Fuji GFX100ii - A VIDEO BEAST!

[@CineDailies]

Fuji needs to stop playing around and put their sensors in a production body

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

when someone from canon recently asked me what i would change in their cine line up, all i said, was that i wish this sensor was in one of their bodies. If fuji could make a video cam with this sensor, it would be lights out!

[@CineDailies]

@@NorthwestCameraCo FACTS

[@CineDailies]

@@FireplaceHarmony and? flog2 is miles ahead of slog3. we all know sony is the supplier for like 80% of camera sensors lol

[@BryanElliott_]

I would love to see that happen

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

@@CineDailiesCalm down… 🥱

[@TylerMcCool]

It feels like the 100 II is a precursor to the true large format beast by Fuji.. with a smaller megapixel count and more focused on video functions as well as readout speed.. 100 II will gauge interest in the market and high end, the next one could very likely be a home run for them. Here's to hoping.

[@Evrce]

im hoping too

[@olivertrees]

if they put this tech in the 50mp body... 4k 120, open gate, Internal fan, it would be OVER.

[@PatrickWeichmann]

@@olivertrees without looking that up myself and eager to just get more opinions on this... why do you think the GFX50S Mark 2 is so limited in video specs compared to the GFX100 Mark 2? I am getting crazy here. If they would've put the GFX100ii video specs with a faster readout speed (less Megapixels) into the GFX50Sii... oh my. I am still hoping for a GFX50R Mark 2 though...

[@olivertrees]

@@PatrickWeichmann the 50mm II was released 3 years ago, with 0 regard for video and a way weaker processor. I think a successor is definitely due.

[@filmbyakiljoefield]

I’m impressed honestly, never shot on a medium format sensor camera as yet but I truly enjoyed this review and the capabilities of that camera, just excellent!

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Thanks a ton. Been in the game a long time and super fun little powerhouse

[@DiodeFilms]

If Fujifilm built the GFX and the XH2S into cinema camera bodies with more ports (and a faster readout in the case of the GFX) I think they'd really be onto something.

[@Eyeofkamau]

YUP!

[@TylerMcCool]

Here's to hoping they release a "50" version of this sensor with the fast processor focused on video features...

[@griffinparker8581]

100s ii will be faster readout

[@catbread2585]

@@griffinparker8581 Dont think so

[@BrandonTalbot]

love the video and the T-Shirt

[@ChristianSantiagophoto]

What Fuji really needs to do is give this baby open gate. Please Fuji 🙏

[@ERJOL]

Cheers from Tokyo. And thanks for the review I'm picking up a GFX 100 II next month for test with anamorphics

[@BryanElliott_]

IM SUPPER STOKED TO SEE THIS!!

[@adriancrespo4274]

I really hope they put this sensor in a cinema style camera, plssss fuji 🤞also i am REALLY not a fan of those DZO anamorphics, the red CA is so intense

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Omg totally forgot to put in the video that the red ca was added in dehancer by Galen as part of his color grade. It’s not the lenses at all. The next video we are doing is on the Pavos and you’ll see there. :) I should add in here that note.

[@BillMoree]

I laughed when he said “Oh, and by the way, it can also take some stills.” The GFX100 and now the MkII is the best still camera ever made. And by the way, it can also shoot video.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

It’s unreal how good these stills are.

[@streetskier]

Looks amazing, but am I the only one that remembers when the 5D mkII started shooting video and everyone was shooting wide open on the 50 1.2? Similar vibes.

[@robertdouble559]

Yep. I Remember the first "nu wave" of that shallow DoF disease, way back before the 5d2 it was the Letus, the REDROCK MICRO and the all of the other P+S technik knockoffs that allowed us to mount full frame stills glass on our old CCD based traditional video cameras. It's a trend that continues unabated 20 years later. This was pre KZbin. All of the amateur/prosumer cinematography forums were flooded with shallow DoF tests of people's cats and back yards. To say I'm totally over it is an understatement. Super shallow DoF has it's place. But not many places in my book. Using it as the default means of coverage is lazy, boring and annoying. It needs to make sense for the story being told. Most sensible people grow out of it. But then there's people getting Oscars for that look so I guess we're stuck with it for a while yet. 🤣🤣🤣 Now we've got people shooting wide open AND adding cheesy, influencer branded pro-mist filters on top! WHAT THE FFFFFFFFF?

