Fuji GFX100S Pros & Cons
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- I’ve had use of the Fujifilm GFX100S medium format camera with a Fuji 110 F2 lens for a whole week and have done several small photo shoots on it so I thought I’d give you my personal evaluation of the camera.
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Surprised I missed this review, top content as always Nigel
Thanks, James.
Thank you very much for the honesty of your review.
You are welcome, and thank you.
I received my GFX 100s on March 2 this year. So far I’ve only shot about 300 frames as I’ve been working on setting it up. My favorite function; the C1-C6 dial. I know that sounds trite but for almost three years I’ve been shooting with my GFX 50r and my XH1. Today I broke out the 50r and installed a recipe for the Nostalgic Neg which comes built in on the 100s. I love it so much that it is my default for all my 100s presets except C1 which is set up for landscapes. I tested the NN recipe I found online and it came rather close to the 100s recipe. I will say that shooting with the 50r always makes me smile. The heft and feel of the camera, so reminiscent of the XPRO 1,2,3 and the sound of that shutter… mmmm mmmmm mmmmm. Tomorrow I’m going to a shoot and I’m leaving the 100s at home. I’m packing the 59r, the 30mm, the 45mm and my all-time favorite lens the 100-200 zoom.
Thanks a lot for going deeper into what everybody else has just left aside.
You're welcome, Tomás
Thank you for sharing the opening of the bottom plate. This was helpful! I discovered that weakness myself just tapping on the camera when fixed on a solid tripod head through the SmallRig L-bracket, there was quite a play between them. I sent the camera to the Fujifilm service center in Portugal and they returned it after a repair, I can't say what they did but the problem doesn't seem to be totally fixed although a little improvement seems to be visible. As a work around I decided to buy a different L-bracket that has a second contact point with the camera in its strap eyelet. I bought Kirk but RRS makes a nice one too although more expensive as expected.
Sorry to hear about they. I think it sucks that customers should have to buy aftermarket cages or brackets to try and compensate for a weakness on a poor quality camera design. Not that these L brackets or cages fix the problem 100% They only help a little because remember they are still screwed into the same weak point of the camera.
This had me looking at the bottom of my x-h1. Great review!!
;) I would have thought the X-H1 would be ok, being a smaller camera with smaller lighter lenses, but I've never held one. Hope you enjoyed this review.
Excellent review! I typically leave a RRS L-bracket on all my cameras. I’m contemplating getting a GFX 100S for landscapes and aerial photography. I hope the L-bracket can distribute the forces over the entire bottom plate as to not stress the area solely around the tripod socket. You know, I hardly subscribe to any YT channels. However, your honesty and expertise swayed me otherwise. Thanks for a great review!
Very much appreciated, Dr88man. Thank you.
Regarding the issues of the weak base plate on tripod, I have a GFX 50R. I’m not sure if it is more robustly designed but it wasn’t easy to use in portrait mode either handheld or mounted. Being a rangefinder styled camera, it also lacked a useful handgrip. I opted to buy a an L bracket with a handgrip. It resolved my problems pretty well 100%, especially on tripod. On the 100s I think an L bracket would probably go long way to minimising the risk of the base plate cracking and would also improve the experience on a tripod. Not ideal, as you point out, it could be solved by having the part milled in the chassis, but in an imperfect world you find a workable compromise.
I just checked and the small rig L bracket for the 100s & the 50s also adds the extra depth to the body for your pinky. It’s not too expensive and it looks like it should distribute the weight a little more evenly and reduces some of the force on the base plate. Being able to flip the camera vertically on a tripod instead of having it hanging at 90 degrees makes a huge difference. I was hooked from the very first photo I took with the 50R and I have watched the newer cameras with interest. I do wonder at this price point why Fuji seem to want to cut corners. It’s like they’re trying to put a Porsche into a Datsun body. They could have made a more robust 100s with the same large evf as the 100, interchangeable or not and offered an optional vertical grip. More than anything else I’d love IBIS but so far, given the compromises on the newest cameras I cant justify the cost of upgrading.
This review really raised my concerns on longevity for my recently bought GFX 100S. I thought it was robust but that weakness on the base plate is just ridiculous.
Yes. It really boils my p*ss when companies save a few pennies at the expense of tacky build quality - especially on such an expensive product. It would have cost Fuji about $4 (USA) more in production costs to have used a milled alloy base, like the Hasselblad.
Sounds like medium format is also arriving at a workable level. Great review.
That it is. Thanks Manila Martin.
As a follow up to my stripped threads on the tripod bush where it is screwed to the body chassis ...... Fuji repaired it (at their standard repair fee) although they had to send to Japan for the parts so it took 4 weeks. The info states 'Replaced Base Plate' .... which is the thin black cover plate and 'Replaced Back Plate' which implies that the L shaped projection the tripod bush is mounted on is part of a larger metal plate under the LCD screen etc. There is a list of other unspecified parts which are probably the Bush itself and various screws/seals etc. I had used the camera in Iceland having bodged it temporarily and it took a complete drenching in seawater when two of us were caught out by a rogue wave at the Black Beach, but it worked fine after. The plate did however come loose again and when home dismantling it showed some early corrosion where seawater and obviously got in at the base which I cleaned up. Both threads by then were completely stripped and the tripod bush only held in place by the thin metal cover plate which had buckled again. Fuji didn't report anything else so it does confirm that the weather sealing in an undamaged camera seems fairly reliable, which is one consolation. I didn't argue about the repair cost being due to 'design failure' as it's well nigh impossible to prove that the strain I subjected the camera to was 'unreasonable', but I'd certainly refuse to pay if it happened again. Having your camera held on a tripod by two short 1.6mm screws is not good engineering.
