Thoughts on the Fujifilm GFX100RF

In a world where camera manufacturers battle in technical one-upmanship, Fujifilm has made a curious move. The new GFX100RF presents something genuinely different: a fixed-lens medium format camera that weighs less than many full-frame systems. This strange chimera – part compact street shooter, part landscape powerhouse – raises profound questions about what photographers truly value in their tools.

A Beautiful Contradiction

The GFX100RF embodies contradiction. It houses a 102-megapixel medium format sensor – typically the domain of tripod-wielding landscape photographers and studio professionals – inside a body that feels more like an oversized X100. It offers resolution that begs to be printed wall-sized, yet lacks in-body image stabilisation. It costs £4,699, placing it firmly in professional territory, yet comes with a modest f/4 fixed lens.

What to make of this curious beast?

After examining reviews and user comments, it’s clear the GFX100RF isn’t so much a compromise as a philosophical statement. Fujifilm challenges our assumptions about medium format photography – not as a cumbersome affair requiring meticulous setup, but something that can be as spontaneous and intuitive as shooting with a Leica or an X100.

Having personally found the X100VI disappointing – with its underwhelming lens and overall performance that pales next to my Sony a7CR for street photography – I’m particularly intrigued by how this medium format camera might compare to my current tiny full-frame setup.

The Fixed Lens Quandary

The most contentious element is the fixed 35mm f/4 lens (equivalent to 28mm in full-frame terms). On paper, it seems almost perverse to pair such a modest aperture with a sensor capable of extraordinary resolution. In practice, there’s method to this apparent madness.

The lens itself is reportedly excellent – sharp across the frame even wide open, with minimal distortion and remarkable flare resistance. What it lacks in light-gathering ability, it makes up for in consistency and compactness. The decision to use a leaf shutter further reduces the camera’s bulk while offering virtually silent operation and flash sync at any speed – luxuries that traditional GFX shooters have long dreamt of.

Still, one wonders if f/2.8 might have struck a more appealing balance. The current design creates a camera with depth of field characteristics roughly equivalent to an f/3.2 lens on a full-frame body – hardly the subject isolation expected from medium format.

The Missing IBIS Problem

If the lens choice is debatable, the absence of in-body image stabilisation with a 102-megapixel sensor seems almost wilful. High-resolution sensors are notoriously unforgiving of the slightest camera movement, potentially negating the very resolution advantage they purport to offer when shooting handheld.

According to Chris Niccolls’ review, he found the camera could be handheld reliably at around 1/30 second, but preferred keeping shutter speeds between 1/60 and 1/125 “to better ensure stability.” That’s reasonable for daylight shooting but potentially problematic in dimmer conditions, where one must choose between introducing shake or pushing ISO higher.

Fujifilm’s apparent answer lies in the camera’s design ethos: absolute portability. IBIS mechanisms add bulk and weight, two things that run counter to the GFX100RF’s raison d’être. It’s a philosophical choice that prioritises form factor over technical perfection – arguably a refreshing perspective in an industry often obsessed with specifications. Although I find it remarkable how Sony has been able to cram so much into the a7CR, including very capable IBIS.

A New Creative Canvas

Where the GFX100RF truly shines is in reimagining what a digital camera’s interface can be. The dedicated aspect ratio dial represents a compelling innovation, allowing photographers to pre-visualise their images in various formats from traditional 3:2 to cinematic 65:24 panoramas.

This acknowledges something many photographers discover through experience: certain subjects simply look better in specific aspect ratios. By making ratio selection a physical, tactile process rather than a menu diving exercise, Fujifilm encourages more conscious composition. It’s a subtle shift that could genuinely change how photographers see their subjects.

Similarly clever is the digital teleconverter function, which lets users “zoom” to equivalent focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, and 63mm (in full-frame terms). While purists might scoff at digital zooming, the massive 102MP resolution means that even the 63mm setting delivers a respectable 20 megapixels – more than adequate for most purposes.

These features transform what might otherwise be seen as limitations into creative opportunities. The fixed lens becomes less restrictive when you can instantly preview different crops and ratios, making the GFX100RF potentially more versatile than it initially appears. Again though, whilst there’s no dedicated dial, other manufactures offer aspect ration previewing in-camera. I have the video record button programmed on my a7CR to toggle from full size to the widest aspect ratio preview mode for this exact reason.

Beyond the Numbers Game

What’s most intriguing about the GFX100RF is how it challenges our modern obsession with specifications and versatility. In an age where cameras increasingly try to be all things to all photographers, here’s a device that deliberately steps back from that arms race.

Its appeal isn’t found in technical superiority – indeed, for many shooting scenarios, a Sony A7RV or my a7CR might deliver more pleasing results with less fuss. Rather, the GFX100RF offers something more ineffable: a shooting experience that combines the deliberate, contemplative nature of medium format with the spontaneity of street photography.

The true magic of medium format has never been purely about resolution. It’s about tonal transitions, about the way light renders, about a certain indescribable richness to images that technical specifications fail to capture. The GFX100RF brings these qualities to a form factor that doesn’t demand the sacrifices typically associated with larger sensors.

Who Is This For, Really?

Given its price and peculiarities, the GFX100RF occupies an unusual market position. It’s clearly not aimed at working professionals who need versatility above all else. Nor is it likely to tempt landscape photographers who already own GFX systems with interchangeable lenses and tripods.

Instead, it seems designed for a very specific type of photographer: someone who values image quality above all else, who primarily shoots with a normal-to-wide lens, who prizes portability, and who has £4,699 to spend on what might be considered a luxury item. It’s the photographic equivalent of a Bentley Continental – not the most practical choice, but undeniably special for those who appreciate its particular charms.

For street photographers, the question becomes whether medium format brings enough advantages to justify the cost and compromises. For landscape photographers, it’s whether the portability compensates for the loss of versatility and stability. These are deeply personal calculations that defy easy generalisation.

Looking Forward

If the GFX100RF represents Fujifilm’s first attempt at reimagining what medium format can be in the digital age, one wonders what might come next. The technology exists to create even smaller medium format cameras, potentially with faster lenses or stabilisation systems.

We might even see a compact interchangeable lens medium format system – a true “miniature GFX” that brings the format’s benefits to a broader audience. The GFX100RF proves that such designs are technically feasible, even if they require careful balancing of competing priorities.

A Bold Experiment

The Fujifilm GFX100RF won’t be for everyone. Its combination of extraordinary capabilities and deliberate limitations ensures that. But it’s precisely this idiosyncratic nature that makes it so interesting in an increasingly homogenised camera market.

It asks photographers to reconsider their assumptions about what different formats are “for” and challenges the notion that bigger sensors must always mean bigger, more unwieldy cameras. It suggests that perhaps the most interesting developments in photography aren’t found in pushing specifications to their limits, but in finding new balances between competing values.

Whether it succeeds commercially almost seems beside the point (the same as with the Sigma BF). The GFX100RF represents something increasingly rare in consumer technology: a genuine attempt to forge a new path rather than simply iterating on established formulas. For that alone, it deserves our attention and perhaps even our admiration – regardless of whether it eventually finds its way into our camera bags.

In a market overflowing with practical choices, there’s something wonderful about a camera that prioritises character over completeness. The GFX100RF may be imperfect, but it’s imperfect in ways that make it uniquely compelling – and that, ultimately, might be worth more than technical perfection ever could be.