Alright. Enough with all the tech specs. All the tech is very impressive, but for me, and ESPECIALLY with this camera, it has always been all about the feeling of using the camera. This camera is such a nod to the old classical medium format cameras from Fujifilms lineup, and so much emphasis has been put on creating a great immersive tactile experience when going out to shoot with this camera.
Even though the GFX100RF doesn’t have an optical viewfinder nor a real mechanical rangefinder mechanism, it does feature what I consider to be the key benefit of shooting a rangefinder styled camera. It has virtual frame lines where you have the option to see whats going on outside your frame
The two main usage features for me with this camera is obviously the new Aspect ratio dial as well the Crop Mode lever. I’ll dive deeper into those two functions in the following sections.
Aspect Ratio Dial
The new aspect ratio dial is so prominently placed on the GFX100RF that when you first pick up the camera it’s probably the first feature dial you’ll notice. It’s a very clear statement from Fujifilm on what they want this camera to be. A super versatile, true multi format camera. The dial has more than just a couple of aspect ratios on it. In fact it features a total of 9 different photography aspect ratio modes and a “C” mode!
4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 65:24, 17:6, 3:4, 1:1, 7:6, and 5:4! How about that. It’s basically almost any imaginable film aspect ratio released by Fujifilm in its legacy cameras!
This dial is so well placed if you ask me. When shooting the camera, even with my eye to the EVF I can just stretch my right thumb, reach the top of the dial and pull/turn clockwise. Each aspect ratio has a hard click/stop. After 3 months with the camera I can even do swift jump changes since my muscle memory knows how many clicks/stops needs to be changed to go from one aspect ratio to the other. Eg switching from 4:3 to 65:24 is three clicks. 1.2.3.boom! Ready to shoot glorious panoramics babeh!
The 65:24 ratio – TX1/XPan mode engaged!
I have lost count just how many times I’ve spoken to, and nagged, Fujifilm developers and management about developing and releasing a digital TX-1 65:24 camera. Those of you who follow this blog will know that I have written numerous articles about this exact format, my own TX-1, as well as all the possible digital approximations that you can achieve within the Fujifilm digital camera eco-system. Up until todays release, the closest thing to the real deal was using either adapted 35mm FOV, the Fujinon GF35-70 or the GF30mm lenses to the GFX50R. It is far from ideal to be honest, and quite far from the experience of shooting the real deal! But with todays release of the GFX100RF we FINALLY have something that is so very very close to the experience of handling and shooting the original TX-1.
With the GFX100RF the 65:24 aspect ratio is there, the 35mm focal length is there (equivalent to the 45mm f/4 on the TX-1 / XPan), the rangefinder style is there and the size and feel is there. The GFX100RF is indeed the closest we’ve ever come to having a digital Fujifilm TX-1.
I could do an entire article on just this 65:24 aspect ratio alone, but since I have already done so in the past, I’ll just leave you with a healthy amount of examples that I have done during the past 3 months with the camera.
A really nice last minute addition to the aspect ratio dial is the 17:6 ratio. Made famous by legendary Czech photographer Josef Koudelka, the 17:6 aspect ratio is the one found in Fujifilms old panoramic medium format camera, the fixed lens G617 and later the interchangeable lens GX617. I quite coincidentally bought a G617 last summer, and I have been completely smitten with it. It’s huge, difficult to maneuver, clunky, weird and oh so gorgeous. I have written a review on it that you can read here. I knew from the beginning of the GFX100RF project that Josef Koudelka himself was going to be featured during the launch, so I did NOT want to go too much into that 17:6 format during my own testings.
Fact of the matter is that the 65:24 and 17:6 formats are very close. It’s 2.78:1 vs 2.83:1, making the 17:6 just a tad wider than the TX-1 format. But unless you see an image shot on either format side by side, you would probably never be able to tell the difference. I do like that the 17:6 ratio is in there though, since its a nod to the medium format panoramic film format in a medium format digital camera. It seems fitting.
The addition of the 3:4 aspect ratio is also quite a fun one. And much to my surprise it’s actually a very useful one too. The 3:4 is perfectly achievable but just turning your camera vertical. But the 3:4 crops a vertical 3:4 on the 4:3 sensor, so you actually get a starting crop. You can then use all the 3 crop modes on top of that, so in this mode the crop capabilities in camera becomes even crazier.
I really like using this mode since you can hold the camera horisontally at all times, even while shooting portraits. I don’t cover my face with arms and hands and what-not, hence I’m able to make a much greater connection to the subject.
On the streets, the vertical aspect ratio makes it possible to use the flip only, no tilt LCD screen for shooting and composing from the hip. Something that’s quite hard to do on the X100VI since it also features a no-tilt LCD screen.
I know that a lot of people are always thinking “why not just shoot the image and crop in post?” While I agree that is absolutely possible to do, I firmly believe that the resulting images will end up being different. If not only because of the fact that you compose completely different when you’re viewing the scene in different aspect ratios. Unless you see the scene in a panoramic way, you will never compose and balance that frame as a panoramic, filling the corners, getting the proper lines, aligning the main subject etc etc. You might get lucky and be able to make it all fit when you get home, but there are no guarantees. When you are out shooting, and you deliberately use a set aspect ratio, your mindset changes to fit the experience of shooting that exact ratio. That can not be done in post. Trust me.
Crop modes
The crop modes is something that Fujifilm has experimented with in the past, especially on the X100 cameras. With the X100V we got a cropped jpeg only option where the camera even interpolated those jpegs to regain “full resolution” but there was no RAW crop. Then with the introduction of the 40 megapixel X-trans sensor in the X100VI we got both jpeg and RAW crops. Now with the GFX100RF Fujifilm is taking this development even further.
Obviously made possible by the incredible amount of megapixels on the sensor, as well as the resolving power of the 35mm f/4 lens, the GFX100RF features 3 cropmodes / virtual focal lengths in addition to its true focal length that ends up with quite impressive amounts of resolution.
The crop modes that you can switch between is 45mm, 63mm and 80mm.
- 35mm with full 11648×8736 resolution (102mp)
- 45mm with 9056×6792 resolution (61mp)
- 63mm with 6448×4840 resolution (31mp)
- 80mm with 5120×3840 resolution (19,5mp)
The crop function has its own dedicated lever switch below the shutter button. It’s a completely new “stem like design” where the crop lever sits as the lowest part, then the front dial, then the on/off switch and then on top the shutter button. It’s a super handy way of having different interaction possibilities right where your trigger finger is.
