There are GFX Trade-In offers spreading in Europe with the purchase of a Fujifilm GFX100S II or GFX100 II. Down below I will share the Trade-In conditions for UK. But make sure to check the conditions in your country.

Maybe even more interestingly, now Fujifilm is offering also a Fujifilm GFX100S II with GF35-70mm kit in Europe. Maybe I’ve missed it so far, but if I am correct, previously you could purchase the GFX100SII only as body only and not bundled with a lens.

There are no kit versions still in USA for the GFX100SII and GFX100II. I hope such an offering will come to the US too at some point.

• GFX100S II
  UK: WexPhotoVideoUK / AmazonUK / ParkCameraUK
  GER: AmazonDE / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch
  EU: 50.8 Shop / PCHstore / Amazon IT / Amazon FR / Amazon ES / Amazon NL
  USA: BHphoto / Amazon / Adorama / Nuzira / Moment
  CA: Amazon CA

FR-Readers Wishlist Corner

It’s time to dedicate some space here on FujiRumors to your wishes and ideas as far as future Fujifilm cameras goes.

Hence, down below are a few emails with Fujifilm camera wishes I have received.

And yes, I have also received lots of non-camera wishes, which I will share in another future FR-reader wishlist roundup.

As for the rumors… guys, don’t worry… there will be plenty of them. ;)

Oh… and the Fujifilm X-E5, Fujifilm X-M5 and Fujifilm X50 you see above are all just renderings I made. But if somebody out there has the real images (of any upcoming camera or lens) and wants to share the joy with the FR-community, feel free to drop me a message.

The first stores in Japan are now marking the Fujifilm GFX50SII as discontinued, as reported by the Japanese website asobinet.

In the US we can see the kit version is out of stock at BHphoto (with the “request assistance” note) as well as unavailable at Adorama.

Given that it is now discontinued in Japan, I don’t have high hopes for at least the kit version to be back in stock anywhere else.

The Fujifilm GFX50SII was announced back in September 2021.

Fujifilm did lots of things right with the GFX50SII, but one thing wrong.

They did give us a nice and relatively compact body, with IBIS and 4th generation processor. The price was quite good back than in 2021. But the one thing they got wrong is the sensor. They used the identical 50MP sensor in use in the original Fujifilm GFX50S and also in the even older Pentax 645Z of 2014.

Make no mistake: the sensor itself delivers wonderful files. But the readout is slow. And you can put in the best processor in the world, but in terms of autofocus speed and rolling shutter performance there is only that much you can do when your true bottleneck is in the sensor (non-BSI and contrast detection AF only).

Now, I get it. For many GFX50SII shooters “autofocus speed” might not be the top priority. I think at all those who shoot landscape photography for example. But for many, like me, who also document family life with GFX, a decent autofocus is definitely welcome. That’s why I went for the GFX100S (with BSI and phase detection).

I get it that Fujifilm can only use Sony sensors, and that there is no 44×33 BSI 50MP sensor out there. So Fujifilm has to use what Sony offers. But at the end I think that the life-cycle of that ancient 50MP sensor should have ended with the GFX50R in 2018. Re-proposing it again in 2021 in the GFX50SII was just one iteration too much for that sensor.

Where do we go from here?

Well, I don’t know if this is the end of 50MP GFX. I still hope (not rumor) that somehow a 44x33mm 50MP BSI and Phase Detection sensor will appear one day. Or maybe something in between 50 and 100 megapixel. But that is more in the hands of Sony semiconductors rather than in Fujifilm.

• Top 7 Critiques on Fujifilm that Are Absolutely Justified

Supporting infrastructure inspection with a 102-megapixel camera and drone.