[@richardallen08]

@@robertdouble559 completely disagree with you guys. Shallow DoF is one of the primary benefits of larger format sensors, wider aperture lenses, the whole reason ND filters exist, & one of the main things separating professional equipment from phones. Sure, light gathering/low noise are additional benefits of larger format sensors... but that's essentially it. With the tech we have today, we could slap a tiny phone sensor into a DSLR body & it could have 700 stops of IBIS, 27 stops of DR, 12k, 1000fps, 16 BIT RAW, with infinite battery life, no heat, & the entire image can be in focus (all hyperbole, but you get the point). It's the same reason Uncle Bob can't charge $15k for a wedding film while running around shooting on his 1/2.5" Sony A53 Camcorder... it just doesn't look as good. It's the same reason you see shallow DoF used extensively on highly awarded films described as "cinematic"... it just looks better. Same reason Panavision / iMax / PhaseOne exist. Same reason the market is shifting to larger & larger sensors / lenses. The people have spoken: larger format, shallower depth of field just looks better for 95% of the footage people care about. Of course, wide epic landscape shots, real estate, etc need a deeper DoF, but that's common sense for any pro worth their salt. Whatever the subject of the story is, it needs to be in focus at some point during the shot, if not the whole shot. Shooting a group of 5 people on a sitcom & they are all at different distances to the camera - increase the DoF. But, if you're shooting a close up on someone's face while they are standing on a busy street, blurring out the background makes it far less distracting & the bokeh of the street lights adds to the allure of the image (just one of a million examples). If you want to run around shooting at f16 all day, go for it, but the overwhelming majority of people will not prefer the footage you produce like that, & knocking people for shooting wide open is just goofy.

[@althenimble]

Rolling shutter performance seems to be the achilles heel here though

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

It’s definitely the only real downside in terms of readout speed on paper. In most circumstances though it doesn’t show up too often if you’re aware of it. It didn’t and hasn’t really hampered any of our shooting styles.

[@SDA-Sound]

Your reviews are absolutely the best. So much quality info! I’d love to know your thoughts on the GFX 100Sii regarding the same application!

[@alex.muntean]

That wobbly rolling shutter tho... 😩

[@Jawad.1]

Out of Sony, Canon and Nikon; Sony may be the first to jump onto the Medium Format Band Wagon...!!!

[@CarlosPerezFilms]

Thanks for the video! I have been having a hard time finding anyone to talk about the HDMi latency. I own a gfx100s and the delay for the hdmi monitor is substancial but the delay for the Atomos Ninja V or Blackmagic Assist in raw is basically unusable. I would love to use the 12bit raw functions and monitors for pulling focus and such. Can you comment on either the normal hdmi monitoring delay or the raw output delay? Thanks! 🙏

[@SDA-Sound]

You guys make THE most informative videos. What cage and handle are on this GFX?

[@GabrielScindian]

OOOOOOHHHHHHH BIG THANK YOU!!! I was looking for cine lens for my gfx100-2

[@Ayoerinle]

What lenses do you shoot video on the gfx 100ii

[@GabrielScindian]

@@Ayoerinle DZO Vespid Primes and the Blazar Remus set works great with the Fuji GFX100 II

[@renaissancedigital5730]

Looks like a cool option though the body/form factor really limits the usage of it. My other issue with it is from the testing I have seen latitude seems poor. The dynamic range is similar to the XH2S, which is good but nothing amazing. Color and skin tones is really important though so its nice to hear they stack up well against the Mini LF. I'd probably be tempted to use an FX6 with fast glass to get a similar look with a better form factor.

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

This definitely has fantastic latitude in Flog2. If you can find some ungraded raw footage to play with, it's quite lovely!!! but interally has lots of great options, but like most mirrorless style bodies, the IO is incredibly lacking.

