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Analysis: New Sony a1 sensor offers class-leading dynamic range, along with high-speed and high-resolution

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Analysis: New Sony a1 sensor offers class-leading dynamic range, along with high-speed and high-resolution
Photo by Dan Bracaglia

The Sony Alpha 1 introduces the next generation of full-frame stacked CMOS from Sony Semiconductor. It’s the second chip of its type following the one in the a9, and with it comes improved readout speeds on the order of 5ms or faster, enabling flash sync speeds of 1/200s with electronic shutter as well as decreased rolling shutter and risk of banding under artificial light, and focus and exposure calculations at 120 times per second. This silent electronic shutter underpins the camera’s 20 and 30 frames-per-second (fps) burst modes.

With our in-depth review ongoing, we wanted to take a look at whether these sensor capabilities came at the cost of other imaging attributes of the a1’s sensor; particularly, its dynamic range capabilities.

Class-leading dynamic range

With the launch of the a9, we found a slightly unexpected decrease in dynamic range. We say ‘unexpected’ because we’ve grown accustomed to cameras using Sony Semiconductor’s sensors offering high dynamic range (i.e. low noise) and had gotten used to exploiting this in our photography.

It appeared the a9 traded off dynamic range – by dropping readout bit-depth we surmised – to achieve high read speeds (nearly 1/160s according to Jim Kasson). While the a9 II improved matters significantly, noise levels in deep shadows were never as low as those of Sony Semiconductor’s benchmark sensors. Our dynamic range tests showed that neither the a9 nor the a9 II achieved the noise-free shadows (i.e. high dynamic range) of Sony’s own a7 III, while Canon’s 1D X III only competed with noise reduction that significantly decreases detail.1

It seemed that you could only have high dynamic range and modest readout / shooting speeds, or high-speed sensors with accompanying noise penalties. Put more simply, you apparently couldn’t have your cake and eat it too. With the a1, you can.

The sensor in the a1 proves that fast scan rates and high dynamic range need not be mutually exclusive. Compared to the chip in the a9 II, it offers a nearly 1 EV improvement in base ISO dynamic range2 while still offering at least a 20% increase in readout speed based on spec alone, and a 1.44x increase in linear resolution.

The a1 measures 13.71 EV base ISO dynamic range in all electronic shutter modes (including 20 and 30 fps continuous modes), compared to 12.96 EV for the a9 II in all its electronic shutter modes. This 0.75 EV improvement places the a1 firmly ahead of all professional sports-oriented cameras in low ISO dynamic range. High ISO dynamic range remains competitive, though lags slightly at very high ISOs due likely to a smaller pixel pitch and 1/3 EV lower dual gain step (ISO 500 vs. 640) compared to the a9 II.3

Note that all dynamic range comparisons are normalized to a common output or viewing size, for fair comparisons, removing disadvantages due simply to the presence of more pixels in higher resolution sensors.

The 0.75 EV improvement in e-shutter base ISO dynamic range (0.7 EV in mechanical shutter) over the previous generation of stacked CMOS places the a1 firmly ahead of not only Sony’s own prior attempts at pro-oriented cameras in this regard, but all other professional sports-oriented cameras as well:

Mechanical Electronic
Sony a1 13.9 EV 13.7 EV
Sony a9 II 13.2 EV 13.0 EV
Sony a9 12.6 EV 12.6 EV
Canon 1D X III 13.6 EV* 11.6 EV
Nikon D5 11.4 EV

* Canon 1D X III achieves this high dynamic range figure after noise reduction.

The a1 has 2.5 EV higher base ISO dynamic range than Nikon’s closest offering, while Canon’s 1D X III shows similar noise levels in base ISO Raws, but with considerably less detail due to the noise reduction that enables its low noise levels. Amongst its pro-oriented peers, the a1 sports class-leading dynamic range.

Not just good for a sports camera

The Sony Alpha 1’s dynamic range isn’t just good for a sports camera, though. It’s nearly a match for the very best full-frame cameras we’ve tested, despite the fast sensor scan rates that enable so many of its headline-grabbing capabilities. Have a look below at the a1’s dynamic range performance against the Sony a7R Mark IV (green), one of our current benchmarks for full-frame performance.

