Fujifilm GFX100II New Dynamic Range King of Mirrorless Cameras

Photons to Photos has published its dynamic range results for the Fujifilm GFX100II.

As to expect, the GFX100II now takes the lead as the mirrorless camera that will give you the highest dynamic range with a slight boost over the Fujifilm GFX100S due to an optimized sensor design, as we explained here.

So, if you want to have a bit more margins in terms of dynamic range, the Fujifilm GFX100II is the way to go. And all this by delivering substantially more megapixel over its high resolution full frame competitors.

There are only 3 digital cameras that are better than the GFX100II listed on Photons to Photos:

  • Phase One IQ4
  • Phase One IQ3
  • Hasselblad H6D-100c

But the above are not mirrorless cameras. And they are huge, heavy and cost more than my car.

You can access the comparison we made above at this link (and also make your own one).

Read also:

Camera Model

Maximum PDR

Low Light ISO

Low Light EV

Fujifilm GFX100II

12.55

11665

11.87

Fujifilm GFX100S

12.33

10926

11.77

Hasselblad X2D

12.32

7077

11.14

Canon R5

11.85

5435

10.76

Sony A7rV

11.70

5244

10.71

Nikon Z8

11.32

4224

10.40

Japanese Fujifilm Managers: X-Pro and X-E line Not Stopped, X-Trans is Here to Stay, PSAM vs RETRO, GFX Sports Photography and More

image courtesy: Phototrend
image courtesy: Phototrend

At the last CP+, the French Website Phototrend had the opportunity to talk to Japanese Fujifilm manager Jun Watanabe about the X series and to Japanese Fujifilm manager Makoto Oishi about the GFX series.

Down below you can find a quick summary. For the full French version check out the articles at Phototrend here (X series) and here (GFX series). Plus a little rant at the end.

X series

  • Fujifilm can not confirm if X-Pro4 will arrive soon or not
  • X-Pro line is not stopped
  • X-T and X100 series do not satisfy all customers who want a “pure photography” experience
  • Fujifilm is studying different possibilities
  • feedback and expectations are high for the next X-Pro
  • X-E line is not stopped
  • sports photography is a difficult market
  • other brands are long established there and for Fujifilm it’s new terrain
  • Fujifilm can not confirm anything about eventual future lenses for sport photographers
  • Fujifilm has received great feedback about the latest autofocus system, but they will continue to improve
  • renewing older lenses is something that Fujifilm has in mind
  • XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 [admin note: will replace the XF18-55mmF2.4.8]
  • Fujifilm is not considering any option other than X-Trans for their APS-C cameras
  • its unique matrix offers the advantage of combining high definition and suppression of moiré and chromatic aberrations
  • for X100VI, Fujifilm has developed the smallest and thinnest IBIS unit to date
  • the X100VI IBIS wiring has been moved to the side – see here
  • IBIS system uses data from the image in addition to the gyroscope (motion blur is analyzed from the live-view image)
  • the grip of the X100VI is a tenth of a millimeter deeper than X100V for a better grip

GFX series

  • GFX100II market return (sales) is very good, not only among professional photographers, but also filmmakers and directors
  • GFX100II sales exceed Fujifilm’s expectations
  • GFX100S is still very popular because Fujifilm has lowered its price
  • GFX100S still very popular in some markets like China
  • professionals go for GFX100II, enthusiasts for GFX100S
  • Fujifilm never looked at its market share in medium format segment
  • other manufacturers have no announced so many new products, so Fujifilm thinks they are Nr.1
  • some expect a faster 50MP GFX. But Fujifilm thinks high definition is more popular
  • there are lots of FF cameras offering 50/60 megapixel, so offering 50MP now has become almost banal
  • Fujifilm focuses on improving the 100MP sensor performance
  • for professionals ergonomics are very important
  • first GFX cameras had dedicated dials but now they switched to a easier to operate PSAM dial layout
  • Fujinon GF 500 mm f/5.6: it’s time for Fujifilm GFX to approach wildlife and sports photography
  • normally APS-C lenses are compact than FF and MF (hence also smaller AF motors)
  • but regarding telephoto lenses, size primarily depends on diameter and aperture. Regardless of whether it’s for APS-C, FF or MF, the fundamental construction of telephoto lenses, particularly on the front lens side, is the same
  • Fujifilm tries to make the GF500mm as small and light as possible to obtain faster autofocus
  • tilt-shift lenses are the most difficult to design
  • Fujifilm started to develop its GF tilt shift lenses back in 2019
  • why not retro? High end high speed cameras need to be operated quickly, hence PSAM. Also good for hybrid shooters for video

Let me just say that I strongly, vehemently, vigorously and fervidly disagree with Fujifilm in regards to what they said why they stick with PSAM on their GFX lineup.

First: the GFX system is not know to be blazing fast and immensely popular among high end sports photographers. I actually feel the GFX system would be the ideal system to use a retro layout.

