The GFX Shockwave: How Fujifilm Is Breaking the Full-Frame Narrative

GFX Rise

As we have seen, the GFX system is steadily growing. So I guess it’s time to dedicate it an image roundup.

But before we share the images (scroll to the bottom to enjoy them), I have a few thoughts to share.

A Peaceful Post

And look, guys. It’s holiday time, Christmas is near and the last thing I want is that we jump on each other and fight in the comments about little things.

That’s why I don’t want to publish anything controversial that could trigger hate in our hearts, divergent opinions in the comments and a good dose of sh*tstorm towards my humble person.

So I thought: what could a super-peaceful topic be? One we all agree upon?

And well, I found it after once again I read a comment that pops up regularly in the comments and on forums: Fujifilm’s marketing is contradicting, as they initially said sensor size does not matter, but then released the GFX.

Now that should be a non-controversial and peace-triggering discussion, right?

So let me share my point of view, which of course is not an opinion, but an irrefutable truth nobody shall dare to question!*
*I am kidding, guys

Full Frame’s Contradiction?

Fujifilm always said it: sensor size is not everything.

In fact, smaller sensors have a series of advantages, from speed, size, price and more, which we have listed here. And also in terms of computational photography the smaller the sensor, the easier you can make its magic work. So a smaller sensor might be even more future proof from this point of view.

But that’s just BS according to Sony, Canon and Nikon, who neglect their APS-C lineup and delivered the opposite message: a bigger sensor is always better.

And look, this narrative was fine…

… until the Fujifilm GFX came along.

Suddenly there was a camera on the market, with a sensor 70% bigger… of fuller… than full frame and in some cases even smaller bodies than some full frame cameras.

At this point the full frame mantra “a bigger sensor is always better” was no longer a proper marketing or forum phrase, as this would implicitly mean that full frame shooters could level up their game and get 70% better “Image quality” (whatever that means) by using the Fujifilm GFX system.

So the new full frame narrative became: sensor size is not everything. Smaller sensors have advantages in terms of speed, size, price and more.

That’s correct, but does it sound familiar?

You got it, that’s exactly what Fujifilm said right from the beginning: sensor size is not everything. Finally also the Full Frame world got this message.

Look, everything is a compromise, a balance, a matter of choices and priorities. And there is no “best” system. Sensor size is just one of the many aspects to take into account when choosing your system.

Fujifilm’s Contradiction?

So we established it by now: many Full Frame supporters contradicted themselves by first saying that a bigger sensor size is always better and then adopting Fujifilm’s point of view that a bigger sensor is actually not always better.

But did Fujifilm contradict itself too?

Because if sensor size is not everything, why even bother launching the GFX system?

Well, I see no contradiction, and here is why.

First off: when launching a second system, Fujifilm did not look at the market as a whole, but at their own offering. And from their point of view, precisely because sensor size is not everything, the difference between APS-C and Full Frame was not enough to justify an additional FF system.

Add to that the plethora of advantages that X-Trans offers (less color noise, less moire, more pleasing film-like grain and more), and going Full Frame made even less sense.

And yes, some trashtalked X-Trans for having some flaws, but we debunked those a long time ago with hardcore facts.

So, for Fujifilm, the combination APS-C and X-Trans was the way to go.

But Fujifilm also realized one thing: there are photographers out there, who can make compromises on many things, but not on image quality – and here is where the Fujifilm GFX system comes in.

If you are anyway willing to compromise on image quality for other benefits (smaller size, more affordable, faster sensor readout, etc), then APS-C is probably the sweetspot (as DPReview, Petapixel and other claimed here).

But if you are not willing to sacrifice on image quality (without breaking your bank account) then Fujifilm GFX is the way to go: it will give you the best image quality possible at a reasonable price.

Yes, you are going to spend more money, you will have bigger lenses, the sensor readout will be slower and what not. But if you can accept those compromises, you’ll be rewarded with the best image quality you can find on the market in a still portable (I talk out of experience) and fairly priced package.

So, there is no contradiction: for Fujifilm it just made sense to offer APS-C for those, who want a balanced system and GFX for those who can’t compromise in image quality. It’s consistent and logical.

I am not here saying this was the right choice. Only time will tell. But it’s a choice I understand from Fujifilm’s point of view.

Enough Talk

And now to the true point of this article: the images!

I went through the work shared at our Fujifilm GFX group and selected some images.

This is just a little taste of what the GFX system can do for you ;).

Esteban Gil – shared here
GFX100 You shouldn’t use non native lenses on the GFX.
My cheap laowa 17mm: Hold my beer
Magbox+AD300

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Viltrox WCL-X100VI and TCL-X100VI Conversion Lenses Coming December 10

Viltrox is teasing the new WCL-X100VI and TCL-X100VI to come on December 10. You can already see lots of images of the conversion lenses here.

The Viltrox conversion lenses won’t be the first third party alternatives to the original Fujifilm WCL-X100 II and TCL-X100 II.