Developed a Linux SDK for remote control of the mirrorless digital camera “GFX100 Series” when mounted on a drone

FUJIFILM Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshikazu Goto) has developed a Linux *2 software development kit (SDK) *3 for remote control of the mirrorless digital camera “GFX100 Series” with a 102-megapixel large format sensor *1 when mounted on a drone . Going forward, the company will begin providing this SDK to drone manufacturers who wish to mount the “GFX100 Series” on their drones *4 . As the first step, the company will collaborate with Autonomy Holdings Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kenzo Nonami), which develops drones with high flight accuracy equipped with an original autopilot (automatic control function), to begin research and development on high-precision infrastructure inspection by combining Autonomy’s new drone “Surveyor IV” with the “GFX100 Series” using this SDK.

As the deterioration of domestic infrastructure progresses, the importance of inspections for maintenance is increasing. Since there are safety issues when inspecting high places and places that are difficult for people to access, remote infrastructure inspection using a combination of drones and high-resolution digital cameras is attracting attention. However, infrastructure inspection requires high accuracy to clearly distinguish 0.1 mm cracks, and drone inspection requires capturing as wide an area as possible in one shot to shorten flight time. The
GFX100 series, equipped with a 102-megapixel large format sensor, can capture ultra-high resolution images when combined with a dedicated interchangeable lens. Since it can clearly capture cracks and other defects with a wide angle of view, it reduces the number of shots by about 40% compared to a camera equipped with a 61-megapixel 35mm image sensor, thereby shortening inspection time. In addition, the cameras generally installed on drones tend to be expensive because lightweight dedicated models are used. On the other hand, the latest model in the “GFX100 series,” the “FUJIFILM GFX100S II,” weighs a total of approximately 1,273g when combined with the “FUJINON Lens GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR,” making it extremely light for a camera equipped with a large format sensor with over 100 million pixels, and therefore can be mounted on a drone as a consumer camera system. It offers overwhelming cost performance compared to drone-specific cameras equipped with the same sensor.

By using the Linux-compatible SDK that we have developed, drone manufacturers can develop camera control software that meets their own specifications, making it possible to remotely control Fujifilm’s ultra-high-resolution digital cameras from their own systems.

*1 An image sensor with a diagonal length of 55 mm (43.8 mm horizontal x 32.9 mm vertical), approximately 1.7 times the area of ​​a 35 mm format sensor.
*2 An OS widely used in industrial fields such as infrastructure inspection.
*3 Official name: “FUJIFILM X Series and GFX System Digital Camera Control Software Development Kit.” This is a library that enables software developers to develop application software that remotely controls Fujifilm’s digital cameras. It enables remote control of Fujifilm’s “X/GFX Series” digital cameras, including the “GFX100 Series.”
*4 The product will be provided to manufacturers in Japan before other companies. The timing and terms of provision will be discussed individually.

As you know, I am a happy owner of the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.

Well, happy until a certain point.

Because as I wrote in a complaint post here, the firmware for the GF50mmF3.5 had been suspended and remained so for many months (now years).

I did moan about it here on FujiRumors, but nothing happened.

Nothing until today! :)

Because FINALLY Fujifilm has released a new firmware for the previously suspended GF50mmF3.5 as well as the GF35-70mm.

And not only that.

Also the GF500mmF5.6 as well as every single Fujifilm GFX camera got firmware updates.

In the X series world, we get firmware updates for the Fujifilm X-T4 and the Fujifilm X-T50.

ATTENTION: Please update first the GFX camera firmware (no lens attached) and only after that you should update the GF50mm or GF35-70mm firmware.

＜Important Notice>

In the unlikely event that firmware update process for any of the above interchangeable lenses is interrupted and the message below appears, please claim “Repair Service Center” in your country to upgrade the firmware. You can read the full firmware instruction here.

Note-1：The followings are messages when the firmware update is interrupted (Messages vary depending on the model).

• Customers with GFX100 II/GFX100S II/GFX 50R/GFX 50S
  “FIRMWARE UPDATE ERROR!!　PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FUJIFILM OFFICE”
• Customers with GFX100S/GFX100/GFX 50S II
  “FIRMWARE UPGRADE ERROR!!　CONTACT A SERVICE CENTER

Note-2：Repair Service Center

Firmware Details

*** Cameras ***