Fujifilm’s mid-frame GFX 100S II is lighter, cheaper and AI-enhanced

Fujifilm’s successor to the GFX 100S, its 2021 medium format camera with great performance but slow speeds, is the aptly named GFX 100S II. The new model is $1,000 cheaper, smaller, lighter, and has (shocker) AI features to improve autofocus, one of our complaints about its predecessor.

The Fujifilm GFX 100S II uses a 102MP high-speed sensor and X-Processor 5. The company says its medium-format sensor is about 1.7 times larger than a 35mm full-frame sensor. Its body weighs around 883g (including battery and memory card), making it the lightest in the range.

The camera has “enhanced” in-body image stabilization, allowing for maximum eight-stop, five-axis performance. This can improve image quality when using longer exposure times.

Fujifilm says it has improved the design of the sensor’s pixel layout, allowing for standard ISO80 sensitivities. “When sensor sensitivity is set to ISO80, the camera can capture images with greater dynamic range and lower noise than the previous model” when shooting in 16-bit RAW mode, the company wrote in a press release. This should result in better low-light performance, autofocus accuracy and overall image quality.

The camera’s sensor has an improved microlens design, increasing the efficiency of using light at its edges. Fujifilm says this gives it better image quality and autofocus accuracy around the edges than its predecessor.

Like almost every other piece of recent tech gear, Fujifilm uses AI in its products – in this case, AI-based object detection. Fujifilm says it can automatically recognize animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, planes, trains, insects and drones and focus accordingly. The company claims that its improved predictive autofocus algorithm and continuous shooting speed of up to seven FPS make it better at tracking high-speed subjects. Autofocus was one of our gripes in Engadget’s review of the GFX 100S, so we’ll be curious to see if those claims hold up in practice.

As for video, the new camera supports 4K / 30P 4:2:2 10-bit videos (for more accurate color reproduction) when using its internal SD card. It is equipped with an F-Log 2 profile for improved dynamic range. Its compatibility is improved by Apple ProRes support, but only when using an external SSD connected via USB-C.

The Fujifilm GFX 100S II costs $4999 or €5499 in Europe. That’s cheaper than the $7500 GFX 100 II, trading some extra video bonuses for less of a hit to the wallet. You can order it on Friday from The Fujifilm website.