We’ve always asked whether
any video-maker is really going
to want a digital medium format
camera when there are so many
more workable alternatives.
Cheaper too. However, size
and weight are less of an issue
with the mirrorless models so
Fujifilm’s GFX 50S has potential
here. The detachable EVF is a
plus... you just don’t need it if
you’re using an external monitor.
In this configuration, the GFX fitscomfortably into any rig or you
have an even more compact (and
lighter weight) hand-held ‘run-and-
gun’ camera.
It’s a bit surprising there’s no
4K option - particularly as you
could shoot 8K video with this
sensor – and this is likely to put
off the video pros. However, for
photographers who want to shoot
video, the GFX 50S has a bit to
offer. It records Full HD or HD clip
at 25 fps or 24 fps (PAL standard,
but the NTSC speeds are available
too) with stereo sound and a bit
rate of 36 Mbps which, to be
frank, isn’t much to write home
about these days. Movie mode is
selected via the drive menu and
then start/stop is via the shutter
button. The maximum clip length is29 minutes and 59 seconds. Both
a stereo audio input and output are
provided, and both are standard
3.5 mm minijack terminals.
Streaming to the camera’s
HDMI connector is available (8-
bit, 4:2:2 colour) with a ‘HDMI
Rec Control’ which sends start/
stop commands to the external
recorder when the shutter button
is pressed. Audio levels can be
adjusted manually and left/right
level meters are displayed in the
monitor. The ‘Film Simulation’
presets are available, plus the
adjustments for colour saturation,
sharpness, highlight tone and
shadow tone. Curiously, the
touch AF control is disabled in
the movie mode, but continuous
autofocusing with face detectionand tracking is provided. Manual
focus is assisted by a magnified
image and a focus peaking display.
Exposure control is fully automatic
(and the maximum sensitivity
setting is ISO 6400) with +/-2.0
EV of compensation available for
making any adjustments.
This is pretty basic fare in
terms of functionality, but the GFX
50S redeems itself – at least a
little – with the quality of its video
footage which is actually very good
in terms of sharpness, dynamic
range and low light performance.
As with the ‘APS-C’ cameras, there
isn’t a flat F-Log colour profile (for
easier colour grading easier in
post-production), but the increased
dynamic range of the bigger sensor
makes this less of an issue here.ON TRIAL
39
ON TRIAL FujiFilm GFX 50S
has launched with three Fujinon
GF models and the promise of
another three by the end of 2017.
Given Fujifilm’s track record with
the XF lenses, there’ll certainly
be more in 2018 with a longer
telephoto probably heading the list.
All the GF lenses are all weather-
proofed, including insulation for
subzero temperatures. The current
line-up is a 63mm f2.8 standard
prime (equivalent to 50mm), a
32-64mm f4.0 zoom (25-51mm)
and a 120mm f4.0 macro lens
(95mm). On the way are a 23mm
f4.0 ultra-wide (equivalent to
18mm), a 45mm f2.8 wide-angle
(36mm) and a 110mm f2.0 fast
short telephoto (87mm). As noted
earlier, these are big lenses by
either full-35mm or ‘APS-C’ format
standards, because they have to
be to cover the bigger sensor area,
but the three we’ve seen so far
certainly aren’t excessively bulky
and, thanks to modern materials,
are comparatively lightweight. The
63mm, for example, weighs just
405 grams and the 32-64mm zoom
is only 875 grams so the idea of a
mirrorless digital medium format
kit being more portable is realistic,
even with a bunch of lenses in
the bag.BiG Time
The sensor is yet another iteration
of the Sony-made 44x33 mm
CMOS device which is doing ster-
ling service in a selection of digital
medium format capture devices.
In terms of imaging area, it’s 1.7xlarger than a full-35mm sensor. The
sensor has been “customised” by
Fujifilm in terms of the design of
the microlenses and the handling
of the data from the photodiodes
plus, of course, all the downstream
processing is handled by Fujifilm’s
own ‘X Processor Pro’ image
engine. There’s no optical low-pass
filter, but the colour filter array is
the conventional Bayer 2x2 RGB
pattern rather than Fujifilm’s own
‘X Trans’ 6x6 arrangement which
it employs on its ‘APS-C’ size
imagers. The effective pixel count
of 51.4 million gives a pixel size
of 5.3 microns which is the big
deal with moving up to a bigger
sensor... you get 50 MP resolution
and big pixels. This bigger pixel sizetranslates into an enhanced signal-
to-noise ratio, a wider dynamic
range and increased sensitivity.
Consequently, the GFX 50S’s
sensitivity range is equivalent to
ISO 100 to 12,800 with extensions
to ISO 50 and ISO 102,400 which
is a new high for a digital medium
format camera. RAW capture gives
14 stops of dynamic range.
While pro-level cameras
traditionally have an emphasis
on RAW capture, Fujifilm has
recognised that the GFX 50S
needs wider appeal so it offers
an extensive range of JPEG
options – three compression
settings, two image sizes and no
fewer than seven aspect ratios,
including the classic 65:25 for
panoramas (which is a biggish
crop, but the maximum image
size is still 8256x3048 pixels).
RAW files are captured with 14-
bit RGB colour and the option
of no compression or losslessly
compressed, and you automatically
get a 12 MP JPEG for reference
purposes. RAW+JPEG capture
is available with a full-size JPEG
and the choice of the superfine,
fine or normal compression
settings. The maximum image
size for both RAWs and JPEGs is
8256x6192 pixels which translates
into some very big file sizes. This
is something anybody heading
into digital medium format for the
first time will need to consider...
there are logistical knock-on
effects. A JPEG/large/superfine
file can be up to 40 MB in sizedepending on image content, and
an uncompressed RAW is likely
to top 100 MB so you’ll not only
need to upgrade in terms of data
storage, but possibly also in terms
of your computer’s processing
power... it’s either that or spend a
long time waiting around for things
to actually happen.
The GFX 50S can shooting
continuously at up to 3.0 fps
which might not be all that flash
by smaller format standards, but
it’s pretty good for digital medium
format... at 50 MP resolution.
Achieving this speed relies on
using the camera’s ‘electronic
first curtain shutter’ – a.k.a. the
sensor shutter – to commence
the exposure. As on the X-T2, the
medium format camera has both
a conventional focal plane shutter
and a sensor shutter with the third
option being the hybrid ‘electronic
first curtain shutter’.
In addition to eliminating the
lag associated with opening a
conventional shutter’s mechanical
blades, the sensor shutter is also
quieter and doesn’t have any
vibration-related issues... more
important at ultra-high resolutions.
It also delivers a faster top shutter
speed – in this case, 1/16,000
second versus the FP shutter’s
1/4000 second while the slowest
timed setting with any shutter
configuration is 60 minutes.
As an aside, Fujifilm says its
created the world’s first focal plane
shutter specifically designed for a
digital medium format mirrorlessThe sensor has
been ‘cusTomised’
by FujiFilm in
Terms oF The
design oF The
microlenses and
The handling oF
The daTa From The
phoTodiodes.
CamMayJune17_036-045 Fujifilm.indd 39 13/04/2017 9:59 AM