A Deserving Spot in the Fujifilm Lineup
After months of testing this camera across varying conditions, I could see where this camera excels and, more than any other tool before, experience the walls that narrow the reach of this product. We're so used to technology hurdling forward, and in the imaging space, this unrelenting expectation of one camera that can do everything at all times. But — this is dumb thinking.
There are valuable sacrifices made in specific flagship cameras for maximization. They serve many creators, but it'd be foolish to have this as the sole strategy for creative technology. Specialization is necessary because it helps underrepresented creators in varying spaces and provides a different entry point for sharing their vision. This is the sh*t that gets lost in reviews when products are dissolved to speeds and feeds. We can all agree that context matters, right? The Fujifilm GFX 50s II deserves context. With one camp championing this as an incredibly affordable pro imaging solution while another is prematurely calling it a flop, it's easy to get caught in the noise and forget it's just a specialized tool for creating.
Design & Features
A few months ago, I was hired to shoot the cover for NOW! Magazine in Toronto, and the timing couldn't have been better. My Fujifilm GFX 100s had arrived, and I still had my review copy of the GFX 50s II from Fujifilm. This would be the perfect opportunity to test these cameras side-by-side and see how far the 50s II lags behind or if that gap is inconsequential in professional hands.
Adopting the exact shape and dimensions of the GFX 100s was an excellent move on Fujifilm's part. You don't have the garish LCD bump of the first GFX camera, and more importantly, the entire piece has a footprint of traditional DSLR solutions. It's big, but not too big. At 900g, the body felt very manageable in the studio and balanced nicely with higher-end GF glass. While it might vary for some photographers, I prefer this size for many of my commercial studio work, where you can quickly grasp the camera for optimal manipulation. On 8+ hour shoot days, not once did it feel laborious to pick up this camera.
However, this could be different from person to person as some may find this trickier to wield, where you might have a bit of the camera shakes at odd angles. Thankfully, the 50s II inherits 6.5 in-body image stabilization stops that work incredibly well for photography. Fujifilm may have shoddy results with image stabilization for video, but they're nailing it for photography. Time and time again, I could rely on this camera for sharp results at 1/30th of a second. I could even go as low as 1/10th of a second and get a great result with greater intention. Admittedly, you may not go that low in many situations, but it means that the shutter range you find yourself working in most often gets that much more reliable. If you plan on doing a lot of handheld portrait work, the stabilization in this camera will help you achieve the desired results.
Let's talk about the camera's use-case experience. The viewfinder is not removable or adjustable; it's a 3.69M OLED display. It doesn't give you that looking-through-a-window feeling that some premium, full-frame cameras adopt, but it's suitable for the working professional. You can also use the back LCD to compose your shots, which I did numerous times. It's a traditional three-way tilting display that makes it easier to capture low-angle photography. You don't have to perform these mental and physical gymnastics to line up the shot as you want with an LCD that flips to the side. Many passionate YouTubers will disagree with me, but this system is the best solution for professional photographers.