A few years ago I came to the conclusion that digital cameras are technically so solid now, I see no point writing reviews. Cameras and lenses are nearly perfect in every field.

The only thing worth sharing is my personal experience using a camera. How it is built, how it feels, is it user friendly or not.

Things you won’t find out checking specs alone. Things you learn using the camera in real life for a certain period.

But then a bunch of video reviewers started populating the internet, some with big hair, funny T-shirts. They spend 5 minutes with a camera and produce a 30 minute video review.

I felt like ok, let’s forget about it all and dedicate Measuring Light to something different.

This something different became me writing whatever I feel like: using my old cameras, my new cameras, my life as a cyclist, my trips driving and flying around the world in the post-Covid era.

Random thoughts. And rumblings.

Then I bought the Fujifilm GFX100RF.

I spent a week shooting in Portugal with it. I carried this camera everywhere. Came back home happy with some jaw dropping pics.

This camera gave me the motivation to write about it extensively.

Care to know why, please continue reading..

Black or silver?

Not easy. Both look good to me.

A friend of mine put it in a clever way: the photographer shall choose black. The subject of the photographer shall choose silver.

After much thinking and consulting my wife – she is always right – I took silver. Black looks cool, professional and inconspicuous.

But silver is just so damn sexy.

Expensive?

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is not a cheap camera. But it’s relatively cheap for a medium format 102 MP beast with a lens included.

My only other camera with similar specs is the Hasselblad 907x 100c, which cost a lot more.

The Fujifilm GFX100RF set me back MOP$ 37 650 (USD$ 4705). With the same money you won’t buy the Hasselblad’s body, let alone a lens to shoot with.

Is the Fujifilm GFX100RF an expensive camera then? Everything is relative.

What’s in the box

Considering what’s in the box, the Fujifilm GFX100RF is a pretty good deal.

Apart from the body and lens – and frankly those would be good enough – Fuji decided to include a bunch of high quality goodies that will make you feel less guilty once you had burned the hole in your pocket.

Let’s check ’em out.

Lens cap

Out of the box the lens is unprotected – and beautiful. Nothing stops you shooting as is.

If this is the way you want to go, then you can use the metal lens cap matching the elegant finish of the lens and body. It has a velvet lining in the inside, smoothly and firmly securing the cap to the lens.

This lens cap looks and feels superb.

You may think I’m going overboard. It’s just a lens cap, right? Now read this: I have decades of experience with cameras.

My Canon top of the line L lenses came with cheap plastic caps. Same for my Leica lenses.

My 50mm Summilux – which is worth over 2/3 of the Fujifilm GFX100RF – came with a cheap plastic lens cap.

Single layer plastic caps, totally inconsistent with the price of the optics they are meant to protect.

Then there is the one from my wife’s Leica Q2, similar in design to this one from Fuji I’m praising now.

Only that the Leica’s cap is too large and falls off easily. It hit the ground so many times I lost count. That’s crap build from Leica, which is totally unacceptable given the price of the Q2.

So compliment where it’s due: the Fujifilm GFX100RF lens cap is superb.

Lens filter

If you need protection, there’s a dedicated lens filter in the box.

To screw it in, first you need to remove the original ring in the lens and replace it with an adaptor, which is also included in the box. Like the lens cap, it is made of metal and machined with the highest quality.

This adapter extends out of the lens quite a bit, increasing about 1/3 the lens’ original size.

With the adaptor and filter installed the camera becomes weather sealed.

Lens hood

And now the final touch for the lens, the cherry on top of the cake: the rectangular and super stylish metal lens hood.

Just like all aforementioned accessories, it’s extremely well built. It clicks reassuringly to the lens, keeping itself in the correct position, perfectly levelled, no tilt.

Looks so cool.

With the hood attached, the lens size further increases. While it looks cool and sure provides protection, you start thinking if it’s worth the trade-off in bulkiness.

Now for some reason, Fuji decided to ruin it all with a cheap black plastic cap for the hood. It’s a slide-in cap, totally out of place, looks horrible.

What were they thinking?

The good news is, you actually don’t need this cap. The lens is perfectly protected with the filter and the hood, so this cheap plastic cap can stay home.

Rope strap

These rope-style shoulder straps are trendy, especially for rangefinder cameras. This is never included in the box whatever camera you buy.

