Medium format cameras have always been pretty much a niche offering. When Fujifilm first announced its GFX series cameras at Photokina 2016 it marked a step towards making these behemoths available to the masses. At £6k, pretty rich masses, but it was still more affordable than ever before. With the GFX 50R, announced another two years later, Fujifilm goes even further to democratise medium format. It’s still not “cheap” by any means (current pricing stands at about £4k), but it’s getting better and within the realms of the budgets of serious enthusiasts. There’s also a booming second hand market and camera hire companies to think of too - if you need a camera for a special shoot, it’s worth thinking about those. Using the GFX 50R is not a breeze. There’s difficult autofocusing, a big and slightly awkwardly designed body and massive lenses to contend with. But that image quality is enough to make all of those concerns vanish once you look at them on your computer - next time you look at anything with a smaller sensor you’ll no doubt be left disappointed. Overall - if you want the ultimate in image quality and are looking for something which is not too ridiculous to transport - the GFX 50R could well be the one for you.
Massive medium-format sensor; Tilting screen; Inbuilt viewfinder;
Video restricted to Full HD; Big and heavy; Expensive;