Quick take: The original Fujifilm GFX100 launched at $10,000. Used, it now goes for around $2,000, which is consumer-camera money for what I think are the best photos I've ever seen. Its 16-bit files are incredibly flexible, it's built like a tank and its video is decent. The trade-offs are size, heavy files to edit and no new first-party batteries.
How I Ended Up With a GFX100
When the GFX100 came out, people called it the medium format camera for the common man. Then I saw the price: $10,000, more than my car is worth.
Fast forward a few years. I'd pre-ordered the Fujifilm X100VI along with everyone else, and months went by with no update. Freshly laid off and browsing Facebook Marketplace, I found a low-shutter-count GFX100. It ended up costing about $500 less than what people were charging for scalped X100VIs.
I added an old SmallRig cage from eBay (from before SmallRig built Arca plates into every cage) and one of my original accessories, a folding L bracket, so I can mount it horizontally or vertically without tilting the ball head. This is a hefty camera. It's the only camera I've ever carried where strangers stop me to ask if I'm a photographer, and next to my X-T5 you can see why.
Image Quality and 16-Bit Files
This takes the best photos I've ever seen, period. Better than my other Fuji cameras, better than the Canon R5, better than full-frame Nikons and Sonys. You can list all the drawbacks you want, but the files are more malleable than anything I've used. They're 16-bit, and I wish every manufacturer would stop chasing megapixels and autofocus points and move from 14-bit to 16-bit instead. The color depth and recovery are amazing.
People have done blind comparisons against smaller-sensor Fujis, and after YouTube compression the images look similar. In an editor they're miles apart, especially with backlit subjects or highlights you need to recover in natural light. Even in the studio, where you'd expect any camera to produce the same result with controlled lighting, it wasn't close.
My Lenses
I shot most early photos on the GF 80mm F1.7. A few months later I picked up the GF 110mm F2, and then a good deal on the GF 32-64mm F4. For portraits, get the 110mm F2 over the 80mm. F1.7 sounds amazing on medium format, but the 110 focuses better and faster, and the 80mm shows some fringing in certain light that the 110 doesn't.
GF lenses are comparable in price to new-generation Canon and Nikon glass, and some are cheaper.
It's Not Just a Studio Camera
People say GFX cameras are only for the studio. They're not. I carry this everywhere, including client shoots. You still have to know how to light, design a set and direct posing, but all else equal, the images are better than what I get from pretty much any other camera.
I also heard you should baby it, because a scratch on a front element costs a fortune. Treat it with the same respect as your other gear and you'll be fine. It's probably the most rugged thing I own. I've shot it at 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and Fujifilm clearly made this thing a tank. IBIS is really good too. Handheld at 1/10th of a second isn't a problem, and I had no autofocus issues.
Cosplay and Christmas Fairy Shoots
My first real shoot with it was a cosplay meetup with DC cosplay photography creatives. My favorite set was in a little forest area with someone dressed as Aurora in a costume she made herself.
Later I did a Christmas fairy shoot with my friend Caroline in Old Town Alexandria, by the big tree and in a beautifully decorated pub. Every shot came out incredible, and not just because of the festive colors. It's the color depth and detail. Honestly, it made me wonder if I over-edit my images.
The Workflow Catch
The cosplay shoot was also where I learned how heavy these files are. In Lightroom you'll be fine. I edit in Photoshop, and with a few layers and files open, even a decent rig slows down a lot. If you shoot a ton and have to cull and turn work around quickly, factor in the extra time compared to an X-T5.
The other annoyance is batteries. Fujifilm weirdly doesn't make new ones for this camera anymore, so spares have to be third party. And the shutter isn't rated for as many actuations as many modern cameras, so I pick my shots more carefully.
Used Prices Make It Affordable
It came out around 2019, shortly after the X-T3. On the standard used market they go for around $2,000, and trade-in offers top out around $1,500 for a perfect copy. If you buy from a reseller like KEH or MPB, you get some kind of warranty. For still life especially, this could be a workhorse.
Why This Over an X100VI or Leica Q
People are paying a premium for a pure photo experience: the X100V and X100VI, Ricoh cameras, maybe a new retro Canon. None of those except the Ricoh GR III is truly pocketable, and the GFX100 isn't pocketable either, so there's an argument for the GR. For the others, it's hard to argue. The GFX100 costs a fraction of a Leica and has better image quality, better autofocus and better video.
Like film, or the classic Canon 5D, it slows me down. I pick my shots, and a lot of them turn out to be winners. I didn't buy it to reignite my love of photography, and spending money isn't the answer for most people, but it did that for me anyway.
Video
It's a pretty decent video camera too. Everything else I own is just better at it. Video autofocus is comparable to my X-T3, so if you can shoot video on an X-T3 you can shoot on this. The internal 10-bit footage looks good and somehow different from typical full-frame or APS-C files. You just need the right lens and shouldn't move around too much. I monitored with my phone on an Accsoon SeeMo, one of my favorite accessories.
Final Thoughts
I haven't used it on commercial projects yet because I'm still figuring out where it fits, but I'm looking forward to it, and as prices drop I'd love to try it for sports with the 500mm. More than anything, I want people to look at used gear first. It saves you a ton of money, and a lot of older high-end gear is better than new entry-level gear.
Let me know in the comments if there's anything you want to see me do with the GFX100.
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