Fujifilm GFX 50S II Review

Fuji GFX 50S II Review

The Affordable Fujifilm GFX Camera

In the spring of 2021, Fujifilm introduced the now popular Fujifilm GFX 100S, $5,999.00, a 102-megapixel marvel of a camera.

While almost everyone would agree the GFX 100S is a very attractive camera in the larger-than-full-frame segment, it is also on the expensive end of the spectrum, especially when adding a lens or two to the equation.

Fujifilm had already created a solid platform with the GFX 100S camera body, now including IBIS, and in-body image stabilization, and with the introduction in September 2021 of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II, they have offered a less expensive alternative, featuring a 51.4-megapixel sensor as seen in the Fujifilm GFX 50S and Fujifilm GFX 50R.

Fujifilm Canada kindly lent me a Fujifilm GFX 50S II, the new GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR, GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR, and GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR for my review. First up, is the GFX 50S II, and I will follow up with a closer look at each of the lenses in the following weeks. Please note the GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR used in this review is a pre-production copy.

Landscape photography with a Fujifilm GFX 50S and GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR at English Bay in Vancouver, BC, Canada. — Fujifilm GFX 50S II shown with the articulating rear LCD screen and a Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 R LM OIS WR.

Introduction

Affordability was the buzzword at the introduction of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II. It is the most affordable GFX camera to date. When paired with the, also newly announced, Fujinon GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR a GFX camera suddenly seems within reach. A fine GFX starter kit indeed.

The new GF 35-70mm was introduced at $999.00 but when bundled with GFX 50S II the additional cost is a manageable $500.00 and at the time this article was written it retailed for $4,499.00.

Unless you are dead against zoom lenses the bundle looks like a no-brainer, and if you pick up the kit and decide to sell the GF 35-70mm, later on, you can probably make a small profit and effectively lower the cost of your GFX 50S II.

Joggers head out on a December afternoon along the Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver by Coal Harbour. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II — Coal Harbour, Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR @ f/18

Fujifilm GFX 50S II Specs

51.4-Megapixel CMOS sensor (44x33mm)
X-Processor 4 image processor
IBIS with 6.5 stops
Weight: 2 lb / 900 g (body with battery and memory cards)
1.8 lb / 821 g (body only)
A new PASM mode dial
3 fps. continues shooting
117-point contrast-detection AF system
19 film simulations including the new Nostalgic Neg
EVF: 3.69M dot, 0.77x magnification
LCD: 3.2" 2.36m-dot tilting touchscreen
NP-235 battery - Same as the Fujifilm X-T4
Video: 1080p 30p

Snow day out with three cameras. The Canon AV-1 with FD 50mm f/1.8, Fujifilm GFX 50S II with GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR, Fujifilm X-Pro3 with XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR — Snow day with three cameras. The Canon AV-1 with an FD 50mm f/1.8, Fujifilm GFX 50S II with a GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR, Fujifilm X-Pro3 with the XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR.

Handling the GFX 50S II

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is virtually identical in appearance and feels just like a GFX 100S. I suggest you check out my review of the GFX 100S in order to read my impressions of this camera also.

Without repeating myself too much from the GFX 100S review it was a nice reunion with this button layout, deep grip, and overall solid feel of the camera and perhaps it goes without saying the GFX 50S II feels just as good as the Fujifilm GFX 100S without corners being cut.

A classic Chevrolet on a snow day in Vancouver. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II. — Chevy in the snow, Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR @ f/5.6, 40mm

I had ample time to properly set up some of the custom buttons for this review and especially found that the rear command dial works great as an exposure compensation dial.

The main command dials can toggle to trigger different functions. For instance, I had the front command dial toggling between ISO and f-stop.

This can be either a handy feature or in some cases a disadvantage as I quite often, and inadvertently, would bump the dial and ended up changing ISO values when I really wanted to adjust the f-stop.

It is good to know you have ways to customize and with more time I am sure I would have the settings streamlined for my use.

Vancouver Skyline. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR @ f/8

The articulating three-way tilting 3.2" 2.36m dot touchscreen LCD feels sturdy but my test period was near the end of December and on a couple of occasions, adjusting it wearing gloves, was a bit fiddly. The more I used it the better I adapted.

The new NP-W235 battery is good for 440 shots but the camera does not come with a battery charger and I had to charge the battery in-camera. A first for me.

