The GFX100RF is a Medium Format Fixed-Lens Rangefinder-Style Camera
Fujifilm announced the GFX100RF, the company’s first fixed-lens mirrorless digital camera in its GFX system which features a 28mm f/4 full-frame equivalent lens in front of a medium format 102-megapixel sensor.
Weighing a scant 1.62 pounds (735 grams), the GFX100RF is the lightest camera Fujifilm has ever produced in the GFX line.
“GFX100RF redefines portability for the GFX System,” Victor Ha, vice president, Electronic Imaging and Optical Devices Divisions at Fujifilm North America Corporation, says. “This camera is an incredible mashup between our Straight Out of Camera philosophy and GFX System’s More Than Full Frame persona because it bridges image quality with our legendary color reproduction. With GFX100RF, we’re able to offer high-resolution, large format images in a small, easy-to-carry package.”
Fujifilm’s design focus was on making the GFX100RF as compact as possible while also giving photographers tools that take advantage of the large, high-resolution sensor. To that end, the lens is a maximum of f/4 and the camera doesn’t feature in-body image stabilization (IBIS) but it does have a “zoom” rocker and a dedicated aspect ratio dial, both of which lean on the sensor’s large resolution sensor.
The rocker allows photographers to digitally tele-convert the frame of view to “zoom” into different focal lengths at the cost of some resolution. From its native 35mm focal length (28mm in 35mm format), the angle of view can be switched in three steps to 45mm (36mm in 35mm format), 63mm (50mm in 35mm format), and 80mm (63mm in 35mm format). The dedicated aspect ratio dial allows users to easily switch between the various aspect ratios on the camera. On that note, two new aspect ratios of “3:4” and “17:6” have been added to GFX100RF. The camera also features a new “Surround View” function that displays the area outside the image range as a semi-transparent frame, which serves as a guide that coincides with the selected aspect ratio. Even when shooting in these zoomed views, it only affects the JPEG while if RAW is also being captured, the entire frame is retained.
The camera has a new 35mm f/4 fixed focal length lens (a 28mm full-frame equivalent) developed exclusively for GFX100RF. By adopting a leaf shutter system instead of a focal plane shutter system, the back focus distance has been shortened to achieve a significant reduction in overall size, the company says. Additionally, the leaf shutter is extremely quiet and doesn’t shake the camera nearly to the degree a focal plane shutter would, which Fujifilm says makes it easier to hand-hold photos at slower shutter speeds even without IBIS.
The lens has a construction of 10 elements arranged in eight groups, including two aspherical lenses. Fujifilm says that a newly developed nano-GI coating optimized for lenses with large curvature has been applied to the lens to suppress internal reflections. Photographers can focus as close as 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) from the front of the lens.
The company says that combining the 102 megapixels CMOS II HS image sensor and X-Processor 5 image processing engine enhances dynamic range and low-light performance as well as providing further improvements in peripheral image quality and autofocus (AF) accuracy. On that note, Fujifilm says the GFX100RF is equipped with an AF prediction function and face/eye AF to recognize a wide variety of subjects, such as animals, vehicles, birds, and airplanes. Tracking via touching the rear LCD is supported in video recording.
The camera can shoot up to 4Kp30 4:2:2 10-bit in F-Log2 and is compatible with Frame.io camera-to-cloud technology. The GFX100RF borrows the built-in ND filter design from the X100 series, and Fujifilm notes that the 4-stop ND is the first to be included in a GFX camera.
The EVF is positioned to the left of the camera’s center to mimic a rangefinder experience, but it is a traditional design. The finder has a magnification of 0.84x and features 5.76 million dots to provide photographers with a high-resolution view of subjects.
The camera has dual SD card slots, both mic and headphone jacks, a USB-C port, and a micro HDMI port.
The GFX100RF ships with a PRF-49 protective filter that, when used in combination with the dedicated and included adapter ring, allows the camera to be dust and drip-resistant. The lens also ships with an aluminum lens hood and a rope-style shoulder strap.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF will be available in silver and black, is expected to be ship starting in late April, and will retail for $4,899.95.
Image credits: Fujifilm
