Fujifilm has announced the new GFX100, a 102-megapixel medium format mirrorless camera that the company calls “a game changer in digital camera technology and capability.” It’s the new flagship camera of the GFX line.
At the core of the camera is a 102MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that has a diagonal length of 55mm, the same medium format size as the GFX 50S and GFX 50R — by comparison, 35mm full-frame sensors are about 43mm diagonally, so the 55mm features about 1.7 times the surface area.
The 102 megapixels is the highest resolution ever offered in a mirrorless camera, and the camera has a native ISO of ISO 100 and a maximum ISO of 12800.
The GFX100 is the first digital camera with a sensor larger than full frame to offer in-body image stabilization and on-board phase detection hybrid autofocus with nearly 100% coverage.
The 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) provides up to 5.5 stops of stabilization.
The entire shutter system is suspended by four springs within the camera to reduce shutter shock.
“This dramatically broadens the scope of situations where a user can hand-hold the camera and still enjoy the world of 100MP+ ultra-high resolution, pushing the boundaries of photographic expression,” Fujifilm says.
The phase detection hybrid AF system one-ups other medium format digital cameras by using 3.76 million phase-detection pixels across almost the entire sensor, allowing photographers to focus on subjects anywhere in the frame.
“[N]ear perfect auto-focus performance with speed and accuracy is now a reality for photographers needing optimum performance in subject tracking, face/eye detection and low-contrast environments,” Fujifilm says, noting that the GFX100 autofocuses up to 210% faster than the GFX 50R’s conventional contrast AF system when using fast prime lenses.
Build-wise, the GFX100 is quite tough: featuring 95-point weather sealing, the camera is dust-resistant and weather-resistant. The magnesium alloy body is also both lightweight and durable. The camera is the first in the GFX family to feature a built-in vertical grip.
“Designed for protection, the GFX100’s core imaging unit, consisting of the lens mount, image stabilization mechanism and image sensor, has been structured completely separate from the main body panels,” Fujifilm says. “This ‘double-structure’ is designed to ensure a high level of precision and robustness while minimizing resolution degradation caused by external stress to the body.”
The top of the camera features a large info display:
On the back of the camera is a 3.2-inch 2.36-million-dot tilting touchscreen LCD.
The three-direction tilt capabilities allows the screen to work well in both orientations.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is interchangeable, and removing it gives the camera a smaller form factor.
A swiveling and tilting attachment for the EVF can give you more flexibility while shooting.
Despite its large sensor, the GFX100 has a body that’s comparable to flagship 35mm full-frame DSLRs on the market. It measures just 6.15×6.44×4.05 inches (15.6×16.36×10.29cm) and 1.93 inches (4.9cm) at its thinnest part. And it weighs just 3 pounds (1.36kg) with two batteries, a memory card, and an EVF. By comparison, the Canon 1D X Mark II measures 6.2×6.6×3.3 inches (15.8×16.8×8.26cm) and weighs 3.37 pounds (1.53kg).
On the video front, the GFX100 is the first mirrorless camera with a sensor of this size to provide 4K/30p video recording. It can also record in F-Log Rec 2020 and capture 4:2:2 10-bit uncompressed footage through the HDMI port.
Other features and specs of the GFX100 include dual SDXC card slots, a USB-C port, microphone and headphone jacks, a 2.5mm remote release connector, 16 Film Simulation modes, Fujifilm’s X-Processor 4 engine, 16-bit RAW photos, Fujifilm’s new “Smooth Skin Effect” function, and tethered support for Capture One.
Here’s a 5-minute hands-on video introducing the GFX100 by Fuji Guys:
The new Fujifilm GFX100 will be available starting on June 27th, 2019, with a price tag of $10,000.
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