Big test
“I WAS HAPPY SHOOTINGAT ISO 800 AND 1600 ON DULL DAYS”
PERFORMANCE: PIXEL SHIFTMULTI-SHOTMODE
excellent for this, and I didn’t feel that it would slip from my grasp at any time – a really comfortable way of working. The camera’s high ISO skills meant I was content shooting at ISO 800 and 1600 on the dull days of testing the camera, but happy to ramp up the ISO further if needed. Indeed, on a couple of night walks, I shot at ISO 6400 and 12,800, knowing the Raws would deliver great quality with some assistance from software. I wasn’t planning to do light trails or anything too clever, so I didn’t bother with a tripod, relying on the camera’s IBIS skills to help get crisp images. That proved a good tactic, and I was consistently getting sharp shots at 1/4sec or 1/8sec. Of course, it wasn’t all due to IBIS,
SPOT THE LABEL Externally, the GFX 50S II camera body is almost exactly the same as the 102-megapixel GFX 100S – the discreetly placed logo on the end of the body is the only giveaway
MULTI-SHOT COMBINEDMODE
and you have to factor in a smooth shutter release, well-damped shutter action (I used the electronic front curtain) and a body design with a lovely handgrip. The mechanical shutter is very quiet and low- vibration, too. Ergonomics generally rated highly and, as previously discussed,
it has a reasonably fast start-up time. A slightly larger exposure compensation button would be appreciated, though. I shot mostly in aperture-priority AE and auto white balance, and the camera performed consistently well. For focusing, I happily skipped from wide, zone and single-point
STANDARD RAW
Call upon the GFX 50S II’s IBIS unit, and produce 203-megapixel files with the help of Fujifilm’s Pixel Shift Combiner software, available for Mac and Windows. Select the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode in the drive menu, fix the camera to a tripod, and it will take 16 separate exposures with the electronic shutter. This needs a few seconds, hence the need for a really solid tripod – and a static subject, too. Once combined in the software, you get a DNG file (this shot’s file size was 804MB, combined with 58MB for a standard Raw). An open pixel-combined file is 16,480x12,360 pixels (139.5x104.6cm), which compares with the 8256x6192 pixels (69.9x52.4cm) of a standard GFX 50S II file. This mode is not for everyone, but there is potential.
THE EYE HAS IT There’s no animal detection on the GFX 50S II, but using touch AF on the camera’s tilting monitor meant I could capture this gull – which was just a couple of metres away – without scaring it off by having to lift the camera to my eye. Exposure of 1/950sec at f/7.1 and ISO 400, using the 70mm end of the GF35-70mm zoom lens
PERFORMANCE: IN-CAMERANOISE REDUCTION The Fujifilm GFX 50S II has high ISO noise reduction, and these three straight-out-of-camera JPEGs show how effective it can be. Exposure for this twilight scene at ISO 12,800 was 1/12sec at f/5.6. The shot taken at 0NR is impressive. There is some
As you can see with the +4NR shot, noise reduction is overly aggressive, and you get a slightly smudged result. Although, in fairness, when viewed at small sizes or low magnifications, this isn’t an issue.
noise present, but the image is remarkably clean, considering how little light was around, and I would be very happy with this shot for critical use. Setting +1 or +2NR would see even more improvement.
FULL-FRAME
-4 NOISE REDUCTION
0 NOISE REDUCTION
+4 NOISE REDUCTION
Issue 94 | Photography News 49
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