The base ISO dynamic range of the Sony a1 falls only 0.1 EV behind that of the class-leading Sony a7R IV in mechanical shutter mode, making it nearly class-leading in dynamic range compared to full-frame cameras. There is only at most a 0.2 EV dynamic range cost to e-shutter mode, which disappears at higher ISOs as amplification overcomes any extra read noise that accompanies the electronic shutter mode. High ISO dynamic range, which tends to vary with pixel size, the dual gain step, and upstream read noise, exceeds the a7R IV and compares favorably against other high-res full-frame cameras, albeit slightly less so against its lower-resolution pro- and sports-oriented peers.

The a1’s dynamic range stacks up well alongside its class-leading high-resolution full-frame peers: the Sony a7R IV (and for that matter, Nikon’s excellent Z7 II), being only a nearly inconsequential 0.1 EV behind either.4 But what’s particularly impressive is just how little of a dynamic range cost – just 0.2 EV – there is to the e-shutter mode that underpins the camera’s 20 and 30 fps burst modes. Until now we’ve typically seen a noise cost associated with fast readout speeds; the a1’s sensor retains nearly the same dynamic range in both of its shutter modes despite a readout rate that’s within 1ms of a traditional mechanical shutter.

This means that the a1 can offer dynamic range competitive with the best landscape cameras even when using the fast readout modes that allow sports camera performance. A table below summarizes the base ISO dynamic range numbers for the cameras, alongside the a7 Mark III referred to earlier:

D-Range (pixel level) D-Range (24 MP)
Sony a1 Mechanical 13.4 EV 13.9 EV
Sony a1 Electronic 13.2 EV 13.7 EV
Sony a7R IV Mechanical 13.4 EV 14 EV
Sony a7 III Mechanical 13.8 EV 13.8 EV

Furthermore, although 30 fps bursts require you switch to lossy compressed Raw, we measured no additional dynamic range cost (there may still be potentially distracting local compression artifacts around high contrast edges of deep shadows in low ISO files).

It seems that with the launch of the sensor in the a1, Sony shows us there needn’t be a dramatic tradeoff between speed and image quality, in terms of either dynamic range or resolution.

All-round performance

So far we’ve primarily looked at low ISO settings, since these are the ones that you’d use if you were concerned about dynamic range. However, as light levels drop, the a1 remains competitive, especially when you consider its high resolution. Noise levels in midtones are only slightly behind class leaders Nikon D5 and Canon 1D X III. We take the position that signal:noise ratio of midtones is more relevant at high ISO than dynamic range, but it’s worth noting that the a1 fares well in both regards, exceeding the dynamic range of the a9 II at intermediate ISOs, but eventually falling slightly behind the a9 II and other lower resolution chips at the highest ISOs. Pay close attention to the noise levels of pushed shadows of the high ISO crops in the links above.

These additional visual results compared to the a7R IV, a9 II and a7 III confirm a clear pattern: there’s a small high ISO dynamic range cost to be paid for high resolution sensors due to the increased cumulative read noise from the extra pixels which, with the greater amplification at the highest ISOs, becomes more noticeable as visible noise in deep shadows. It also seems that fast readout still does come at the cost of at least some, albeit now small, noise cost.5 That considered, the a1 does compare favorably in high ISO dynamic range next to its high-resolution peers.

A visual comparison

While a single number isn’t meant to sum up image quality by any means, when comparing across the same sensor format, base ISO dynamic range numbers give you a reasonable idea of how noise-free shadows of Raw files are (and for the sensor geeks amongst us, how little downstream read noise the sensor and camera electronics add to the signal). The cleaner those darker tones are, the more readily you can brighten them for incorporation (or tone-mapping) into your final output. And, indeed, our measured numbers align very well with the visual results our tests, below.

Take a look at the dynamic range capabilities of these cameras – and our previously mentioned high-resolution benchmarks – by examining shadow noise in our ISO invariance widget below. Our ISO invariance test looks at how much electronic noise a camera’s sensor and electronics add to an image, which provides a rough idea of the noise penalty you can expect if you were to reduce the ISO setting to protect highlights at the time of exposure – while still using the shutter speed and aperture of a high ISO exposure – compared to using the high ISO setting in-camera to obtain a ‘proper’ exposure (learn about ISO-invariance here).

