FUJIFILM GFX 100 II.

FOR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH (ALMOST) NO COMPROMISE.

October 16, 2025.
The Fujifilm GFX 100 II medium format professional photographic camera was first introduced to the public on September 12, 2023. It became the main camera in my atelier two years later, in August 2025.

The GFX 100 II is very similar to my previous ►GFX 100 S II, so in this article I will focus only on what is important to me and what is different from the S model.


IMAGE SENSOR.
The sensor is a slightly different type than the S. It allows for faster readout and I think it has even greater dynamic range. The main is exactly the same: 102 / 406 Mpx, 48-bit RAW, 4 : 3 aspect ratio, 11 648 x 8736 pixels.


QUALITY OF PHOTOGRAPHIES.
Very similar to the S, really amazing. It's rare for me to distinguish a photograph taken with a certain camera from another at first glance, even in a small preview; this is almost the rule with any GFX photographic camera. Spaciousness, intense urgency and pure calm of colors, perfect drawing of details, very good dynamics.


VIEWFINDER.
The GFX 100 II viewfinder is one of the best electronic viewfinders ever. I don't know of any other photographic camera, that would allow you to reduce the size of the viewfinder display from the basic 1.0(!)x. No, it's not a typo, it really does. This is mainly because of colleagues who wear glasses, who therefore have their eyes further apart and could already have the edges of the view hidden. But even without glasses, you sometimes have to literally look around in this viewfinder, it's like you're watching a large cinema canvas. Both original round eyecups from Fuji are nice, but shallow. For me, the only option is the square Kiwi eyecup, which really surrounds your eye, perfectly blocks out ambient light and allows you to immerse yourself in the preview without interference. The huge resolution of 9 440 000 dots also contributes to the overall amazing impression. I don't need to add, that the viewfinder covers 100% of the frame.

But it doesn't end there. The viewfinder can be easily removed and removed from the body. This is very useful, for example, if the viewfinder is irreparably damaged. Simply order a new one and replace it. If you are photographing without a viewfinder or using a large external monitor (practical, for example, when photographing architecture), you can cover the fasteners and connectors for the viewfinder on the body with the included cover and leave the viewfinder at home.

The second unique option is to use the Fujifilm EVF-TL1 viewfinder adapter. It attaches to the body and the viewfinder is inserted into it. This brings back the inspiring feature of film cameras with a shaft, where you can hold the device at waist height and compose the photograph from above, with your head down. Of course, you can also do this by flipping out the rear monitor, but on a bright sunny day the viewfinder is irreplaceable and that's when the adapter comes in very handy.


VERTICAL GRIP FUJIFILM VG-GFX100 II.
It is a faithful copy of the handle on the camera body, so it is quite large, which is only good. Thanks to this, it also connects perfectly with the camera and holds it absolutely amazingly after its installation. Of course, there are many buttons and controls. Two Fujifilm NP-W235 batteries can be inserted into the shovel inside the holder. If that is not enough, we can even place a third battery in the camera body. This way, they can still be left and charged via the USB-C connector. I do not use the battery in the body, two in the holder are enough for me and the Fujifilm BC-W235 desktop charger is really excellent. The rear monitor shows the capacity of all three batteries graphically and in percentage, which is great. A discharged battery is displayed in red. The power supply automatically switches to the next battery, there is not the slightest fluctuation, we don't notice it at all. The batteries are switched from left to right, which is the opposite for the Japanese, but logical for the European.


CONTROLS.
For incomprehensible reasons, Fujifilm decided not to use the four-button cross on the back panel of its newer GFX series cameras (there is plenty of space here, the ►GFX 50S also had this cross), which is common on most X series cameras. The cross is ideal for navigating menus, various functions can also be assigned to individual buttons too. With the new GFX, however, we are only dependent on the lever, which is primarily intended to select focus points. On my 100 II, the lever responds better, more smoothly and precisely than on my previous 100 S II, but it is still not the ideal way. I do not like touch controls on photographic cameras, so I can only hope, that Fujifilm will add either the aforementioned four-button cross to the next generation of GFX, or, best of all, a combination of a wheel with a multi-directional controller, perhaps similar to the ones on the back of the ►Sony A7RX/A7X cameras.



Since most GF lenses have a separate aperture ring, the camera controls can be set up easily, clearly and simply. I have been using only manual mode, M, for many years.

I use the front dial to set the exposure time (overexposed areas blink before exposure, no need to wait for the preview of the captured image). I set the aperture with the aforementioned ring on the lens and use the rear dial to select the ISO sensitivity.

The buttons under the fingers of my right hand turn on and off the four-channel histograms and the single-axis or dual-axis electronic spirit level.

The three buttons by the shutter release button have the following functions assigned by me (from left): 1. optical stabilization mode, 2. shutter type menu, and 3. white balance menu. Of course, the controls on the vertical grip are exactly the same.


