Fujifilm GFX 50R Review

The medium-format Fuji GFX 50R shares many of its features Camera price  and performance with the GFX 50S, but offers them in a slimmer, less ergonomic body at a lower price point. Importantly, the same excellent 51-megapixel image sensor continues to deliver outstanding overall imaging performance. However, the 50R's admittedly more stylish design is less enjoyable to use and in some cases even difficult. Further, aspects of the 50R's performance feel more sluggish in 2019 than they did in 2017 with the 50S. Read on to see if the Fuji GFX 50R is the right choice for you.

Pros
Same superb image quality as the 50S; Slightly improved performance; Less expensive and slimmer than 50S.

Cons
Lackluster ergonomics; Sluggish autofocus; Poor video features and performance.

Price and availability
The Fuji GFX 50R released in October 2018 and the body currently sells for just under $4,000 USD, although its MSRP is $4,500.

The Fuji GFX 50S delivers excellent image quality thanks to its 51.4-megapixel medium-format image sensor, but the camera is fairly large and quite expensive, with a suggested retail price well north of $5,000 USD. Fujifilm has heard from customers who would like medium-format image quality in a more compact and affordable camera body. The 50R -- the second camera in the GFX mirrorless medium-format camera system -- has been designed to respond to these criticisms of the GFX 50S.

Fuji 50R Review -- Product Image
The GFX 50R offers the same 51.4-megapixel image sensor as the 50S but in a more compact and lightweight body, which is reminiscent of retro rangefinder medium-format film cameras, and it introduces Bluetooth compatibility, a wireless feature missing from the GFX 50S. Let's take a closer look at the GFX 50R, including covering which specifications and features are shared between the newer GFX 50R and the existing GFX 50S, which released in March 2017.

Key Features
Rangefinder-style GFX camera
More compact and lighter than the GFX 50S
Built-in electronic viewfinder
Tilting touchscreen
51.4-megapixel medium-format CMOS image sensor
14-bit RAW recording
Fujifilm Film Simulations
Native ISO range of 100-12,800, expandable to 50-102,400
425-point contrast-detect autofocus system
Maximum shooting speed of 3 frames per second
Full HD video recording
Built-in Bluetooth 4.0

Camera Body and Design
This is the primary area of differentiation between the 50R and the 50S. Where the GFX 50S is shaped more like a DSLR camera and includes a detachable electronic viewfinder on the top and a rather substantial bulge behind the rear display for the battery, the GFX 50R is shaped more like a rangefinder. The GFX 50S is a complex shape, which some have described as unattractive. The GFX 50R, on the other hand, is a generally rectangular block with a considerably simpler, more streamlined aesthetic.

Designed like a rangefinder, the electronic viewfinder is located in the top left corner of the camera rather than on top. Another difference between the GFX 50R and its 50S sibling is that the 50R does not have a battery bulge on the back. The difference in overall size with respect to depth is considerable, with the GFX 50R having a maximum depth of 2.62 inches (66.4 millimeters) versus 3.6 inches (91.4 millimeters).

Fuji 50R Review -- Product Image
Considering other dimensions, if you compare to the GFX 50S with its electronic viewfinder attached, the camera is 5.81 inches (147.5 millimeters) wide, 4.48 inches (113.8mm) tall and has the maximum depth of 3.6 inches mentioned above. The GFX 50R is wider at 6.33 inches (160.7mm) and shorter at 3.8 inches (96.5mm). If you remove the electronic viewfinder of the GFX 50S, it's 3.71 inches (94.2mm) tall, which is slightly shorter than the GFX 50R -- which has a built-in electronic viewfinder. With the EVF attached, the GFX 50S weighs 32.5 ounces (920 grams) and the GFX 50R weighs 27.3 ounces (775 grams).

Returning to the electronic viewfinder, the GFX 50R has a 0.5-inch OLED panel which offers 100% frame coverage and 0.77x magnification (35mm equivalent). This is lower magnification than the GFX 50S, which offers 0.85x magnification. Both cameras' EVFs have 3.69 million dots, so the primary difference appears to be in terms of the optics within the viewfinder rather than the underlying technology. The GFX 50R also offers two degrees less angle of view (38 versus 40). Finally, unlike the GFX 50S's electronic viewfinder, the GFX 50R cannot be used with Fujifilm's optional tilting viewfinder.

Fuji 50R Review -- Product Image
Similarly, the rear touchscreen LCD has basically the same technology. The GFX 50R has a 3.2-inch 4:3 display with approximately 2,360K dots and full 100 percent frame coverage. However, unlike the GFX 50S, the GFX 50R's display tilts in two directions rather than three (up and down versus up, down and to the side). Further, the GFX 50R does not have a top display like the GFX 50S, which offers a customizable 1.28-inch monochrome LCD status screen near the shutter release.

As for the ruggedness of the GFX 50R, it is weather-sealed in 64 locations. It is designed to be weather- and dust-resistant, plus it can be operated in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius). The camera is built using a magnesium alloy body and its two top dials are constructed of milled aluminum.

Fuji 50R Review -- Product Image
The primary takeaway is that the GFX 50R is smaller and lighter than the GFX 50S. In some ways, particularly with respect to depth, it is considerably smaller. That said, the GFX 50S has an ample front grip, something the GFX 50R lacks.

Image Sensor
The GFX 50R includes the same Fujifilm G Format 51.4-megapixel medium-format image sensor. The sensor is not a "full-size" medium format sensor, but is instead 43.8 x 32.9 millimeters, which while a fair bit larger than a full-frame image sensor is not as large as the medium-format sensor found in cameras like the Phase One IQ4 150MP, for example. With that said, the image quality from the GFX 50S has proven to be very impressive in our laboratory and real-world testing, and as expected, the 50R's IQ is much the same. The GFX 50R offers an ISO range of 100 to 12,800 and can be expanded to ISO 50-102,4000.