I would suggest a separate charger, preferably charging two batteries simultaneously. With that said I got used to charging the battery in-camera surprisingly fast. Fujifilm has the Fujifilm BC-W235 dual battery charger or you can find less expensive third-party brands.

My tester came with just one battery which had me slightly worried but I never did run out of power, typically being out for a few hours at a time. If I was to head out for a full day or for a gig two batteries would be a bare minimum.

Fujifilm GFX 50S II in Action

Let me address the elephant in the room right away. The Fujifilm GFX 50S II features a 117-point contrast-detection autofocus system and it is less efficient than most current cameras on the market in the full-frame or APS-C segment.

Does this mean the GFX 50S II cannot autofocus? Absolutely not. For the majority of the sample images in this review, I had no problems acquiring focus.

The GFX 50S II locks in confidently and I would say it is rather fast in good light. It does however struggle in lower light conditions and a lack of confidence starts to show.

Street hockey at English Bay Beach in Vancouver. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II — Sunset Beach, Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR @ f/4

Fujifilm GFX 50S II for Sports

I had two scenarios where autofocus abilities were somewhat challenged. The first was for an impromptu street hockey game on English Bay. I tested autofocus here with the GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR.

Admittedly I only spent a few minutes at the rink as it was at the end of a long and cold walk. For static scenes, it locked in fine but for tracking, there are better options out there.

I feel fairly confident had I spent more time I would have come away with a few more keepers but if sports or wildlife were my main topics the GFX 50S II would not be my first choice.

Although on paper, supposedly the GFX 100S should be better for sports I had similar struggles when pushing the tracking capabilities when I reviewed it. Let’s face it, this is not where these GFX cameras excel and not why people buy them in the first place.

Fujifilm GFX 50S II for Portraits

We did a very quick portrait of Simon (see below) on Christmas Eve. There was no time to put up a proper backdrop and instead, we settled on a grey sheet slung over a door. Simon is lit with two Elinchrom strobes, one key light with an Elinchrom Rotalux Deep Octabox 100 cm on his right, and a square 66 cm softbox behind to his left. So far, so good.

This, however, was the second scenario where I was a bit alarmed over the autofocus performance. At first, it really struggled in our dim living room light, and only after I pointed an Ikea studio lamp at Simon did the AF performance improve. But I would not say it was confident. Unfortunately.

Studio portrait photography is one of the areas where the GFX the 50S II should excel but plan ahead and make sure you have a good secondary light source to light your model.

A portrait of Simon Svane Als. Sample image from Fujifilm GFX 50S II — Simon, Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR @ f/5.6, 70mm

GFX 50S II - A Good Tripod Camera?

I rarely use a tripod but found myself enjoying two or three outings with the GFX 50S II where I dug out my Manfrotto BeFree tripod.

Slowing down and composing the images from the LCD, using the two-second self-timer, and not worrying about longer shutter speeds were a nice departure from my usual approach.

The GFX 50S II does not have to be tripod mounted but I can certainly see the benefit of approaching photography more meticulously with the GFX 50S II as it produces impressive results when you do so.

Landscape photographers will appreciate the subtle details in the shadows and the ability to pull details out of your image in post-production with excellent dynamic range.

The pier at the North Vancouver Shipyards is festively decorated with Christmas lights. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II — North Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR @ f/7.1, 70 mm

Street Photography With the GFX 50S II

You would normally not put the Fujifilm GFX 50S II in the category of cameras for street photography but I think this perception has changed in the last few years as larger than full-frame cameras are getting more compact.

In my GFX 100S review, I was complaining about the weight of the camera in comparison to my Fujifilm X-Pro3, and while this statement still holds true I have become more accustomed to heavier cameras again after trying a few GFX and full-frame cameras lately.

The X-Pro3 will be stealthier and easier on your back but the GFX 50S II is certainly capable of street photography, especially if you are looking for richer details in the environment or architecture. I found autofocus speed adequate for the type of street photography I did.

Two men cross the street by Victory Square and the Dominion Building in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S ii — Dominion Building, Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR @ f/6.4, 36 mm

Fujifilm GFX 100S vs. GFX 50S II

With the camera body platform being equal between the GFX 50S II and GFX 100S it gets tricky to see which camera is right for you. The price difference is $2,000.00 and here in Canada for some reason, it is actually more at USD $2,240.00.