THE ONLY, BUT SIGNIFICANT DEFECT.
The Fujifilm GFX 100 II suffers from the same disease as 99% of today's cameras. It is a so-called hybrid device, i.e. a combination of a photographic and a video camera. I find this really unnecessary for a medium format GFX and it bothers me, very much. The only good thing is, that the video settings in the menus usually only appear (not 100%, some are annoying even in the photographic menus), when the camera is in video mode. So, probably, because the Stills / Movie switch on my camera has never been in Movie position and can no longer be, I locked it in the only correct position for me - Photography.

The aforementioned switch, an absurdly large and dominant element on the left of the top panel, is extremely annoying. It is primarily a matter of forcible emphasis and reckless imposition of something, that the photographer does not want. It wouldn't be a smallest problem to let the customer, if he/she really need this switching, assign it to a control element themselves, just like the other functions. Again, an idea for another model.

And to be clear, dear Fuji, I don't care, if the PHOTOGRAPHIC camera can create movies in 8K or 37.59K, VRR or GRRR, it bothers me, I don't want it and just throw it away. Feel free to make e.g. one purely photographic model and the other a hybrid model, if it's so terribly important to you, it's not a problem at this price level.

So I wonder, what about the new Fujifilm Eterna camera, which, by the way, has the exact same image sensor as the GFX 100 II? Of course I assume, it is equipped with a photographic shutter release button and absolutely all the necessary photographic controls and functions! And if not, I'll buy a flashy baseball cap, wave my arms, as if I want to fly off, and start stubbornly spreading videos on the internet, where I'll jump around and constantly shout, that it's time for Fujifilm to finally start taking photography seriously!


HASSELBLAD IS DEFINITELY DONE WITH VIDEO AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ONLY ON PHOTOGRAPHY.
Hasselblad recently introduced its X2D II 100C, which, almost miraculously and amazingly, is the only pure photographic camera (and perhaps really the only one at that, it's either seriously terrifying, or an absurd comedy). If this camera had existed before I bought the GFX, I would almost certainly have sent my money to Sweden. So I'll see, which path Fujifilm takes in the future. I'll definitely be happy to follow Hasselblad and support its worthy anti-hybrid actions.

And let me make no mistake, I have absolutely nothing against moving images, quite the opposite. A great movie can be an amazing experience. But at the level I am photographing, you need a full crew, actors, production, and a big budget. And I can assure you, that the cameramens, who will be part of this crew, will use the aforementioned Eterna, Sony Venice, Burano, Red V-Raptor XL, etc. In other words, top-of-the-line movie cameras, that are really not professional photographic cameras in the slightest, simply not at all. So why should it be the other way around? Why should I, heck, have a video camera crammed into the professional photographic medium format camera? And instead of two other useful custom buttons, an oversized, completely unnecessary switch, which is there anyway mainly, so that everyone can see at first glance, that the manufacturer takes viiiiideo seriously? So why? Just because it is possible? Because this is now fashionable at cheap cameras and mid-range gear? I hope not. A lot of things are possible. But that does not mean, that it is good and right. After all, those coveted profits, for which all this is of course happening and for which photographers have been persecuted and pushed into the background for a long time, can very quickly turn into red numbers.


CONCLUSION.
Fujifilm GFX 100 II is an amazing photographic camera. According to many (and my experience only confirms it) in terms of the joining of photographic quality, resolution, lenses, control and price, it is the best camera in the world. Although this statement may sound exaggerated, it is based on a combination of all the above circumstances. And in addition to the almost absolute image quality, the price is the crucial factor, that pushes the GFX technology to the top. Of course, it is not cheap, but it is certainly, even by medium format standards, relatively affordable.

The GFX is now also the only photographic system with an electronic viewfinder, that has its native tilt-shift lenses, without the need for an adapter. And both are truly top-notch. Etc.

The only imaginary toad in your receiver, apart from the missing four-button cross control on the rear panel, is the unwanted hybridization with the video camera. However, Fujifilm, the creator and manufacturer of a whole range of beautiful devices with classic controls, has something to build on here. Basically, it's enough to create a separate line of only and exclusively pure photographic medium format cameras, called e.g. GRX. Hybrid models will by e.g. GHX or the existing GFX, and for cinematographers there is the already mentioned Eterna.

And what if, on the contrary, photography will be further suppressed in favor of a video? Or will I simply run out of patience with the hybrid camera? Fortunately, there is a way, finally. 日本に別れを告げる (Nihon ni wakare o tsugeru) och åker till Sverige. *)

*) I say goodbye to Japan and will go to Sweden.


© Martin Mojzis, 2025.
Images: © Fujifilm, © Victor Hasselblad AB.

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