After a +6 EV push, the a1 shows similar noise levels in shadows to the a7R IV, as our graphs and numbers predict. Electronic shutter, the mode required for the camera’s highest burst rates, shows only the tiniest increase in noise in the darkest black tones (to the right of the newspaper crop above). There’s significantly less noise and more detail compared to the a9 II, and especially in comparison to Sony’s first attempt at full-frame stacked CMOS, the a9.

Compared to ‘pro’ offerings from Canon and Nikon, the a1 shows significantly more detail and less noise, with the 1D X III competing on noise levels due only to noise reduction that reduces detail. Switch the Canon to its e-shutter mode and the difference in dynamic range is rather stark (we use the R6 as a proxy here as the sensor measurements are identical)

Though measured base ISO dynamic range falls within 0.1 EV of Nikon’s Z7 II, engineering dynamic range does not account for the increased total light the Z7 II can tolerate at its lower base ISO of 64 (compared to 100 for the a1 and a7R IV), which does give the Nikon a leg up in shadow noise, provided the extra exposure is possible.

Conclusion

The sensor in the Sony a1 displays a marked improvement over the first-generation full-frame stacked CMOS seen in the a9 and a9 II, with increases in resolution, readout speed and dynamic range. Up until now it had seemed as though fast sensor readout and high dynamic range were mutually exclusive. The a1 has the fastest sensor scan rate of any camera we’ve measured, to our knowledge only roughly 1ms or ~25% slower than a traditional mechanical shutter

And yet despite the speedy readout and shooting rates, the a1’s base ISO dynamic range is class-leading compared its sport-oriented peers, and lies within our measurement error of its class-leading high-resolution full-frame peers. Meanwhile, high ISO dynamic range remains competitive, surpassing that of many of its high-resolution peers and falling only slightly behind lower resolution cameras that have less cumulative read noise due to fewer pixels.

That means you won’t have to worry about trading off any image quality for the capabilities the a1 bring that hinge upon its fast readout. High contrast scenes such as the one above, and more challenging ones, can be handled with ease if you expose to retain highlights and tone-map underexposed tones to be visible in post-processing. And the dual gain design of the sensor ensures low noise levels as light levels drop. The Alpha 1 should offer a great deal of flexibility regardless of your shooting scenario.

Addendum: What about lossy and lossless compression?

We’ve written much about Sony’s lossy compression, mostly about how it should be modified to not include local compression artifacts, in addition to being offered alongside lossless compression as it is for most other brands. The destructive lossy compression was the only form of compression for Raw files offered up until now (remember when it was the only Raw option?), but that’s changed with the a1.

With the a1, you now have three options for Raws: uncompressed, lossless and lossy compressed.

Uncompressed and lossless compressed files retain the largest dynamic range, while lossy Raw files pay a slight 0.11 EV dynamic range cost. 0.11 EV is within our margin of error, so you’re more likely to notice the local compression artifacts around high contrast edges of deep shadows than you are to notice this slight drop in measured dynamic range. Furthermore, if you’re switching to lossy compressed Raw to achieve the camera’s 30 fps burst rate, there’s already a 0.2 EV drop in dynamic range due to the use of a fully electronic shutter, which makes this 0.11 EV cost typically irrelevant.

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You can buy a cage for the Fujifilm GFX100RF before you can get the camera

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You can buy a cage for the Fujifilm GFX100RF before you can get the camera


Photo: SmallRig

Earlier today, Fujifilm announced the GFX100RF, a fixed-lens medium-format camera. There’s plenty of excitement over the camera, but those interested will have to wait a little longer, as it isn’t available for purchase until the end of April. However, accessory maker SmallRig has already announced cage kits for the GFX100RF, so you can get your cage or case before the camera even arrives.

