Fujifilm Gets GFX 100 Ready

2019.05.28

The Fujifilm GFX 100 has been on the roadmap since last where when the brought prototypes to several last-quarter conferences. This groundbreaking camera is set to hit the shelves one month from today, so on June 27.

With plenty of advance information provided by Fujifilm themselves, the heart of this new Medium Format Mirrorless Digital Cameras has been known for a long time: A 102 megapixels BSI-CMOS sensor mounted on the largest 5-axis image-stabilization system built to date. The new in-body stabilization system moves the sensor along 5 axis to compensate for 5.5 stops of camera shake compared to hand-holding. This is a first for Medium Format and something which took years to perfect.

The 44x33mm sensor in the GFX 100 incorporates an incredible 3.8 million Phase-Detectors, also a first for Medium Format. These detectors cover the entire sensor to create a virtual 425-point Hybrid AF-system similar to the one in the excellent Fujifilm X-T3 reviewed here. The sensor readout has been improved from the GFX 50R and is expected to lock focus faster. There is a newly developed shutter-mechanism with shock-dampeners to prevent internal camera shake. This hybrid shutter covers a 1/16000-3600s shutter-speed range with Bulb exposures also possible up to an hour.

Similarly to the GFX-50S which launched the GFX platform, the GFX 100 has a detachable EVF. This is the largest and most detailed EVF ever made with 0.86X magnification and a whopping 5.8 megapixels of resolution. At some point, these will exceed what the human eye can distinguish and this must be right there. The removable EVF shows 100% coverage and has a built-in Eye-Start Sensor.

As shown in the prototype, the Fujifilm GFX 100 is large even for a Medium Format camera, mostly due to the needs of the in-body stabilization and usage of two batteries to provide 800 shots-per-charge. The body of this digital camera features 4 control-dials, two on each grip and 3 displays. One is the main 2.4 megapixels 3.2" LCD that can tilt in 2 axis, while the other two are monochrome status displays at the top and rear of the camera. As anyone would expect, the GFX 100 is fully weatherproof and freezeproof to -10C.

The bandwidth delivered by this digital camera is astonishing. It can shoot continuously at 5 FPS which is over one gigapixel per second! When shooting RAW, it can handle bursts of 14 images at 16-bits-per-component. Switching to JPEG images, it can reach 41, since those are compressed and half the bit-depth of RAW files. This processing power is also used to make this the first Cinema 4K capable Medium Format camera on the market. It can record 4K, 2K or 1080p at 30 FPS.

Next month the Fujifilm GFX 100 is scheduled to ship for $10,000 USD or $13,300 CAD. Pre-orders for this class-leading digital camera are already accepted at Amazon, Adorama and B&H Photo. As always, credit cards are not charged until the product ships while ensuring to be among the first to enjoy this exciting camera, so pre-order yours are one of these links.

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