The amount of flexibility that you get in the different shooting situations because of these crop modes is ridiculous. It’s like carrying 4 lenses in one camera, that you don’t even have to unmount and mount all the time. Before I get slaughtered on the slaughter bench of the internet let me say that I completely understand that this isn’t the same thing as having dedicated lenses, but it sure as hell is close enough for me to not want to carry extra stuff around with me on the go.
And again, as is the case with the aspect ratio function in-camera, I know that it’s just a solution that can be achieved in post. But I just shoot different images if I frame them with a certain focal length in the field. So for me having the different modes in camera makes a world of difference.
Multi exposure mode
I need to write a little bit about the multi exposure feature that has also found its way into the GFX100RF. First introduced in its current expanded form, with the introduction of the X-Pro3 it has now trickled down into most of Fujifilms cameras. You can shoot up to 9 images in a multiple exposure, and you can choose between blending modes of “ADDITIVE”, “AVERAGE”, “BRIGHT” or “DARK”.
In between shots you’re free to change film simulations and shooting parameters as much as you like before “locking in” the next exposure. If you don’t want to use all 9 possible exposures, then just opt out at any number by pressing the “disp/back” key.
In addition to your multiple exposure jpeg, your single exposures are saved as RAF files as well. It’s a feature that I’ve really been using alot over the past years while getting more into multiple exposures street photography.
General usage experiences
The GFX100RF has all of its specialized features in the drive menu. Here you can chose from the Continuous High and Continuous Low settings, ISO, WB and AE bracketing modes as well as the above mentioned multi exposure mode, and lastly the video mode. I must say that I rarely use any of those modes other than multi exposure mode. I rarely have on most my Fujifilm cameras.
Finding my way around the camera with my fingers have proven to be very straightforward. After about 3 weeks of shooting it becomes completely second nature to me. For all intents and purposes the GFX100RF behaves just like an X100VI. I actually find my self forgetting that I’m NOT using the X100VI all the time. This is of course largely because of the familiar layout and feel, but also because of that leaf-shutter.
And just like with the X100VI, well actually even more so, the GFX100RF is such a multipurpose camera, that there really isn’t much that this camera doesn’t do. I mean, I think that using it for portraits can sometimes be a bit of a stretch even when using the crop modes. But for just about anything else this camera is beyond amazing.
Something that has garnered a lot of attention over the past couple of years is the film simulations that Fujifilm has in their cameras. The jpegs that you can mold using a mix of film simulations and different recipes are out of this world. I’d much rather spend time getting the image right in camera, than spending huge amounts of time in post processing software suites. The film simulations are obviously still there in the GFX100RF, and I think with this camera they finally make a lot of sense on the GFX system.
The GFX100RF does not introduce any new film simulations, but keeps the same 20 simulations that is in the GFX100sII or the X100VI.
Madeira Project
That November noon in Prague last year, I had just been handed two prototypes of the GFX100RF, and later that same afternoon my mind was already starting to form ideas on what to do with it to really test out its capabilities. It was clear from the large aspect ratio dial placed front and center at the top back of the camera, that Fujifilm intended it to be a true multipurpose/multi-format camera. Obviously I really wanted to test out the GFX100RF as a street photography camera, since that is what I really love to photograph. But at the same time I really wanted to use it as a landscape camera. Really harnessing the wide focal length as well as the ability to compose in multiple formats.
Combining those two genres of photography actually wasn’t too hard. Theres actually already a genre of photography that blends these two together quite nicely.
Travel photography. – The perfect way to use a compact, all in one, multi-purpose super camera.
I researched many possible locations all over the globe, but I wanted to honor the fact that I reside in Europe, hence I wanted to photograph somewhere in Europe. Being that the wintertime in Denmark and Northern Europe tends to be as dark as night, I needed to look further south.
I finally settled on a small island just off the northern coast of Africa that is an autonomous part of Portugal.
Madeira – Every time I looked at photographs and videos from that place, I was blown away. Rugged cliffs bordering gorgeous blue waves, mountainsides covered in lush green vegetation, mountain peaks with cloud inversion sunset views and enchanting fog-ridden mystical forests. This place seemed too good to be true. And I figured it would be the perfect place to bring the GFX100RF.
I asked my good friend Palle Schultz if he would be up for filming a small travel documentary and much to my delight he was totally in on the idea. I also asked my good friend Casper Dam if he wanted to come along for some great photography fun, and maybe do a bit of silhouette acting/modelling in the epic landscapes. Again, much to my delight he accepted the offer.
We had one hell of a trip! And I think the fact that our little video spans over nearly 10 minutes says it all. We tried to capture the essence of the Island, of going on a photography trip with good friends, while using one of the most versatile cameras the world has yet seen.
I will do a dedicated write-up in the coming days on this trip with many more sample images from this amazing trip. So stay tuned for that one. For now, I’ve pasted the YouTube video below. But I urge you to watch it on your big screen with good sound equipment. Palle made a fantastic soundtrack, and his color grading is amazing. I hope you like it.
Conclusion and sample image gallery
After having used the GFX100RF for 4 months I can say with absolute certainty that it is a defining product for Fujifilm that I’m sure will dictate their camera design and possibilities of the medium format realm going forward. It’s nothing short of super impressive what the team has managed to pull off. They created an entirely new product category with this camera: A fixed lens digital medium format.
And with the introduction of this entirely new category, they made it possible to carry the incredible medium format image quality in an almost impossibly small sized camera body.
Obviously for all of this to be possible there had to be omissions of technical benefits that you can find in Fujifilms bigger GFX cameras. The IBIS and the maximum f/4 lens aperture are examples of this. But for all intents and purposes these omissions do not affect the usage spectrum of this camera at all.
If you have any doubts about that statement, I urge you to just take a second look at the massively varied sample images that I have provided throughout this article!
This camera is made to be an extremely multi-purposeful tool for any situation you might encounter as a photographer. It doesn’t aim to be a replacement for the interchangeable lens GFX cameras. It aims to stand on its own as a camera for the street photographer, the travel photographer, the documentary photographer, or the landscape photographer. Maybe it’s even the perfect 2nd camera for the professional GFX photographer; The leisure camera, which makes it possible for them to obtain the amazing image quality that they’re used to without having to drag massive amounts of gear in their free time.
You will find nothing like it in the camera industry at the time of writing. A few other brands have great fixed lens cameras that I personally own and use as well, but trust me there’s nothing that even comes close to the sheer image quality of the medium format GFX sensor paired with this new 35mm f/4 lens.
Fact of the matter is, the GFX100RF is totally unique, and I definitely think that Fujifilm has just made something impossible, possible.
Sample image gallery
I have shot the GFX100RF since early November 2024, and I have put it into almost any situation and some very enduring circumstances. It has delivered flawlessly. All the time!