The extra $2,000.00 buys you double the number of megapixels, and gets you a BSI, backside illuminated sensor, with phase-detect autofocus, it has 4K video vs. HD on the GFX 50S II, and the GFX 100S shoots 5 fps. vs. 3 fps. for the 50S II.

If money is no object obviously the GFX 100S sounds appealing but it is not for everyone. If your genre or workflow demands you to capture a large number of frames, ie. events, weddings, documentary photography, and in some cases portrait sessions, the 50-megapixel files will be significantly easier on your workflow and the quality of the files will likely be sufficiently excellent for many of us.

The ability to crop your images is quite good with the GFX 50S II but will obviously be even better with the GFX 100S.

If the utmost and best image quality is paramount, if you print large photos, or if you plan to do any serious video work, and you have the computing power and storage, the GFX 100S will be for you.

A tripod mounted Fujifilm GFX 50S II with a Fujifilm GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR — The Fujifilm GFX 50S II shown with a Fujinon GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR

Fujifilm GFX 50S II - Image Quality

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II inherits the sensor from its predecessor, the GFX 50S, and the same sensor is also found in the GFX 50R which I reviewed in late 2019.

The first time I heard of this sensor was at Photokina in Germany for the introduction of the Fujifilm GFX 50S in September 2016 meaning, at this point the sensor is at least 5+ years old.

Technology moves at warp speed and five years is a considerable period of time. But have sensors really improved that much in the last few years?

ISO performance has been improved but it has been good for a number of years now and I still marvel over some of the images from my 12.8-megapixel Canon EOS 5D from 2007.

Overall the image quality from the Fujifilm GFX 50S II is very pleasing, organic, and rich in detail. I am glad they added the Nostalgic Neg. film simulation. It is my most often used film simulation for the sample images in this review.

An MSC container ship is anchored at English Bay in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II — English Bay, Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR @ f/8

Conclusion

Kudos to Fujifilm for not skimping on the overall quality of the camera body in comparison to the GFX 100S and it appears they have even improved the IBIS, now good for 6.5 stops, a crucial upgrade from the GFX 50S or GFX 50R.

Used prices for the discontinued Fujifilm GFX 50R currently hover around $2K to $2,200.00. If you can find a good copy I do find this an attractive proposition given the fact it has the same sensor as the GFX 50S II.

Mind you it will not have IBIS or the same ergonomics and the overall experience will not be the same as the GFX 50S II but in many scenarios, you should be able to create images of equal quality.

A cyclist on the Stanley Park Seawall by Coal Harbour at sunset in Vancouver, Canada. Sample image from a Fujifilm GFX 50S II — Coal Harbour, Vancouver. Fujifilm GFX 50S II, GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR @ f/5.6

Choosing between the GFX 100S and GFX 50S II you should take a close look at your needs and of course, double-check your budget as things do add up for an entire kit. Keep in mind the bundle deal for the GFX 50S II including the GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR. I enjoyed using this new kit zoom, albeit with a few limitations. More about this in my upcoming review.

Pricewise the GFX 50S II is on a level playing field with contenders in the full-frame segment such as the Canon EOS R5. If video is important to you or if the bulk of your photography is action-related, sports, or wildlife I suggest taking a closer look at the Canon EOS R5 or one of Fujifilm’s X Series cameras.

But if still photography is your game and you are looking for something special, an organic film-like experience that is hard to duplicate with smaller sensors I urge you to try out or rent a GFX camera before making a final decision.

Pros

Great build quality, identical to the GFX 100S
IBIS, in-body image stabilization
Film-like image quality
New Nostalgic Neg. film simulation

Cons

Lack of phase-detect autofocus
Lacklustre video specs

Please see the sample images below.

Price / Availability

Thank you for reading my review. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support us, you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below. A small commission goes to us and helps us keep the wheels turning at 5050 Travelog.

Check the current price at B&H Photo

Fujifilm GFX 50S II - B&H Photo

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Fujifilm GFX 50S II - Sample Images

Below are sample images from Vancouver. The images are processed in Capture One. Some photos may be slightly cropped and I used Fujifilm film simulations, such as Nostalgic Neg. and Acros.

Please click to view larger images.