Fujifilm’s Latest Camera Is a Stylish, Difficult Buy

One of TikTok’s most interesting, beneficial effects is that camera companies have been reminded that, if products look beautiful, consumers are more likely to buy them. As smartphones started to eat the mobile photography category, camera companies focused further on their professional consumers, leaving only Leica to appeal to the style-conscious casual photographer. The problem with that is that Leica cameras are outrageously expensive, so even those with even moderate camera budgets couldn’t afford them.But, photography TikTok soon found Fujifilm’s X100 range — a beautiful, small street-photography camera — and its beautiful design, great shots, and easy usability made it an instant sell-out hit. To this day, they are rarely in stock, and related cameras — like the Fujifilm X-T30 II that I use — sell out frequently as people try to get a sense of that feeling. Other camera companies have followed suit with the beautifully minimalist Sigma BF and concepts like the VWFNDR Keiran.Fujifilm GFX100RF With Historic Cameras. Courtesy of FujifilmNow, Fujifilm has returned to the formula, announcing its new GFX100RF, the latest model in Fujifilm’s more professional medium-frame range, but made with the style and approach of the X100VI. It has the same massive sensor but has a beautiful retro look — in either black or silver — shares the X100V’s leaf shutter system, is compact and only weighs 1.62 pounds, and is a fixed-lens camera with a fixed Fujinon 35mm F4 lens.Fujifilm GFX100RF. Courtesy of FujifilmFujifilm GFX100RF Aspect Ratio Dial. Courtesy of FujifilmIt’s a beautiful camera and a serious competitor for Leica’s stylish full-frame Q3, with some pleasant additions. For the first time on a Fuji camera, it comes with an aspect ratio dial — with nine different ratios, including 7:6, 1:1, 3:4, 16:9, 17:6, and the 65:24 “XPan” widescreen — and 20 of Fuji’s signature film simulations; and yet, despite having a compact retro body, it still makes use of a large format 102-megapixel sensor. It also comes with a new updated AI auto-focus, a 3.15-inch 2-axis tilt LCD screen, and is the first GFX-series Fujifilm camera to include a built-in 4-stop ND filter.In theory, it’s a great upgrade pick for the X100V, bringing a similar attitude to photography but with some added extras, a boxier retro design, and higher quality photographs., courtesy of the medium-frame sensor instead of the APS-C sensor of the X100VI, which will dramatically increase resolution, dynamic range, and low-light performance. It also allows for more dynamic cropping, hence the aspect ratio dial. But it is a massive price jump.Fujifilm GFX100RF. Courtesy of FujifilmThe X100VI costs $1,599 — if you can find it in stock anywhere. When the GFX100RF starts reaching customers on April 24th, it’ll be $4,899, which is such an enormous leap in price that it’s not worth comparison; and its fixed lense means its customers will primarily be affluent enthusiast photographers rather than professionals. Perhaps the better target for an expensive, large-format enthusiast camera is the Leica Q3, which has a smaller sensor than the Fuji but costs $6,295. Compared to it, the Fuji looks like a good value.Fujifilm GFX100RF. Courtesy of Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Latest Camera Is a Stylish, Difficult Buy

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