GFX Series · 2024

Fujifilm GFX100S II

Name: FUJIFILM GFX100S II
Brand: Fujifilm
Availability: InStock

102 megapixels at a price that stopped being absurd.

Short answer

The GFX100S II is Fujifilm’s compact medium format body: the same 102MP resolution as the flagship, eight stops of IBIS and dual SD slots, at $4,999. It has all 20 film simulations and weighs 883g.

The GFX100S II is the camera that makes the medium format argument seriously. It is not much bigger than a professional full-frame body, it costs less than several of them, and the sensor is four times the area of the APS-C chips in the X Series.

Key specs

Sensor: 102 MP GFX 102MP CMOS II
Processor: X-Processor 5
In-body stabilisation: Yes · 8 EV
Viewfinder: 5.76M-dot OLED, 0.84× magnification
Video: DCI 4K/30p, ProRes internal
Weight: 883 g
Battery life: 530 shots
Launch price: $4,999

Specifications

Released: May 2024
Sensor: Medium format · 43.8 × 32.9 mm
ISO range: ISO 80–12800 (extended to 102400)
Burst: 4.1 fps electronic
Screen: 3.2-inch three-way tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots
Lens mount: Fujifilm G
Card slots: 2× SD UHS-II
Dimensions: 150.0 × 104.2 × 87.2 mm

Dimensions

150 mm wide
104.2 mm tall
87.2 mm deep

Body drawn to scale from the dimensions Fujifilm publishes. Depth is listed, not drawn.

The sensor, and what it is not

It uses the GFX 102MP CMOS II, not the HS version in the GFX100 II. The resolution is the same; the readout is slower, which caps burst at 4.1 fps and limits video to DCI 4K.

For landscape, portrait, product and architecture, none of that matters. You are not shooting bursts of a mountain.

It handles like a normal camera

883 grams, a proper grip, a three-way tilting screen and two ordinary SD cards. There is no CFexpress requirement and no battery grip needed to balance it.

Eight stops of stabilisation on a sensor this large is the part that surprises people. Hand-held medium format at a quarter of a second is genuinely possible.

The lens question

G-mount lenses are excellent and expensive, and there are far fewer of them than X-mount. Budget for the body plus two lenses before deciding, because a 102MP sensor behind a compromise lens is a waste of both.

What is good

Flagship resolution at half the flagship price
Eight stops of IBIS makes it hand-holdable
Two ordinary SD slots, no CFexpress needed
All 20 film simulations

What is not

4.1 fps burst rules out anything fast
DCI 4K video only
G-mount lenses are costly and few

Verdict

The GFX100S II is the most sensible medium format camera anyone has made. If you shoot landscape, portrait or product work and have been wondering whether the format is worth it, this is the body that answers yes.

Film simulations on this camera

20 film simulations

PROVIA / Standard The honest baseline every other look is measured against.

Velvia / VIVID Deep greens, hot reds and no apologies.

ASTIA / Soft Colour that stays rich while skin stays kind.

Classic Chrome Muted colour, hard shadows, magazine mood.

Classic Negative Drugstore film with a chip on its shoulder.

Nostalgic Neg. Amber highlights, deep blues, family album warmth.

REALA ACE Faithful colour with a firm backbone.

PRO Neg. Std The flattest colour profile Fujifilm makes.

PRO Neg. Hi Kind to skin, firm enough for real light.

ETERNA / Cinema Low contrast, low saturation, room to grade.

ETERNA Bleach Bypass Silver, steel and almost no colour.

ACROS Black and white with grain that behaves like film.

ACROS+Ye A little more sky, no cost to skin.

ACROS+R Black skies, white clouds, high drama.

ACROS+G The portrait filter, and the one for gardens.

Monochrome Plain black and white, harder and more graphic than ACROS.

Monochrome+Ye The everyday filter on the harder black and white.

Monochrome+R The hardest black and white Fujifilm will give you.

Monochrome+G Foliage that stays readable in a hard black and white.

Sepia The one almost nobody uses, and the reason it exists.

Recipes that work on this camera

reala-ace X-Trans V · GFX Reala Ace Daily Most recipes have an opinion. This one does not, and that is the point. On a day where you will shoot a…

Common questions

Is medium format worth it over the X-T5?

For tonality, depth of field rendering and large prints, yes. For everyday shooting, the X-T5 is faster, smaller and far cheaper, and nobody looking at a screen will tell.

Does the GFX100S II have REALA ACE?

Yes, all 20 simulations are present.