photographs by Terry A. McDonald – luxBorealis.com

19 photographs; 3860 words; 20-min read

With 102 MP, 15 stops of dynamic range, 8 stops of IBIS, AF Tracking, and easy handling — what’s not to like?

For a number of years during the film era, I photographed with a Pentax 6×7 and a Zone VI 4×5” cherry wood field camera, designed for what I would call intentional photography. The image quality from each was outstanding, and both were just portable enough to hike with.

But digital changed all that.

Until recently, sensors approaching the quality of 6×7 and 4×5 were simply too expensive and too cumbersome to carry. Medium- and large-format digital photography became financially inaccessible to me. As well, living overseas for several years also changed the way I photographed. My photography became more casual, spontaneous and opportunistic, and Four Thirds, followed by 35mm-sensor, then Micro Four Thirds, fit the bill.

Today, my OM System OM-1, with three zooms covering the equivalent of 16mm to 800mm plus a macro lens, fits into a small LowePro sling bag. It remains, as I wrote in 2025, something of a sweet spot in modern photography.

However, the medium format landscape has changed. Big time.

Enter Fujifilm

Modern technology has reduced the weight, bulk and cost of medium-format cameras. The Fujifilm GFX 100S II costs about CA$7,600 — less than many flagship full-frame bodies — and weighs 883 grams, actually less than a Nikon Z8.

I owe a big Thank You! to Fujifilm Canada for kindly loaning me a GFX 100S II for a week in September, along with several lenses,. I had been contemplating what 102 megapixels might offer for landscape photography, so the GF 20-35mm f/4 was particularly welcome.

The GFX sensor measures 33 × 44mm, about 1.7 times the size of a 35mm-sensor. The 20-35mm therefore provides approximately the field of view of a 16-28mm lens on full frame, making it particularly well suited to wide landscapes. Its files are a remarkable 11,648 × 8,736 pixels.

The other lenses I tested were the GF 32-64mm f/4, GF 63mm f/2.8 and GF 120mm f/4 Macro. I would also have liked to try the 45-100mm, 100-200mm and especially the 500mm f/5.6. Maybe another time.

Intention meets spontaneity

The GFX 100S II is an ideal camera for planned, purposeful photography, particularly for landscape and architectural photographers who are comfortable using a tripod. If you’re willing to get up at dark o’clock to capture the dramatic light of dawn, there might not be a better camera out there to capture your vision.

In more spontaneous situations — street, travel and nature photography — excellent IBIS, great ergonomics and a comfortable grip make it surprisingly capable. Fujifilm has also implemented multiple exposure and focus bracketing very effectively, giving the camera a creative side beyond its obvious strengths in image quality.

But 102 megapixels? Really?

For years I’ve argued that bigger isn’t automatically better and that “the camera does not a photographer make”. Even a phone can produce a stunning photograph in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing.

So why the huge sensor?

The print factor

Most people use cameras casually: family events, vacations and everyday documentation. Others become more serious, assembling lenses and heading out early in the morning or staying out after dark in pursuit of great photographs.

For these photographers, large files become more meaningful when the photograph is printed.

An 11 × 14-inch print or a 24-inch canvas can originate from almost any modern sensor, including a phone. Even Micro Four Thirds produces excellent 16x20s. However, fine art printing on high-quality paper is another matter.

Dedicated printing changes the way you look at your files. You begin noticing things that aren’t apparent on a screen: are the highlight gradations subtle or too abrupt? Are the shadows open and lively or muddy? Are the transitions between colours smooth and the detail edges clean? How well resolved are fine details that were present in the original scene?

These aren’t simply examples of pixel peeping. They are aesthetic differences that become apparent when photographs are examined closely in large, carefully produced prints.

Upscaling software such as Topaz Gigapixel can enlarge almost any file to almost any print size. But there is a difference between creating more pixels and capturing more information. At 300 or 360 ppi, the gradations, transitions, edges and fine details recorded by a large sensor can be reproduced in ways that an upscaled file cannot replicate.

That, ultimately, is what a large sensor is made for.

Handling and ergonomics

In hand, the GFX feels like a serious camera. It is well built, weather sealed and has a substantial rubberized grip that makes hand-holding comfortable.

The “S” version is the smaller, outdoorsy sibling of the GFX 100 II, which is more studio-oriented, with a larger buffer, faster readout and higher price.

With the 20-35mm lens attached, the GFX 100S II weighs about 1,600 grams. On a shoulder harness it carries surprisingly well, tucked under my arm but ready for action.

For perspective, my old Pentax 67 — considered remarkably portable for a medium-format film camera — weighed about 2,400 grams with its 55mm lens.

The GFX lenses have relatively short zoom ranges compared with the increasingly common 12-100mm, 24-200mm and similar lenses. The ranges are typically 20-35, 32-64, 45-100 and 100-200mm.