Bear in mind that I have been using prototype cameras, so IQ might not be final. Since no raw converters out there can read the RAF files from the GFX100RF yet, all the sample images in this review are jpegs. This is of course a limitation to the possible IQ, but the RAF capabilities are exactly like on the GFX100SII.
Some of the jpegs have been edited slightly with either contrast or color tweaks in Adobe Lightroom CC.
Thank you! As always great work and photos. This makes me regret a bit little less that I sold my 50R.
Of corse this will be read again
What’s the lens like in comparison to the wonderful gf45mm? Please say it has a similar sharpness and character.
Doesn’t look like… if the article wouldn’t have reminded me all the time that this is medium format, I would have imagined these shots taken with some Contemporary line Sigma lenses. For me this lens is a downer as much as the one on the X100VI: sharp but flat and dull. For 5600 euro I’d have expected something with a lens on par with the Leica Q, rich and “3D”.
Where about, did you find 5600€ as its price? I found 5499€ in Germany, Luxembourg, France and Belgium.
6000€ in Sweden!
Like
Yikes
A <800g X-Pan, an absolute dream come true. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. You’ve made some stunning work with this camera Jonas, especially with the multi exposure mode. Thanks as always for your honest thoughts and beautiful samples.
Hey, Jonas, yours was the first website I opened this morning knowing that the 100RF had been released today. And my suspicion was 100% correct – that you would receive an advance copy of the camera and deliver absolutely stunning images and a thorough review. Superlative work as always.
I currently have the 50R and a fair number of GF and adapted Sigma/Tamron lenses, so probably won’t be picking up the RF (at least at new pricing), but I’m most definitely and eagerly awaiting a the arrival of a GFX 100R with IBIS and a standard GF lens mount. Bonus points for an X-Pro3 style OVF/EVF hybrid viewfinder. C’mon, man… we both know Fuji needs to make that camera!!! :).
Anyway, thanks again as always for the real WORK you put in making the rest of us want to keep shooting and buying Fuji cameras and lenses.
What an amazing photographer you are!
Hi there,
I guess this is still wrong (I would be pleased to be proved otherwise) “X100VI we got both jpeg and RAW crops.” I can’t do RAW crops with my X100VI… so with the new GFX I want proof 🙂 that the cropmode is written into the RAW.
Thanks for the wonderful review, and the great examples.
Chris
Its there this time. Latest update of Lightroom from 3 days ago makes it possible 🙂
Yes for 100RF but not yet for X100VI (Capture One)
I want the cropped RAW feature SO much for the X100vi. Please tell the Fuji powers that be 🙏
Great review on the GFX100RF, a very exciting camera for sure.
Chris – I have a plug-in for LR from a guy in the UK, Andy Lawrence / Solent Images that sets the crop from Fuji images as RAF files, works great! I adjusted my workflow to import as RAF, run crop plug-in, then convert to DNG. email me Jim at jimgoldenstudio dot com, I can pass it along.
Thank’s a lot!
Your XPAN math seems to be a bit off
45mm * (44mm / 65mm) = 30mm on GFX
45mm * (36mm / 65mm) = 25mm on FF
So teh GFX 30mm should actually closer match the FoV
Excellent review by someone who has actually shot with this wonderful addition. Thank you!
Two Qs: is the lens up to the sensor? One has to ask this Q.
Secondly, it’s expensive! The 50R +50 3.5 is a much cheaper alternative. Aside from the wilder focal length, more MP and perhaps the leaf shutter, as discussed in the review, are there any other reasons to go for the RF?
What a review! I was blown away by these beautiful images you took with that camera! I was saving my money for a Leica Q3 to be honest, but I might have to reconsider this decision…
Thank you Jonas! Absolutely amazing job!
I sold my C100F after a shoot where I was unable together a sharp twilight photo without a tripod. That was with a leaf shutter and an f/2 aperture. No INIS means that for me at least, this camera I was eagerly looking forward to purchasing will never join my bag, and to be honest, I’m pissed off and disappointed. It may suit some people, but I’m 58 and even as a pro photographer with 30 years of technique, I need IBIS for critically sharp images with 25MP+ cameras. I’ve been shooting Fujifilm professionally since the X-T1, but won’t be getting this as a digital companion to my GF670.
Every photo magazine in the world can and should copy here right now.
OMG! They actually went and did it? I’ve been dreaming of this camera since I got my GA645. I tried the GF670 and loved it but wanted digital. I bought the first X100 ever sold in Sweden and loved that as well, I owned and tried all the X-cameras since then. I owned all versions of the X100 and 2 copies of the 50R and they have all been wonderful but I have always wished for two things, a portrait version of the X100 and a MF-version of the X100 and now they’ve done at least the latter and with 65:24 to boot (no more putting tape on my display).
This will be the last camera I buy, at least until the release a portrait version of exactly this camera.
P.S. I visited Århus for the first time for two days the day before yesterday. Lovely place!
The 28mm full frame equivalent killed it stone dead for me. And while you can use different pre-sets for the lens you lose image quality. Add to that that adding a hood to the lens dramatically increases the size of the set up the point of having a pancake lens is lost. For others, I’m sure this is a dream come true but I’ll pass.
Exactly, crop here, crop there: quality is not about tons of megapixels, when you stress a lens by cropping you still lose tonal range, gradients and depth compared to a lens tailored to cover a certain format. Surely this lens is sharp, but the downside of such sharpness is lack of color separation and general richness to the image. If I didn’t get reminded all the time that this is medium format I’d have thought is was a review about one of those budget primes for smaller formats.
I get your point, cropping means loss of definition, but, and that’s a big but, even at 80mm virtual focal length, which according to the Fujifilm website would be equivalent to 64mm focal length on a 35mm camera, you still have 19 MP, that is still quite good.
And when it comes to the hood, well it is the very characteristic of a hood to protrude. Its job is to cut away stray light and therefore increase contrast, and being an engineer, I would not know how to do that in a different way. That being said, maybe, you do not care about the loss of contrast due to stray light hitting the lens.
Jonas, before I say anything, let me absolutely commend you for your disclaimers on transparency and bias. I think we have reached a point in society with consumerism/major data-social-psychological manipulation and empowerment of scale and reach that this has become a dangerous endeavor- and any to those saying “oh they are not paying me with anything, I have to return the camera so I am being objective” come across as quite laughable at this point to me- so huge huge HUGE kudos for your disclaimers- you show how it should be done, and I do still think ambassadors/influencers/super fans are still of benefit to show new features of a new product. This applies to anything.
Kudos for that again.