Thanks for the update, Steve. Interesting.
Refreshing stuff Nigel. I disappeared down the GFX rabbit hole in 2016 when the 50s was announced and I reached half a century. You are quite correct about build quality. The greatest sycophancy in reviews concerns the construction of these two cameras. It is still a league away from what we see in the Leica SL or S range or a Hasselblad X1D because of the construction issues you raise. I have used the 100 for nearly 2 years, 90% on tripods and a lot of the time in portrait for 4x5 ratio landscape work. I use an L plate. I have not noticed any flex or give. I am concerned about what you say though now you have laid it bare. I will certainly be more careful in future. You are spot-on about the sawn-off grip on the 100s. I felt the same. However, two months in I have to say I have adjusted but it should indeed be a little longer. For hand held work the 100s is a much more balanced option when using the bigger GFX lenses. The 100s is, however, a game changer with lenses such as the 32-64 , 23mm and the 45mm/80mm. All these feel well balanced and snappy on the 100s with virtually no inclination to sue the tripod. This is staggering given the density of pixels and the hypersensitivity of the sensor to vibration. Full credit to Fuji for pushing the tech envelope of larger sensor photography . My own view is that the 110 still sits more happily on the 100. I think the 100 is dead in the water. certainly, its price will fall to 6.5-7k at most if it even survives. The 100s is not, however, the panacea for the foibles the big 100.
Thank you, D Crilley. Oh yes, you're so right about Leica and Hasselblad. I am not up on the latest Leica cameras but I was more than familiar with the Leica M6 and R5 back in the day, not to mention the Leitz lenses. I remember I was working for Campkins Camera Centre on Frognal Parade in North London for a short spell and Dave Lee Travis was a customer back then. He owned an M6 and I remember he bought a Metz 45 CT-4 flash gun for it and when he put the tiny Leica on it it just looked so strange on such a large flash gun system.
Yes, Fuji are doing well with their optics, and they are superb quality optically.
Yes, I can see the GFX100 being phased out, or replaced.
In the meantime, I want Hasselblad to up their game and bring out more lenses, which they are (budget ones) later in 2021 as well as a few more bodies: a 50megapixel and a 100 megapixel with all the functions of the Fuji, but with the Hasselblad build quality and, please Hasselblad, have an optional battery grip with vertical shutter button etc.
If Fuji produced bodies with the simplicity , switch gear and aesthetics of the SL2 or X1D bodies ( both milled from metal blocks) I fear Hassleblad may be pushed to the brink. Diehards may not yet appreciate the liberating impact of IBIS for larger sensor cameras but it would make the X1D instantaneously attractive and competitive if it can be put in a body no chunkier than the 100s. Perhaps we kid ourselves. Lenses apart, modern digital cameras are just rapidly obsolete/ outdated electronic consumer goods but there is no doubt the SL2 and X1D still induce the feeling they are instruments made by craftsmanship with real care about structural integrity. Would be delighted if Hassleblad can improve the X series with or without more affordable lenses.
@@dcrilley9624 Agreed. Hasselblad should be able to fit the X1D into a similar size body with IBS to be honest, perhaps a little thicker than current body size. Thank goodness DJI now own Hasselblad 100 per cent because DJI are in the business of making money hence they will develop and bring out new cameras and lenses I'm sure, be it all designed and thought through by Hasselblad over the watchful eye of DJI. If left to Hasselblad I think they would rest on their laurels and not bother developing anything new in a hurry.
Yes, it's all in the lenses. I've always said give me decent glass on a crap camera body, not the other way around. At the end of the day the camera is a pin hole camera really, nothing ore than a box to hold the film/sensor and a shutter to open and close.
I agree with your point that the tripod attachment could, an perhaps should have been better design, but not with the statement that all the stress will be concentrated at a short stretch on the back of the camera.
The bottom plate, even if it is pretty thin, will definately help distribute the stress over more of the camera structure, provided that the screews are safely fastened.
I know what you mean, Karsten, but that thin plate and the way that whole tripod bush thing is engineered, well, it just sits a little bit out of my comfort zone and when I think about the price of the camera it is even more out of my comfort zone.
Great vid!
Thank you!
Great review
Thank you, Peter.
some shops have their ex-demo/store unit of the 100 at the price almost the same as the new 100s, although limited quantity, it is the best best option compared to the 100s. I myself did this, sold the 100s and purchased an almost new 100 for almost little profit..
Hi Nigel, thanks you for your great review, the best I currently see. I've a question about the mounting flaw. After looking closely to the mounting system do you think the camera can safely be use on a tripod with the 110mm ? Does the system can handle his own weight ? Meanning without any knock do you think it will hold ? You say you know three cases where the baseplate bush breaks, are they break «just like that» or it's after some knock.
Hi Al. Thank you for the review compliment. I've used the GFX100S with the 110mm lens and although the lens is quite heavy having the camera mounted on a tripod in horizontal (for landscape) is perfectly ok and even mounted sideways (in portrait) it will be ok to support it's own weight. However, under its own weight there will be a little bit of strain on that weak point, but not enough to cause it to crack or break. You'd need to bang the palm of your hand down hard on the camera while in this position to 'potentially' crack or break the base plate/tripod bush section.
The cases I'm aware of were when one guy was tethering and tripped over the USB cable with his foot, pulling the GFX50S to the ground, which caused the baseplate to crack in half and snap off with the tripod bush also. The next case was also where the tripod fell over, but nothing to do with tethering, the photographer had the camera sideways in portrait mode and he hadn't positioned the main weight of the camera over one of the legs as you're supposed to in portrait mode as the camera is out and away from the centre of gravity of the tripod so you're supposed to make sure the camera is over a leg so it won't fall. As he hadn't done this and the tripod was not the best model that did not have a wide footprint the camera/tripod simply fell over by itself when he walked past it. Possibly the wooden floor flexed and that was enough to cause it to go over. Simpler thing, baseplate cracked. I can't recall the third instance, somebody emailed me to tell me that their Fuji baseplate and tripod bush had snapped away and he'd asked me if it was a common thing, to which I told him that he was the third instance I'd heard of.
