Fujifilm GFX 100S Body

The Fujifilm GFX100S makes medium format image quality extremely accessible with great results possible, and at an incredible price point compared to what's gone before.

World-beating image quality, but the autofocus needs improvement.

The superb image quality offered by a medium-format model often comes at a cost – and not just a monetary one. While the GFX100S remains expensive, it’s smaller, lighter and easier to use than most cameras of its type, and on the price front it’s over £4000/$4000 cheaper than Fujifilm’s only other 102-megapixel camera. Enthusiasts and professionals may be the target market, but this is a camera anyone can use – provided they can afford it.

The GFX 100S is Fujifilm’s most compelling digital medium format camera to date, taking the advances of the earlier 100 and squeezing them into a body that’s considerably more compact and less than two thirds the price. Like the model before it, the 100S delivers hugely detailed images with the out-of-camera quality we’ve come to expect from Fujifilm, coupled with modern autofocus and built-in stabilisation that makes the camera handle like a more nimble smaller format. While the price clearly ranks it as an expensive camera, it’s a relative bargain in the medium format World, and crucially now crosses over into the territory of flagship full-framers like the Sony Alpha 1. They are of course very different cameras. The GFX 100S may be quick for medium format, but can’t hold a candle to the best of the smaller formats for fast action. And while the 100 Megapixel resolution remains higher than current full-framers, some models like the A7r IV, are close enough for many. Full-frame owners also have access to a considerably broader choice of lenses. Ultimately the GFX 100S is aimed for those who demand the best image quality under five figures and who desire a different experience to full-frame. It couples the style of the X-series with the refreshingly different approach to shooting with a larger sensor. The result is one of the most inspirational and satisfying cameras I’ve used for a long time. If it suits your style of shooting, and you have the budget, the GFX 100S is a tremendous camera and I look forward to seeing how Fujifilm grows the system.

The Fujifilm GFX 100S is the smallest, least expensive way to achieve image quality beyond what full-frame can currently offer. You lose some responsiveness and flexibility in return for that, but as an image-making tool the GFX is excellent. It's also a surprisingly capable video camera but its smaller battery risks being more limiting than it is for stills shooting. Impressive in the studio and beyond.