Trendiness is expensive, over USD$100 if you go for premium brands like Artisan & Artist.

No worries. Fuji got you covered now by including a high quality rope-style shoulder strap in the box.

I’m not using it, I much prefer my Peak Design strap with the clip-on system. So I can’t say if Fuji’s strap is good or not. But it does look cool and having it in the box is a bonus for sure.

Why worth highlighting

Because these goodies are high quality accessories. Having them as standard gives prestige to the product. You are paying your hard earned cash for a premium product and you are treated accordingly.

No need to pay extra, no need to search for 3rd party alternatives. The best accessories, all original from Fuji, are included for your camera’s best operation.

I remember when I bought my Sony RX1Rii – not a cheap camera – Sony was charging an extra USD$125 for the lens hood and USD$300 for the thumb grip. It was outrageous.

Even Fuji, with the most recent X100 VI you have to pay over USD$100 for the adaptor ring and hood.

So thank you Fuji for having these high quality accessories all included in the GFX100RF bundle.

What else?

Boring stuff. You get a battery and a high speed USB-C to USB-C charging cable. No external charger included, you use your camera to charge the battery.

Which to me is the most convenient way, because I have a box full of chargers from my many cameras and I dislike wasting time looking for the right charger.

I like the simplicity of connecting the USB-C cable to the camera to charge the battery.

And since we are here, the battery of the Fujifilm GFX100RF is quite durable for my needs. I was taking an average of 75 RAWs a day, draining only about 25% of the battery whenever I got back to the hotel at night. Did not experience any battery anxiety.

Look & feel

The Fujifilm GFX100RF feels very solid. It’s stiff, made of a single block of aluminum. It is extremely well built. There are no loose parts, everything fits perfectly.

The backscreen sits tightly flush to the body, looks neat. But it sits so flush, it’s hard to flip it out at times. Need to grow some nails… Once it flips out, nothing really new to report. It works just like any other camera.

The access doors in both sides of the body are flush as well. They are long and cleverly designed, their seams perfectly integrated with the body lines and thus less visible. I’m an architect and I understand how important these details are. At least to me.

You get the usual ports, including two SD card slots. Minimum requirement these days for a professional grade camera.

The bottom and top plates in silver look fantastic. The detail of the top plate, where it blends with the barrel type dials of the on/off and zoom switches, you can see how it’s built to perfection.

This camera looks and feels so different from other Fuji cameras I owned before: the X-E and X-Pro series… Even my previous medium format GFX50R doesn’t come close… The GFX100RF is far superior.

Weight & handling

It weighs 735 grams, but you hardly feel it. My advise: whatever the camera, take weight info for reference only. Because weight distribution and ergonomics must be taken into account.

The only way to assess weight properly is by holding the camera to understand how it feels in your hand.

Otherwise, please explain to me why from my own user experience, the Leica Q2 – similar weight – feels heavier than the Fujifilm GFX100RF.

The Fujifilm GFX100RF feels light due to a number of reasons.

Firstly, because the lens is super small, so the weight is mostly in the body. The absence of a heavy lens protruding from the body makes a difference. There is less bouncing, less stressing your neck and shoulders, less hitting my arms and surroundings.

Secondly, because the grip is very comfortable. You can hold the camera easily with one hand. And relax. It feels secure and light. This is a camera that you can carry around all day, without getting tired.

The camera is relatively small. To be honest, it’s not so different from a point & shoot. Really. Yes, a bit heavier and larger, but it makes you feel at ease.

You can compare sizes, compare it to full-frame mirrorless cameras or APS-C cameras. The footprint of the body may be larger, yes, but the small lens is a clear advantage. It’s not bulky like some interchangeable lens cameras. It felt portable in my hands.

Take it everywhere

Yes, this is a stylish and elegant camera, but take it to extreme environments and it will survive the beating for sure.

The way it is built and together with the included filter and hood attached to the lens, you can be sure the camera is well protected and ready for a rough ride if need be.

I’m not gentle with my cameras. I mean, I do take good care of them, but when I’m out shooting it’s not that I do it with big fluffy hands.

This Fuji GFX100RF spent a week with me in Portugal, I went hiking with my wife, the camera hit a few boulders and got a few bruises in the edges, but all good.