Think purposeful. Think image quality.

Convenience always involves trade-offs. The shorter zoom ranges help ensure each focal length delivers the quality required by a 102MP sensor. But they also require discipline and foresight. As with prime lenses, you choose the lens for the scene and then adapt your composition to the focal length available.

My only significant concern is the battery. It is physically smaller than the battery in my OM-1, yet it is powering a much larger system. It never ran out during my testing, and I always carried a spare, but after a few hundred shots it was down to about one-third.

In fairness, intentional photography involves fewer exposures. During a morning I might make half a dozen setups, with four to six exposures at each. My years with a 4×5 camera may have taught me that more photographs don’t necessarily mean better photographs.

Menus and buttons

I wanted to be able to switch easily between different shooting styles, so I set up the custom buttons, something I was already familiar with from the OM-1. Switching between tripod, black-and-white and handheld configurations was straightforward.

Changing the focus area was equally easy using the joystick/multi-selector.

I initially missed the traditional arrow pad surrounding an OK button, but quickly adapted. A dedicated Drive button was useful, while virtually any button can be programmed for one of roughly 50 functions. There is also a customizable My Menu.

The camera offers a great deal of flexibility without making customization feel unnecessarily complicated.

IQ to die for

The GFX 100S II isn’t just a camera that feels serious. It is a serious image-making machine: 102 megapixels, 11,648 × 8,736-pixel raw files and 16-bit colour depth.

The combination produces extraordinary detail and colour.

For my tripod testing, I photographed raw files at the base ISO of 80, used Adobe RGB and captured 16-bit files. The resulting RAF files were enormous — approximately 210 MB, more than ten times the size of the 20 MB ORF files from my OM-1.

After a couple of days I switched to 14-bit lossless capture, reducing the file size to about 92 MB. The sensor had already demonstrated its capabilities, and even at the smaller file size, the tonal and colour information remained exquisite.

When 102 megapixels is unnecessary, the camera can also produce 50MP files. A 35mm mode provides a 60MP crop when compatible 35mm lenses are used with an adapter.

For handheld photography I generally raised ISO to 200 because ISO 80 was too low for reasonable shutter speeds. Noise was essentially a non-issue. ISO 800 remained excellent, while higher settings could readily be managed with denoising tools in Lightroom, DxO or ON1.

The GFX for landscape photography

Clearly, this camera was designed with landscape photographers in mind.

A low base ISO of 80 provides maximum dynamic range, and landscape photographers are generally quite comfortable with tripods. The 102MP sensor captures spectacular detail, while colour is not merely accurate but exceptionally rich.

The camera’s highlight clipping and focus-peaking indicators were particularly useful. I did not find a corresponding shadow-clipping indicator.

One interesting feature is the way the lens stops down when the shutter is half depressed while the EVF brightens to compensate. This provides a useful visual check of depth of field.

In high-contrast scenes, the dynamic range is impressive. I found it possible to recover substantial shadow detail while retaining highlight information. On occasion I still used HDR blending, but there were many situations where the GFX captured the full range without it.

The depth-of-field challenge

There is one significant consequence of the larger sensor: less depth of field.

At the same field of view, the GFX provides roughly one stop less depth of field than full frame. Compared with Micro Four Thirds, the difference is about three stops.

That translates into slower shutter speeds when you want front-to-back sharpness.

But this is something one learns to accommodate.

My years using a Pentax 67 with ISO 50 and ISO 100 Fujichrome Velvia and Provia taught me patience. With the camera on a tripod, I can wait for a break in the wind rather than simply raising the ISO or accepting movement.

And when necessary, I can raise the ISO. The GFX gives me enough dynamic range and low-noise performance that doing so isn’t particularly concerning.

Focus bracketing provides another solution. The GFX offers both manual and automatic focus bracketing, although moving subjects or even the slightest breeze can make the subsequent blending more difficult.

Nature, wildlife and birds

This is a genre I particularly enjoy, but I wasn’t able to give the GFX a comprehensive test because I didn’t have a lens longer than 120mm.

I would have liked to test AF Tracking properly. Autofocus itself is fast, although not exceptionally so. The 7fps frame rate also doesn’t compete with the very high burst rates available from cameras such as the OM-1 or Canon R5 Mark II.

For a dedicated bird photographer accustomed to the highest-performance tracking systems, this is an important consideration.

But that doesn’t mean the GFX can’t be used for wildlife. It depends on the photographer’s style and expectations.

I did conduct one informal comparison with my OM-1. I photographed the same subject from the same distance and at the same focal length, using the GF 120mm f/4 on the GFX and the M.Zuiko 100-400mm on the OM-1.

The results surprised me.

Even when viewed at 200%, the difference was remarkably difficult to identify. The GFX’s 102MP advantage did not translate into an obvious advantage in this particular comparison.

