Since its announcement at Photokina last September we've known that Fujifilm was working on the GFX 50S, a new mirrorless medium format camera. Now the firm has revealed exactly when the camera will be released and how much it will cost, along with the full specifications.
As we found out when we got our hands on a pre-production model of the camera (for an all too brief moment) at the Photokina announcement, the GFX 50S looks to be something special. It packs a medium format size sensor into a surprisingly small body and benefits from many of the developments we've seen in Fujifilm's X-Series like the X-T2.
We've also known since then that the camera would sell for less than $10,000, but not by how much less. Fujifilm has now revealed pricing, and at £6,200 (or $6,500) body-only, the camera is going to be more affordable than many people expected. If that's within your budget you won't have to wait too long either, the GFX 50S is going to start shipping on February 23.
This price point makes the GFX 50S considerably cheaper than rival cameras like the Hasselblad HD6 and the Phase One XF 100MP, and more comparable to the Hasselblad X1D or the Pentax 645Z. It will presumably also turn the heads of some photographers who were eyeing up the Nikon D5 or Canon 1DX Mk2, but don't need the speed of those cameras.
Final specifications of the GFX 50S show that its 43.8 x 32.9 mm sensor will be a 51.4-megapixel CMOS offering. That's 1.7 times the area of a full frame camera. This is paired with an X Processor Pro image processing engine, allowing the camera an ISO range of 100 to 12,800 (expandable to 50 to 102,400) and Full HD 1080p video recording at up to 30 fps.
It's not just the wide ISO range which shows the GTX 50S isn't one of those medium format cameras which is only comfortable in the studio. A magnesium alloy build and sealing means the camera is sturdy and weather resistant. It's compact too, measuring 148 x 94 x 91 mm (5.8 x 3.7 x 3.6 in) and weighing 825 g (29 oz) it's not going to be like lugging around a typically bulky medium format setup. In fact, it's comparable to some full frame DSLRs.
Controls will be fairly familiar to anyone who has used a recent Fujifilm X-Series camera, though the extra space on the camera has allowed for nice additions, like a sub monitor display on the top of the camera for checking on settings. Around back there's a large 3.2-inch 2,360k dot tilting touchscreen display, while there's also a detachable 3,690k dot electronic viewfinder for those whose prefer to compose shots that way.
To cover that large medium format sensor, and make the most of the 50-megapixel resolution, Fujifilm is also launching a new line of GF lenses using the G-mount. These will initially include a 63-mm F2.8, a 32-64-mm F4 and a macro lens 120-mm F4, with more to follow. If you have older H-mount lenses knocking around which you used on something like the Fujifilm GX645AF, an adapter allowing you to use these (with manual focusing) will be sold separately.
Other optional accessories for the GFX 50S will include a vertical battery grip which will keep you photographing longer and be more comfortable if shooting vertically. There's also a EVF tilt adapter which allows users to change the EVF mounting angle.
The GFX 50S is available to pre-order now for that $6,500 price, and is due to start shipping in February. The lenses will be available at the same time and will cost $1,500 for the 63-mm F2.8, $2,300 for the 32-64-mm F4, and $2,700 for the 120-mm F4.
You can check out a promo video for the GFX 50S below.
Product page: Fujifilm GFX 50S
