So I have had this camera for a week and a bit now, using it in a number of situations – for the self-portrait challenge, some client shoots, and a couple of premieres.
GFX100RF 35.0 mm ISO 2000 1/180 sec at f4.0. From RAW through pureRAW.
GFX100RF 35 mm ISO 1600 1/450 sec at f5.6. JPG, selected aspect ratio.
I’m going to deal with the negatives first, starting with an annoyance that I really do not understand.
The camera is obviously a very different shape to the X100VI, it has additional controls (aspect ratio, digital zoom etc) but there are 4 key buttons that feature on rear panel of all the fujifilm cameras;
- Play
- Menu
- Delete/Drive
- Disp/Back
The GFX is on the left. Yes, the delete button on the X100 (which in my mind is the closest in the range to the GFX100RF) is in a totally different place than on the GFX; I have no issue with this being added to the bottom of the main set of controls, making a set of four.
What I can’t understand is the swapping of the Play and Disp/Back buttons! It totally screws with my muscle memory, and I keep pressing Play when I want the Disp function (and visa-versa). The Disp/Back button is the lowest button on all the fujifilm cameras I have in my posession. Why is it moved higher on this model?
Whilst on this set of buttons, I have to say that the joystick on the GFX is nowhere near as easy to use as that of the X100 (or the X-H bodies) – I hope that is something that improves as I get used to the camera.
The Strap: I love how the strap looks – I have a rope strap on my X100 and I like the way this sort of matches but with the addition of a branded shoulder pad.
It will become more flexible as it ages, but straight out of the box, it is quite unwieldy, being difficult to curl up in a bag or on a shelf. That inflexibility can make it tricky getting to the (twin) card slot, and you will see from the images above that the “protection” slightly overlaps the door, which is just an annoying detail (I will probably trim it a bit myself).
I know the lens cap is not designed to fit with the filter on; however, with just a little design tweak, it could do, giving the option of being able to protect the front of the camera in a bag without enlarging the size with the (lovely looking) square lens hood.
It’s all about details, and so many details of this camera are right; in isolation, it feels amazing in my hands and is lovely to use. However, I’m surprised that given the care that has obviously gone into the design of this camera, there are these tiny details that are almost right.
It’s quite clear, even at this early point, that the amount of latitude in the RAW files for editing is amazing. The JPGs are also very decent too. The storage required is huge, and I will be thinking carefully about which files I keep.
That’s it for my first thoughts; I will continue with my thoughts about the camera as I use it more.
Julie Edwards-X 