[@renaissancedigital5730]

@@NorthwestCameraCo CineD tested latitude at 6 stops which is really bad considering that most mirrorless cameras seem to be getting around 8 and Alexa around 10. I wonder if Fuji has since done firmware updates to eliminate the sensor smear issue. Maybe their tests were done with a pre production model. Sometimes real world tests can look better than lab stuff.

[@connornyhan]

I'd love to see Fujifilm take full advantage of this sensor. Theoretically, the 102MP sensor loans itself to multi format. You can easily put in (not that anyone other than me is really asking for it) a 6K Super 16 mode if necessary. Why? Why would anyone want that? Super 16 cinema lenses are far more affordable and have the look of higher end vintage Super 35 counterparts, and sometimes you want to shoot Super 16 for that look but for budget, can't. The only other camera with 6K Super 16 is Ursa 12K. I think it would be a cool function, especially if they put in a Super 16 Grain Simulation you could bake in while still using a LOG profile. That would be cool to see. Also, while you're at it, put 4K super 16 into the XH2S with a 16mm grain pattern (or a few different ones).

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Yea excited to see where they take this camera. This is essentially v1 firmware. So hoping they continue to improve and add features via future updates.

[@RobBryantJr]

Killer review and real world use case. Thanks so much for this. Seeing the Cooke lens on the body on the table had me on the edge of my virtual seat. Would love to see footage with that combo 🙂. Also for the footage of the female in the beginning, was that shot handheld or on a gimbal/steadicam? Same question for the short film shots! Awesome job to everyone involved!

[@jeansebastientlebreton]

Good job 👍⚡️

[@2comicsonabench]

Any chance we can get. List of what parts and brands the rig is made out of?

[@devinmaldonado4134]

This camera really is amazing. I did have a question about the color of the film footage. I feel like I was noticing a more vibrant blue hue in the fuji footage vs the less saturated Alexa footage. Am I making this up?? Regardless awesome video!

[@rubender]

Great video! Did you shoot internal 10 bit codecs or use an external recorder for 12bit to compare with Mini LF footage? Thanks

[@KyleSliger]

High praise! I had heard conflicting opinions but this is a resource I trust above all else! Does it have an open gate option to take advantage of the full size of the sensor?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Curious what you were doing as we ran it extensively for the short film and never had any overheating issues. @@FireplaceHarmony

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Personally i havent really been this excited for a camera in a while. It would make a killer B cam and even a solid A cam for the right projects. No open gate mode in video but most lenses wouldnt cover minus a few, so not that big of a deal. You can shoot full width though. Just not full height.

[@RobBryantJr]

@@FireplaceHarmony I have the GFX100 Ii and I’m in Cali as well. There’s an optional fan that alleviates heat issues when needed. Do a search for “Fujifilm FAN-001 Cooling Fan.” The cool thing is (no pun intended) the fan also works on the XH2/S bodies as well 🙂. Although it’s getting colder out here now, I feel you on the warm, sunny days in general.

[@gabrielmachadobsb]

I wonder what kind of processing Fuji is doing with the sensor for video? Is it lineskipping? Pixel binning? Or is it doing some downsampling similar to the "4K HQ" that Canon does on the R5?

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Wish I knew.

[@richardallen08]

That's a great question. With where tech is today, I would hope it is downsampling. So much video potential in this sensor if they just give it the juice it needs to process all of it. Using it to launch their first cinema centric camera would be a genius move. Plus, they have far fewer camera models than most companies (thank goodness), that they wouldn't have to worry about cannibalizing their other models. Flagship: Large Format, up to 12k 16:9, 12k anamorphic or 8k vertical, etc in a Mirrorless Body. Pretty nutty, but very feasible.

[@tomkent4656]

You need a super powerful computer to handle this camera's output.

[@PALALALALALALA]

Fujifilm are still chicken about releasing a video dedicated camera. That's such a bummer.

[@biglazybeastproductions]

Great rundown of the specs. How does the camera do in Low light situations? Also, is the native ISO for video different to photos?

