http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uklovely Film Simulation modes
giving a wide range of attractive
options. I particularly like Astia
for everyday shooting and Acros
for black & white, while Velvia is
great for punchy landscapes. In
fact, the JPEGs are so good that
sometimes there’s no point in
trying to improve on them by
reprocessing from raw.
Of course it’s the raw image
quality that potentially marks the
GFX50S II apart from full-frame
mirrorless, and as with its
predecessors that used the same
sensors, the files are superb.
They show sensational levels of
detail coupled with huge dynamic
range at low ISOs, so you can
expose to retain highlights and
then bring up shadow detail by at
least four stops in post
processing without any problem.
However, with little or no
advantage over the latest
full-frame sensors in terms of
pixel count, the case for buying
into the GFX50S II isn’t as clear
cut compared to the GFX100S.
But it’s crucial to understand that
lenses are just as important as
the sensor when it comes to
overall image quality, and
Fujifilm’s GF range is superb.
Special mention must go to the
GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR, which
is anything but a stereotypical kit
zoom. Instead, it delivers superb
levels of detail, with just a little
softening visible in the extreme
corners at the wide end.
About the only thing thatdoesn’t work brilliantly is the
205MP pixel-shift mode. Each set
of 16 raw files takes up to
900MB of space, which will fill up
your SD cards rapidly. The Pixel
Shift Converter program isn’t
capable of scanning through a
folder of images on your
computer and identifying sets
automatically; instead, you have
to feed them into the software
manually. It then churns out
massive DNGs up to 800MB in
size, which in turn must be
processed using a raw converter.
Examining the resultant images
close-up reveals that the pixel
shift converter can’t deal with any
subject motion at all, giving ugly
coloured artefacts. Even with
static subjects such as
architecture, it will often end up
rendering strange grid-like
artefacts in some areas, perhaps
due to the light changing subtly
between frames. As a result, it
only really works satisfactorily for
studio still-life work under
completely controlled lighting. But
when everything does come
together, it’s capable of
producing excellent results.by the kit zoom‘s relatively
small aperture. When
shooting at twilight it’s not only
slow and hesitant but also has a
habit of missing focus slightly. In
such situations it’s best to select
the largest practical focus area.
For those who wish to speed
things up, Fujifilm has included a
Rapid AF function, which is
activated using a button on the
front. According to Fujifilm, its
main disadvantage is reduced
battery life. But with the lenses I
mostly used for this review – the
GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR and
GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR – it
didn’t make a big difference.
When you need to engage
manual focus, Fujifilm offers the
usual focusing aids of peaking
and magnified view, and in a
clever piece of interface design,
both can be accessed from the
same button. Pressing it engages
magnified view, while holding it
down for a second turns on
peaking. Another neat feature in
manual focus mode is that you
can use the magnified view to
zoom in on your subject, and then
use the AF-ON button to
autofocus precisely on that point.
Again, though, manual focusing
can get difficult in low light, as
the viewfinder image becomes
noisy and indistinct.
Performance
Historically, medium format digital
cameras were clunky and
awkward. But with Fujifilm’s
recent GFX models, that’s no
longer true. Instead, the GFX50S
II mostly works just as well as its
high-resolution full-frame rivals, to
the extent that you soon forget
that you’re shooting with medium
format. A flick of the power switch
sees it ready to shoot in less
than a second, and after that, it’s
quick and responsive to the
controls. The well-damped,
low-vibration shutter also means
it’s relatively quiet and discreet.
Crucially, the GFX50S II is also
no larger or heavier than a
high-end full-frame DSLR. I took it
on a ten-mile walk along the
North Kent coast with a couple of
lenses, and never once felt
weighed down. A knock-on benefit
is that you don’t need to carry a
large, heavy tripod, either. Indeed
the image stabilisation is so
effective that a lot of the time,
you don’t need a tripod at all; I
got sharp images at shutter
speeds as low as 0.8sec
handheld with the 35-70mm lens.
This gives you the mobility to
explore creative compositions
and exploit the tilting screen to
shoot from low or high angles.
As always from Fujifilm, the
automated systems work
brilliantly. Metering and auto
white balance are both supremely
well-judged; I occasionally applied
a little negative exposure
compensation to tame bright
highlights, but that’s all. The
in-camera JPEG processing is
typically stunning, with thoseAutofocus is extremely
accurate on static or
slow-moving subjects
Fujifilm GFX 50 S II, 35-70mm at 70mm,
1/ 420 sec at f/ 5. 6 , ISO 800