GFX Series · 2021

Fujifilm GFX50S II

Name: FUJIFILM GFX50S II
Brand: Fujifilm
Availability: Discontinued

The cheapest medium format camera anyone has made.

Short answer

The GFX50S II launched at $3,999, the lowest price for a medium format camera. It uses the older 51.4MP sensor in the GFX100S body, with 6.5 stops of stabilisation and 18 film simulations.

Fujifilm put the 51.4MP sensor from the 2017 GFX 50S into the modern GFX100S body and priced it below four thousand dollars. It is the cheapest route into a sensor nearly four times the area of APS-C.

Key specs

Sensor: 51.4 MP GFX 51.4MP CMOS (Bayer)
Processor: X-Processor 4
In-body stabilisation: Yes · 6.5 EV
Viewfinder: 3.69M-dot OLED, 0.77× magnification
Video: 1080/30p
Weight: 900 g
Launch price: $3,999

Specifications

Released: September 2021
Sensor: Medium format · 43.8 × 32.9 mm
ISO range: ISO 100–12800 (50–102400 extended)
Burst: 3 fps
Screen: 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots
Lens mount: Fujifilm G
Card slots: 2× SD UHS-II
Dimensions: 150.0 × 104.2 × 87.2 mm

Dimensions

150 mm wide
104.2 mm tall
87.2 mm deep

Body drawn to scale from the dimensions Fujifilm publishes. Depth is listed, not drawn.

The older sensor, honestly

The 51.4MP chip is a 2017 design with contrast-detect autofocus only. It is slow to focus, slow to shoot at 3 fps, and video stops at 1080p.

What it does have is the medium format look: the tonal gradation and the depth-of-field rendering that people buy the format for. Those come from sensor size, not from the year it was designed.

Who it suits

Landscape, architecture, studio portraiture and product work on a budget. Anything where you have time, use a tripod or shoot with strobes.

It is a poor choice for events, anything moving, or video. The 3 fps burst and contrast autofocus rule those out completely.

What is good

Cheapest medium format camera ever released
6.5 stops of IBIS in a 900g body
18 film simulations including Classic Negative
Same body and handling as the GFX100S

What is not

Contrast-detect autofocus only
3 fps burst and 1080p video
Older 2017 sensor design

Verdict

The GFX50S II is a specialist bargain. If you shoot slowly and print large, it is extraordinary value. If you need speed, buy an X-T5 and spend the difference on lenses.

Film simulations on this camera

18 film simulations

PROVIA / Standard The honest baseline every other look is measured against.

Velvia / VIVID Deep greens, hot reds and no apologies.

ASTIA / Soft Colour that stays rich while skin stays kind.

Classic Chrome Muted colour, hard shadows, magazine mood.

Classic Negative Drugstore film with a chip on its shoulder.

PRO Neg. Std The flattest colour profile Fujifilm makes.

PRO Neg. Hi Kind to skin, firm enough for real light.

ETERNA / Cinema Low contrast, low saturation, room to grade.

ETERNA Bleach Bypass Silver, steel and almost no colour.

ACROS Black and white with grain that behaves like film.

ACROS+Ye A little more sky, no cost to skin.

ACROS+R Black skies, white clouds, high drama.

ACROS+G The portrait filter, and the one for gardens.

Monochrome Plain black and white, harder and more graphic than ACROS.

Monochrome+Ye The everyday filter on the harder black and white.

Monochrome+R The hardest black and white Fujifilm will give you.

Monochrome+G Foliage that stays readable in a hard black and white.

Sepia The one almost nobody uses, and the reason it exists.

Recipes that work on this camera

reala-ace X-Trans V · GFX Reala Ace Daily Most recipes have an opinion. This one does not, and that is the point. On a day where you will shoot a…

Common questions

GFX50S II or GFX100S?

The GFX100S has twice the resolution and much better autofocus. The 50S II costs far less. If you crop or print very large, find the money for the 100S.

Is 51 megapixels enough for medium format?

Comfortably. The advantage of the format is sensor area and tonality, not just pixel count.