When the backseat of our small SUV had no space, I would just place the camera in the floor of the car. With the hood and the filter, I knew the lens was well protected. The camera body is built like a tank, it’s a solid brick. Nothing to worry about.

Interfacing

Fuji cameras are easy to use. And if, like me, you have experience using Fuji, you will feel right at home. The Fujifilm GFX100RF operates like any other Fuji.

The buttons feel extremely good, with good haptics. The ones in the back of the body, which are made of plastic, they just feel right. Not plasticky hard, not mushy soft. Much better than my X-Pro3.

As for the other dials and knobs that are silver colored and made of aluminum, they are well machined and beautiful to touch and look at. Very good built from Fuji indeed. They are easy to operate, not stiff like the Leica Q2 that require fingers made of steel.

I will not describe in detail what dial / knob / button does what. You can read elsewhere. Regardless, you can custom assign the buttons to different functions to suit you anyway. There are more than enough buttons and switches for you to assign.

It’s good for you if you can remember them all. Not for me, because I’m always switching cameras and unable to build the muscle memory for it. There’s the Q button for quick access to the main settings and this one alone is good enough for everything I need. Other than this, I have the button next to the shutter assigned to turn on / off the electronic level.

Similar to most high grade Fuji cameras, there is no PASM dial. Work out your shooting mode by setting different combinations allowed by the shutter speed dial and aperture ring. PASM modes are all there, old school style.

This is one of the reasons I switched to Fuji many years ago. I like aperture rings and shutter speed dials. I like their simplicity. I like checking my exposure settings at a glance through physical dials, not a digital interface. I like pre-adjusting the aperture ring when I’m preparing for a photo op.

And since I mentioned the aperture ring. It’s smooth, it works fine. There are two protrusions at each end of the aperture markings to help you turn the ring. They are useful because the ring is actually very close to the body. It’s a nice detail and, like every metal part in this camera, they are machined to perfection.

Menu system

It’s typical 21st century digital camera. Pages, subpages and sub-subpages for settings and options. No different from other Fujis. A place I rather not visit.

You can set things like Smooth Skin Effect or Grain Effect. I never play with those. Everything that feels computational to me, I’m not interested.

In this regard I much prefer my Hasselblad 907x 100c or my 16 year-old Leica M-E. I like the simplicity of their menus, the lack of bells & whistles. And I never get lost.

Minor issues

The joystick now is shaped like a disc with a rough surface for grip. It works well, but feels fragile and difficult to use at times. I much prefer Fuji’s earlier iteration: a small cylinder that sticks out like, well, a joystick. It provided better control and feel.

And the on/off collar switch surrounding the shutter button. While it feels right to the touch, so many times I found the camera accidentally turned on. It’s probably too loose. So remember to set Auto Off in the camera settings or it may drain out your battery.

EVF & backscreen

The EVF is huge and a pleasure to look at. It’s a 5.7 million dots OLED with 0.84x magnification. Same for the back screen LCD that features touch screen.

After shooting with this camera for a few days I noticed a visible brightness discrepancy between the EVF and the backscreen. The EVF is noticeably darker when both are set to their neutral brightness levels.

This made me feel uncomfortable when reviewing my shots: from the EVF a photo would look good, with the correct exposure, whereas same photo from the backscreen would look over-exposed. I don’t recall experiencing this with my medium format GFX50R.

Of course, you can always check histogram to assess the photo’s exposure. But I’m stubborn and I don’t like histogram graphics. To play safe I started shooting with EV compensation set to (-1). The good ol’ tactic of underexposing to recover in post.

But I was wrong. More on this below in Overexposing? section.

Shooting experience

You will forget in no time that this is a medium format camera.

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is light, fast and agile, perfectly comparable to smaller sensor cameras. And it’s so user-friendly. There is no start-up time: turn it on and it’s instantly ready.

Aperture ring and shutter speed dial are both on hand for adjustments. The EV dial is there for fast exposure control. You frame, select the AF point using the joystick and that’s it.

There is no shutter lag. Likewise, there is no file saving lag. A full size RAW is about 200 MB, but the camera saves it effortlessly to the SD card. There is no downtime.

Everything feels so easy and effortless. This camera is very transparent, there are no tricks, no secrets. As said, you will soon forget this is a 102MP, medium format beast.