I am on the “I want small/street life cam” – the X-M5 has ticked my boxes there. I would love to see a small X-E5 with EVF. I still want to check this MF camera out just to see how it feels- though I shoot a lot at night.
From what I am seeing I have little doubt something can be done particularly once DXO supports this camera. My only “grip” – here and if you could convey that to Fuji- would be I would like to see auto-iso to roll all he way up to 32,000-51200 for this F4 MF lens camera. Looks like Fuji capped it at 12,800.
I can understand doing that, so I don’t mind Fuji including a note that programming the auto iso to roll that high gets into extended ISO territory, but if it doesn’t, I can see myself being annoyed at night in several of my shooting situations.
I could only justify this camera if I decided to focus on making it my. main and only camera. What really caught my attention is that I said a while back I would absolutely buy a digital TX-1 whatever it takes, because it’s such a different way of seeing, and looks like this camera as you mention is as close as you can get in a seamless way with lots of flexibility.
And wow, it really helps you have provided so many photos and that you have so many great photos here.
Lovely review as always Jonas! You have some beautiful pictures there. Unfortunately, the use of an F4 lens and the lack of stabilization makes this a definite no for me.
Great write up and lovely photographs!
Do you know if the filter adapter is the same thread pitch as the x100 series filter adapters? Curious if a TCL-X100 tele converter would work on it. Most would think it would not be necessary with the digital zoom but I am interested in seeing a comparison between a teleconverter and the digital zoom.
Awesome review. Perfect for me with interesting story, pictures and videos. Nice seeing you earlier this morning in the reveal.
Jonas, its been a few years since I’ve visited your site…I think the first time would have been back in the 50R days. What a revelation that camera was in its day. I pre-ordered it and brought it with me on a 2 year odyssey around the US living in a camper van, shooting every day. To say it re-energized my love for photography would be an understatement.
That journey ended with COVID, I sold the 50R and bought a 100s. Loved it. The IQ of both of those cameras is so addicting, mind boggling, nothing else mattered. II moved to Vermont at the end of 2020, bought land spring 2021, cleared land (myself), and started into building my house (myself), which im still doing…I didn’t have much room in my life any more for photography and money was needed, so all of my camera gear eventually ended up on the chopping block. I haven’t owned a digital camera in over a year now…a first for me since 2005.
Like you, this new 100RF is a camera I never thought would or could exist. So I bought a Bronica RF645 a few years back, ha. But seriously, thank you. Thank you anyone with Fuji’s ear, and Fujifilm, for making these cameras that, from a business standpoint, shouldn’t exist.
At its core, a camera is a tool, and like any tool it has the ability to enable and even INSPIRE a user to USE, to create. I have always found this to be true for me personally, as someone who enjoys the experience of using a tool as much as I enjoy the product any given tool allows me to create. With the announcement of this RF100, I cant help but feel like 2018 me all over again, reading this review, seeing the beautiful images this new tool has inspired you to create. I can only hope that it has the same effect on me.
Thank you for your insights as always, I look forward to unboxing my very own RF (hopefully) just in time for a summer of documenting the new life I’ve created for myself over the last 3 years away from photography.
I have been bemused by a lot of the “no IBIS, no deal” comments out on the interweb. A lot has got to be generational—I mean, IBIS is very nice to have, but I shot for decades w/o it. It seems critical sharpness (ahem—not something I ever trust IBIS for in my pro work! That’s for slow, tripod usage. And it’s definitely important in my pro work, no question, but that work is always shot on a tripod) seems to be the sine qua non of a lot of people’s photography. For me, if that’s the most important thing in my personal work, I’ve already failed as an artist.
This camera offers users the best quality they can get with the maximum amount of unencumbered freedom. Do you always want to be carrying a backpack or rolling case worth of equipment? It’s not a studio rig, it’s not a full on landscape or architectural rig.
Nice shots. I think you’ve squeezed everything you can out of this camera.
Unfortunately, the camera itself has been a disappointment for me. The 28mm field of view is too wide, and the cropping capabilities are uninteresting and pointless to me – it’s easier to use the Leica Q 43.
The F4 is too small for both the versatile use of the camera and for seeing volume in a medium format image. Lack of stabilisation only exacerbates the problem. All these reasons cancels the purchase.
Of the annoying but less significant nuances I can mention not the most beautiful design of the camera and unfortunate ring with the choice of crop formats, of which there are too many. 4×3, 1:1 and Xpan would have been enough.
I swapped my Q3 28 for this camera and have only used it for a week and now regret selling the Q, the 100RF is not in the same league image wise and I so wanted to love it 🙁 So its back to the Q system for me after an expensive urge !!!
Oops that was expensive. Do you have any website where I could view those differences?
Isn t that dependent on your photography? F4 is fine for most subject with a wide angle lens.
It seems you are even more enthusiastic than with the X-Pro3 😀 Great write!
I made a quick calculation of the relative sizes in the GFX 100RF’s crop modes from the specs in Jonas ‘s write-up:
35mm with full 11648×8736 resolution (102mp) = 28 f/3.2
45mm crop with 9056×6792 resolution (61mp) = 35 f/4.0 (roughly full frame/ 35mm crop)
63mm crop with 6448×4840 resolution (31mp) = 50 f/5.6 (roughly APS-C crop)
80mm crop with 5120×3840 resolution (19.5mp) = 63 f/7.1 (slightly larger than m4/3 crop)
Note: I estimated the full frame f-stop (DOF equivalents) from:
https://www.pointsinfocus.com/tools/depth-of-field-and-equivalent-lens-calculator/
I think the images are outstanding, the camera is great and your review is +++. And yet I am not buying, despite having money set aside for just this camera. The reason is very simple – 28 mm equiv is my least desired focal. I NEVER use it. never. never. Never-ever. I hoped for the lens to be equiv 24mm or anything wider. Such an odd decision by Fuji to place a 28mm there. Otherwise I love the camera, the images and all. Just not buying because of the very limiting lens (in the likely uses of this camera). ;-(
That’s probably a personal thing, about the preferred focal length.
I quite enjoy 28mm, and really love 50mm with the Mamiya 6 in square format.
I am happy with Fujifilm’s choice.
This camera has two obvious drawbacks, one connected to the other: dull lens and price.
It doesn’t have the medium format look (which is NOT about the aperture, but about the richness of the tonal range and color separation), this lens is just bad. It’s only super sharp to infinitely crop even duller portions of the image, in the illusion that quality=megapixels.
The other obvious point is the price: I’m stuck with a dull lens that makes this thing look like a Pana S1 with a Viltrox mounted on it, I’m not going to pay 5600 for that.