I guess if there are only three cases worldwide then it is not much, but then I guess people who spend between £7,500 and £8,500 on a camera/lens combo are going to treat it carefully, which is what I'd do if I bought one.
Well done, thanks for the lovely video
@@frankwieczorek5112 Thanks, Frank, and you're welcome.
Nice review!
Regarding the pinky sticking out underneath the camera, I guess it depends on the size of the hands. I tried it and my pinky is securely on the grip and I have a above medium size hands. But isn’t Sony cameras about the same or worst? I remember trying out Sony cameras before and as soon as I picked up those Sony cameras, I put them down immediately because the ergonomics and feel was awful.
Hi Ryan. Thanks for the 'Nice review!' comment. Yes, you're correct, my Sony A7 III is terrible in size, until, that is, I fitted a Sony Battery Grip to it. Now my pinky sits where it should, and I have extra battery power. I just hope the new generation of Canon and Nikon full-frame mirrorless that have built in grips are more ergonomically tuned to what photographers want and need.
I have a GFX100s and the tripod mount failed after less than a days shooting. This was the very first time I used it. It didn’t get dropped or knocked or anything. I treat all my cameras with kid gloves and have never had a single issue with any of them. I have a Swiss Arca universal L bracket attached to the camera and after using it on a tripod for a few hours the bracket suddenly came a little loose. Initially I didn’t think much of it but after tightening it I found there was play between the camera and L bracket which I couldn’t get rid of.
I sent the camera back to the dealer who agreed there was a problem and sent it on to Fuji. I got it back after a couple of weeks and the only comment from Fuji was that the tripod mount had been repaired.
The dealer believes that this was a one off as they have not had any other GFX100s’ with the same fault. I should say that there is no play now between the camera and bracket.
I must admit I’m a little wary of using it now. Nothing untoward happened to cause the fault in the first place yet something in the mount failed after a few hours of being on a tripod. I guess I’ll just have to try it out and hope the dealer was right.
When I spoke to Fuji UK about this for the first time well over a year ago they told me they have never had a case of the base plate cracking, breaking or any faults. I would not call Fuji UK liars, but I also doubt they would shout from the rooftops about any repeated repairs they have done to base plates either. For me, knowing about engineering and how good or bad things are put together the base plate design on all these Fuji medium format cameras are seriously questionable at best and built to a budget. They cost cut on materials to save a few pennies here and there at the expense of build quality.
Yes, you're doing the right thing handling gear with kid gloves, but with Fuji medium format cameras you have to double up on an extra pair of kid gloves when fitting it to a tripod.
Love the image quality they produce, but they are built like crap. Such a shame they don't just use an all alloy body like Hasselblad and charge £50 more RRP, I know I'd pay for one if they did that. Or just have two options: A 'Pro' body one and a 'Budget' body one. Nikon, back in the day, did a Titanium prism finder for their F3 camera just for the (then) London Fleet Street photographers, knowing they needed something that could take extra knocks. Fuji go the other way, they make base plates that brake if you so much as look at them in a funny way.
Just carry on treating it carefully, Steve, and you'll still get amazing image quality out of it.
In the Meantime, Hasselblad really need to get their act together and seriously update their mirrorless medium format camera as it lags about 10 year behind everything else now.
Fascinating review - especially about the base plate issue. I'm wondering if, from a structural and rigidity point of view, the use of and ARCA swiss type "L" bracket or tripod mounting plate would help the structural integrity of the base plate???
Hi Christopher. No, it doesn't really work like that from an engineering point of view. That's sort of like stacking a stronger chair on top of a chair with dodgy legs. When you sit on the top one, the weaker one underneath will still brake. Fuji just need to stop making cameras with weak/crap designed baseplates.
@@tecraven Thanks for the prompt response. Your answer is very interesting and the chair analogy is a good one.
Thanks Nigel for nice review. I am bit concerned about the plate because I use a lot of tripod shots. I have ordered an L- Plate from Smallrig. Both for the small finger and also for the bottom robustness. Do you think the L-plate can help at all in that matter?
I've just had a look at the Smallrig L-Plate for the GFX100S and it looks ok. If I was to take a guess I'd say it would possibly help, yes, especially in portrait mode as the strain is taken off the bottom due to the Smallrig fitting to the tripod via the side of the camera.
L-plates make life so much faster (and framing more consistent) when switching between landscape and portrait modes on a tripod that I rarely take them off my cameras. Plus you keep the center of the camera located closer to the middle of the tripod legs, making tip overs somewhat less likely. And to some degree you redistribute the loading on the anchor point, though if you let most modern cameras tip over on a tripod (not just GFX), the magnesium chassis will tend to snap. Even if the case holds together, the shutter mech and IBIS could end up damaged. But under normal use, the 100S will hold up fine.
Is Fuji gfx100s 16bit color depth real?
Portraits have reddish skin tones. Very difficult to adjust.
this is a big problem
Great review Nigel! Think this would be a good camera for weddings ?
Hi Scott. Absolutely not. I'd never use a camera like this for weddings for several reasons. It's just too darn heavy and bulky and slow in operation and your clients will only ever stick compressed jpeg images on the internet and, at best, have 10x8 prints printed out so there is just no point. A Fuji XT-3 used off eBay will do the same job for weddings to be honest and you won't notice the image quality difference between the two with those jpeg images that brides will dump on us all via their social media channels. This GFX100S is getting more into the area of commercial photography.