For bird photography, therefore, I would continue using the OM-1. Its autofocus tracking, frame rate, smaller size and much longer effective reach make it better suited to the way I photograph birds.

Travel and street

The GFX 100S II isn’t a typical travel camera. For family snapshots and casual vacation photographs, a phone is perfectly adequate.

But for fine-art travel photography, the story is different.

The excellent IBIS and ergonomics make handheld shooting practical, and the camera can handle quickly developing situations. During my week with it, however, my “travel” photography was limited to local subjects: a vintage car show, the Guelph Scottish Festival and several favourite landscape locations.

The high ISO performance is impressive, making settings of 3200, 6400 and even 12,800 quite usable when photographing interiors or moving subjects in low light.

One downside of 102MP is that it records everything. Dust spots, surface imperfections and tiny flaws in a subject become visible, requiring additional attention in post-processing.

But the detail is extraordinary.

Macro photography

The Fujinon GF 120mm f/4 Macro is an exceptionally sharp lens. It provides 1:2 reproduction, rather than true 1:1 macro; the latter can be achieved by adding the Fujifilm extension tube.

The lens has optical stabilization, which works in combination with the camera’s IBIS to produce excellent stabilization.

Again, however, the larger sensor creates a depth-of-field challenge.

At close distances, even f/32 can provide insufficient depth of field for some subjects. Focus bracketing becomes the solution: photograph a series of frames at different focus points and blend them in post-processing.

The GFX makes this relatively easy, with both automatic and manual focus bracketing and visual controls for setting the nearest and furthest focus points.

In nature, however, the technique is vulnerable to movement and wind and generally works best with a tripod. In controlled conditions — product photography, watches, jewellery and other small objects — the GFX’s resolution and lens combination make considerably more sense.

For handheld macro work, I would continue using my OM-1. Its greater depth of field, excellent focus bracketing and in-camera focus stacking are better suited to that kind of photography.

Processing

I processed everything in Lightroom on an M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM.

Despite the enormous 210MB files, everyday processing was surprisingly smooth. Processor-intensive functions such as denoising were slower, but I rarely needed them.

The first thing I noticed was the accuracy of exposure and colour. I deliberately left white balance on Auto, as I normally do, and very little adjustment was required in Lightroom.

The raw files were also remarkably sharp and clean. My sharpening adjustments were generally modest.

Exposure was straightforward. As always, I was careful not to clip highlights, but the enormous dynamic range made recovering shadows remarkably easy. The files remained clean with minimal noise.

I also processed the files using Lightroom on an 11-inch M1 iPad Pro, with similarly good results.

Overall versatility

My week with the GFX concentrated on landscape and nature photography, so I didn’t fully explore everything the camera can do.

I would have liked to spend more time testing AF Tracking and, particularly, the GF 500mm f/5.6. I would also love to take the camera to a place such as Paris or Hanoi and photograph at the edge of day and into the night, taking advantage of its high-ISO performance, stabilization and silent electronic shutter.

Can all of this be done with a smaller camera?

Absolutely.

Even an iPhone can produce remarkable photographs.

But something changes when you use a medium-format camera. There is a level of dedication and purposefulness that encourages you to make photographs rather than simply take them.

For me, using the GFX moved photography further away from the FOMO-driven culture of shooting quickly and seeking instant results. It encouraged a more contemplative approach.

Performance

Another way to think about the GFX is performance.

Cameras are similar to cars: you can drive almost any car, but some are faster, some more comfortable and some simply perform better. It’s like an audiophile who can hear the difference between high-end components, or a sommelier who can distinguish between vintages.

If I were a working professional who required exceptionally high-quality photographs every day, particularly where large prints were an important part of the job, I would seriously consider the Fujifilm system.

Think about 40 × 60-inch statement photographs hanging in boardrooms, offices and homes. These are the kinds of photographs many photographers are capable of making, yet may not have the opportunity to produce at the highest level. Have a look at the work of Francesco Cola, Todd Dominey, Andy Mumford, and Peter Delaney, and you’ll understand.

That is where a camera like the GFX 100S II makes sense.

For me, though, the most compelling aspect of the GFX isn’t simply the 102 megapixels, the dynamic range or the exquisite colour.

It’s the way the camera changes my approach to photography.

The OM-1 remains extraordinarily capable. Its small size, huge lens range, autofocus, speed and portability make it an exceptional tool, particularly for wildlife, birds, macro and situations where mobility matters.

The GFX is something different.

It encourages me to slow down, consider the scene, choose the lens deliberately, use a tripod when appropriate and wait for the right moment. It brings the intentionality of my old Pentax 67 and 4×5 cameras back into digital photography — without bringing all of their weight and inconvenience.

And perhaps that is the real achievement of the GFX 100S II.

It makes medium-format image quality accessible without demanding medium-format sacrifices.

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