I read somewhere that the AF is slow. Not sure why people say this? To be honest, I didn’t care to test the Fuji GFX100RF‘s AF speed. Because as soon as I started shooting the AF worked fine, always fast enough for what I was doing and there was never any hunting.

It got out of my way and let me focus (no pun intended…) on my shooting. I didn’t bother thinking about the camera’s AF, which I can only take as a good sign.

The leaf shutter… Shhh!

And oh, the leaf shutter. It’s so subtle you don’t want to believe. It’s totally silent and you feel no vibration at all. Talk about stealth. It even had me thinking if I was using the electronic shutter by mistake.

Absolutely no sound, no vibration.

This is a new to me and I have decades of experience using cameras. Not even my Hasselblad 907x 100c comes close. Several times I was taking photos of my wife and she was surprised the shot had already been taken. It’s unbelievable.

As a photographer who appreciates the mechanics of a camera, I guess a bit of shutter sound and vibration would be welcomed to feel the photo being taken? I haven’t quite made up my mind on this.

But surely this camera would be perfect in my summer pilgrimage trip. The shutter sound of my X-Pro3, while not very loud, was a rude distraction in churches where silence was observed.

The zoom feature

Yes, the much talked about Zoom feature of this camera, which is obviously a fake zoom. I’m sure you are aware of this, but for the record: it is not an optical zoom, it’s a digital crop-in taking advantage of the 102MP high resolution sensor.

The Fujifilm GFX100RF is not the first camera with such zoom feature and probably not the last. Previously in these posts here and here I brought up this topic. At that time it was about the Leica Q2 and I used my Sony RX1Rii and its full frame 42MP to make my point.

This Fuji now has 102MP to play with, so why not.

The sexy zoom switch below the shutter button is dedicated to this digital zoom. And people get excited, hallucinating and convincing themselves this is a real zoom since the zoom lever is so nicely build – like everything else in this camera.

It works like a step zoom. With each click, you “zoom in” from the lens’ native 28mm (full frame equiv.) to 35mm, 50mm and 63mm. The pixel count will drop progressively to 62MP, 31MP and 20MP, respectively.

There are options on how to visualize your cropped FOV in the EVF and back screen. There is semi-transparent mode; or frame lines, rangefinder style, without changing the magnification.

Otherwise, you can set the camera to just zoom in by magnifying the cropped area. In theory this would be my preferred option, as it resembles a real optical zoom.

Only that the cropped-in image in the EVF and back screen is, logically, a digital magnification, losing resolution and quality. All of a sudden you are seeing these unattractive large pixels.

In JPEG the camera will save the file with the digital crop. What you see is what you get.

But in RAW the camera will always save the full sensor size. Still, the metadata is there allowing you to see the intended crop frame in the camera screen or in a computer using Fujifilm X Raw Studio, Lightroom or Capture One.

How useful is this? I’m not sure because I mostly shoot RAW. But for the sake of this review, I switched to JPEG mode at times just to play with this feature (as well as Aspect Ratios and Film Simulations).

Concerning the (fake) zoom, I have to admit zooming to 35mm FOV with 62 MP on hand is usable for sure.

Now further zooming in and the lower resolutions… It depends on your needs. But if you are buying a 102 MP medium format camera with a native 28mm lens to shoot in cropped mode, going as far as 63mm with only 20MP… I’d say you bought the wrong camera.

Play with aspect ratios

This one is getting so much hype as well. Like many digital cameras out there, you can change the aspect ratio: 4:3, 5:4, 7:6, 1:1, 3:4, 17:6, 65:24, 16:9, and 3:2.

But the Fujifilm GFX100RF has a dedicated dial for the purpose. Like the zoom, people all get crazy with this.

I’m not saying this is not good. But you know it already that if you shoot RAW, nothing happens because whatever aspect ratio you choose, the camera will save the RAW file in its native size, full sensor.

In fact, if your camera is set to RAW, it won’t even let you visualize the different aspect ratios. Nothing happens to the EVF and backscreen when you turn the aspect ratio dial. Hmmm…

Set to JPEG and, like in zoom mode, you have the options to visualize the cropped image.

Film simulations

You can’t review a Fuji camera without writing a few lines about the film simulations.

