Fujifilm GFX 50R Review

The Fujifilm GFX-50R is second Medium Format Mirrorless Digital Camera by Fujifilm. These two digital cameras feature larger-than-full-frame 44x33mm imaging sensors in a mirrorless body. While internally virtually identical, the new GFX-50R is designed to be a more compact integrated solution while producing the same image-quality and performance as its larger sibling.

This new GFX mirrorless is inspired by the rangefinger-style X-E3 which it resembles, only significantly enlarged. Its large 0.8X crop-factor sensor has a 4:3 aspect-ratio, like film and other digital Medium Format cameras. Medium Format cameras are necessarily large and expensive, so are exclusively targeted at professionals. The main difference between the new design is that it features a built-in EVF of slightly lower 0.77X magnification, instead of 0.85X as on the GFX-50S.

Fujifilm built the GFX-50R with a hybrid digital and analog design that gives direct access to exposure parameters and plenty of flexibility. As a professional-grade camera, the GFX-50R is weatherproof and freezeproof with an industrial build.

A 50 megapixels CMOS sensor is at the heart of the GFX-50R which does not use an Anti-Alias Filter to maximize captured details. Fujifilm introduced a number of compatible GF-mount lenses which are designed for resolutions of 100 megapixels for future models in the GFX-series. This sensor offers a broad ISO 100-12800 standard sensitivity range, expandable to ISO 50-102,400. It is responsible for Contrast-Detect AF and can record full 1080p HD videos at 30 FPS. Given the high throughput needed for high-resolution images from the Fujifilm GFX-50R, it can shoot continuously at no more than 3 FPS.

This digital camera review analyses the usability, performance and image quality of the Fujifilm GFX-50R.

Fujifilm GFX-50R Features

Given that the functionality of the GFX-50R is virtually identical to that of the GFX-50S, the Capability section is skipped in this review. The only addition is Focus Bracketing. For full details of what these two Medium Format Digital Cameras can do, read the first page of the Fujifilm GFX-50S review.

The exterior of the Fujifilm GFX-50R looks like a gigantic X-E3
Fujifilm X-E3. That is one of the most compact APS-C cameras on the market and its resemblance with the Medium Format GFX-50R is uncanny. These Rangefinder-Style cameras are designed for fast street shooting which works better with one-handed operation. Eye-level shooting is made highly comfortable with an EVF aligned with the left-edge of the camera.

As rangefinders typically are, the GFX-50R is very boxy. Its largely rectangular body has few protrusions, a nearly flat top plate and a rather shallow grip. The camera itself is quite heavy and even more so with a lens attached, which makes such small grip feel inadequate. It comes with a nicely cushioned neck-strap to help support all that weight. The build quality feels top-notch with a relatively sturdy hinge and compartment doors for the battery and memory-card slots.

Given its large size and reduced number of control-points, this mirrorless seems relatively bare. The front of the camera is quite sparse with one customizable button, a lens-release latch, a sync-port and an AF-assist lamp. The Fujifilm G-mount is quite large and nearly occupies the full-height of the camera. The Focus-Switch found on the X-E3 was moved to the back instead on the GFX-50R.

Compared to the GFX-50S, the top plate of the GFX-50R is rather simple. It features a split-level surface with the higher side only holding a standard hot-shoe and the built-in stereo microphone. The right side of the camera is lower by a few millimeters and gathers all top controls. The most prominent is a large Shutter-Speed Dial which is labelled in full-stops from 1 to 1/4000s. This dial has an A position to automatically select the shutter-speed, effectively setting the camera in A or P mode, depending on the position of the aperture-ring. There is also a B position which allows Bulb exposures up to an hour.

The last position on the Shutter-Speed Dial is T which allows the selection of any shutter-speed from 1/16000s to 60 minutes, as long as it is compatible with the selected Shutter Mode. When the Shutter-Speed Dial is set to T, the rear control-dial selects the actual shutter-speed. It also works to select 1/3-stop speeds when a full-stop speed is selected by the Shutter-Speed Dial. This makes that dial redundant with the exception of that A position which cannot be selected using the rear control-dial. At the center of the Shutter-Speed Dial, there is a locking button that prevents it from rotating. Its detents are firm enough though and so accidental changes do not really happen.