In a previous video you mentioned that you wouldn’t buy the GFX 100, nor the Hasselblad 1DX II. Would you buy the GFX 100s (if not for the baseplate)? If not, why? Thanks!
Hi Unstanic. No, I still would not buy the GFX100S, even if the baseplate was milled ally and unbreakable because my pinky finger still sits under it and although Fuji have made am MHG-GFX S Hand Grip to add a little height to the body, it seems like Fuji are simply papering over the cracks with a poor design with the GFX100S. For me, the Fuji engineers should have designed the body to fit in the hand perfectly to start with, rather than obsessing with making it as small, and user unfriendly, as possible. But the key reason I would not buy it is because, from what I've seen, the Canon R5, from what I've seen and heard about it, produces better images in almost every department. I'm taking delivery of a Canon R5 with a lovely Canon 85mm F1.2 lens today, which I'll have for two weeks and I'm suspecting it's going to be something special. I think some of the latest very best full-frame mirrorless cameras are just as good as the Hasselblad. This tells me that Canon have upped their game so much to match it. But I'll be in a position to confirm this in 14 days after I do some serious shooting with the R5. I'll, of course, be putting up my review and thoughts and feelings on the Canon R5 and R6 in due course so subscribe and you'll be notified in a few weeks when that review goes live.
@@tecraven Thanks! Enjoy the R5 and let us know how it compares. Personally, although I own a Canon DSLR and I am really intrigued with the R5, I have decided to move away from the brand. My number one priority is image quality, so I would either get a Nikon full frame or the GFX 100s (I’m getting the latter by the way).
I know Canon upped their game, but it was till last last couple of years that their dynamic range was sh*t... I almost got the Canon 5Ds two years ago for 2K, I’m really glad I waited it out... All brands have upped their game significantly, so either way you can’t go wrong nowdays I feel! :)
@@unstanic I'd hold fire, Unstanic. I've owned a Nikon Z7 and used it with Nikon Z 70-200 F2.8 lens, images and files were amongst the very best I've ever seen. I've also owned a Canon EOS 5D MK3 and MK4 for some time. I own a Sony A7 III with various glass and have used, extensively, the Hasselblad and Fuji offerings in the medium format world, but I'm very excited about the Canon R5. I'll be shooting some stuff and checking out the files in the coming week, but I have a good feeling about it ;)
Just had a similar problem with my GFX100s ..... stumbled carrying the camera+ tripod and the sudden jerk loosened the baseplate ..... on examination the large metal plate was slightly buckled and when removed showed both of the tripod socket retaining screws had partly de-threaded and it had come loose. Re-assembled with loctite and tightening them as best I can and the plate straightened. Looks and feels ok so far but will need using with care when on a tripod from now on. Presumably if the threads on the body fixing plate are also damaged it's unrepairable and it will either be a bodge with oversize/self tapping screws and epoxy or replacing the camera. It does seem rather flimsy for such a large and potentially heavy camera when used with the larger lenses.
That's really crap, Steve, and I feel for you. Fuji build cameras that take superb photos, but they are built like crap. Hasselblad build superb quality cameras with crap AF systems and no Eye AF detect so, for me, I would not touch either with a bargepole.
@@tecraven yup ..... I come from Leica where the bodies and lenses are built to withstand almost anything. As it's mostly a screw/thread problem rather than anything actually breaking I hope my fix will be ok ...... and if not, using slightly larger (1.7mm) self tapping screws may do the job. Knowing just how potentially flimsy the attachment is I won't be carrying it round on a tripod anytime soon.
@@stevemarson9665 Ah, yes. I had a Leica R5 while my mate used M3's and M4's. The M3 my mate had, though tiny and rangefinder, was really well built. If you've come from that I'm not surprised you're unhappy with Fuji build quality. Super pictures, but seriously questionable in the engineering/build department.
Interesting. I can see your point about your point about the base plate. For whatever is worth I have now owns many Fuji cameras over the last decade. I have used them on tripods in many challenging conditions and had no issues (I have yet to drop them hard though!). In particular I have own both the 100 and the 100 s since the day that they came out and no issues. I never use the camera directly attached to a tripod but always use an L Bracket from good manufacturer. Whether that makes any difference I am not sure, but I suspect it helps.
Hi Icog. Thanks for posting here. Glad all is going well with your Fuji gear. Admittedly, it is rare that the baseplate/tripod bush breaks, but I know of one case personally and two other cases, all in the USA. Looks like the GFX100 is slightly stronger in the base plate, compared to the GFX100s and GFX50s. I guess most people, after spending such an amount of money, will treat the camera carefully anyway. But, it just triggers an itch on my brain that I can't scratch, knowing that Fuji have this weak baseplate/tripod bush design on most of their medium format cameras.
@@tecraven your point is well taken and I don’t believe well known in the Fuji community. I would hope Fuji does watch your video and addresses it. Although a rare issue it would be better if it does not happens at all. I was wondering if the use of L Brackets does not reduces the issue somewhat
@@icogicog8287 I did contact the Fujifilm HQ in Japan and have brought this to their attention, and given them a link to the video, in the hope that they better this questionable engineering design on future models. I can't see how a grip or bracket can help as said bracket will still only be held in place via that same single tripod bush on the bottom, said plate then attaches to tripod so a hard knock is still going to 'potentially' damage the base of the camera, unless the bracket had a weak point that was weaker than that of the Fuji baseplate thus bracket would break first. I could not find a manufacturer that made a 'cage' type bracket that fitted via the Fuji's tripod bush on the bottom, but then also somehow clamped/fixed firmly to the sides and top of the camera also, taking the strain off the bottom.
