Right from the start Fujifilm has considered its mirrorless medium format system its answer to full frame… only bigger. Early on, it used the term ‘super full-frame’ for its 33x44 mm sensor size before trumping everything and adopting ‘large format’… which, of course, it isn’t, but it emphasises the message that bigger is better. Big sensors cost big money, so it’s taken a while for Fujifilm to get a GFX series body into the ballpark in terms of competing with the top-end full-frame mirrorless cameras on price. This has always been an important objective because, in reality, for anybody spending upwards of $5,000 on a new camera, sensor size probably isn’t everything. The GFX 100S makes it mark because it has 102MP on tap, which is something no full-frame camera can match, so it’s easier to justify a price tag that’s close to five figures.
Fifty megapixels is still impressive, but it puts the GFX 50S II up against around eight full-frame models with resolutions in the range of 45MP to 61MP, which means pricing becomes more critical. Launched at $6,499, the 50S II is cheaper than four of the current full-frame bodies (the Nikon Z 9 will also likely be more expensive) and about the same money as the Canon EOS R5, ignoring any discounting. Here then, it really can compete on sensor size – and hence pixel size, which is really what’s more important – as the counter to the areas where full-frame cameras are ahead (chiefly in shooting speeds and AF capabilities). It’s also telling that, for the first time in digital medium format, there’s a ‘kit’ lens offering – the also new GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR zoom – which indicates Fujifilm is gearing up its attempts to seduce potential converts to mirrorless away from full frame. The kit price values the GF 35-70mm at a mere $800 (Fujifilm Australia has yet announced a standalone price, but it’s hard to see it being this cheap), so this really is a bargain entry point to digital medium format photography. There are run-out deals going around on the GFX 50R – which uses the same sensor – that represent a bit more of a saving, but this model is now over three years old so it doesn’t have all the later goodies that are packed into the GFX 50S II. That said, it does have even better compactness on its side, so it’s still worth considering if you’re contemplating a step (or maybe two) up in sensor size.
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