In front of the Shutter-Speed Dial, a small button brings up a vertical menu of Drive Modes. There are 10 to choose from: Single Shot, Continuous, AE Bracketing, ISO Bracketing, Film Simulation Bracketing, White-Balance Bracketing, Dynamic-Range Bracketing, Focus Bracketing, Multiple Exposure and Movie Mode. AEB and Focus Bracketing are both rather complex and get their own multi-level menus to be configured. ISO and WB Bracketing are simple enough that they can be configured directly in the Drive Mode menu with side-way movements of the rear joystick. Movie Mode makes the GFX-50R ready to film and allows it to previous video framing correctly.

More to the right, a standard two-stage shutter-release is mounted within the front control-dial. The shutter-release has a short amount of travel with a firm halfway point. The control-dial has nice detents that give good feedback. It is configurable to control up to 3 settings. One of them must be Program Shift which becomes active when a lens has its aperture-ring set to C, assuming it has such a position. It can also control ISO and EC. The former offers direct control over ISO any time, while the latter is allowed when the EC dial is set to its C position. The catch, and the reason these multiple dial functions are not really useful, is that another custom button must be dedicated to switch between front control-dial functions. The best is simply to set it as ISO control since there is no direct dial for it anyway.

Next to the shutter-release, there is a simple power switch. Behind it, an EC dial is labelled in 1/3 stops ±3 EVs with an extra C position that allows ±5 EV of Exposure-Compensation. Again, this is only accessible if the front control-dial is set to control it. Finally, tucked between the Shutter-Speed and Exposure-Compensation dials, there is a small customizable button. There are 44 functions to choose from, many of which are quite useful, including Dynamic-Range, Metering Mode, Shutter Type, Dual Axis Digital Level and Depth-Of-Field Preview. These last two, and a few others, are inaccessible if not set to any Function button.

There is are a few items of note on the sides of this mirrorless camera. On the left, there is a very small plastic door that reveals a 2.5mm socket. It can be used for a wired remote trigger or a microphone, although this micro-jack is smaller than the usual 3.5mm mini-jack found on the majority of digital cameras. On the right side, a small door near the top reveals a Micro HDMI connector that supports 1080p output. Below it, a large plastic door reveals dual SDXC memory-card slots. Both slots support UHS-II cards and the door itself has a rubber seal to make it weatherproof.

The back of the camera offers a good number of controls, although it looks sparse due to its exceptionally large size relative to other digital cameras. At the upper left corner, there is a 0.5" EVF surrounded by a hard plastic eye-cup. The EVF has 3.7 megapixels of resolution, one of the highest to date, 100% coverage, a 0.77X magnification and an Eye-Start Sensor to its right. Everything is sharp, although the difference between it and high-end 2.4 megapixels ones is hard to tell. When focusing manually, feedback is quick although the point of critical focus is not so easy to pinpoint, perhaps because of the way pixels are binned to produce the Live-View. The view is bright with natural looking contrast and colors. There are many overlays that can be customized, including a single-axis digital level. Unfortunately, the EVF and LCD are only said to be Exposure-Priority in Manual Exposure mode. Even then, both displays are frequently off and rarely show the same exposure. EC and WB are usually previewed correctly though.

A large 3.2" Touchscreen LCD mounted on a double hinge provides framing flexibility. The display offers a class-leading 2.4 megapixels and is covered with a good anti-reflection coating. Its visibility is generally good, although not so bright. Even with brightness increased, it never shows a bright image as the EVF does. This causes images that look normal in the EVF to look underexposed on the LCD. The double-hinge allows the LCD to tilt up 90° or down 45°. The screen is extremely sensitive to touch and causes plenty of accidental changes if left enabled. One must turn off touch response and touch action to avoid any issues which do happen rather frequently.

Just to the right of the EVF, there is a View Mode button. This one cycles over different modes for the Eye-Start Sensor, either leaving the EVF or LCD constantly on, automatically switching between the two or leaving both off and powering the EVF when the sensor gets triggered. This last mode can save battery-life assuming the sensor is not constantly triggered. Further to the right, the Delete button is rather inconveniently located. It is way out of reach for the hand holding the grip and also from the other which would normally support the weight of the camera. Crossing over to press Delete often triggers the Eye-Start Sensor. Delete does nothing in Capture mode or during Instant Review. Instead, one must enter Playback mode, press Delete and confirm which is rather inefficient.