SmallRig offers two different kits in two colors for the GFX100RF. The more minimal option includes an L-shaped mount plate with a dual-sided wooden grip. Unfortunately, the grip’s back thumb pad portion is a separate piece that attaches with 3M adhesive. The baseplate offers Arca-Swiss quick-release plate compatibility and easy access to the battery compartment, card slot, and focus controls. It’s available with either a black or silver L-shaped plate, though the wood is the same color with both. The kit includes a concave shutter button cap, though it doesn’t come with a strap of any sort.

smallrig-gfx100rf-leather-case
Photo: SmallRig

SmallRig also released a leather case kit for the GFX100RF, available in black or brown. The leather case covers the bottom portion of the camera, though retains full access to the battery card compartment, focus controls and card slot. It features a front foam handle, and, like the kit above, a separate back thumb pad that requires attachment with a 3M adhesive strip. A microfiber lining helps provide a snug fit on the camera and should also help protect it from scratches. It comes with a matching leather shoulder strap with an adjustable length of 100-110cm (3.3-3.6′) and a concave shutter button cap.

Both kits are now available for pre-order and are expected to ship on April 15. They are each priced at $70, though you can get $10 off with the discounted early-bird pricing.


Pre-order now:

Buy at SmallRig



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Affordable stills and cine lens maker strengthens L-mount Alliance

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Affordable stills and cine lens maker strengthens L-mount Alliance


Graphic: Leica

Leica has announced that the L-Mount Alliance is growing. Chinese lens and accessory maker Sirui (pronounced “Sue-Ray”) is joining the alliance, becoming the ninth company to do so. The addition of another lens maker means more options for those who use L-mount cameras.

Sirui is perhaps best known for its reasonably priced anamorphic lenses, which offer cinematic looks at a much more affordable price than traditional options. The company already has a fairly healthy lineup of lenses in multiple series. That includes the relatively new Aurora series, which currently only features the Aurora 85mm F1.4, the company’s first full-frame autofocus lens. More recently, Sirui launched the Vision Prime Series, a lineup of full-frame cine lenses. Outside of lenses, the company also makes a few tripods and lighting options.

For its part, Sirui says it is “set to significantly enhance the L-Mount Alliance lens ecosystem.” The lens maker already offers four L-mount lenses: two cine lenses and two anamorphic lenses. Joining the L-mount Alliance means that more are on the way, and, given what Sirui currently makes, it should add greater variety to the L-mount lineup. “Our aim is to introduce a broader range of outstanding, high-value L-mount lenses to the market,” said Li Jie, Founder and CEO at Sirui Optical.

Leica, Sigma, and Panasonic are current members of the L-mount Alliance producing L-mount lenses, but none of those offerings are anamorphic lenses. Plus, while there are options that work well for cinematography, none are dedicated cine lenses. Given that Blackmagic Design joined the alliance in 2023, it is likely a welcome addition to have the promise of more cine lenses on the way. The two companies didn’t share any specific product announcements along with the reveal of the partnership, though, so only time will tell what will eventually be on the table.

SIRUI joins the L-Mount Alliance and utilizes the L-Mount standard developed by Leica Camera AG in future product development

Teaneck, March 20th, 2025. As a new member, SIRUI is the 9th company to join the L-Mount Alliance since the public announcement of the L-Mount standard at Photokina in 2018. The alliance consists of founding members Leica Camera AG, SIGMA, and Panasonic, as well as Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH, DJI, ASTRODESIGN, SAMYANG Optics, and Blackmagic Design. This collaboration enables SIRUI to develop products with the L-Mount, which will present great benefits for a wide range of photo and video applications.

The L-Mount was developed by Leica Camera AG with the aim of providing customers with a future-proof, flexible, robust, and precise bayonet mount that would fulfil even the most demanding photographic needs. Since its initial appearance, development of the L-Mount was continued by Leica as well as by its strategic partners. This led to significant improvements and an effectively new and more polished L-Mount technology, resulting in an ever-growing portfolio of cameras and lenses from all existing and new alliance partners. All lenses made for the different systems within the L-Mount Alliance can be used on all cameras without adapters and without any functional limitations – this illustrates one of the numerous benefits of the common bayonet.

Valentino Di Leonardo, Managing Expert Technology & Licensing at Leica Camera AG: “The L-Mount Alliance stands for openness, innovation, and the highest quality in photography. By welcoming SIRUI as a new member, we are not only expanding our network with another strong partner but also reinforcing our commitment to diversity and fresh impulses within the ecosystem. SIRUI brings new perspectives and expertise to the Alliance, enriching the L-Mount system with forward-thinking approaches. Together, we aim to provide photographers and filmmakers with an even more comprehensive and flexible system that meets the highest standards.”

