Fujifilm’s long-awaited GFX delivers medium-format mirrorless image quality at a price not drastically higher than a professional full-frame DSLR
Rod Lawton
Mirrorless / £6,200 / $6,500 (body only) / fujifilm.com
FOR A long time, medium-format digital cameras were big, heavy and incredibly expensive. Now we have not one but two lower-cost cameras that could at last bring medium format to the masses – the long-awaited Fujifilm GFX 50S and its rival Hasselblad X1D (reviewed next).
The ‘50S’ refers to the GFX’s 50MP sensor, which is the same size and resolution as the one in the Hasselblad X1D. These medium-format sensors are 67 per cent larger in area than 35mm full-frame sensors. At 43.8 x 32.9mm, they’re also taller in shape than full-frame and APS-C sensors. In fact, they’re the same aspect ratio as full-frame medium-format sensors (which measure 60 x 45mm) on cameras such as the PhaseOne XF 100MP.
The sensor has a regular ‘bayer’ sensor rather than an X-Trans. Although the 50-megapixel resolution sounds high, the large area means pixels are packed in no tighter than they are on the 36-megapixel Nikon D810, for example, so you can still expect low noise and good dynamic range, even with 50 million pixels.
Unlike the Hasselblad X1D, the GFX uses a regular focal plane shutter. This makes the body a good deal thicker, but overall it’s lighter and little larger than a pro-level 35mm full frame DSLR such as the D810 or Canon EOS 5DS.
It’s a mirrorless design, so the viewfinder is electronic rather than optical. You get a regular eye-level viewfinder with the camera that slides into an accessory slot on the top of the camer – you can also get a tilting viewfinder as an optional extra, which is an indication that this is designed to develop into a true ‘system’ camera.
The EVF is complemented by a tilting LCD display on the rear and an ‘always on’ mono OLED screen on the top plate. This shows your battery status and shots remaining when the camera is switched off, and various shooting settings when the camera is switched on.
Fujifilm has announced six lenses for the GFX G mount – three available now and three more later in 2017. We were supplied with the 63mm f/2.8 R WR, equivalent to roughly 50mm in 35mm full-frame terms, so it’s the closest thing to a ‘standard’ lens for this camera. It’s the smallest lens on offer, but ‘small’ is relative and it’s still a fairly hefty lens. Other lenses in the range, such as the GF 32-64mm f/4 R