This Fuji is going to be demolished by any Leica Q in a side by side comparison.
Dude, we got it, you are a Leica fanboy and prefer the Q over the Fuji. No need to repeat the same comment over and over in each post.
I do not own a Q, but thank you for the interest in me 😉
Hello Dave,
I read your statements:
“It doesn’t have the medium format look (which is NOT about the aperture, but about the richness of the tonal range and color separation),”
How do you see this on the jpegs that are visible on this WordPress website, tell me the trick please, I would like to learn this particular skill.
“this lens is just bad. It’s only super sharp”
I don’t understand this reasoning, the most important goal of an optical engineer is to get an excellent MTF diagram in both directions, them come the other things like an excellent color correction, low distortion, good bokeh; all that in addition to size, weight, manufacturability, cost and so on. A very good MTF diagram automatically results in excellent sharpness, so tell us, what’s wrong with that.
“to infinitely crop even duller portions of the image, in the illusion that quality=megapixels.”
Well, mathematically the GFX100RF does not crop infinitely, it crops to 19MP maximum. And nobody says, that “quality = megapixels” here, I think this is more of a measure for mini sensors like in phones.
“The other obvious point is the price: I’m stuck with a dull lens that makes this thing look like a Pana S1 with a Viltrox mounted on it, I’m not going to pay 5600 for that.”
This is the beauty of capitalism, customers have the choice, what they buy – within their personal financial means -, that was not true in other political systems.
“This Fuji is going to be demolished by any Leica Q in a side by side comparison.”
I am sure we’ll eventually see some interesting side-by-side comparisons for that.
And just to be clear, while I ordered a GFX100RF, and have an X100VI, I also have and use an M10 with various Leica and Zeiss lenses. That is my digital arsenal.
On the analog side, there are a couple of cameras from a pre WWII Kodak Retina up to a 2000FC/M and Mamiya 6.
There are not many cameras I got rid of in the past.
Since photography is supposed to be fun, I drag along whatever I am in the mood.
Well, if you shoot Leica M glass (as I do) and you don’t see the difference between those lens and this one, you’re blind.
->”I don’t understand this reasoning, the most important goal of an optical engineer is to get an excellent MTF diagram in both directions”.
Nope. I mean, yes. Especially if your target is photographers that love Sigma Art styled MFT charts and buy based on that (and brick wall photos), yes, this Fuji is for you and your beautiful passion for cropping, the “new photography”.
But, if like Leica (and few others) has done for decades, your target -aside from rich lawyers and dentists- is people who have eyes and taste, you focus first on things like tonal range, micro/macro contrast (fun fact, on the Leica APO contrast is dramatically different between the area in focus and out of focus to further enhance the 3D effect), which are things that are not really measurable, and then, if the optical compromises allow for it, on these useless MFT charts so noob amateurs can buy your product too.
I own Summicrons from the late 60s (35mm and 50mm, both 6 elements) and the images I draw with them blow out of the water what I see done with this camera, on all the departments, except sharpness of course, which is the least important aspect in the aesthetic of a photograph, sometimes even counterproductive. But if you see the MFT chart of those ‘crons, well, they’re not good, according to MFT nerds at least.
The first time I learned this lesson was when I compared my new “flawed” Canon EF 50 1.2 L with my older and much more praised (by online reviews obsessed with MFT charts) Sigma Art 50mm 1.4. After I tested them side by side on portraiture, guess which lens flew on ebay? 🙂
Exactly, the Sigma. The difference between the two in terms of tonal range, color richness and color separation was unbelievable. Plus, the excessive sharpness of the Sigma was like a punch in the face of that poor model. Stopped down, while equally sharp, the Canon still managed to be more gentle yet richer in rendition. It’s the non measurable pixie dust magic of good lenses. Tons of it can be found on expensive cine lenses, like Cooke ones. Have you ever noticed that cinematic footage taken with those lenses looks very, very close to reality, with tons of detail while still look natural?
I don’t care even if you own the field camera from Ansel Adams, if you’re blind, you’re blind. And given that you like the lens on the X100VI, I think you’re definetly blind.
I enjoyed your response immensely!
Your explanation and interpretation of aesthetics for different lens designs makes perfect sense and I agree completely. I used to shoot Leica and now primarily shoot Sony and do you have the new Fuji RF on backorder
That said, sadly in this day and age The vast majority of clients would not notice and most clients would not give a damn.
Maybe I am blind Dave, we do have different tastes and approaches.
I never had a Sigma lens, and got rid of all the DSLR stuff over 10 years ago.
I don’t have an opinion yet on the lens, that’s on my X100VI.
I do have an opinion on two pairs of lenses though.
Between the Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/28mm ZM and the Leica Elmarit-M 2.8/28mm ZM I prefer the Leica, I sold the Zeiss, it was too soft for me, and the Elmarit is just so very small.
Between the Zeiss Biogon T* 2.0/35mm ZM and the Distagon T* 1.4/35mm ZM, I prefer the Distagon, you can reduce depth of field very well, and it is very nice and sharp, although quite large. i have not yet sold the Biogon.
Another lens I love is the Leica Apo-Summicron-M 2.0/75mm, it’s just very nice.
And for the technical stuff, I would recommend going through a Zeiss article by Mr. Nasse, I read it several years ago, in complement to Erwin Puts’s book on Leica cameras: thttps://lenspire.zeiss.com/photo/app/uploads/2018/04/Article-Bokeh-2010-EN.pdf
I shoot 7×17 FILM…yep…and 8×10 FILM and contact print both…and also shoot digital…most “photographers” just “take pictures”….I don’t – I “make photographs”. It’s obvious that Jorg is excellent at “making photographs” – The camera is just a tool…I have sold work and also collect photographs…I agree with Brett Weston (and yes, I knew his assistant) – you either have the eye or you don’t…and it doesn’t matter what camera you use either (within reason)…I agree with Jorg 100% you CAN”T shoot the image and crop in post and get the same image… the resulting images will end up being different 100% – If you don’t “see” that – well then don’t buy the camera…
Thank you for this review. I just ordered one, and I think this camera will bring me closer to my beloved Mamiya M6 experience, that I particularly loved to use with the 50mm lens.
Hi Jonas,
Thank you for the review and your amazing images.
Is the “leather” surface the same material and feel as on the X100VI or is it better? On the 100VI it’s quite “plasticky” imho.
Hi there, in relation to the vi material, I also think it feels too harsh so I bought and applied a skin which has a much better feel, and protects it too. Alphagvrd has many colour options for the other surfaces too. Very easy to apply.
