Meet The New Fujifilm GFX 50S II

Back in 2016, Fujifilm made a bombshell announcement by revealing the new GFX 50S, a 51.4 megapixel medium format camera. 5 years later, Fujifilm has announced the new GFX 50S II. The new camera blends the original GFX 50S with the recently released GFX 100S, and comes in at a jaw dropping low price point of just $3,999.95 for the body, and $4,499.95 with the GF35-70mm kit lens. 

On the outside, the GFX 50S II looks identical to the GFX 100S, and is considerably thinner than the original. Gone is the big bulge that holds the LCD screen, and you lose the traditional Fuji-style dials for a normal mode dial on the left. You still get the big top display, and the button layout and ergonomics are great, just like the 100S. 

The NP-T125 battery (1230mAh) has been replaced with the NP-W235 (2200mAh) that was introduced with the X-T4. Not only is the battery cheaper (~$69 vs ~$95), but you also get more shots out of it (approx 440). 

On the inside the improvements range from minimal to all new for the GFX50 series. The biggest being that it features in-body image stabilization. While testing the camera, we were consistently getting sharp handheld photos down to 1/6th of a second while using the GF32-64mm lens. Unfortunately, the autofocus system is still contrast detect - but improved over the 50S and 50R. There were a few instances where we ended up with out of focus photos, but for landscape, portrait, and still life photographers, the autofocus is more than enough. Continuous shooting speed remains the same as the original GFX 50S, at 3fps. 

For those looking to do video, the GFX 50s II tops out at Full HD 30p video. Not as impressive as the 4K30 on the GFX 100 cameras, but with IBIS, it is more than usable to get high quality video footage. 

The other big news with this camera is the kit lens. While kit lenses are not typically impressive, Fuji has always had neat kit lenses, like the XF18-55mm f/2.8-4, and the XF16-80 f/4. The new GFX 50S II can be purchased with the all new GF35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR (28-55mm FX equivalent), and it is the fastest, lightest, and smallest breathing GF standard kit zoom lens. The lens features a MOD of just 35cm, weights 440 grams, and is just under 74mm long when fully collapsed. Combined with the GFX 50S II, the combination is a little over an inch thicker than a X-T4 with the 18-55 lens, making it a super portable combo. 

For portrait or landscape photographers that aren’t full time professionals, medium format cameras have oftentimes been out of reach pricewise. With the $4,000 price point, the Fuji GFX 50S II is comparable to the Sony A7R IVa (61MP / $3,499) and Canon R5 (45MP / $3,899), but with that “medium format look”. 

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II can be pre-ordered here.