A 3-way Focus Mode switch is unusually located near the Delete button. On most digital cameras, this is placed at the lower corner of the lens barrel to operate it with the same hand as the lens. There are 3 positions: S for Single-Shot, C for Continuous AF and M for Manual Focus. When the AF+MF option is enabled in the AF menu, the S position becomes DMF, giving access to manual focus the moment autofocus has locked. Keep in mind that this is very coarse control over the AF which actually as 17 menu items to configure it.

Continuing along the top-back of the Fujifilm GFX-50R, the rear control-dial is flanked by two unlabeled buttons. Each of those is customizable with the same 44 functions available as the customizable button on the top plate. Typically, these buttons would be used for AE-L, AF-L or AF-On which cannot be activated via any menu item. The rear control-dial has medium-firm detents that provide good feedback. This dial is used to select shutter-speeds, as explained above in this review. It is also clickable which by default activates MF Assist but only in DMF or MF mode.

Next to the top-right corner of the LCD, there is an 8-way joystick. As on the ground-breaking X-E3, this joystick serves to move the focus point or area and completely replaces the traditional 4-way control found on most digital cameras. In Capture mode, the joystick can select one of 425 AF-Points or 117 AF-Areas. Pressing the joystick recenters the focus point or area. While a point or area is selected, the rear control-dial can select its size. There are 3 area-sizes and 6 point-sizes to choose from.

Right below the 8-way joystick, there is a MENU/OK button. Pressing it once enters the menu system, pressing it again selects an item or submenu. To choose between menus, submenus and items, one must use the 8-way joystick. Pressing the joystick has the same effect as OK when the menu is active. The menu itself is easy to navigate and subdivided into logical groups. Further down on the camera back, there is a DISP/BACK button which serves to cycle over display modes or back out of submenus.

Between MENU/OK and DISP/BACK, there is a Playback button. It serves to enter and exit Playback mode and can only be used when the camera is powered on. DISP/BACK also cycles over various viewing modes during playback. The same is true of the up direction of the 8-way joystick. It's a shame that down does not go back to the previous mode since one is forced to cycle over all options even when only interested in one.

A protrusion coated in soft rubber serves as thumb-hook at the back of the camera. On it, there are two buttons, one is customizable and the other activates the Fujifilm classic Q Menu which offers 16 icons to change various settings. These icons are each customizable to one of 28 controls, allowing photographers to choose which function they want more accessible. When the Q Menu appears, the 8-way controller selects an item and the rear control-dial changes it. Too bad this cannot be done using the front control-dial which would have made this menu more efficient.

The bottom of the Fujifilm GFX-50R provides a large surface area with a metal tripod mount perfectly aligned to the optical center. A large plastic battery compartment door is found on the left of the camera, while a square plastic plaque covers a USB-C port and separate AC input. Strangely, the USB-C port cannot be used to power or charge the camera.

Ergonomically, this Medium Format Mirrorless is rather bulky which makes reaching every control less comfortable than usual. The grip is certainly small for such a camera which diminishes stability. Once configured appropriately, the GFX-50R is fairly simple and efficient to use. One should map the front control-dial to ISO and leave the EC dial in its direct mode, rather than the C position. shutter-speed can then be adjusted by switching from A to T and using the rear control-dial. This leaves a few control-points for frequently used features such as Dynamic-Range, Self-Timer, DOF Preview, AF-On and AE-L. The rest are bound to be pushed into the Q Menu. The main frustrations are accidental actions from the touchscreen, which can thankfully be turned off, the rather poor placement of the Delete button and preview inconsistency between the EVF and LCD.

While not specific to this camera, Fujifilm often implements their digital cameras with a high degree of feature interaction. One has to select a specific type of shutter to access certain shutter-speeds, which in the days of hybrid shutters is normal. What the shutter type also affects though is the ISO range. Any expanded sensitivity is only selectable in purely mechanical mode, not even in modes that allow to use various types of shutters. The selected ISO also limits choices for Dynamic-Range. Many menu options end up greyed out until other compatible items are selected.