No doubt an innovative camera that will attract serious photographers. One thing I do miss. It`s 3-way LCD. I would happily accept one or two mm extra thickness. For me it´s not paramount but very helpful when shooting those high/low verticals. Waterfalls in 17×6 anyone 🙂
Excellent review. Well, after writing a post saying why I would not be getting one (link below if you are so inclined) this review, especially your sample images have moved me to the trade my precious medium format film and M gear camp. Will see if my enthusiasm holds when I see it in the flesh at the local camera shop where I am now first on the waiting list.
https://ewoodsphoto.com/2025/03/20/so-the-fujifilm-gfx100rf-i-would-love-to-give-one-a-try-but/
Thanks Jonas, great write up – after yesterdays announcement your is the first site I came to to read a full review / write up because as always you give a feel for what the camera is actually like to use in a variety of scenarios. Looks like an incredible camera and has me seriously considering trading in some of my gear to simplify me setup. Going into London tomorrow anyway so will pop in to the House of Photography so that I can try it first hand. Thanks again, Brian
As an XPAN users for years, I’m still waiting for an equivalent Digital camera. The main reason is the time I’m spending to scan and then process the images. Plus the “indecent” price of films, processing these days, all these reason makes me think that a digital equivalent would be a good thing. I’m reading since two days that this GFX100RF will be THE solution but my feeling is (and yes, I need to try it to confirm) that it is not. First, and what holds me back the most, is the fix lense and by extension the limitation in term of FoV, compare to the XPAN. I’m extensively using both 45 and 30 mm. Then the lense aperture. I understand the will to keep it compact but at this price, I was expecting a bit more. The electronic “only” viewfinder can also be a problem, but again here, it needs to be tested. I’m sure it will be a fantastic tool for demanding photographers, but probably not the first choice for demanding XPAN users. I appreciate that Fujifilm is often implementing 24×65 format on its digital camera. They know that there are many users waiting for a digital alternative, and I think that maybe the GFX50R has been the closest one, and if I add to move to a digital XPAN i would probably move to this one instead of GFX100RF.
What do you think ? I’m taking all constructive feedbacks ;o).
Hey @Fujifilm, please consider devlopping a real digital XPAN (or TX-3 if you prefer), same size as the original, dedicated panoramic sensor etc…. we are ready and the market is here !
Many thanks for the great review.
Jonas you have outdone yourself with this review, just as it appears Fujifilm have outdone themselves with this new camera. Well done!
Hi Jonas,
i am reading your blog since many years, posted your reviews on DPR Forum, when a new Fujifilm body was being released. Amazing pictures – like always. Way out of reach for my personal PoV, but great, that the GFX series is now becoming more “portable” literally.
I think, the GFX-100 RF II would feature IBIS, someday into 2029/30…into the natural update cycle.
Personally, i’d have preferred a 50 MP (albeit PDAF) 44x33mm Sensor, a at least F2.8 lens, and 35mm FoV
in FF (35mm) equivalent terms – not a 28mm.
The new 9-times different cropfactor (aspect ratio) dial should be standard, onto a further X100 series or
X-E, X-Pro bodies at least. At last – Pansonic is offering the famous 65:24 XPan/TX-1 cropfactor, with the S9,
S1, and S5 series…i’d like to have that with a Fujifilm APS-C camera, too.
Excellent written (and even better…) photographed Review, congrats !
Marc
You Sir, are a menace. Great review (as always). Every time something new comes along from Fuji I promise I will not read your review. And then I do…..
Beautiful shots and wonderful prose (as always…).
Thanks for the lovely review and pictures!
Now my dream would be for Fujifilm to release a GFX 100R. I love my GFX 50R, but would very much like to have pretty much the same body updated with PDAF and IBIS.
However great the RF version looks in many ways, I’m not so interested in the lens. But an updated R body would be very high on my wish list!
– I don’t like the design. Too square for me. Wish it could have been more like the 50r or X-Pro. The RF top plate has too much empty real estate on the front (room for the hybrid VF!).
– I wish the lens was faster. I know this impacts weight but a faster lens would give us better bokeh at some of the crop focal lengths. It’s pretty awful at 35mm wide open.
– I don’t shoot much 28mm equivalent so a lens beginning at 35mm equivalent providing more MP at a short portrait focal length would be more useful – for me.
– Imagine an RF more like the X100 in design and function, then make new WCL and TCL to fit the new lens. You’d be using all of those 102MP on three different focal lengths. (That faux X-Pan mode only gets you 50MP).
– $5K.
I have used Ricoh GR cameras for many years and always e enjoyed the 28mm focal length. I have taken many printable images using the Ricoh GR. 2 years ago I moved from an X-Pro 2 to the GFX 50sII. Again an excellent camera but I always missed the one lens portable solution of the GR. The GFX RF appears to answer all of my wishes. Your review is excellent and, despite your caveat, is probably more neutral and balanced than many reviews I have read to date. Excellent work! I need to see it in the flesh before I pull the credit card out of my wallet. Many thanks.
Are there options to the lens system like tele extenders? This would be an ideal camera for me if it can reach 200mm focal length at 35mm equivalent!
Great article and wonderful images to accompany it. As a former Nikon and Canon shooter who switched to Fuji, you are helping me decide to add this to my travel kit. Can’t wait to get one and to also test it with 5-7 exposure HDR.
Hey, wonderful inspiring images. I have a body on backorder. Can’t wait! And a few thoughts. I’m an old guy and love to push back on shooters dissing slow lenses and no IBIS. Back in the film days, Tri-X (or a similar color stock) had tons of grain compared to the noise at your 6400 asa images. I had 2 Mamiya-6 bodies and one Mamiya-7. I seem to remember the 150 especially was an F4 lens. No problem shooting one of these (carefully) at 1/15 sec @ F4. So many of the goofballs on YouTube have been dissing these 2 features of the GFX, I almost considered canceling my backorder. No problem after viewing your samples. Can’t wait!
Is there 16Bit resolution if you choose crop mode for example 45 mm with 9056×6792 resolution, approximately 61mp, which means 35 f/4 in Full Format?
Really appreciate your feedback.
I believe the latest tariff placed on Japan is 24%. Not sure on the accuracy of that percentage. I’m not going to discuss ANY political discourse on this issue. I just have a few tariff questions; no politics!
-I placed my backorder on 3-24-25 for the GFX100rf for $4,899 with a well known US- based photo equipment retailer.
-If Japan must now abide by the US 24% tariff, what happens to my pre-order pricing?
-Must my retailer sell me the RF at that backordered amount?
-Can my retailer cancel the backorder because of the higher tariff wholesale pricing?
-Can my retailer take delivery of stock from Fuji at the “before tariff” wholesale pricing?
