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FEATURES 8 / 10
BUILD & HANDLING 9 / 10
METERING 9 / 10
AUTOFOCUS 7 / 10
AWB & COLOUR 10 / 10
DYNAMIC RANGE 9 / 10
IMAGE QUALITY 9 / 10
VIEWFINDER/LCD 9 / 10ISO and noiseCAMERA TEST TestbenchRAW ISO 100 RAW ISO 3200 RAW ISO 12 , 800
RAW ISO 25 , 600 RAW ISO 51 , 200 RAW ISO 102 , 400
BEFORE Fujifilm launched the original GFX
50S, digital medium format kit was bulky
and expensive, and completely out of the
question for most photographers. So it
seems remarkable to be discussing the
GFX50S II in the same breath as high-end
full-frame models. But this is a camera that
serious enthusiasts might now genuinely
contemplate buying. It can seamlessly
replace a full-frame DSLR kit, fitting into the
same bags and sitting happily on the same
tripods, while delivering fantastic images.
Of course, it might be tempting to
dismiss the GFX50S II based on those
areas where it lags its full-frame rivals,
particularly with regards to continuous
shooting, autofocus and video. But the
reality is that not everybody needs to shoot
at 10fps with eye-tracking AF, and some
users’ requirements are geared more
towards the highest possible image quality.
This is where the camera excels, with
superb colour, detail, and dynamic range.
It’s not just the image quality on offer
that matters, either, but how readily you
can take advantage of it. In particular, the
effective in-body stabilisation and soft,
discreet low-vibration shutter help you get
the best results from that excellent sensor
when shooting handheld. Fujifilm’s GF
lenses are absolutely superb, too, although
they’re also large and expensive, which
remains the system’s biggest drawback.
Ultimately, with its sub-£4,000 price
complete with a fine lens, the GFX50S II
comes the closest yet to bringing medium
format digital to a mainstream audience.
It’s a truly impressive camera that’s a
pleasure to use and delivers superb
images in both JPEG and raw. For
photographers who prioritise image quality
over shooting speed, it’s a wonderful tool.VerdictGOLDThe crops shown below are taken
from the area outlined above in red
At low ISO settings the GFX50S II gives superb images, with no visible
noise and impressive rendition of even the finest detail. It’s only really
at ISO 3200 that we see any degradation when examining images
close-up onscreen. By ISO 12,800 quality is suffering from noise,
although the camera’s own processing does a better job of maintaining
colour than Adobe Lightroom or Camera Raw. Beyond this, however,
things go downhill fast, with colours fading and serious problems with
noise. ISO 25,600 might sometimes be usable at a pinch, but I’d steer
well clear of the top two extended settings.Dynamic range is impressive: in the
original JPEG of this shot, all of the
foreground detail was black
Fujifilm GFX 50 S II, 35-70mm at 35mm, 1/45sec at f/11, ISO 100