The Fuji GFX100RF and Me

a personal reflectioN

fuji gfx100rf - captured with an iphone

an unexpected encounter

i was initially unsure if i really wanted the fuji gfx100rf. i had an offer to test it, but then it didn't happen. until my spanish dealer called and suddenly had one. gear acquisition syndrome, nothing more and nothing less...

palma airport

first impression: love at first grip

of course, i unpacked it in the car. i was surprised that fuji not only includes a nice carrying strap but also a uv filter, a lens hood, and the necessary adapter for some weather protection. although, with the multitude of dials and flaps on the body, i'm skeptical about the actual weather resistance.

when i held the gfx100rf in my hand, it just fit. it was like a sweater that you immediately feel comfortable in. that feeling hasn't changed to this day. i like the format, the weight distribution, the mix of high-quality plastic and solid aluminum. but the most important thing was: it just felt good to me. very subjective, i know.

the perfect carrying strap and a trip through andalusia

i took it with me on my trip through andalusia and hung it around my neck with the carrying strap. the camera hung at the perfect height over my back. of course, this is different for everyone. i remember wanting to order a carrying strap for my leica from gaston shutter. he asked me about the length, and i didn't know the answer. i had never had a camera strap that i really liked. whether from peak design or just nicer ones, none were really mine. but i also didn't know what i wanted. now i know: exactly the length like the one on the fuji.

the gfx100rf with my beloved strap

shooting with f4: day and night

shooting with f4 and without ibis during the day is wonderful and perfectly feasible for my use case, street photography, without any limitations. i haven't needed the built-in nd filter yet; at f4, it's a somewhat optimistic construction. i haven't managed handheld long exposures even at 1/25s. the old rule of doubling the focal length is, unfortunately, the bare minimum for me with this sensor. so 1/50 works, but then you have to hold still.

malaga

low light photography with 1/70s, ISO 6400, denoised in lightroom

at night in malaga, i was surprised at how well street photography still worked. but to be fair, this city is really well lit. there are shop windows and streetlights everywhere that provide much more light than, for example, in munich. if you adjust to having a less-than-ideal lens for low light, you can manage. in many situations. but i was unfaithful to the fuji and pulled out my sony with the 1.2 gm lens. however, after days of 28mm, i couldn't do anything with the 50mm at first.

malaga

1/125s, ISO 3200, denoised in lightroom

equipment swapping and a surprising finding

i usually like to change my equipment. most of my photographer friends shake their heads about this because my "muscle memory" is, of course, not as good as someone who only works with one camera. but i love the technical diversity. and i love finding new positive aspects in a camera, but also negative ones. because that makes me want to try that exact point with another camera again.

casino in montemayor

1/125s, ISO 3200, not denoised

but with the gfx, i suddenly had no desire to switch anymore. even though i had my "sony essential gear kit" with me (a1 ii and a7c2 with 16-35mm gm ii, 50mm gm f/1.2, 85mm gm f/1.4) and even the fuji x-t5 with fast lenses like the 50mm f1 and the new viltrox 27mm f/1.2. i always wanted to hang the "big little one" around my neck and go. freed from small bags with lenses, but only with a spare battery in my pocket.

battery and lens: unexpected strengths

speaking of the battery: it lasts surprisingly long, much longer than in my gfx 100 ii. why is that? no idea. maybe the autofocus motor uses less power with this small lens than with the large, fast lenses?

malaga airport

1s, camera placed on my hand luggage and remotely controlled with the app

and speaking of the lens: i thought beforehand it wouldn't be that great. but apart from some contrast drop in strong backlight, this little thing is a real gem. don't get me wrong, it's not a leica apo summicron asph., but it renders beautifully, harmonizes surprisingly well with the sensor, and its low weight and shallow depth certainly contribute a lot to why i like holding the camera so much. i find it perfectly balanced.

comparison with other cameras and a subjective judgment

when i got home, i immediately pulled out my q2 mono. that was always my secret favorite camera when it wasn't about perfection but just about having fun. it then felt small, slippery, and somehow wrong. the q3 43, which i never really 100% liked, also didn't sit well in my hand. you can't describe it, it's subjective. you have to try it yourself.

to be fair, a 43mm apo summicron lens probably takes technically better pictures. but they are often too clinical and at the same time too "poppy" for me. i think leica overdid it a bit with the q3 43. in contrast, the image impression of the gfx100rf is simply "beautiful" and harmonious. no noticeable sharpness, no noticeable weakness. just so that i like looking at the photos.

colors, dynamics, and playfulness

the film simulations of fuji initially excited me with the x-t5 and the large gfx. at some point, i got tired of them and realized that i edit every color image anyway. and that sony with the newer lenses doesn't have such bad colors anymore. but that's just on the side.

cordoba

you might notice that there are few color images in my flickr album with the pictures i wanted to show. that's because i only use color when it really contributes something to the composition. otherwise, i just prefer black and white. you can definitely take good color photos with the fuji, but i only shoot raw anyway and am not very interested in out-of-camera images.

malaga airport

the dynamic range in the raw files is great. the fineness in which brightness and color are graded is fantastic. the 16-bit color depth is maintained up to 4 frames per second in burst mode, with 6 frames per second it's only 14-bit. so i never use that, then i don't need the sensor...

barcelona

i always thought the "zoom" gimmick was nonsense back in the q days. i can crop anyway. why should i choose a "focal length" beforehand if there's actually no change? anyone who wants to crop will be happy with this sensor anyway. and the reserve is a fine thing for emergencies. otherwise, with 28mm, you just have to zoom with your feet. then the composition becomes more exciting and direct.

palma

taken from inside my car through the windshield and then cropped the hell out of it …

but i found the format selection switch funny, which by the way only works if you save raw and jpg files from the camera. which is not mentioned anywhere and which i find annoying because lightroom always imports both. but apart from this little annoyance, it's fun to try other formats. you can darken the rest of the viewfinder to varying degrees, and i always thought the x-pan format was funny and i love 16:9. at the moment, i have 3:2 set because i tend to cut off feet..

my hotel room in barcelona

captured in x-pan mode, 1/60s, ISO 6400, not denoised

conclusion

many people have asked me, "is it better than the q3?" honestly, i can't give a definitive answer. the summilux on the q3 is probably leica's best 28mm lens, and it's great in low light. the image stabilization isn't the best on the market, but it's good. the sensor is excellent. but i didn't really like the 28mm q3 when it first came out. the autofocus was quite bad then, and i found the color noise to be pretty intense at times. also, while i think the controls are nice, i prefer having more dials and buttons that i can customize myself.

barcelona

1/250s, ISO 1000

so, i can only give a somewhat evasive answer: for me personally, the gfx100rf is the better camera. because it helped me rediscover my enjoyment of 28mm, something i never really felt with leica q3. it's even gotten to the point where i bought a nice little zeiss lens for my m, with f/2.8, and i'm having fun with that too. the m doesn't have stabilization either, and it costs almost twice as much as the fuji. but i think in this price range, it's not really about the price. it's about: is this the camera i want to take with me? the one that makes me feel complete? they're all good. you can take fantastic photos with any of these cameras. it depends much more on you than on the gear.

so my advice would be: try them out. see if you feel the same way i do. or if you'd rather have a q in your hand. that's what it boils down to in the end.

check out more photos in high resolution in my flickr album.