-Can my retailer take new backorders at the post-tariff price increase and fulfill these later backorders first, basically letting the lower (before tariff) priced backorder recipients (ME), just hang out to dry until I get frustrated and cancel my backorder??
It’s a great camera and I’m hoping the tariff’s won’t have any effect on my ability to get the camera. BUT, I also won’t pay another 24% or approximately $1,176 more for that camera.
Hello Chris,
No politics here either, fiestbof all, I did some research yesterday, and the results show, up to now, the tariff in the US for cameras from Japan was at 0%, the import duty in the EU for cameras with no or limited video capabilities is 0% as well.
Second: It is not Japan, who must abide to a tariff imposed by the US government, the importer has to pay that tariff, when the camera is imported, based on the value at the point if entry, which is the export price + shipment and insurance. The importer then decides what price to charge to the reseller, and the reseller decides, which price to charge to its customer.
For you, you should look into the T&Cs of your supplier, what they can do, based on your order.
ok. Things I never thought I’d need to address buying a fricking camera! I appreciate your input.
This review seems a little biased, in summary your review seems to state, forget all the limitations it’s still great thanks to the leaf shutter. This is an amazing camera because it’s a GFX 100 sensor.
Forget the GFX 100 sensor benefits for a second, because that is the foundation for the camera, the issue is the execution of the lens, the second most important feature. A faster lens was possible and still have retain portability. I faster lens would make this compromised camera, even if it was slightly larger, an amazing camera. Sometimes I wonder why companies double down on unpopular choices like this and then spend enormous effort trying to convince people they don’t want what they actually do want. They seem to have convinced you.
Great review! One question: the the crop mode affects the light gathering? If I use (i.e) the 45mn will half the resolution mean half the light on the sensor (on top of the f/4)? I do think not because the crop does keep the whole file right? Just to make sure. Thank you.
Recensione fantastica. Io l’ho presa ma sono deluso dal joistick duro e risponde male, non si usa facilmente. Hai riscontrato questo problema? io non ho mai avuto GFX quindi non so se sia normale.
Hi Jonas,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the camera.
I think Fuji has succeeded in presenting a camera with a very good price/performance ratio that, in terms of format size, lies between the Leica Q and the Phase-One XC.
Wouldn’t it have been better to take the foreseeable needs into account and charge a price that is higher than the Leica Q?
I think that would have been understandable given this beautiful camera!
Uwe
Wonderful review as ever! My personal taste would prefer 50mm (40 equivalent) at the widest, so I’ll stick with the 50sii and the 50 “pancake” for now. I must admit I picked this thing up in a local store and put it down after a couple of shots, as I could feel the GAS brewing inside. Another customer I observed could not let it go, it’s a spectacular design.
Thanks for the wonderful review! Great pictures.
I am sold.
I will have to wait for us to move to France before buying the camera as deliveries to the US have been stopped.
One small correction,
“A lot of ideas where exchanged”
should be
“A lot of ideas were exchanged”
One of the best reviews about the GFX100RF. Bravo!
Yes, the company has the brain to identify niche market with few competitors; but, they move very slowly. I thought Nikon is slow: FujiFilm is even slower.
Since they are slow, I doubt most of us will see any real cameras out there for sale and they can blame it on tariffs all they want. Looks like they are the only Japanese camera manufacturer that is pausing all shipments. I don’t see Nikon and Canon pausing shipments due to tariffs.
Like Leica, they’ll announce a release and nothing is available for the next 24 months. By the time you get your hands on a copy, it’s a 5 year old technology in your hands. I used to be a Leica fan and bought their top shelf products but the corporate culture about shipping products left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Yes, FujiFilm markets innovation but they ship historical products. Something about the supply-chain, manufacturing process and delivery is not in step with the real world. Or, was this on purpose so as to maintain a high price with no need for sales campaigns?
Hello Artyy,
I received my GFX100RF on April 18, after one week of waiting. It was the third dealer I had contacted, the other two were not able to tell me, when I would get the camera.
I am located in Europe. I wouöd think, that for deliveries to the US, Fujifilm simply want to find out, how the customs and tariff chaos caused by the US governmend turns out, and what would be the reality for them and their customers. I do not think, they should be blamed for any if that.
When it comes to the X100V and X100VI, it sure is frustrating to have to wait for these cameras for such a long time. Here the situation is such, that Fujifilm was victim of their success, and they probably had no idea, how well these cameras would sell. Above all, the X100F did not sell in such quantities.
.
It’s a shame that you continually bang on about the comparison to Fuji’s X100, X100V1. I have never even touched a Fuji camera!, so for myself for the most part I have no idea for what you talking about. The camera itself does look to be impressive & I’m very tempted, but unfortunately [& it’s camera manufacturers across the board], I happen to be in the minority & are “Left Eyed”, & a viewfinder way over on the left of a camera is an out & out pain. Fuji just might steal the show by making a “Left handed Camera” option!
Hello Mel,
I just tried both the X100VI and the GFX100RF with my left eye. For me, the GFX is slightly easier to use left eyed compared to the X100.
I am usually using my right eye, but can also use my left eye.
I think, that the real issue is, that the camera, as just about any camera is built for right-handed persons. I don’t know of any camera built for left-handers, and I guess, to engineer, build and sell cameras for left-handers, would make them be at a price point, customers would just not want to pay, so manufacturers do not even think about it.
I once had a GFX-50R and think I’d much prefer it to this A used one in great condition goes for 3000-3200USD
Beautiful captures as always! Big fan! I am still left wondering if “we” need a 100 MP camera for this style of shooting. I am leaning towards no, not really. Also, f4 and no IBIS, as much as you’d want to say it is not a big deal it still kind of is.
Hola buena reseña, le falto a todas tus fotos el ISO fue deliberado?
You keep calling it Medium Format; honestly i think its more of a marketing thing than a revolutionary leap as the sensor in GFX is larger than FF but its not THAT large. I would call it FF+
And i have nothing against GFX as i own 2 bodies and multiple lenses. So yeah slightly bigger sensor than FF but we’re not talking 6×7
Thanks Mansoor for the comment. Obsiously one can debate, whether a GFX is actually to be considered medium format or not. I do have two 6×6 cameras, and for sure the format of the sensor ( 56mm x 56mm of film in this case) is larger than the format of the GFX sensor, which is 32.9 mm x 43.8mm. The resolution though is certainly greater. A little calculation: the sensor gives you 11,648 pixels horizontally, if you were to have this pixel count across a 6×6 film, it would be 208 pixels per mm, which is far greater to anything you can obtain using films. When you convert that to inches, you would have 5,283 pixels per inch, that is 32% greater compared to the 4,000 spi, you can scan with a Nikon Coolscan 8000 or 9000 ED. You can do the calculations for the 6×7 format your self, but that will not change a lot, when you consider that 70mm across vs. 56mm only gives you an increase of 25%.