Li Jie, Founder and CEO at SIRUI Optical: “SIRUI is a globally recognized brand in optical imaging, offering a diverse product lineup that includes optical lenses and photography and videography equipment. Our company operates with its headquarters in China and has subsidiaries in the United States, Germany, and Japan. With its in-house optical R&D and manufacturing facilities, SIRUI has established a fully integrated system encompassing research, production, and sales, with a distribution network spanning over 60 countries and regions worldwide. By leveraging its proprietary brand, independent technological innovations, vertically integrated supply chain, and cost advantages, SIRUI is set to significantly enhance the L-Mount Alliance lens ecosystem. Our aim is to introduce a broader range of outstanding, high-value L-mount lenses to the market.”





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Fujifilm GFX100RF initial review: big sensor, bigger dreams

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Fujifilm GFX100RF initial review: big sensor, bigger dreams


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Product Photos: Richard Butler

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is a 100-megapixel medium format digital camera with a fixed 28mm equivalent F4 lens.

Key features

  • Medium format (44 x 33 mm) 102MP sensor
  • 35mm (28mm equiv) F4 lens w/ leaf shutter
  • 5.76M dot OLED EVF
  • Weather sealed when using filter ring and filter (included)
  • Subject recognition autofocus
  • Aspect ratio dial
  • 3.2″ tilting rear touchscreen
  • 4K video up to 30fps
  • Built-in 4EV ND filter
  • 14 film simulations

The GFX100RF will retail for $4899 and will be available starting April 24th. It will come in either black or black and silver, and includes a braided strap, filter ring, filter and a color-matched square lens hood.

Index:


What’s New

Fixed lens medium format body

gfx-100-rf-three-quarter-with-lens-hood

The GFX100RF occupies a new space in Fujifilm’s lineup and comes with a new design. It’s essentially the long-rumored ‘medium format X100,’ in that it takes the formula of classic styling, direct controls and a wideangle prime lens permanently mounted on the front.

Don’t take the rangefinder implications of the letters ‘RF’ too seriously though: this is essentially the world’s most ambitious compact camera, lacking not just a rangefinder but also the X100/X-Pro hybrid viewfinder that gives the appearance of a classic rangefinder camera. Instead, the RF’s EVF is a relatively standard 5.76M dot affair located in the top left corner of the back of the camera.

While the body is nowhere near as large as the interchangeable lens GFX cameras, it still has a lot of presence. You’ll never forget that you have it on you and would be hard-pressed to fit it into a pocket. That’s especially true when it’s fitted with the included square lens hood, which adds style points but has to be mounted on the adapter ring, adding a substantial amount of depth, substituting flare for flair.

Like the X100VI, the GFX100RF can be weather-sealed when the adapter ring and a filter, though this too makes it bulkier. The hood can still be fitted to the adapter ring when the filter installed.

The fixed lens

gfx-100-rf-lens-close-up

Fujifilm says it went with a 28mm equivalent for two reasons: to make the camera as compact as possible while also letting users shoot with relatively lower shutter speeds without the aid of IBIS or optical stabilization. That ability – which will largely depend on how still your hands and subject are – will come in handy given the lens’ relatively slow F4 (F3.2 equiv) 9-blade aperture.

The lens is made up of 10 elements in 8 groups, with two aspherical lenses. It has a minimum focus distance of 20cm (7.9″) and can accept 49mm filters when fitted with its adapter ring.

The fixed lens also allows the provision of a leaf shutter, allowing the GF to sync with flashes up to 1/2000 (technically, it can sync all the way up to 1/4000, but you risk cutting off some of the flashes’ burst using such a brief exposure).

Aspect ratio dial

gfx-100-rf-rear

Looking at the back of the camera, the first thing that sticks out is the large dial above the screen. Its singular purpose is to let you apply various crops to your image, changing your JPEG’s aspect ratio – and reducing how much of the sensor’s area and resolution you’re using.

There are nine options to choose from, and the camera gives you a few ways to preview your chosen aspect ratio. It can use black borders, a bounding box or raise the opacity of the portions of the image that will be cut off.

gfx-100-rf-aspect-ratio-dial
Amusingly, the label for the XPan-emulating 65:24 aspect ratio is a bit too wide for the window; you can see the labels for neighboring aspect ratios peaking through.

