Fujifilm GFX 50S First Shots Comparo

Fuji GFX First Shots - Comparison Crops

The best lab images we've ever seen

Our Fuji GFX is back Stateside and, as expected, we wasted no time getting this new medium format camera into our lab. We now have our classic First Shots series of laboratory test images ready for pixel-peeping as well as comparing in our Comparometer.

As you may already know, we recently posted a handful of real-world gallery images shot straight from Yokohama, Japan, as well as took a closer look at the camera's image quality based on this gallery shots. But now, we've been able to get the camera under controlled settings and photograph with it throughout its full range of ISO sensitivities, from expanded ISO 50 all the way to a whopping 102,400. As always, we have both straight-out-of-camera JPEGs and their corresponding RAW files (in uncompressed format) for your assessment, at both default noise reduction processing level and the lowest possible setting (files ending in "NR1" in this case).

Digital medium format has long been a pricey endeavor, with systems from the likes of Hasselblad and Phase One easily costing multiple thousands of dollars. Pentax, meanwhile, offered a highly competitive option, with their relatively affordable 645D and 645Z DSLRs. Fuji, with the GFX-50S, is following Pentax's strategy, with a compact and highly accessible medium format camera system that doesn't completely break the bank or, at least, is priced for the dedicated high-end pros or rental houses. Sharing a similar 50-megapixel CMOS sensor that sits inside the 645Z, the GFX's sensor is instead paired to Fuji's newest X Processor Pro image processor; the same chip that powers their X-Pro2 and X-T2 cameras.

So, how do the images look? Well, based on this initial First Shots assessment, the Fuji GFX is simply stunning, both at low and high ISOs. This camera produces the best lab shots we've ever come across. Detail is fantastic, and high ISO performance is excellent. Don't just take our word for it, though, check out a few comparisons below, or jump over to the Fuji GFX Samples Page or our Comparometer to see for yourself!

Fuji GFX vs. Pentax 645X

Fuji GFX vs. Canon 5DS R

Fuji GFX vs. Sony A7R II

(Note: Size difference in crop comparisons due to differing resolutions.)