FIRST TEST
FUJIFILM GFX100RF
New kid in towns
Medium-format cameras are the megapixel kings, but they’re big… well, they were until now. Is Fuji’s scaled-down star the ideal tool for street photography?
[ Words Tom Morgan-Freelander ]
D
on’t let the name fool you: medium-format camera sensors are huge. The 102MP unit found inside the GFX100RF is almost four times as big as the APS-Ctype found in the phenomenal X100VI fixed-lens compact. For Fujifilm to have squeezed one inside a rangefinder body that makes most of its rivals look positively portly is a quite massive achievement.
It’s no coincidence that the smallest, lightest GFX model to date looks like an X100VI that’s had a growth spurt. Only the taller body and missing optical viewfinder give the game away. The retro-inspired styling, precision-milled metal top plate and control layout mean Fuji fans will feel instantly at home. And at 735g including battery and memory card, it’s impressively portable – at least if you leave off the bundled lens hood and weather-resistant adapter ring.
It’s a fixed 35mm lens, but all those pixels meant Fuji was free to add in-camera cropping and digital magnification to give dedicated zoom lenses a run for their money. The firm has also debuted an aspect ratio dial, which lets you mimic the panoramic pics of long-retired film cameras.