There’s a total of 20 simulation modes to choose from. For a full list and what exactly they do in terms of colours, go check in Fuji’s official site or other places.

I’d done this in the past for fun when I bought the GFX50R. There are more simulations now, but I’m not into testing them all.

Again, if you shoot in RAW, nothing happens to your file… So either you shoot in JPEG and play with the simulations, or you shoot RAW and apply the simulations in post using Lightroom or Fujifilm X Raw Studio. They are all there.

The film recipes from Fuji are actually cool. They can turn a rather mundane image into… Well, into something with feel and less mundane.

My favorites are CLASSIC NEG and ETERNA. Sometimes I play with VELVIA for extra saturation. Not always to my liking, a bit over for my taste. But just for fun it’s okay.

For black & white there is ACROS with Yellow Filter (yes, there is this option!) for enhanced contrast.

Image quality

Yes, image quality. The fundamental criteria in every camera. And yet the one there is not much to write about.

Why?

Because every camera now in 2025 delivers excellent image quality. The Fujifilm GFX100RF is no exception, it delivers probably more than what you need from a technical standpoint.

The built-in lens is excellent, corner to corner sharpness is guaranteed. There is no visible light fall off. Distortions are rectified digitally.

Yes, the lens is f/4 only, so what? You can crank up the ISO as you wish and noise is under good control. I have Auto ISO set to 3200 max and I’m conservative. I know most people set a higher ceiling.

Yet f/4 is perfectly usable under a good range of conditions even when light is scarce.

This is medium format and the camera’s native 35mm, f/4 lens works as a 28mm, f/3.2 equivalent in full frame.

Get close to your subject and you can even get some bokeh. The minimum focusing distance is 20 cm only, which is quite amazing. With the 102 MP sensor, you can magnify to the point of macro.

In fact, with such resolution any photo may unintentionally turn into a macro keeper.

Some people say f/4 is a shortcoming. Similarly, they criticise Fuji for the lack of IBIS. I think these people just care about specs, always looking for so-called flaws.

None of these are a problem to me. The camera performs flawlessly as is. Add a faster lens and IBIS, you are adding weight and camera size. You lose portability.

Back to image quality. The files coming out of this camera are clinical. There is micro-contrast. There is sharpness. There is crazy resolution and magnification power.

As always, Fuji excels in skin colour. I’ve used Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Leica, Hasselblad… They are all good, but when it comes to skin colour, Fuji is the best.

There is ASTIA film simulation known for its soft, natural colours, low saturation, ideal for portraits and smooth skin tones.

But to me standard PROVIA mode is still the best, skin tones are always excellent and pleasant.

And to those who say oh, you won’t spot the difference between medium format and full frame.

Totally not true.

Trust me, you will see the difference because there is a difference.

The files coming out of the Fujifilm GFX100RF are perfect, so perfect you start thinking where is the fun of all this?

And I’m being serious here. It’s like a person that is so perfect, you start thinking he is boring, lacks personality.

The reason for this is that I can’t help but to compare the Fujifilm GFX100RF to my Hasselblad 907x 100c.

Both are medium format with 100 MP sensors. Both are coupled to wide angle lenses with maximum f/4 aperture (the Hassy is not a fixed lens camera, but I have an XCD 4/28P lens). Both lack IBIS.

And comparing the image quality from both… I much prefer the Hasselblad’s output. Colours are deeper, more vivid, but not VELVIA like, not to the point of being over-saturated. They are intense, but realistic and natural.

Then there is the light fall-off. Yes, you may call it a lens imperfection, but I like the character it gives to the images.

The Hasselblad’s files are distinctive straight out of camera. There’s this magic, this special ambiance in each photo. Whatever you shoot, whichever way you point the camera to, it will look unique.

And the Fujifilm GFX 100RF lacks this magic.

Does this mean I dislike the Fuji, I’m not happy with the photos I’m getting with this camera?

Not at all. I’m perfectly happy with the Fuji’s output and during my one week break in Portugal, I captured so many beautiful shots.

It’s just that, after over two decades playing with digital cameras, having experienced the evolution of digital imaging from the initial noisy and pixelated outputs to what prosumer cameras are offering today, we had long reached a plateau where image quality perfection is plentiful and no longer something to be excited about.

