FUJIFILM GFX100 II - New medium format camera (also) for filmmakers!
[12:01 Tue,12.September 2023 by Rudi Schmidts]
News for filmmakers comes today also from FUJIFILM. The latest GFX100 II digital medium format camera is not only surprisingly affordable (7,999 euros for the body), but also gets more serious video features.
With a sensor width of 43.8 mm (and an associated crop factor of about 0.82), FUJI&s mid-range cameras may well be of interest for "large format" film projects. These sensor values do not yet come close to digital IMAX, but the direction is already right.
The camera is equipped with the newly developed GFX 102 megapixel CMOS II HS sensor and the X-Processor 5, which processes sensor data twice as fast as the previous model. Among other things, this should make a faster rolling shutter readout possible, which was usually a not inconsiderable problem with medium format cameras up to now. And what in our eyes will also ultimately be decisive as to whether the FUJIFILM GFX100II will ultimately become some friends as a film camera.
FUJIFILM GFX100 II
FUJI itself says only this much about it so far: "The new image sensor shortens the readout speed even in video recording, so that annoying rolling shutter effects can be shutter effects can be avoided and even fast motion sequences can be recorded naturally. fast motion sequences can be recorded naturally."
The GFX100 II films internally in 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 at up to 60p and is the first GFX camera to support 8K video recording up to 30p. The camera records to SD or CFexpress Type B at up to 720 Mbps. Those who want to record in Apple ProRes (HQ, Standard or LT) will have to use CFexpress internally. Interestingly, in addition to 16:9 and 17:9 DCI formats, "cinamascope" 8K 2.76:1 with 8192x2968 pixels can also be recorded - but only in 24p.
Among other things, the camera casing is equipped with an Ethernet port as well as HDMI Type A and USB-C ports. An external SSD can be connected via USB-C and used as a storage medium for all formats. The case measures about 15 x 12 x 10 cm without accessories and weighs about 1 kilogram, depending on the attachments and add-ons.
FUJIFILM GFX100 II
The sensor itself is mounted on movable bearings and offers additional digital stabilization in video mode, which should sacrifice a few edge sensors for this purpose. To what extent the video modes are 1:1 readouts, FUJI did not clarify in the press release. This is another reason why the topic of downsampling and rolling shutter times should be very exciting.
If you want to use every sensor in downsampling, a 100 MPixel sensor for video recording is an enormous challenge for the data streams. At full sensor width, no less than 11648×6552 sensels have to be transported over the interfaces in 16:9 - unless sensels are omitted or the merging of the sensels is already done in the sensor hardware.
In this context, the new "Video Format" mode also sounds exciting. With this mode, it should be possible to use premista, 35mm and anamorphic (!!!) 35mm lenses on the camera. In this mode, the camera is supposed to automatically adjust the sensor crop to allow optimal use of the image circle. However, only an anamorphic 1.38:1 format with 4.6K recording can be found in the technical data so far.
In keeping with the times, tracking autofocus is now also available for video recording. The object to be tracked can be selected directly via the touchscreen during recording in "AF-C + Wide/Tracking" mode.
FUJIFILM GFX100 II
The GFX100 II is the first camera in the GFX series to offer F-Log2 mode for video recording. This is said to capture a dynamic range of more than 14 stops. In combination with the compatible ATOMOS NINJA V+ and Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G external HDMI recorders, it is also said to be possible to record 12-bit RAW video files. These can be saved as Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW at up to 8K30p.
The camera supports wireless timecode synchronization with ATOMOS AirGlu BT. In addition, the GFX100 II supports the "Frame.io | Camera to Cloud" cloud service, which allows uploading Apple ProRes proxy files and many other video formats directly to Frame.io, among others.
There are also other new and professional video features, such as waveform and vectorscope display, a "Focus Map" focus wizard, and an "F-Log2 D-area priority display".
FUJIFILM GFX100 II
The GFX100II can also be fitted with other accessories for filmmakers. For example, the new VG-GFX II portrait format battery grip, as well as the "FAN-001" fan, which also works on the X-H2S, X-H2 and X-S20. And the tried-and-true EVF-TL1 viewfinder adapter is also said to work with the new model.
The new FUJIFILM GFX100 II is scheduled to be available in Europe from September 28, 2023 for €7,999 (MSRP). The new VG-GFX II battery grip should also be on the shelves then for €549.
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