Fujifilm GFX50S II medium format camera announced

Thursday 2 September 2021, 16:08 by Nando Harmsen | 3,647 views | 1 comment

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Fujifilm has just officially announced the successor to the first 'affordable' medium format camera: the Fujifilm GFX50S II. The camera is an improvement in every respect. I was already able to use the camera for some test shots during a special press conference.

In 2017, I got my hands on the Fujifilm GFX-50S for a review. This 50-megapixel camera was one of the first affordable digital medium format cameras. Affordable is relative, because at the time this model would set you back almost 7,000 euros.

The Fujifilm GFX-50S that was launched in 2017.
The camera was succeeded over the following four years by another, cheaper model, the GFX-50R. Two 100-megapixel versions have also since appeared, the Fujifilm GFX-100, which I was allowed to use on Lofoten for a review, and the more recent GFX-100S.

There is now the Fujifilm GFX-50s Mark II, which I was able to try out briefly.

The Fujifilm GFX50S II is a very different camera from the first version from 2017

The same camera, but completely different

The new Fujifilm GFX50S II is built around the same sensor as the original from 2017. However, the manufacturer has completely optimised the way the sensor works.

According to Fujifilm, this has greatly improved the results. And that is despite the fact that the results from the original version were already considered fantastic.

The Fujifilm GFX50S II produces a beautiful image. The photo was taken with a pre-production model of the Fujifilm GFX50S II.
The camera's appearance has undergone a huge change. The body is the same as the GFX100S. This means that the protruding rear of the first version has disappeared. What stood out to me most was the improved quality of the front and rear control dials on the camera.

The top plate of the Fujifilm GFX50S II. The controls are very intuitive, and the quality of the control dials has greatly improved compared with the previous models.
The camera weighs 900 grams without a lens. With the new Fujinon GF35-70mm f/4,5-5,6 WR lens, the total weight is just 1,300 grams.

Many new possibilities and functions

The GFX50S II features the latest image processor, the X-Processor 4, which gives the camera many new capabilities. Focusing has been greatly improved with very effective eye AF. New film simulations have also been added.

The built-in image stabilisation (IBIS) offers 6.5 stops of stabilisation. This is an improvement of half a stop over the previous model. The sensor's pixel shift function also makes it possible to create a super-resolution photo of just over 200 megapixels.

The front and rear of the Fujifilm GFX50S II

First impression

During the press conference, I had the opportunity to try the camera extensively, and my first impression is very positive. There are many personalised settings available, and eye AF works very well.

An impression of the press conference and the photo session that followed. The photo was taken with a pre-production model of the Fujifilm GFX50S II.
An hour of photography in a studio environment is of course different from using it in practice. Even so, I am convinced that the GFX50S II is a much better and more pleasant camera in every respect than the original first version.

The photo was taken with a pre-production model of the Fujifilm GFX50S II.
The Fujifilm GFX50S II will be available from October 2021 for 3,999 euros. Together with the new Fujinon GF35-70mm f/4,5-5,6 WR, the price will be 4,499 euros. The lens costs 999 euros on its own.

All the photos I took with the GFX50S II were taken with a pre-production model.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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1 comment

Jurry Reinerman wrote on Tuesday 7 September 2021 at 11:39 | reply
Have fun with the thing. I have its predecessor and it gives an error message very often when I want to take a photo. I also don't dare bring it to Fujifilm because they already screwed me out of a cashback on the X100f because I was supposedly too late (submitted 1 day after purchase) I don't trust those guys one bit anymore. And another thing that is very annoying about those devices is that there is no alphabetical index in the user manual, you search yourself silly. Fujifilm's advice is that you might as well watch videos on Youtube....
Translated from Dutch.

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