There’s also a “C” setting that lets you control the aspect ratio via one of the camera’s command dials or the menus. If you decide you’re unhappy with the crop after the fact, you can use the in-camera Raw reprocessing feature to change the aspect ratio, assuming you’ve been shooting in Raw + JPEG, as the camera maintains the full sensor Raw file and saves the intended crop as metadata.

Crop zoom

Image showing the Jan Zizka statue in Prague
28mm equiv. 35mm equiv. 50mm equiv. 63mm equiv.
GFX100RF | F9 | ISO 80 | 1/125

Photos: Mitchell Clark

In addition to its choice of aspect ratio crops, the GFX100RF has a crop mode that punches in to give the impression of using a longer lens. You physically control the crop using a toggle switch situated under the power switch and front control dial.

As always, cropping reduces the area of the sensor being used, meaning a reduction in resolution and of total light capture. This has a consequent reduction in tonal quality if viewed at the same scale as full-sensor images. The table below indicates the equivalent focal length that each of the crops gives, both with reference to the camera’s 44 x 33mm sensor, which is how the camera reports the ‘focal lengths’ of the crops, and in terms of their full-frame equivalents for reference.

In 44×33 terms In ‘full-frame’ terms
Effective focal length Crop Equivalent focal length
(vs full-frame)
Crop factor Pixel count
(4:3)
35mm 1.00x 28mm equiv. 0.79x 102 MP
45mm 1.29x 35mm equiv. 1.00x 62 MP
63mm 1.81x 50mm equiv. 1.42x 31 MP
80mm 2.28x 63mm equiv. 1.79x 20 MP

As you can see, hitting the lever once essentially turns the camera into a “full-frame” camera with a 35mm F4 equiv lens, before dropping down to nearer APS-C and Four Thirds image quality.

As with the aspect ratio crops, the zoom is only applied to the JPEG, leaving your Raw untouched. You’re also able to remove it using the in-camera Raw reprocessing feature, though you can’t select a different crop in-camera, though: it’s the crop you shot the image with or the full sensor, only.


How It Compares

The fixed-lens camera market is small but has several strong competitors, especially if you’re willing to spend this much money on one. Leica’s Q3, with its high-resolution full-frame sensor and 28mm focal length, is the most obvious point of comparison, but Fujifilm’s X100VI is also a potential competitor for those who prefer the 35mm field of view or want a substantially smaller, less expensive option.

We’ve also included the Hasselblad X2D, which has a similar sensor but with an interchangeable lens mount. The Fujifilm GFX 100 S II is perhaps a more direct competitor in both specs and price, but the Hasselblad’s size and use of leaf shutter lenses prompted us to include it instead.

Fujifilm GFX100RF Leica Q3 Fujifilm X100VI Hasselblad X2D
MSRP $4899 $6295 $1599 $8,199
Sensor 102MP medium format (Bayer) 60MP full-frame (Bayer) 40MP APS-C
(X-Trans)
100MP medium format (Bayer)
Lens (full-frame equiv.) 28mm F3.1 28mm F1.7 35mm F3.1 Interchangeable – Hasselblad X mount
Stabilization? No Optical IBIS / Optical IBIS
Built-in ND? 4EV No 4EV No
Weather sealing With included filter Yes With included filter No
Viewfinder res / mag 5.76M dot
0.84x
OLED
electronic
5.76M dot
0.79x
OLED
electronic
3.69M dot
0.66x
OLED
electronic / optical
5.76M dot
0.79x
OLED
electronic
Video capture 4K/30p 8K/30p
4K/60p
6.2K/30p
4K/60p
None
Rear screen 3.2″ tilting 3″ tilting 3″ tilting 3.6″ tilting
Storage formats 2x UHS-II SD,
external SSD
1x UHS-II SD 1x UHS-1 SD 1TB internal, CFexpress Type B
Flash sync speed 1/4000 s 1/2000 s 1/4000 s up to 1/4000 s*
Battery life
(CIPA)
820 shots 350 shots 420 shots 420 shots
Dimensions 134 x 90 x 77mm 130 x 80 x 93mm 128 x 75 x 55 mm 149 x 106 x 75mm
Weight 735g (25.9oz) 743g (26.2oz) 521g (18.4oz) 895g (31.6oz)

*Flash sync speed is lens-dependent

The GFX100RF’s sensor may appear to be in a class above many of its fixed-lens peers, and in good light, we’d expect its larger sensor to give it a proportionate image quality advantage.

