Industry News: Fujifilm announces the GFX 100, a 102mp medium format camera

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Press Release:

100+ megapixel sensor in a 55mm diagonal length large format offers highest resolution in the history of mirrorless cameras
Fast, accurate autofocus with the world’s first phase detection system, 4K video capability, and in-body image stabilization in a large sensor format1.

Valhalla, New York, May 23, 2019 – FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation today announced the upcoming release of its flagship GFX100 mirrorless digital camera, incorporating a newly-developed 102 megapixel (MP), 55mm diagonal length large format image sensor that is designed to deliver image clarity and capability previously unheard of in the photography and video industries.
The GFX100 features several ‘world firsts’ for a large format camera with an image sensor larger than the 35mm (full-frame) format: including its 102MP back-side illuminated sensor (BSI), in body image stabilization (IBIS) and on-board phase detection hybrid auto-focus (AF) with near 100% coverage. In addition to...

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Nov 12, 2016
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First, it still bugs me that they call this "medium format" when as far as I know it's not as big of a sensor as what most people think of as a medium format. Yes it's way cheaper, but we need a better naming convention rather than lumping anything bigger than full frame into the same "medium format" bin.

Also, what on earth is going on with the ISO specs? Maximum native ISO is 12,800, but expandable to 102,400? :LOL:

So natively they feel that it can only go to 12,800, but they will let you push it to ten times that? Something is a little weird here.

And also, what is the point of having such a big sensor if it will only achieve similar ISOs to what a good full frame sensor will?
 
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35mm cameras are "small format". :) Odd to me that 35mm users who insist on calling their cameras "full frame" have a problem with larger format cameras being called "Medium format".

For Video shooters the sensor would actually fit very comfortably in the "large format" range.

The legacy film categories were never clearly defined to begin with. IMO you shouldn't have too much trouble finding something more important to worry about.
 
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Nov 12, 2016
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You misunderstood me. I have no problem with the term medium format, just the fact that any camera larger than full frame gets lumped into the category of "medium format".

When I think of a true medium format digital camera, I'm thinking of something like a Hasselblad H6D. And these Fuji "medium format" sensors are a far cry from that size sensor.
 
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Nov 12, 2016
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I just don't see what all the fuss is about. The ISO range is certainly not blowing anyone's socks off. They have no lenses faster than f2, and most only at f2.8 or f4, so you aren't getting better light gathering ability there.

Yeah it has 100mp, but as has been said we're close to that with full frame.

What about this camera is that ground breaking beyond being able to say you have a sensor larger than full frame?
 
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You misunderstood me. I have no problem with the term medium format, just the fact that any camera larger than full frame gets lumped into the category of "medium format".

When I think of a true medium format digital camera, I'm thinking of something like a Hasselblad H6D. And these Fuji "medium format" sensors are a far cry from that size sensor.
The Hassy H6D sensor has less than 1/4 the area of my 6x17 "medium format" roll film back so why is that "true" medium format. If you don't see how pointless this discussion is I don't know what to tell you. The GFX is optimized for max sensor size in a reasonably hand-holdable format.

If these were the specs for a Canon 1DS Mark IV I expect there are posters here that could barely maintain their continence.
 
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Nov 12, 2016
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Well if you're going to compare film to a digital sensor, then I don't know what to tell you either.

If we're talking about a medium format digital camera, cameras like Hasselblads and Phase Ones are what have defined that segment for years if not decades. So when Fuji suddenly comes out with with a camera that has a sensor that is nowhere near the size of those sensors, it's just misleading to call it medium format. I don't think it's necessarily Fuji's fault, but I do think the industry as a whole needs to define sensor sizes better if there are going to be multiple sizes larger than full frame.
 
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Table below is the sensor size comparison of various format digital cameras.
It seems that currently anything larger than FF (even with different aspect ratio) is called medium format. Is this right or wrong, no one knows, I guess.

TypeHeight
(mm)
Width
(mm)
Diagonal
(mm)
Area (Resolution)
(Sq mm)
35mm Multiplier
1"9.6012.8016.00122.882.70
4/313.5018.0022.50243.001.92
APS-C Canon15.0022.5027.04337.501.60
APS-H Canon 1d18.7028.1033.75525.471.28
35mm Full Frame24.0036.0043.27864.001.00
Pentax 645z
Fujifilm GFX
33.0044.0055.001452.000.79
Hasselblad H5D-5036.7049.1061.301801.970.71
Hasselblad H5D-6040.2053.7067.082158.740.64
 
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bgoyette

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Well if you're going to compare film to a digital sensor, then I don't know what to tell you either.