@@tecraven thank you
ALARMING, to say the least!!!! thank you for the video
You are welcome, Sam. Thanks for the feedback.
@@tecraven Hi Nigel, I sent an email to Really Right Stuff to alert them when they’re designing their L-Bracket to have two connecting points for added security (one on the bottom and the other on the left vertical axis to connect to the neck strap hole). I know they did this to the GFX100 L-Plate so hopefully they’ll listen. Thanks for pointing this “flaw” out for otherwise an amazing camera!!!
@@ssaliba63 Hopefully they will listen. It would be good if something could be fixed to three points on GFX100S. Let me know how that goes.
Do you have a youtube link to see the video of the Fuji base plate broken ?
Here you go: ua-cam.com/video/nneVG9j2MWU/v-deo.html
Thank You sir for this review. The base plate issue is a bit concerning. The extra plate MHG-GFX S can't possibly help, as You pointed out. And what's annoying with that plate is You have to remove it to exchange batteries - an example of design that really sucks...
I borrowed a GFX 100s to try it out and was really blown away by the image files. (And the 110/2 really is something special.) That made me thinking of replacing my Eos 5dsr with the GFX 100s. But I don't wan't to get into the problems with a camera brand refusing to give me a new base plate if it cracks. By the way, a weak base plate could - at least in theory - result in problems with microscopic motion blur when on a tripod. In landscape mod the placement of the tripod thread near the cameras back helps as the stress on the plate gets lower than if it would be placed for example in the center as on many other cameras.
Good points about microscopic motion blur, Janne. It's a shame about this whole baseplate thing as that, and a few other niggle prevent the Fuji medium format cameras been something special.
@@tecraven could that weak baseplate be part of the reason some photographers experience difficulties using the pixelshift option, even if they use what they think is a really sturdy tripod?
@@janneolsson4438 You definitely have a point there, never thought of that. But, yes, even if you use a tripod made out or scaffolding poles I suppose if there is any movement between the sensor and the tripod head i.e. the camera/gubbins and baseplate then that would definitely come into play, yes. Well pointed out!
I disagree entirely with your assumptions regarding the tripod mount. The mount is an assembly of integrant components that when secured together and to the body should be analyzed as such and not as if a single component will be subject to all the load bearing or torsional forcing. The components you refer to are all high quality metal and are designed as a multi faceted structure when secured together with the body.
The internal "L bracket" is cast magnesium alloy, an excellent metal for this type of bracket. It is not "monkey metal" by any means. This bracket is actually an added "bracing strut" that gives this tripod mount additional stability and strength.
The threaded tripod mount module is stainless steel. The external plate is forged magnesium alloy, of which, rigidity and tensile strength is close to that of titanium.
With the Tripod mount module sandwiched between the bracket and the external plate, which is then mounted to the magnesium alloy body casing, this is an exceptionally strong design. I see no problem with this design "from an engineering standpoint".
You are failing to look at the mount as a structure with integrated parts, instead looking at a single piece and assigning to it the entire load.
Most mounts do not have the extra internal bracket you are disparaging in this otherwise excellent review. This mount is far superior to many others including the one you compared it to.
The mount location near the back of the camera is at first look an unusual location, but on further scrutiny this location choice was decidedly purposeful to achieve a thoroughly braced mount in such a small body.
Hi JW and thanks for the post. I'm basing my 'personal' opinion on the GFX100S and, especially the GFX50S, on a few things. One, three GFX50S cameras that I know of with broken bottom plates. Two, after spending a year working one day a week in a London camera repair centre and stripping many cameras down I feel I've built up a large knowledge base on the engineering of the tripod bush area and base plate and what's beneath and looking at the GFX100S it is, in comparison to many cameras I've stripped down during the 80s, questionable. When I use the term 'Monkey Metal' this is the term I use for cast iron and cast metals of various quality. The very process of casting metal like this makes it brittle and more likely to crack or snap.
I do, however, get your point about the whole combination of the strut, the tripod bush and bottom plate all acting together for a stronger finish, but my gripe is that at £5,600 for the body only it could have been much better. In my opinion it is not better than the camera I compared it to, the Hasselblad X1D II - the latter appears to be superior in this, and al other areas of build quality.
Admittedly, I'm yet to hear about a broken bottom plate on the GFX100S, but I personally feel that the build quality around the base is a little bit outside my comfort zone, but I'm a fussy bugger and expect perfection ;)
Good on you for calling it like you see it. I’m a 100s owner and don’t feel the need to defend this type of corner cutting. Great camera but like most things in this world, it has positives and negatives. And I know now to be a little more careful when working with it mounted.
Thanks David. I love the 100s but, like you, I feel I'd have to be sort of careful with it being aware of the bottom plate. Sad thing is it would only cost Fuji about $15 more on the production line to use decent materials on the bottom plate and to do it properly and I, for one, would have no problem spending $15 more, plus a bit more for their hassle, say $50 more for a camera that's built better. Fuji should make two versions, a 'corner cutting' one for those who don't care and one for $300 more that has better/stronger components where build quality is concerned ;)
@@tecraven or just meet us halfway and support Right to Repair? Make superficial/easily replaced cosmetic parts easier for end consumers to source? At some point this becomes an environmental issue and laws, at least in the EU are going to require it. Might as well get ahead of it.
Two side notes…
1) Re: the gent that had his plate cracked, if this happened in Denmark it would be trivial to call an authorized repair center and get them to either order the part for you or order and install it. Total cost probably 200 USD if they aren’t willing to just give you the part.
