The GFX100RF in the Field: A Sample Image Collection

Most medium-format cameras are large and cumbersome, better suited to the studio, or at least a tripod.

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is different. It’s specifically designed as a super high-resolution (102MP) walking-around shooter.

It shares the same DNA as cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI. That same retro styling and manual-style controls. It pairs that massive 102MP sensor with a fixed 28mm lens (in 35mm equivalent terms). The results are super-sharp resolving power.

But there are some costs. The lens’s maximum aperture is f/4, which isn’t quick for a wide prime. And there’s no in-camera stabilization when shooting photos (there’s something similar when shooting video). That means it takes some care to get sharp images in fast-moving or low-light environments.

It’s worth putting that f/4 in context, though. Because the sensor is so much larger than full-frame, f/4 on this lens behaves more like f/3.1 or f/3.2 on a full-frame camera in terms of depth of field and the total light it gathers. That doesn’t hand back the missing stabilization, but it does mean backgrounds fall away rather more than the f/4 label suggests.

Below is a collection of sample images I’ve shot with the GFX100RF. They represent real-world use — a mix of daylight walkaround shots, high-contrast scenes testing the leaf shutter and low-light situations pushing the ISO. I’ve included the exact exposure settings for each frame. This larger collection of sample images goes side-by-side with my hands-on review of shooting with the GFX100RF.

One thing worth knowing if you’re reading the shutter speeds below: the mechanical leaf shutter’s top speed depends on the aperture. Fujifilm’s headline 1/4000 sec is only available from f/8 — wide open at f/4 the shutter stops at 1/2000 sec, which is why the brightest f/4 frames here sit just under that. In very bright light, you either stop down, engage the built-in 4-stop ND filter, or switch to the electronic shutter, which runs to 1/16,000 sec.

For a full-size version, click on each image. But be warned — even as JPGs, these are big files!

Fujifilm GFX100RF sample images