But it’s worth considering raw light-gathering ability if low-light shooting is a big concern for you. Wide-open, the Q3’s much faster lens gives it a 1.7EV potential advantage despite its smaller sensor, and there are lenses substantially faster than F4 available for the X2D (though they do come at significant expense). Even the APS-C-equipped X100VI* can gather a bit more light per-whole-image than the GFX can in its 35mm crop mode.

While the difference in focal length is a deal-breaker for some photographers, those who like 35mm equiv may find that Fujifilm’s smaller offering provides a more engaging shooting experience thanks to its standout hybrid viewfinder – the GFX100RF, meanwhile, has a good but otherwise standard EVF. It’s also the only camera in this lineup without any form of stabilization, which further reduces its capability as light level drops, even if you take into account the reduced risk of shake from its leaf shutter.

*It’s impossible to mention the X100VI without acknowledging that, over a year after its announcement, it’s still extremely hard to get. Persistent stock issues mean you’ll have to be patient or willing to pay a reseller a substantial premium over MSRP if you want one.


Body and Handling

The GFX100RF is relatively wide and boxy, though a small grip helps make it easier to hold. While it’s undoubtedly large for a fixed-lens camera, it’s not particularly heavy, making it easy to tote around all day.

The rear touchscreen display can be tilted up and down, though not left and right, as with some of Fujifilm’s other cameras. The EVF is bright and crisp, making it easy to compose your shot.

Fujifilm GFX100RF top plate
From the top, the family resemblance to the X100VI is obvious. Though that top plate sits on an appreciably larger camera.

The GFX100RF is brimming with controls. There are two programmable command dials: a knurled barrel on the front and a conventional dial in the back, with the rear one being clickable to cycle through functions. There’s also a dedicated exposure compensation dial and autofocus mode control.

Shutter speed and ISO control share a dial, with the latter requiring you to pull up on the bezel before rotating. The lens has an aperture ring, which includes an automatic setting and two opposed nubs that make it easy to turn.

gfx-100-rf-toggle-switch
On the left of this shot, top-to-bottom are the camera’s power switch, the barrel-style front command dial and the ‘digital teleconverter’ toggle at the bottom. To the right is the front plate lever (designed to look like the self-time control on a film camera). This can be flicked in either direction to access two functions or held in either direction to access two more.

Also fixed in function is the zoom toggle on the front, as well as the aspect ratio dial; neither can be reconfigured. The lever on the front plate, however, is entirely customizable, and you can assign up to four functions to it, as it can differentiate between a flick and a pull and hold. The latter action takes around three seconds to activate. It also has a customizable button in the center.

The Q button, which by default brings up a customizable, on-screen control panel, is on the edge of the grip, which makes it difficult to press without adjusting your hand. This sort of placement makes a bit of sense on smaller cameras where there’s nowhere else to put it, but is baffling on a camera that has so much room on the back. Also hard to hit while using the camera is the small, unlabeled button on the top plate right above the exposure compensation dial, which can be customized. As with many of Fujifilm’s cameras, you can also have up to four settings that are controllable by swiping up, down, left or right on the touchscreen.

You can also use the touchscreen to position the autofocus point, though the camera has a dedicated joystick for that purpose.

gfx-100-rf-io

The dual UHS-II SD card slots live on the right-hand side of the camera, while a door on the left opens up to reveal headphone and microphone sockets, the USB-C port, and a micro-HDMI port.

Battery

Fujifilm GFX100RF battery

The GFX100RF uses the 16Wh NP-W235 battery, the same that powers cameras like the GFX 100 II or X-T5. It’s rated to get 820 shots in its normal mode, which is a frankly stunning performance. We consider ratings – which rarely reflect the number of shots most people get but rather act as a standard benchmark to measure cameras against each other – of around 400 shots or more to be sufficient for a heavy weekend of shooting, and the GFX100RF almost doubles that figure.