2) I use a peak tripod so I always have their arca-ish style plate threaded into the base. Would that not distribute some of force across the thin metal of the bottom plate under torque. Would be the same for any arca plate if so.
How solid is the Hasselblad X1D base plate ?
Giles, baseplate on the Hasselblad feels tough as a hand grenade to me. With the Fuji GF100s if I screwed my Manfrotto PL tripod plate into it too tight I could see and hear the base plate flexing and creaking and I got the impression if I tighten it too much it would start banding things in the camera. The Hasselblad had no such issue. I did not strip the Hasselblad down to check the engineering as it would have involved more of an effort due to the way the Hasselblad is constructed - a better way than the Fuji.
Doesn't the 110 have a collar? I don't have that lens, so don't know.
No it doesn't.
@@tecraven ouch - it needs one. Otherwise I would be handholding - which I do most of the time in any case
@@paulpotts Yes, but there is no room for one as the lens was not designed with collar in mind. Not sure which other Fuji lenses have a collar, if any?
@@tecraven 250 f/4 100 - 200 f/5.6 both have collars included.
Is the GFX100s better than the GFX100 in colors ?
Faris. Both the GFX100 and GFX100s have the same sensor in them. To my eyes they both produced identical images. I try not to get too caught up in the science and physics of these things, I just go by my eyes. Not sure if there is anything else in the tech specs for both these cameras sensors, but they are the same sensor with the same colour science and I really could not see any difference in colour rendition or detail.
Is Fuji GFX the best camera for 2023, as because these days only Fuji, Fuji, and Fuji are seen everywhere in UA-cam.
I don't know, my confusion about the Fuji camera made me ask this question.
Is this camera actually for the complete professionals.
And, as I have seen in UA-cam, it has so many detail and other intricate functions as narrator has been explaining in every blogs, it will be difficult for beginners like us to approach such cameras.
Am I correct in my saying?
Waiting for the answer!
Fact is there are not many companies making medium digital medium and large format cameras these days. Back in the 80s, in the film days, there were: Hasselblad, Mamiya, Bronica, and even Pentax made a superb 6x7 film camera, famously used by Bob Carlos Clarke and Terence Donovan to name a few. The Hasselblad, Mamiya and Pentax cameras were real workhorses, built to a high standard with a good range of lenses. The Bronica SQ was pretty decent, but their ETRS had reliability issues. But there was a decent choice.
In today's digital medium format era there is only Hasselblad, Fuji and Phase - the latter being rather costly so for those looking to get into medium format they are left with Hasselblad and Fuji. Hasselblad are better for sure, certainly in the build quality, while Fuji's build quality is questionable and lacking for sure. Most UA-camrs go for Fuji as it is the cheaper option, lenses are about a third cheaper. But for me it would be Hasselblad all day long, but the latter need to update their focusing system as there is no auto Eye detect or anything and the auto focus that Hasselblad do use is on a par with the very first Minolta AF camera from the 80s - it sucks.
It's also worth noting that the internet is stacked full to the brim of sycophants who have nothing but good things to say about gear in fear of said companies not sending them equipment anymore so I tend to take reviews, especially the obviously sycophantic ones, with a large pinch of salt. I can't understand anybody who says the Fuji is really well built when it is far from it.
Worth noting that back in the day of film professional photographers did not go for medium format due to pixel counts (or film equivalent to that) they went for it because medium format just has a unique 'look' about it that can't quite be explained, well, scientifically it can. It's the same with digital medium format cameras, they just have a 'look' that is superb and this has nothing to do with pixels. For me, the 50mp medium format camera is as far as it needs to go because with the 100mp one you lose dynamic range and it does not look anywhere near as good as the 50 mp one.
Hi Nigel, great video on the Fuji GFX 100s build quality. I think you have identified a problem that has just arisen with my camera.
On setting the camera on a tripod with the 45-100 lens attached I thought I detected a clicking sound as I adjusted the aperture setting on the lens. Couldn't decide if it was my imagination but I noticed a slight flexing of the base plate at this point. The camera was not mishandled in any manner. I'm going to contact Wex tomorrow and ask for their advise. Surely if you sell the lenses specifically designed for the camera this type of incident shouldn't happen, the lens doesn't have a support ( like the 100-200 has) to redistribute the balance and weight.
Ive heard Fuji are good at customer relations, should be interesting to see how they respond and how they might remedy the fault.
Cheers, great info.
Yes, that lens is a trifle over 2 lb, which is like having a bag of sugar on the front of your camera and if the camera is in portrait mode and on a tripod that's a hefty bit of weight on that flimsy baseplate with seriously questionable build quality. That's the main reason I would never buy one, which is a shame as it takes incredible pictures, but if it's going to break... Also, you can't use that pixel-shift mega supersonic high res mode as you would never be able to get the camera to remain still to those micron tolerances due to the movement in the baseplate, no matter how sturdy the tripod. Having said that, Hasselblad 'have' to update their very outdated medium format digital cameras as the X1D II has long since had its day. It is so outdated and everything on it is slow, I mean 1990s slow, mega slow. Hassy need an X1D III, in fact, scrap that, they need to not pass go and not collect £200, they need to jump straight to the X2D with 100 MP sensor, mega-fast AF and eye-detect and everything else that ever other DSLR and Mirrorless camera maker has had for the past ten years, at least. I can't understand why Hasselblad are so bloody far behind in technology, I mean they are light years behind and, DJI owned (with all their money, or not) Hasselblad will go bust within five years if they don't bring some decent up-to-date cameras out. Come on Hassy, stop resting on your laurels and, if you haven't heard, this is no longer 1980, wedding photographers don't use your camera anymore and, guess what, astronauts aren't flying to the bloody moon with your cameras anymore so get with the times or go bust.