Therefore, while I still appreciate clinical outputs from cameras like this Fujifilm GFX100RF, my appetite now falls towards outputs with more character and personality.

To this point, let’s be clear that I’m not referring to sub-standard images from cheap cameras and artsy-fartsy filters. There is a difference between those and the outputs from quality products like my aforementioned Hasselblad or, say, a Leica Summaron-M28 f/5.6 lens.

Overexposing?

Most cameras nowadays have a tendency to overexpose while shooting outdoors. The common strategy is to underexpose by 1 stop, and then pull out the details in post if need be.

I did the same with this camera and, to my surprise, when I got back home I realised 95% of the photos were actually too underexposed. Meaning that there was no need to set the EV to (-1) since the camera was exposing the shots correctly.

A had just a few overexposed photos. Working on the RAW files, I realised I could fully recover the blown out areas. I was not expecting this.

This was for sure a pleasant revelation. Frankly, I guess I never worked in a RAW file offering this flexibility. Or perhaps this is nothing new and I was just not aware of it in other cameras?..

This is something for me to check. But as of now, I know I can do this with the Fujifilm GFX100RF.

RAW or JPEG

As mentioned, some features of this camera mean nothing if you shoot RAW: zoom, aspect ratio, film simulations… You get those only when you shoot JPEG.

And now the question is: should I still shoot RAW only, ignoring what JPEG has to offer? Am I missing the fun?

I remember some years back when I bought the X-Pro3, I made a point of shooting JPEG so that I could play with the film simulations. But after a while, I went back to shooting RAW.

Now with the Fujifilm GFX100RF, should I reconsider JPEG?

To answer this question, I made an objective analysis. Starting with my workflow, I made a comparison between the RAW files processed with Lightroom and Fuji X RAW Studio.

Since Lightroom has a plug-in for Fujifilm that includes all film simulations and camera matching settings, in theory – so I thought – the processed images would look the same between both apps?

Well, not really. While the differences were subtle, I realised I much preferred the RAW conversions from Fuji X RAW Studio.

Now here’s the catch: in fact, Fuji X RAW Studio uses the camera’s internal image processor for RAW file conversion. This is why your camera needs to stay connected to the computer via USB.

Then why not just shoot JPEG and get the files directly from the camera?..

I’m obviously disregarding the fact that Fuji X RAW Studio is not an image editor like Lightroom. If you are a professional who needs to edit your files in detail, then forget what I’m saying here.

But if, like me, you are just a hobbyist, then trust me you don’t need RAW because the JPEGs are perfect SOC and you can edit them anyway, they are perfectly workable.

(I know editing a JPEG is different from editing a RAW. But trust me I know what I’m saying).

If you are still not sure, you can always shoot RAW+JPEG, save the files in separate SD cards (remember the camera has two slots) and get the best of both worlds.

Bottom line

It’s been a long review, my intent was to share my experience using this camera in real life during my one week trip in Portugal.

So what are my key take aways?

I think Fuji definitely did not disappoint with the GFX100RF. This is an impressive product, bringing real portability and ease of use to a 102 MP medium format camera.

Some hard decisions had to be taken in order to achieve this, namely to drop IBIS and to use a modest lens aperture. While controversial, in real world usage I saw no issues and Fuji was right to go this way.

The GFX100RF is probably the best camera Fuji had produced in terms of build quality. It is definitely on par with the likes of Leica and Hasselblad. Same premium feel, same superb quality, but costing considerably less.

Plus, Fuji was generous enough to include a set of high quality accessories!

Now the image quality. While technically perfect, it lacks the magic I get with my Hasselblad. But this is not necessarily a negative comment.

I can still get superb photos with the Fuji. Furthermore, I can play with the film simulations and get a distinctive Fuji look – dare I say.

Each camera is different and this is how things should be. Personally, I prefer the feel I get from my Hasselblad. But it does not mean the Fuji is inferior. It’s just different.

But now here’s something worth highlighting: in terms of practicality, the Fuji wins hands down.

If I am travelling, if I know I’ll be trail hiking for 5 hours with unstable weather, or visiting a crowded city where I have to push away people to get into the bus… The Fuji is the camera I will take with me everyday.

Frankly, what’s not to like about this camera?

It’s small, light, portable, easy to use, delivers excellent image quality.

It’s perfect.

And it’s so damn sexy!