Fujifilm GFX100RF Medium Format Pocket Rocket!
Using the GFX100RF
Given his experiences with Fujifilm GFX interchangeable lens cameras during the shooting of ‘If the Land Could Speak’ Gavin was keen to find out more about what the GFX100RF might have to offer following in announcement in March last year. It’s fair to say he was initially a little unsure about what to make of it: a fixed f/4 35mm (28mm equivalent) lens rangefinder-style model featuring a 102MP sensor, it’s way smaller than its siblings, and very traditional in its styling. Like all GFX models it’s beautifully engineered, but the challenge for Gavin was to understand how this eminently transportable model might fit into his chosen way of working.
“I was intrigued to discover what the GFX100RF might be able to offer me,” says Gavin, “and so I arranged a loan with Fujifilm for a couple of weeks. When it duly arrived, tucked inside a Peli case, I initially thought they’d sent me the wrong camera, perhaps one of the X Series models, since it just looked so small. That was the first pleasant surprise, and the second one arrived when I pressed the mechanical shutter, only to assume that something was wrong, since there was no noise and no vibration. Instead I was delighted to discover that this was simply down to its incredibly smooth operation, and it means that this is such a discreet camera people won’t know you’re using it.
“Both of these things really intrigued me, and then I set about using it on some personal projects. I’d read reviews of the camera where the fact that it doesn’t feature image stabilisation was mentioned as potentially being an issue, but to my mind this isn’t a problem at all. The shutter is just so incredibly smooth that I think, with practice, I could hand hold it a 1/30sec, probably even at 1/15sec, while image stabilisation could actually rather defeat the point of this camera, since it would add bulk, taking away from the fact that it’s meant to be so tiny, light and easy to use.”
For Gavin much of the appeal of the camera was the fact that it was a model he could simply pick up and head out with, using it almost as an extension of the eye since it’s so light and easy to carry around. Consequently, it accompanied him on several shooting expeditions over the next couple of weeks, being used to photograph such things as landscapes and eclectic subjects, such as statues, that happened to catch his eye.
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