Fuji, in the meantime, have a chance of taking over the 'professional' market if only they would add about 20,000 yen to the production cost of their cameras and build them to Hasselblad 'tank like' quality. Hell, my guess is the customer would be happy to pay £500 more if it was made out of decent materials, like a military weapon, rather than cheap tacky plastics and 'monkey metal' that brakes and bends if you so much as look at it in a funny way.
Thank you for your advise for the metal body construction and engeneering. At this price it is not acceptable.
I totally agree. Questionable engineering at this price is not acceptable.
@@tecraven It appears to me that the handgrip they sell for the G100s is a necessity not just for comfort but also to possibly prevent damage.
@@cavedroid I don't know about that, cavedroid, could be. Fuji UK told me it is simply to add height for pinky finger to grip around front. I can't see how the Hand Grip MHG-GFX S could strengthen the base as it still screws into the same tripod bush and then, I'm assuming, the tripod then screws into the Hand Grip MHG-GFX S hence the weak point will still be there. Only possible fix would be if
@@tecraven I assumed it might help distribute the effects of an impact but I get your point.
@@cavedroid It's possible, but I'm not convinced. Besides, just the fact that Fujifilm have made an MHG-GFX S Hand Grip is, in my opinion, an admission that the GFX100S was a poor design to start with. For me, the grip is simply trying to paper over the cracks. In the description for the grip on Fuji's website it says 'This hand grip improves the handling of the camera, especially when using a heavier, large aperture lens' - see: fujifilm-x.com/global/products/accessories/mhg-gfx-s/
When they say improves the handling, I take that to mean you can grip the camera better and your pinky finger wraps around the front, where it should be as any professional photographer will tell you. Or it could mean, reading between the lines, that it could help the poorly designed and weak baseplate/tripod bush from cracking if the camera were to take a knock. Who knows.
Hmm, fixed EVF is a negativ and has nothing todo with dust. I love the 100S, it's less expensiv, smaller, great cam. Execpt the EVF ;)
you were saying megapixels for file sizes but I think you meant megabytes, yes?
Hi James. Not sure which part you meant and I'd need the complete sentence to make sense of what I said. But a sensor with more megapixels will produce a larger file i.e. with more megabytes. That's about the crux of what I would have meant.
What sort of computer are you using?
27-inch iMac running Big Sur. It's 5k Retina display, 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with a Radeon Pro 580 8GB graphics card, 40 GB ram and 1 TB SSD HD.
@@tecraven cool thanks, I am a PC user, I haven't had a powerful computer and was wondering if the rendering times were normal. 🙂 Thanks for showing that in real time. 👍
@@ligh7foo7 To be honest, it's only Hasselblad's Phocus software that requires a powerful computer, but Fuji medium format files will be fine even on a 10 year old computer, they don't require hardly anything to process.
@@tecraven I have been thinking of getting a Fuji 16mm F1.4 lens and the GFX 45 to 100 lens. if I am using the GFX 100S and Fuji 16mm can I crop in to make up the focal length between 16 and 45?
To re phrase can I replicate the results as if I took a photo from a 23mm, 30mm or 32+mm? I have not found any videos on UA-cam about this.
@@ligh7foo7 Yes you can. If you shoot with a 16mm lens then you can crop in as far as you want to any given focal length, such as 30mm. The perspective will be exactly the same as it would have been had you shot it on a 30mm lens to start with. But, you'll lose a load of resolution and the image quality would then be no better than if it were shot on a Fuji XT-3 APS-C camera for example, the megapixel count might even end up been lower than the APS-C camera, depending on how far in you crop. Personally, I'd never do this because of the major loss in resolution. If you shoot on a 100 megapixel camera and zoom in from 16mm to 30mm you'll end up losing more than half the megapixels, which renders buying medium format pointless to start with. Fuji XT-3 used goes for about £700 and the lenses are cheaper too ;) Just saying in case you hadn't considered this stuff.
One really has to wonder just how many GFX100 sales fuji really had for them to release a 100S so much cheaper and basically obsolete the GFX100 for 99% of potential buyers. Unless you are really in need of the extra battery life or just LOVE bodies with vertical grips the 100S does the same thing as the 100 in smaller body with better controls (larger thumb stick, dials that protrude more, mode dial with user modes, ect), for $4K less. To me seems like Fuji really needs to release a GFX100II that has the better controls from the 100S, smaller lighter IBIS mechanism from the 100S, uses the smaller XT4 batteries, and a new, maybe even fixed, VF design to get the weight and height of the camera down a little more and sell it at an MSRP of $8K. As it is a GFX100 isn't a real consideration vs a 100S for the vast majority of customers.
Good points, Josh.
Wow great Adcerbation . They should’ve making cameras like that. That’s a big No,No. I will keep waiting for a Leica
Damn! They should have put that wasted tech on the top plate of the X-Pro3 to this one's bottom plate instead. Sad really and makes me wanna be even more careful with my Fuji cameras(as if I wasn't already anal about it..)
Finks toys alloy
Base plate just went on mine, attached to a cambo, and tethered it took a very light knock, as I moved around the set, I heard a crack and had a look it hasn’t actually cracked the bottom and I’ve managed to push the bottom plate back in, but it now has an amount of play when back on studio stand that’s unacceptable, first thing to go was the thread on the side where you attach the little plastic tether support, then this, not greatly made first day I used mine au layed it down gently on a flat surface only for a paint chip, I’ve said it from day 1 great sensor but the body is trash, very cheaply made. I guess that’s why they managed to sell it for 5 and a half grand. Anyway off to the repair shop it goes on Monday.
