Fujifilm GFX 50S II Comparison Review

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in September 2021 and is equipped with a medium format sensor. It offers a resolution of 51.1 megapixel.

Is the Fujifilm GFX 50S II a good camera? The GFX 50S II has a Camera Elo of 2983. This rating puts the GFX 50S II among the top 20 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (medium format cameras), the GFX 50S II ranks among the top 30 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Fujifilm GFX 50S II	150 mm	104 mm	87 mm	900 g	440	Y	Sep 2021	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R5	138 mm	98 mm	88 mm	738 g	320	Y	Jul 2020	US$ 3 899	amazon.com
3.		Canon R5 C	142 mm	101 mm	111 mm	770 g	320	Y	Jan 2022	US$ 4 499	amazon.com
4.		Fujifilm GFX 50R	161 mm	97 mm	66 mm	775 g	400	Y	Sep 2018	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
5.		Fujifilm GFX 50S	148 mm	94 mm	91 mm	740 g	400	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
6.		Fujifilm GFX 100 II	152 mm	117 mm	99 mm	1030 g	540	Y	Sep 2023	US$ 7 499	amazon.com
7.		Fujifilm GFX 100S	150 mm	104 mm	87 mm	900 g	460	Y	Jan 2021	US$ 5 999	amazon.com
8.		Nikon Z8	144 mm	119 mm	83 mm	910 g	340	Y	May 2023	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S1R	149 mm	110 mm	97 mm	1016 g	380	Y	Feb 2019	US$ 3 699	amazon.com
10.		Sony A1	129 mm	97 mm	81 mm	737 g	530	Y	Jan 2021	US$ 6 499	amazon.com
11.		Sony A7R V	131 mm	97 mm	82 mm	723 g	530	Y	Oct 2022	US$ 3 899	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Fujifilm GFX 50S II was launched in the US market at a price of $3,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check GFX 50S II price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Fujifilm GFX 50S II features a medium format sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 0.79. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Fujifilm GFX 50S II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Fujifilm GFX 50S II	Medium Format	51.1	8256	6192	1080/30p	25.9	14.8	3456	100
2.		Canon R5	Full Frame	44.8	8192	5464	8K/30p	25.3	14.6	3042	95
3.		Canon R5 C	Full Frame	44.8	8192	5464	8k/60p	25.4	14.5	3082	96
4.		Fujifilm GFX 50R	Medium Format	51.1	8256	6192	1080/30p	25.7	14.4	3169	98
5.		Fujifilm GFX 50S	Medium Format	51.1	8256	6192	1080/30p	25.4	14.1	2977	96
6.		Fujifilm GFX 100 II	Medium Format	101.8	11648	8736	8K/30p	25.9	15.0	3651	101
7.		Fujifilm GFX 100S	Medium Format	101.8	11648	8736	4K/30p	25.8	14.7	3391	100
8.		Nikon Z8	Full Frame	45.4	8256	5504	8K/30p	26.3	14.2	2548	98
9.		Panasonic S1R	Full Frame	46.7	8368	5584	4K/60p	26.4	14.1	3525	100
10.		Sony A1	Full Frame	49.8	8640	5760	8k/30p	25.9	14.5	3163	98
11.		Sony A7R V	Full Frame	60.2	9504	6336	8k/24p	26.5	14.8	3187	100
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The GFX 50S II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the GFX 50S II can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the GFX 50S II has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 3690k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.77x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Fujifilm GFX 50S II	3690	Y	3.2 / 2360	full-flex	Y	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	Y
2.		Canon R5	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
3.		Canon R5 C	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	n
4.		Fujifilm GFX 50R	3690	n	3.2 / 2360	tilting	Y	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
5.		Fujifilm GFX 50S	optional	Y	3.2 / 2360	full-flex	Y	1/4000s	3.0/s	n	n
6.		Fujifilm GFX 100 II	9440	Y	3.2 / 2360	full-flex	Y	1/4000s	8.0/s	n	Y
7.		Fujifilm GFX 100S	3690	Y	3.2 / 2360	full-flex	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	Y
8.		Nikon Z8	3690	Y	3.2 / 2089	full-flex	Y	1/32000s	30.0/s	n	Y
9.		Panasonic S1R	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
10.		Sony A1	9437	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A7R V	9440	n	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Fujifilm GFX 50S II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is multi-hinged and can be tilted both vertically and horizontally to enable odd-angle shots in landscape and portrait orientation. The LCD thereby offers a lot of flexibility to adjust and use the rear screen in a diverse set of situations.

One useful feature of the GFX 50S II is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Fujifilm GFX 50S II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Fujifilm GFX 50S II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	-
2.		Canon R5	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Canon R5 C	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
4.		Fujifilm GFX 50R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	Y
5.		Fujifilm GFX 50S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
6.		Fujifilm GFX 100 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Fujifilm GFX 100S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Nikon Z8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
9.		Panasonic S1R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
10.		Sony A1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony A7R V	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the GFX 50S II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the GFX 50S II can be found in the free online Fujifilm GFX 50S II Manual or on the Fujifilm support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the GFX 50S II in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Fujifilm GFX 50S II	5/5	..	5/5	87/100	..	5/5	Sep 2021	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R5	4.5/5	+	4/5	91/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jul 2020	US$ 3 899	amazon.com
3.		Canon R5 C	..	+ +	..	..	..	..	Jan 2022	US$ 4 499	amazon.com
4.		Fujifilm GFX 50R	5/5	..	5/5	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2018	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
5.		Fujifilm GFX 50S	..	..	4.5/5	85/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 6 499	ebay.com
6.		Fujifilm GFX 100 II	5/5	+	5/5	..	..	4.5/5	Sep 2023	US$ 7 499	amazon.com
7.		Fujifilm GFX 100S	5/5	+ +	5/5	90/100	5/5	5/5	Jan 2021	US$ 5 999	amazon.com
8.		Nikon Z8	5/5	..	5/5	94/100	5/5	4.5/5	May 2023	US$ 3 999	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic S1R	4.5/5	..	4.6/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2019	US$ 3 699	amazon.com
10.		Sony A1	5/5	o	4.5/5	93/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2021	US$ 6 499	amazon.com
11.		Sony A7R V	5/5	+ +	4.5/5	92/100	..	..	Oct 2022	US$ 3 899	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check GFX 50S II price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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