Second: maybe Fujifilm should watch my video so they learn how to operate their own cameras.

They will find out that one can operate their retro styled cameras exactly as any PSAM camera out there. It’s a marvellous and ingenious design that gives us photographer the best of both words: retro if I want to have fun shooting or want to actually operate the camera already before turning it on, and PSAM if one needs to make lots of adjustment all the time on the fly.

Retro Fujifilm cameras offer both options. PSAM cameras force you into one way to operate the camera.

And in my opinion not offering retro styled GFX cameras anymore is one of the all time biggest mistakes Fujifilm is doing.

C’mon Fujifilm, look at what is selling best in your X system. You’ll see that retro X cameras outsell PSAM cameras by very far. And Nikon had a colossal success with the Nikon Zf lately. It’s clear that in times where every camera is just so good, what people really look for is to have a different photographic experience thanks to dedicated vintage dials.

The joy of shooting sells better than any specs boost you can show off on paper.

An example?

The X100VI sells like hot cakes. The revolutionary global shutter ultra modern high speed blazing fast Sony A9III is selling way below Sony’s expectations (you could always find it in stock everywhere all the time because demand is not high… ask your local retailer).

Make sure to read/watch below:

Fujifilm X100VI Coming with with REALA ACE Film Simulation… and About Reala Ace Being Possible only with GFX100II Sensor

The Fujifilm X100VI will be Fujifilm’s first APS-C camera to feature the new REALA ACE film simulation.

Some of you might think that’s an obvious rumor. But others might think it can’t be true.

And the reason why some might think it can’t be true, is because when the Fujifilm GFX100 II was launched, Fujifilm engineers said this during the X summit about the new Reala Ace film simulation:

The new GFX100II sensor is the best fit Reala Ace. Without this sensor, we are not able to realize REALA film simulation in it

But according to our sources, what Fujifilm said is not true. Or maybe Fujifilm just used a very unlucky and confusing formulation.

Because Fujifilm is able to realize Reala Ace also without the Fujifilm GFX100II sensor and the first camera (besides GFX100II) to have it will be the Fujifilm X100VI.

Maybe it would have been better phrased if Fujifilm would have said like back then during the Fujifilm GFX100S and Nostalgic Negative launch:

For nostalgic negative, Fujifilm needs large sensor. It can’t be implemented simply to APS-C. Fujifilm needs more time to develop Nostalgic Negative for the APS-C system.

Now let’s cross fingers that Reala Ace will come via firmware update also to all other 5th generation Fujifilm cameras.

Film Simulation Articles

Watch the Video for Great Landscape and Sunrise on the Dolomites

Fujifilm GFX100 II Autofocus Tests, GF55mmF1.7 and GF Tilt Shift Reviews – The Latest and Greatest GFX Roundup

This is a roundup about the latest and greatest Fujifilm GFX gear.

GFX100 II Blog Posts

  • zhuanlan (Chinese) – GFX100II test. Shows person running towards camera and they got “at least” 80% hit rate
  • benosaradzic – Fujifilm GFX100II, the best medium format camera just got better
  • peterziegler – Sabawald with GFX50R
  • blog.kasson – GFX100 II pixel shift
  • alikgriffin – Kipon Baveyes Contax 645-GFX AF 0.8X Adapter Review (used on GFX100 II)

GF Lenses Blog Posts

Videos (GFX100 II + latest GF Lenses)

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Fujifilm X Summit February 20 :: Fujifilm GFX25 Rumors :: Fujifilm X-T6 Talks :: My Biggest Fujifilm 2023 Disappointment and More – Top 10 December Articles

Here are the most read articles for December.

  1. What to Expect from Fujifilm in 2024 (and What Probably Not)
  2. Fujifilm 2024: A Look Ahead Between Rumors and Speculations (X-Pro4, X100R, X-E5, X-T40, New XF Lenses, GFX Future)
  3. Fujifilm GFX25: High-Speed 25.44MP, 12fps, Oversampled DCI 4K/60p (no Crop) and the Return of a Wrong Rumor
  4. Fujifilm X-T6 in 2024? Let’s Talk about it!
  5. I was WRONG about Fujifilm X100V Successor – RUMOR CORRECTION
  6. These are the 17 New Autofocus Lenses we Got for Fujifilm X in 2023
  7. Capture One offers FREE Fujifilm RAW Converter for Fujifilm Users
  8. LEAKED: This is the Date of the Next Fujifilm X Summit
  9. My Biggest Fujifilm Disappointment of 2023
  10. Best Selling (Fujifilm related) Gear 2023

Runner Up

Honorable Mentions

100% Rumors Only at our YouTube Channel

FR-Readers Wishlist Corner: XF 135mm F2 LM WR, Fujifilm X-E5 Pro, GFX72H, Special Edition X100V, XF 50-140mm F2.8 MKII, Medium Format X100 and More

It’s Christmas time. Time for wishlists and dreams.