[@richardallen08]

Idk if they threw grain on it or used the wrong iso or what, but there was a ton of noise for both cameras in the footage of this video. Surprising considering the size of the sensor.

[@loukianosphoto]

Just got the GFX myself. What an experience! What baseplate rig are you using on this video? I like that you don’t need a dedicated cage with this setup!

[@olegcovian209]

Are you happy with the video footage ? I have Sony a7 S III Thinking to sell all my Sony gear to switch to gfx system

[@ilkercelik_com]

Through all the sample footages I kinda felt jello effect, but I could not name it. Just a strange feeling that disturbs a little. 6:39 spot it. It is much. Other than that problem, Fujifilm's IBIS causes robotic jumpy effect. Without IBIS, with such rolling shutter speed performance, It is extremely difficult to get a usable smooth organic feeling handheld shot (without rig especially). No gyro data recording. I dont see any point on large format unless you want to capture fine detail (where you need to stop down your lens anyways). For stills fine detail may be desirable, for motion picture with motion blur i dont know. I would not prefer very very shallow depth of field, which, anyways you can reach with s35 as well. The thing is not the shallow depth of field but 3D pop up and separation feeling on GFX format, which is very nice, different and/but unusual sight. Overall, I will use GFX for only stills. For video, not my taste.

[@GabrielScindian]

Which Nisi Athenas were used

[@thatsreallyamoon]

I don’t get the advantage of this vs. a more feature rich full frame camera.

No esperaba ver imágnes de pelea y armas en el corto... jajaja

[@akpevbe]

I would say the new BMCC 6K full frame comes closer to the Mini LF as they are the same Large sensor size (+ open gate). The Fuji GFX100ii is only bigger in photography mode, but when in video mode, its actually smaller than the Mini LF or BMCC 6K full frame

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Actually in 16:9 mode it’s almost as wide as the Alexa 65. Wider than mini lf. By a good margin. And wider than vista vision

[@rovingearth7028]

@akpevbe your info Is wrong.

[@RadTwin]

The separation is ridiculous

[@borasao3329]

Its massive rolling shutter on GFX compare with Global shutter from arri

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

All versions of the Alev sensor from arri were rolling shutter sensors. While the readout speed is near 8ms on the mini lf, this camera has a sensor that’s a good bit wider hence it would never be as fast. Also it’s about 1/10th the size so not a ton of real estate for electronics to be able to compute. Under lots of circumstances, you wouldn’t notice much of a difference between the two. Certainly an average viewer would hardly be able to tell.

[@aronisvisions]

Great camera but the price is way to high and the rolling shutter is not good...

[@NorthwestCameraCo]

Arguably the Alexa 65 sensor in a similar 16:9 readout is only marginally better. It’s hard to get super fast readouts in a tiny camera with a sensor that big. That being said, the only real area that shows up is doing handheld work without IS on and with your hands directly on the body. Once you’re on a cage system or using something like an easy rig, most of that all goes away. And personally I think the price is outstanding for what it offers. But that’s just our opinion here.

[@Mall4567]

Yes , Fuji GFX100ii is same as Alexa 65 ... And Fiat 500 same as Rolls-Royce Spectre . Same . For the blind video makers 🤣

[@InfamousStar1]

Terrific photo camera. Mediocre video camera. Dynamic range in video is subpar, and rolling shutter is borderline unusable for anything fast moving. Footage looks very digital “video-ish” too, even with high-end lenses installed to help shape the look. And it’s unfortunate that you can’t shoot open gate with this camera. Full-width, sure. But such a waste we can’t get full-height too. Will likely pick this up for photography purposes only; but this will never be used in a professional setting for anything video-related. And the crop factor in a ton of its video modes / resolutions? Cripples any benefit of the medium format sensor. Here’s to hoping the third version knocks it out of the park for video.