Sorry to hear that, Darren. You are right though, crap build quality overall. Personally I think if Fuji had added another £50 to the production cost they could have got it to Hasselblad standard, but they cut corners and went all cheap on it and, after all, £5,500 is still a lot of money for a camera. I paid half that for my used Audi TT car. Hasselblad really need to fix the issues on their camera i.e. eye-focus detect etc, then they will have a winner and we can all leave these 'toy' Fuji cameras behind.
@@tecraven agreed 5500 quid is pro body level money, I at least expected a mounting point that is on same level as other pro spec cameras, but it really isnt anywhere near that, Id hate to see what damage a well heeled traveler could do to this body on a round the world trip, also agree on the hasselblad, beautiful build qaulity on the X1d II although my older H series creeks a bit now its getting on a bit ( a bit like myself) the deal breaker for us on the X series was the phocus software a personal choice I know as some people work fine with it.
@@MrDarrenmuir Agreed regarding Phocus software. I hate it and the Hasselblad owners I know hate it too. Most Hassy users only use Phocus for the 'basic' corrections then export a high res TIF file and do the rest in Photoshop or Capture One.
@@tecraven Yeah that's how we use it too, most of our work is constant tethering so C1 is our go to though. What I'd really like to see is a shrunk down updated P1 XF body with a built in back, even if it was as wide as the original 50mp GFX, the XF body is built like a tank I doubt P1 will ever put together such a tool,)(well maybe not in the next 5 years anyway) but I'd sure buy it. Unless Fuji can pull the finger out on the next versions of the 100mp body I think this will be my first and last Pro spec Fuji body. Shame as it is a nice sensor and allows for crops well beyond my FF D850 and is faster than both our other MF cameras and it is a nice size. We can but hope for a near perfect camera I suppose :)
@@MrDarrenmuir I can't see Fuji ever building better products (regarding build quality) as the people at the top there simply do the math, which goes something like this: Take option A: Cut corners, build cheaper products that don't last and make more profit and how much is that extra profit from cost-cutting? versus option B: Spend a little more on better build quality and have a product that rivals Hasselblad? They then work out how many sales they will lose from (option A) people reading posts like this and reading about base plates breaking on their cameras against the costs of spending a 'little' more to get their cameras up to a 'Professional' build quality (option B) and if option A is financially more beneficial then option B they stick with crap build quality for the same or more profits.
Funny thing is I can't imagine any photographer - given the choice - on the planet who would not spend £5,750 on a professionally build camera made out of one piece of milled aluminium (like the Hassy) and a few other better build options, instead of £5,500 on a piece of junk with questionable cast metals that crack and break easily. If Fuji offered a 'Pro Build Quality' version for £250 more I'd be all over it, but for me at least, they can keep their crappy built cameras.
why have to mf cameras that is only competing with each other, as a backup camera i prefer a identical and the gfx100 can do everything a 100s can do and more so when having a 100 i dont need the gfx100s
Japanese smaller hands
Sensor stabilisation and 2 card slots are biggest nonsense and hype I never missed since moved to eosR from another camera that had it all.
Hi Forgewire. That's good news regarding your new EOS R. I think this all comes down to personal experience. The reason I mention 2 card slots and image stabilisation here is because I owned a Nikon Z7, that only had one card slot and on the first shoot I did with it the card locked up and crashed during a power meltdown of the Z7 and it corrupted all the files. If the camera had had two card slots I would have shot redundant (RAW to both cards) to the other card and I would not have lost all the shots. Again, this is just my personal experience and as it has happened to me I'd be reluctant to buy a 1-slot only camera ever again.
Being old school the cameras I used to shoot on were: Hasselblad 500cm, Mamiya RZ67 Pro 2, Canon F1, Nikon F3 and FM2 and FE2. None of which had any sort of in body or lens stabilisation and I managed just fine, as we all did. We would all follow the 'hand held' shutter speed rule of going for a shutter speed of at least double the focal length of the lens i.e. when shooting hand held with a 100mm lens, have a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second minimum to eliminate camera shake. Shure, some people can hand-hold at much slower shutter speeds, but having a shutter speed that's double the focal length of the lens is the general rule. These days, with 4 or 5 stops of IBS or OIS we don't have to follow this doubling up rule, these days you can, instead, add about 10 or 20 percent to the focal length of the lens i.e. shooting with a 100 mm lens would only require a shutter speed of 1/125th hand held due to in-body stabilisation.
Again, horses for courses I suppose and this video is just my 'personal' opinion and how I feel and I can respect and appreciate that other photographers feel and work differently.
@@tecraven I have lots of electronic devices from still and CCTV cameras to dash cameras some of them constantly recording 24/7 video on a single card slot for years and never ever had any problems with it.
@@forgewire I'd imagine that this is the case 99% of the time, and it has been for me during 37 years of photography, but when it happens, just once, and you lose some important shots like I did, well, for me, I could not use a camera with just one slot, but that's just me. I know there are loads of people like you out there who have never had a problem, and thousands of people using APS-C cameras that only have one slot who have also never had a problem, but, call me OCD, it just keeps me awake at night. Again, each to their own on this. I guess if you're a professional photographer in the ilk of Karl Taylor and the like charging £22,000 for a three day product shoot for Kawasaki you just can't take that chance and I don't know any photographer of that calibre who would take that chance, they would probably rather sell their kids than play Russian Roulette with an expensive client job.
Add an L bracket. Problem solved!
That doesn’t solve the problem, that’s like hanging a picture onto plasterboard that’s falling down. The L bracket is only as strong as what it is being screwed into.
Seriously, this looks almost as bad as X-A3 base construction.
Just had a look at X-A3 online. Yes, looks a bit tinny and weak for sure.