So far for the factual numbers.
Of course, you can sonsider the GFX 100 sensor to be FF+, but the definition in Wikipedia still makes it medium format, see:
“Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in photography and the related cameras and equipment that use film. Nowadays, the term applies to film and digital cameras that record images on media larger than the 24 mm × 36 mm (0.94 in × 1.42 in) used in 35 mm photography (though not including 127 sizes), but smaller than 4 in × 5 in (100 mm × 130 mm) (which is considered large format photography).[1]
In digital photography, medium format refers either to cameras adapted from medium-format film photography uses or to cameras making use of sensors larger than that of a 35 mm film frame. Some of the benefits of using medium-format digital cameras include higher resolution sensors, better low-light capabilities compared to a traditional 35mm DSLR, and a wider dynamic range.”
To me, both, i.e. FF+ and medium format make sense, I would continue to call it medium format though, and I am sure, you are having enough fun with it.
Such a fun way to play classics! Hypakle
Your article and images are making me rethink my initial reaction to this camera. Love your work and your writing.
Enjoyed your article and the images. Thank You. The description of the GFX100RF swaped my opinion towards the purchase of a hasselblad X2D or X2DII.
Absolutely love how in-depth this review is! The GFX100RF seems like a dream for travel photographers. If anyone wants to see how versatile gear can transform photography, I recommend checking out Football Bros game—it’s not camera-related, but the creativity in both experiences is surprisingly similar.
Fantastic review and sample images! The combination of portability and medium format image quality is mind-blowing. For those who love testing limits in any field, I also recommend Wordle Helper—helps solve tough puzzles just like understanding complex camera features.
Incredible write-up! I love how you highlighted the leaf shutter and its impact on handheld medium format shots. By the way, if you’re into games for a quick creative break, Basketball Bros is super fun and addictive.
This is a good review and your bias is easy to navigate and understand. I have a good idea of the camera, which I am tentatively interested in. However, some things are stopping me buying one, and these comments are largely directed at Fujifilm.:
1. 28mm…is 28mm even when cropped. Distortion must be accepted. Whilst the lens seems ok for many uses (I do own a 28mm on ff and like it for some things) it is a compromise IMO.
2. Pandering to “content creators”…I am getting sick and tired of “photography” being taken over by amateur content creators…what happened to making cameras for photographers?
3. I used Fujifilm GW680III cameras for years, just amazing and simple medium format film cameras. They had a 65mm and 90mm versions, fixed lens rangefinders. They are mechanical only, no battery, very tough. When I heard Fuji were making a fixed lens 44×33 sensor camera I really hoped for a digital version of the GW series, WITH A CHOICE OF LENSES! This is a massive oversight from Fuji IMO. Even a short zoom, say 35mm-50mm would have been better. The obsession with size is limiting. Its nice to have a small body but the lens is restrictive. How about copying Leica and releasing a 50mm/55mm version as well? I think they really made an error not giving us a choice, and fooling us that a crop of 35mm = something like a 50mm. It doesn’t.
4. F4 is not an issue for me but I can understand why it is for some.
5. IBIS is very useful sometimes although not crucial for me considering the leaf shutter. I owned Hasselblad X1D with no IBIS and leaf shutters, and that was fine. However I do think that IBIS would have been a big selling point to may and its omission for the sake of a few millimetres of size is questionable. Just make the camera a bit taller! As it is many modern cameras are short and even my average size hands have no small finger grip. I add accessory bottom plates to hold them better. Camera manufacturers have got so many of their priorities wrong and to me its because they listen far too much to the content creator crowd who change gear weekly.
6. Looking at the used camera market there are A LOT of these GFX100RFs for sale second hand. Obviously many people have not liked what they got.
7. I cannot judge this well from online jpegs but I have yet to see that this 35mm lens is very special. Many complain it lacks depth and character of drawing, and I am inclined to agree. It just looks fairly average, but I am judging from low quality files so far. It does not inspire me at all.
8. I have never had any interest in Fuji APSC cameras, including the X100v: again they look ok but resemble fashion cameras to me. Perhaps they function well but the sensors and lenses do not inspire me. The GFX sensors DO inspire me however. If only you had shouted out “build a digital GW680 with a choice of wide or standard lenses or even a short zoom, and leave out the gimmicks”….
9. Things I like: the design is ok, the build quality looks v good, but Japan has lost its way with industrial design IMO. This camera is a departure in some ways but it still lacks really good design. Look at the other GFX cameras in comparison to say Leica or Hasselblad, they are plastic bricks in comparison. That doesn’t stop me from buying one because its a tool to me, and a GFX100SII is far more likely what I will be buying for its functionality and good lens choice (much cheaper than Hasselblad and excellent image quality), especially used. The size is appealing but again a few millimetres or cm more would absolutely not bother me if I had a better lens and IBIS perhaps. The camera seems well thought out and the button/dial layout looks good. I love the 4×3 aspect ratio above all and this is why I use these mini MF cameras. M43 is too small for me.
10. Think again Fuji. Go back to photography for photographers, not fashion statements. The GFX50R was probably their most popular MF camera for some time, with interesting tech and functionality. Why the heck did they drop it? Its crazy, the 50R is now almost a cult camera, and yet they bring out a fixed lens camera with too many compromises. The new 100 sensors are obviously v good and improving, and the entire concept of GFX is definitely a winner for many pros and artists, so this GFX100RF is a head scratcher to me. Tempting, sort of, and maybe in 2 years for $2.5 grand it would be something to consider, but I think they missed more opportunities than they hit with this one.
Andy, I get you points.
I also think, Fujifilm designed a camera, for people who buy it in the first place, not necessarily for people, who wait to buy it until you can get for 50% of its new price.
I can only repeat myself, I love the camera for what it is and how it’s designed and built. There are certainly things, that could be improved, but, hey, which product could not be improved, and yet, we are happy with it.
I would recommend, you borrow or rent one, so you can have your own experience, and if you like or do not like it then, that’s completely OK. At least, your opinion will be more informed.
Happy photographing!
Fantastic and incisive review accompanied by images that can only be described as works of art, each and every one.
Castle App offers a simple way to enjoy entertainment without complicated steps. This page clearly explains Castle App download methods, key features, and compatibility. It also provides helpful information about Castle APK usage, making it easier for users to decide if this app suits their streaming needs.