Initial Impressions

By Mitchell Clark

Fujifilm GFX100RF front view

Sometimes, it’s just nice to see a swing for the fences. To an extent, the GFX100RF is a variation on the X100-series’ winning formula, though the changes it brings may mean it’s destined to be a cult classic rather than an immediate blockbuster. It has a different focal length – Fujifilm’s 28mm fixed lens cameras historically haven’t set the world on fire – isn’t quite as pretty, doesn’t have the hybrid viewfinder, comes in a much larger body and, of course, has a much larger price tag.

It’s also a camera with plenty of quirks, though that could make it more appealing to a certain audience. The biggest are the two non-programmable controls, the zoom toggle and the aspect ratio dial. There is a cleverness to the former in that, in conjunction with the medium format sensor, it adds back a little bit of the flexibility fixed-lens cameras usually give up. It’s not only a 102MP camera with a 28mm equiv. lens, but also effectively a 62MP full-frame camera with a 35mm lens, a 31MP ∼APS-C camera with a 50mm equiv. lens, and a Four Thirds-ish camera with a 63mm equiv. lens.

As fans of the RX1 series are likely to attest, a fixed lens camera with the a7R V’s sensor and a 35mm lens could certainly be attention-grabbing. In some ways, the GFX100RF can become that with the flick of a switch – or, at least, a version of that with a lens that’s substantially slower than what you’d normally find on a fixed-lens camera.

X-T5-GFX100RF-GFX100SII
Fujifilm says it went with an F4 lens to make the camera as small as it could. And indeed, the GFX100RF isn’t all that much larger than some of the company’s ASP-C cameras, though it certainly weighs more.

That’s where the camera’s footing starts to wobble a bit. With the zoom and aspect ratio choices each cropping into the sensor, you’re utilizing less and less of the light-gathering ability you paid so dearly for. The chart below shows just how much you’re giving up: using an admittedly extreme aspect ratio and crop, you can get down to a 9MP image from a 19x7mm region of the sensor. The lack of sensor or optical stabilization also means that, even when utilizing the whole sensor, you have to be cognizant of lighting conditions and shutter speed if you want sharp images.

Aspect ratio 28mm equiv. 35mm equiv. 50mm equiv. 63mm equiv.
4:3 102MP
44x33mm
62MP
34x26mm
31MP
24x18mm
20MP
19x14mm
3:2 90MP
44x29mm
55MP
34x23mm
28MP
24x16mm
17MP
19x13mm
16:9 76MP
44x25mm
46MP
34x19mm
23MP
24x14mm
15MP
19x11mm
65:24 50MP
44x16mm
30MP
34x13mm
15MP
24x9mm
10MP
19x7mm
17:6 48MP
44x16mm
29MP
34x12mm
15MP
24x9mm
9MP
19x7mm
3:4 57MP
25x33mm
35MP
19x26mm
18MP
14x18mm
11MP
11x14mm
1:1 76MP
33x33mm
46MP
26x26mm
23MP
18x18mm
15MP
14x14mm
7:6 89MP
38x33mm
54MP
30x26mm
27MP
21x18mm
17MP
17x14mm
5:4 95MP
41x33mm
58MP
32x26mm
29MP
23x18mm
18MP
18x24mm

Shaded to show highest resultions (dark) to lower resolutions (light)

Realistically, though, none of that is really what this camera is about. It’s about being an object that proves to yourself and others that you are a ‘Photographer’ and about giving you direct control over the image-making process. And, yes, it’s about being able to create some gorgeous, high-resolution shots while still having the freedom to crop away that resolution if it fits your vision.

In some ways, this camera feels like peak Fujifilm. It’s a culmination of everything the company has been doing for the last few years, with its physical controls for the camera’s key features and focus on creating the image you want in-camera without the need to crop or color grade in an external program. It’s also one of the most photo-focused releases we’ve seen from the company in a while. Because while it has the same video capabilities as the GFX 100S II, in this instance, they almost feel vestigial; the company isn’t really talking about them because that’s not what this camera is about.

We’ll have to wait until we can get our hands on a production model to fully evaluate its autofocus and image quality performance, but one thing is already clear: this camera is anything but boring.

Sample Gallery

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Sample gallery
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