[@demetrizuev258]

I own the GFX 50R and I love Fuji medium format, was really excited about GFX 100II for doing films with it, but after seeing lots of test footage (yours included) it unfortunately still looks very digital slr-ish, it's nowhere near Alexa when Alexa footage is graded and worked with in the right way. Sigma fp, a several years old camera has a more pleasing film like image than 100II. I hope that Fuji will finally crack it in the third installment, cause it's not only about specs, but more about image aesthetics as every camera brand is really like a different film stock now

[@richardallen08]

I would love to hear you define how properly lit, shot, & graded GFX100 II Large Format 8k DCI RAW footage "looks very digital slr-ish". I currently shoot Sony, so I don't have a dog in this fight, but people love to throw those words around all the time about different cameras & it makes 0 sense. If this was a tiny 1/2.3" sensor shooting 60fps giving us the "soap opera look", sure, that makes sense. But a lot of people say it when an image is too sharp, & for that I say add a filter, use a vintage lens, or drop the resolution to HD. Not to mention, the Sigma FP you so dearly love uses Sony's same sensors used in their cameras... So please, explain the "digital slr-ish" look this camera inherently produces....

[@demetrizuev258]

@richardallen08 I've been using many different camera systems since 2009, from original Canon 5D mark II and 7D through RED (owned and shot Epic-X Mysterium, Epic Dragon, Weapon) to Canon, Blackmagic and Arri. I have very little personal experience with Sony, worked with Venice one and two couple of times. These days I use Alexa for 99% of the time (regular mini or LF). So, I had much experience with different camera brands and systems and had a chance to compare them hands on. The main factor that plays into the image looking film like or digital is highlight roloff, skintone rendition and overall use of DR. No filter or retro lens can fix that, and the sensor that you see as the main factor is only part of the equation, the other important part being how the image that comes from that sensor is interpreted by each manufacturer and how they process it into the final digital negative. You can put a thousand filters on any RED camera, but it will still look like RED, a very digital new era cinema look, that is the way RED intended their image to look like, that is their "stock". Now, what I see here with 100 II has nothing to do with 60fps, small sensor look, it has to do with the things I mentioned earlier: Highlight roloff, skintone rendition, DR handling (mind you, not the number of stops of DR, but how they are handled by the camera at different ISOs). Of course this is a matter of personal preference, some people love the more digital look of RED and Blackmagic, which I personally strongly dislike (and this somes from a person who owned 3 RED cameras, but we didn't have much alternative back then). The camera that is closest to film aesthetics today is of course Alexa (35, Mini, LF, even the older Classic), and that is for the reason that Arri specifically designed their image pipeline to match film, that was their intention and they did it brilliantly. Of course you can produce an absolutely digital image with Alexa if your goal is that, but the negative itself is not handled this way. The only manufacturer who does it right in the budget category is Canon, and they obviously are inspired a lot by how Arri renders their images. The Sigma fp even though it has a Sony sensor produces a different digital negative than say an FX3, and it is apparent even with a brief search on KZbin (I have one, so I can see it with my eyes). I hope I answered your question and I would like to stress again that anything anyone says is a matter of opinion and personal preference, so there's absolutely no reason to take such attacking stance in you comments towards other people opinions and experiences

[@rovingearth7028]

@@demetrizuev258you’re talking gibberish. Sit down.

[@demetrizuev258]

@rovingearth7028 what an informative and well versed reply, good job, internet warrior

[@rovingearth7028]

@@demetrizuev258 I agree. Thank you!

[@jaegerschtulmann]

Nope, gfx video is 12 bit only on the best settings 😂

[@richardallen08]

External RAW. Do elaborate as to just how immensely inferior ProRes RAW is for this $8500 Cam + Recorder setup compared to Arri RAW on a $82k setup...

[@jaegerschtulmann]

@@richardallen08 for starters every record mode in this camera has heavy compromises; 8k has a massive 1.5x crop (less surface area than a full frame camera), awful rolling shutter due to the sensor readout speed, all other high res modes are also cropped and suffer from the same rolling shutter issue. The only mode that gives you full readout is the 5.8k 24p albeit with a heavy 2:3:1 scope aspect ratio and the same awful rolling shutter. If you record in 4k the camera uses pixel binning which reduces sharpness and low light performance. The XH2S is a far more compelling camera for video than this despite of all its bells and whistles.

[@vedadrokkor]

not a good video camera...just a marketing gimmick.