Below you can see all the already available alternatives:

via Viltrox

Pergear 50mm f/1.2 with Glowing Lens Markings Launched

The Pergear 50mm f/1.2 APS-C lens has been announced:

Key Features

  • F1.2 Ultra-Large Aperture
    Create dreamy, cinematic bokeh with excellent low-light performance.
  • High-Precision Optical Design
    Capture crisp, detailed, and true-to-life imagery.
  • De-Click Aperture System
    Switch seamlessly between clicked and smooth aperture control for both video and photo.
  • Luminous Scale Markings
    Glow-in-the-dark lens scales for easy adjustment in low-light environments.

Fujifilm Camera Ownership Ranking: GFX Increases and the Real Ranking of Sony, Canon, and Nikon among FR-readers

The Ranking Results

The Top Deal – save $1,000 + Free CFexpress Type B card and Camera Bag

4.5 years ago I launched a survey on FujiRumors here, asking which camera system you own.

And since that was such a long time ago, I decided to launch a new survey again recently.

So what has changed in these 5 years?

Let’s check it the survey results first:

2021: I own Fujifilm X APS-C system only (58%)
2025: I own Fujifilm X APS-C system only (52%)

2021: I own Fujfilm X APS-C system + other systems (Sony, Canon etc.) (25%)
2025: I own Fujfilm X APS-C system + other systems (Sony, Canon etc.) (25%)

2021: I own both, the Fujifilm X and the GFX system (6%)
2025: I own both, the Fujifilm X and the GFX system (8%)

2021: I don’t own any Fujifilm Camera (4%)
2025: I don’t own any Fujifilm Camera (4%)

2021: I own Fujifilm GFX MF system + other systems (Sony, Canon etc.) (3%)
2025: I own Fujifilm GFX MF system + other systems (Sony, Canon etc.) (3%)

2021: I own Fujifilm X, Fujifilm GFX + other systems (Sony, Canon, etc) (2%)
2025: I own Fujifilm X, Fujifilm GFX + other systems (Sony, Canon, etc) (5%)

2021: I own Fujifilm GFX MF system only (2%)
2025: I own Fujifilm GFX MF system only (3%)

Ups and Downs

(-) The number of Fujifilm APS-C only shooters only has decreased by 6%.

(+) We see a 2% increase in GFX + Fujifilm X shooters (now 8%).

(+) There is a 3% increase in GFX + Fujifilm X + other brands shooters (now 5%).

(+) And finally a 1% increase in Fujifilm GFX only shooters (now 3%)

Same Same

(=) 25% still own Fujifilm APS-C + other systems

(=) 4% of people reading this blog do not own any Fujifilm camera yet

(=) 3% of people shoot Fujifilm GFX + other systems

Summary:

In 2021, 91% of readers owned a Fujifilm X series camera
In 2025, 90% of readers own a Fujifilm X series camera (-1%)

In 2021, 13% of readers owned a Fujifilm GFX camera
In 2025, 19% of readers own a Fujifilm GFX camera (+6%)

In 2021, 30% of Fujifilm X/GFX shooters also owned another system
In 2025, 33% of Fujifilm X/GFX shooters also own another system (+3%)

The number of people not owning a Fujifilm camera is stable at 4%.

Conclusions:

The Fujifilm X system remains the dominant choice among FujiRumors readers, with APS-C ownership barely shifting over the past 4.5 years (from 91% to 90%). What has changed is how people build their kits around it. Fewer photographers are sticking exclusively to APS-C, while more are expanding into GFX or mixing Fujifilm with other brands.

GFX shows the strongest momentum: its ownership has grown from 13% to 19%, driven both by X shooters adding medium format to their setup and by a small rise in GFX-only users. Multi-system ownership is also up, with 33% of Fujifilm shooters now pairing their Fuji gear with other brands.

Despite these shifts, the share of readers who don’t own any Fujifilm camera at all remains unchanged at 4%.

In short: the X system is still the backbone of the community, but GFX and multi-system hybrid setups are steadily on the rise, with GFX experiencing the biggest rise.

What This Means:

A 1% drop in Fujifilm APS-C ownership is negligible. Especially considering that if rumor sites covering other brands would launch the same survey, they’d probably see a sensible increase in Fujifilm owners (for example, Canon, Sony and Nikon shooters adding a Fujifilm X100VI to their camera gear setup).

But when it comes to FujiRumors readers, there are 6% less people shooting only with APS-C (from 58% to 52%), with most adding the GFX to their personal linuep.

And yet, despite more photographers expanding their kits with other systems, the majority remain loyal to their Fujiflim APS-C cameras with only a -1% drop. That probably indicates that no matter if they buy an additional Full Frame or Medium Format system, they still value the advantages of owning a Fujifilm APS-C system.

At the same time the rise of Fujifilm GFX is slow but steady. And quite frankly, the GFX system would explode and reach immense numbers overnight, if only Fujifilm would make this GFX camera, which Fujifilm has already shown us in its mock-up version. But we got the Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 instead… oh well…

Last but not least, only an additional 3% of FR-readers are “flirting” with other systems and have added a non-Fujifilm system to their lineup (30% in 2021 and now 33%).

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Note: similar deals are currently running in Europe.

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X Cameras

X Lenses

GFX Gear

* freebies at BHphoto include a free CFexpress Type B Card and a camera bag

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