And here on FujiRumors this means wishing and dreaming of gear that, if not this year, Santa Claus will hopefully make find us under the Christmas tree for 2024.

So here is a selection of wishes that I have received from FujiRumors community and that I now I am happy to share with all of you. Feel free to let us know if there is something among it that you’d really love to get.

I sort of made my own wishlist too, where I talk about three cameras that would push Fujifilm overnight exactly where they dreamed to be by 2019. Dear Fujifilm, listen to me, and Canon, Sony and Nikon will tremble!

Feel free to read (and watch) it all down below.

by anonymous

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Top 3 Cameras Fujifilm Should Make for Instant Success (X and GFX)

We recently told you that Fujifilm is preparing a huge start in 2024:

Now, of course most of the talk and speculations in our previous articles was gravitating around successors to existing camera lines.

And it makes a whole of sense to focus on refreshes of current cameras, nothing prohibits us to dream big and think and completely different cameras.

So what I will do is to share three cameras that I think would turn out to be an instant and massive success for Fujifilm.

And I am not talking of weird and risky concepts. I am talking of cameras that would sell very well for sure in my opinion.

So, let’s go through them and let me think what you think about.

Also, feel free to drop your own ideas in the comments.

Top 3 Cameras Fujifilm Hasn’t Made Yet

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Internal Fujifilm GFX100II Slide Claims 97% Eye AF Accuracy with GF55mmF1.7 in Studio Use

One of the questions is how accurate the Fujifilm GFX100II eye autofocus is.

A kind source decided to answer this question, and passed me an internal Fujifilm slide about the Fujifilm GFX100II, which shows that, for portraits and coupled with the Fujinon GF55mm f/1.7, Fujifilm has calculated a 97% autofocus accuracy.

This is of course for portraits. We are not talking about the accuracy when tracking any athlete running at full speed or something like that.

But I guess the most realistic scenario for the combination GFX100II and GF55mmF1.7 is anyway portraits or not really fast moving subjects (people at a wedding etc).

New GF Lenses

GFX Deals

RAW File Converter EX3.0 adds Fujifilm GFX100II Support

RAW File Converter EX3.0 adds Fujifilm GFX100II support.

RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 powered by SILKYPIX Ver.8.1.14.0 – download here
The software update Ver.8.1.14.0 incorporates the following issue:

  1. Applicable models for the “RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 powered by SILKYPIX” are added.
    Applicable Model : FUJIFILM GFX100 II

Latest GFX Gear

GFX Deals

Fujifilm GFX100 II: The Truth about ISO 80 and the 30% Increased Dynamic Range

ISO 80 and Dynamic Range

We have just covered the talk about the the new sensor of the Fujifilm GFX100II and the up to twice readout speed.

At the end of that article, when I listed the reasons why to get the GFX100II instead of the GFX100S, I wrote the GFX100II has 30% (or 1/3rd of a stop) better dynamic range.

And since I noticed this is another thing that some people struggled with, I decided to elaborate now more in depth.

After testing the dynamic range, Jim Kasson (linked below) agreed that yes, dynamic range is increased, but not by 30%. Jim says:

At ISO 80 those folks at Fujifilm have dropped all the data below the nominal black point, slicing off the left half of the histogram, and cutting the measured read noise in half of what it would normally be. […] You’ll still get slightly improved FWC — but I don’t measure the claimed 30% improvement — and decently low read noise. So it’s an improvement, but not a huge one.

Now, whatever Fujifilm does in terms of software, that has been measured by Jim and I won’t argue that. And it is true that this does make ISO80 dynamic range look crazy good.

But what Fujifilm at the end of the day said, is that there is a 30% dynamic range increase.

What does this mean?

Well, 30% expressed in stops means about 1/3rd of a stop improvement. As a reference, 1 stop increase means doubling the amount of light you let in on the sensor.

So the misunderstand is simple: if the GFX100S has let’s say 14 stops DR, it does not mean that Fujifilm claimed the GFX100II has 18 stops dynamic range (+30%), but 14,3 stops of DR (+1/3). And moreoever, in the X summit the 30% increase is mentioned in the video section of the summit, and Fujifilm has not been clear if it applies also to stills.

What I can say, is that 1/3 DR increase for stills what a Fujifilm rep told me personally during a Fujifilm event. He told me Fujifilm Italy made its own measurements once they got the camera from Japan, and at base ISO they noticed a 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop DR increase.

Now, why did Fujifilm say 30% instead of 1/3rd of a stop, even though they mean the same?

Well, I guess it just sounds better saying 30% rather than 1/3rd of a stop, but of course it can create confusion.

So yes, at base ISO the new Fujifilm GFX100II will give you the better dynamic range over the GFX100S. Also Jim confirms this. But not by a very large margin. Fujifilm says it is 1/3rd of a stop for video, and Fujifilm Italy told me they measured that too for stills.

Jim Kasson Articles:

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