Full Frame Veteran Shoots Fujifilm GFX100 II at MotoGP: The $4,000 Fujinon GF Lens That Matched $16,000 Nikon Glass

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Mattia Campos has spent more than 20 years working with every kind of ultra-flagship full-frame camera you can think of. Not long ago, we reported how he decided to step outside his comfort zone and take the Fujifilm APS-C system to Patagonia for wildlife photography.

The short version? Fujifilm’s APS-C system completely blew him away. His review turned out to be one of the best—and most brutally honest—camera reviews of 2025. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s absolutely worth your time.

But Campos didn’t stop there.

He also put the Fujifilm GFX100 II to the test in a place where you would least expect a medium-format camera: a MotoGP race.

The full review is in Italian and was published on JuzaPhoto. Below, I’ll summarize the key takeaways, including a direct comparison with the Sony A1 and the Nikon Z8.

One comparison, in particular, really stands out.

Campos compared:

He cropped the GFX files to match the field of view of the Nikon files—fully expecting the Nikon setup to come out on top.

It didn’t.

The results were practically identical.

In other words: with a €4,000 GF lens, he achieved the same level of sharpness as with an $16,000 Nikon super-telephoto.

And that was just one of the advantages he found in high resolution—and in medium format more broadly. He also appreciated several other qualities of medium-format files… and was equally honest about the aspects he liked less.

You can read all about it below.

NOTE: the original article shared months ago contained images. However, Mattia has since then canceled his account on the forum and the images have disappeared. However, his text and findings are still there, which is why I still decided to share it.

  • photographing motorbike race
  • Gear used: GFX100II + GF45-100mmF4 + GF250mmF4 + GF500mmF5.6
  • heavier setup compared to what he is used to, and he noticed that after a few days of shooting
  • electronic shutter is unusable for this type of shooting
  • the images that come out of it are spectacular
  • he shoots M43, ASP-C and Full Frame, but only with Medium Format he noticed a significant image quality jump
  • Images look more three-dimensional, relaxed, and natural
  • Subjects stand out clearly from the background
  • Lenses are bright, but not excessively so
  • Details are sharp without appearing artificial
  • Avoids the overly “clinical” look common with modern full-frame lenses and sensors
  • Overall rendering is very pleasing and natural
  • Maintains a natural look even in low-light situations
  • incredibly clean high ISO files
  • he loved Velvia and Reala Ace
  • sometimes working with RAW files he struggled to match the beautiful results he got out of the box with film simulations
  • he has never been a fan of very high megapixel counts, preferring lighter files, better high-ISO performance, and longer lenses over cropping
  • this thinking applied mainly to traditional sensors, especially full frame
  • with the GFX100 II, 102 MP don’t reduce image quality: files are cleaner than 45–61 MP (and even 24 MP) full frame sensors and become a real advantage
  • to understand what a 102 MP medium format sensor really means, he compared long-distance shots
  • Fujinon GF 500mm f/5.6 (1.5 kg, €4,000) vs Nikon Z 600mm with built-in 1.4× TC (4 kg, €18,000) on a 45 MP Nikon Z8
  • he was certain the Nikon would clearly win — but the result genuinely surprised him
  • pretty much identical results
  • GFX files are heavier, though, so better use a powerful computer
  • autofocus performance not ideal to capture MotoGP race. Better to photograph static or not too fast moving subjects
  • tracking is OK, but not when subjects suddenly appear in the frame at 200 km/h (125 mp/h)
  • he compared it with his Sony A1 and Sony GM 300mm 2.8
    – Test Conditions: 2 series of 150 images each – continuous AF tracking but single frame (so one image taken every time he presses the shutter button), because he prefers the camera to take an image only when he wants to, unless it is a complicated situation, like right at the start of the race, where he uses bursts
    – Sony A1 – 149 sharp images out of 150
    – GFX100II – 85 sharp images out of 150
  • awesome EVF and good grip
  • button layout could be better

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