If we're talking about a medium format digital camera, cameras like Hasselblads and Phase Ones are what have defined that segment for years if not decades. So when Fuji suddenly comes out with with a camera that has a sensor that is nowhere near the size of those sensors, it's just misleading to call it medium format. I don't think it's necessarily Fuji's fault, but I do think the industry as a whole needs to define sensor sizes better if there are going to be multiple sizes larger than full frame.

Hasselblad, (and for that matter, Phase One) has, since the H3d, made medium format digital cameras with a range of sensor sizes from 33x44 on up to 40x53mm (the h5d-50 in the chart was the older ccd version. The CMOS version (H5d-50c) was a 33x44. Medium format has always referred to range of roll film cameras, and later digital cameras with a frame size larger than 24x36mm, and smaller than typical cut sheet film that came in 4x5 and up. Can we not have this discussion anymore?...it's pointless. Medium format is no more accurate a descriptor than "full frame" is, yet it's what we have, and we all know what it means.
 
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First, it still bugs me that they call this "medium format" when as far as I know it's not as big of a sensor as what most people think of as a medium format. Yes it's way cheaper, but we need a better naming convention rather than lumping anything bigger than full frame into the same "medium format" bin.

Also, what on earth is going on with the ISO specs? Maximum native ISO is 12,800, but expandable to 102,400? :LOL:

So natively they feel that it can only go to 12,800, but they will let you push it to ten times that? Something is a little weird here.

And also, what is the point of having such a big sensor if it will only achieve similar ISOs to what a good full frame sensor will?

ISO invariance. Wait to bash the low light performance after shadow recovery has been tested. More likely than not, this camera will probably outperform the A7S II and A7III in low light.
 
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Looks great, but not for ten grand. (At least not for mere mortals like me).

Can someone explain in very simple terms what a back-side illuminated sensor is and why it is beneficial?
As I understand it, A back-side illuminated sensor has the electronic layer of the sensor (front-side) flipped over to the back. The photo-diode (back-side) is then, of course, flipped to the front (light gathering side).

This gives a clearer path to the light gathering part of the sensor so the senor collects more photons. The more efficient light collection means that the sensors can support smaller pixels with less noise in low light. At least that's what proponents of BSI sensors say. I guess not everybody agrees on that part. Go figure.

I'm no expert on sensors but I think that's about it.
 
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I wonder what the ergonomics are like on this camera? Based on appearance only, the GFX 50S looks like it is nicer to hold (and the GFX 50R looks too small), but I am only going by what it looks like in pictures. In fact Leica S looks like the best "medium format" camera ergonomically, but it's twenty grand for a 37MP sensor - no thanks!
 
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RayValdez360

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Table below is the sensor size comparison of various format digital cameras.
It seems that currently anything larger than FF (even with different aspect ratio) is called medium format. Is this right or wrong, no one knows, I guess.

TypeHeight
(mm)
Width
(mm)
Diagonal
(mm)
Area (Resolution)
(Sq mm)
35mm Multiplier
1"9.6012.8016.00122.882.70
4/313.5018.0022.50243.001.92
APS-C Canon15.0022.5027.04337.501.60
APS-H Canon 1d18.7028.1033.75525.471.28
35mm Full Frame24.0036.0043.27864.001.00
Pentax 645z
Fujifilm GFX
33.0044.0055.001452.000.79
Hasselblad H5D-5036.7049.1061.301801.970.71
Hasselblad H5D-6040.2053.7067.082158.740.64
the thing is who should give a damn. the images are good and the larger size seems to have a advantage over 35mm currently.
 
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the thing is who should give a damn. the images are good and the larger size seems to have a advantage over 35mm currently.
Some may look at spec, some may look at the pictures taken, some may look at the price point, and some may look at all. Nothing wrong or damn there. One of the posters was asking whether just saying "larger than FF" (i.e. medium format) is a good term representing a whole range of sensor size (and aspect ratio) that is out there. Perhaps for you it is and perhaps for some others it is not. Nothing damn there either.
 
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