You could argue that the Fujifilm X100V kickstarted the whole compact camera revival after TikTok sent it skyrocketing in popularity to the point where it was near impossible to buy and second-hand prices became extortionate. So naturally last February’s sequel – the Fujifilm X100VI – was an absolute home-run success with Fujifilm only now just about catching up with demand.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that Fujifilm isn’t waiting around to capitalize on the feverish appetite for more compact cameras – but perhaps not with the affordable camera many expected. Instead, this time they are taking premium compact to its very limits, with the first medium format GFX compact – the Fujifilm GFX 100RF.
For any X-Series shooters unfamiliar with Fuji’s GFX range, the main takeaway is the GFX sensor is almost four times larger than the APS-C sensor you’ll find inside the X100VI – and even bigger than full frame sensors in cameras from Canon and Sony. Bigger sensors generally equal higher resolutions, more light gathering, and a more pronounced depth of field – but have larger bodies to accommodate.
Yet, despite housing a GFX 44x33mm medium format sensor, the GFX 100RF is both the smallest and lightest GFX camera yet. Fujifilm’s engineers have really pulled something off here, and the 100RF is exceptionally compact, measuring just 90.4x133.5x76.5mm (HxWxD), which isn't a million miles from the X100VI’s 74.8x128x55.3mm. The camera also weighs just 735g, which remarkably, is less than a Fujifilm GFX 50R body without a lens (775g) or a Fujifilm X-T5 with a 16-50mm kit lens (797g).
The GFX 100RF sports the same GFX 102MP CMOS II sensor as the recent GFX 100S II (which got full marks from me) with a base ISO of 80, and paired with the latest X-Processor 5 it is capable of the latest subject recognition and tracking including human faces and eyes, animals, vehicles, insects and drones. However, one key omission here is the lack of in-body image stabilization, which hopefully won’t cause too many issues steadying all those pixels.
The GFX 100RF is paired with a fixed Fujinon 35mm f/4 lens, which is approximately 28mm in full-frame equivalence, and a leaf shutter which should make for quiet operation with a top mechanical speed of 1/4000s, or 16,000s when using the electronic shutter. The GFX 100RF is capable of maintaining a 6fps shooting speed for up to 296 JPEGs or 40 RAW images.
The lens is made up of 10 elements in 8 groups including 2 aspherical elements, there is a nine-bladed aperture for rounded bokeh, and a minimum focus distance of 20cm. Like the X100VI the 49mm filter thread can only be used with an adapter ring, although thankfully – this time one comes in the box.
Taking a lot of design cues from the X100 range, the GFX 100RF looks every bit as stunning as Fujifilm’s other retro-styled rangefinders. On the top of the camera, the GFX 100RF borrows a larger version of the much-loved dual shutter speed and ISO dial from the X100 series and the exposure compensation dial, there are also front and rear control dials, as well as the customizable lever on the front. And wherever you sit on the debate – no, there isn’t a film simulation dial.
However, there are a few key design differences from the X100 series. Perhaps the most noticeable is that the 100RF is missing the hybrid optical viewfinder that is the hallmark of Fujifilm's latest rangefinder models. The GFX 100RF instead opts for a 0.5in 5.76m-dot OLED viewfinder with a 100fps refresh rate and a 0.84x magnification, as well as a 3.15in 2.1m-dot touch LCD panel with a two-axis tilt.
The 100RF is also introducing a few new controls not seen on a Fuji mirrorless camera before. There is a brand new dial for selecting crop ratios for images with options for 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 65:24, 5:4, 7:6, and 17:6.
And there is also a new lever on the front for selecting digital zoom for JPEGs (RAW images will always be captured at the full width of the sensor). These include 45mm, 63mm, and 80mm focal lengths. Although as these are digital crops, resolution will decrease as you zoom. The 100RF also has a new view for digital cropping called Surround View – the camera now shows the full sensor size, but darkens the areas that will be cropped out which should help with framing subjects moving in and out of frame.
For video, the GFX 100RF is capable of recording up to DCI 4K30P 4:2:2 10-bit with 13+ stops of dynamic range when using F-Log2, or you can record in Apple ProRes HQ to an external SSD via USB-C. There is no in-body image stabilization here, but movies can also be recorded with Digital IS, although at a 1.32x crop. There is also a full suite of video assist functions including options like waveform, vectorscope, and Frame.io camera-to-cloud.
The GFX 100RF uses the standard NP-W235 battery that powers the rest of the GFX range as well as the top-of-the-range Fujifilm X-Series cameras like the X-T5 and X-H2. Although the 100RF is posting some very impressive CIPA estimates of 820 frames of battery life on normal mode which is a significant jump over the 530 quoted for the GFX 100S II.
The GFX 100RF comes with a lens cap, square lens hood, 49mm adapter ring, 49mm protective filter, and a shoulder strap in the box, and costs – drumroll please – a whopping $4,899 / £4,699 / AU$8,799.
While this is a substantial $3,300 / £3,100 more expensive than the X100VI, this is medium format we are talking about, and the GFX 100RF is cheaper than a GFX 100S II body at $4,999 (and significantly cheaper when you take into account buying a lens) and undercuts the ultra-premium full frame Leica Q3 compact.
We will see over the next few weeks what kind of reception the GFX 100RF will receive, but if you want to book your spot in line, pre-orders are open now for an April 7 release.
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- For more on Fujifilm check out my guide to the best Fujifilm camera.
- See how this stacks up against the best medium format camera.
