The Fujifilm GFX100RF marks a significant shift in medium format photography, combining the portability philosophy of the X100 series with the image quality of a 102-megapixel sensor. This camera represents Fujifilm's first attempt at creating a fixed-lens rangefinder in their medium format lineup, targeting photographers who want large sensor quality without the bulk of traditional medium format systems.
Coming to you from Michael Sladek Photography, this comprehensive video explores the real-world performance of Fujifilm's newest medium format offering. Sladek spent about a week and put it through its paces in both street photography scenarios in downtown Bellevue and landscape work during foggy mornings around Lake Washington. His testing reveals that the camera handles much like other Fujifilm bodies you might already know, with the familiar menu system and control layout making the transition seamless. The autofocus performance mirrors what you'd expect from the X100 series: quick and reliable for most situations, though it does take a slightly longer heartbeat to lock focus compared to newer APS-C bodies. Sladek notes that the camera's build quality feels premium, with one colleague guessing it cost $5,000 just from handling it before knowing the actual price.
The GFX100RF features a fixed 35mm f/4 lens (equivalent to 28mm in full-frame terms) with no optical or in-body image stabilization. Sladek speculates these omissions likely came down to cost, size, and weight considerations, the eternal photography compromise triangle. The camera includes several innovative features, including a dedicated aspect ratio dial that lets you preview different crop ratios in real-time, from square 1:1 to ultra-wide 65:24 formats. There's also a digital teleconverter lever on the front that provides 45mm, 63mm, and 80mm equivalent focal lengths, with the 80mm setting still delivering a respectable 20-megapixel file.
Key Specs
- 102-megapixel medium format sensor (shared with GFX100S II)
- Fixed 35mm f/4 lens (28mm equivalent)
- Electronic shutter: 1/16,000 to 3,600 seconds
- Mechanical shutter: 1/4,000 to 3,600 seconds
- ISO range: 80-12,800 native (40-102,400 extended)
- 6 fps continuous shooting (40 raw frames)
- 4K video recording up to 30 fps
- Dual SD UHS-II card slots
- 3.2" tilting touchscreen LCD
- 5.76M-dot OLED viewfinder
- Weather-resistant construction
- Battery: NP-W235 (820 shots)
- Weight: 1.6 lbs / 735g
- Dimensions: 5.3 x 3.6 x 3" (without lens hood)
File sizes are substantial: uncompressed 16-bit raw files clock in at around 209 MB, while lossless compressed drops to 135 MB and standard compressed to 72 MB. His street photography samples, shot as JPEGs due to an accidental camera setting change, still showed impressive dynamic range and the signature Fujifilm color science that makes their cameras so appealing to many photographers. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Sladek.
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