Once upon a time, a full frame camera was the ultimate aim of all serious digital photographers. But with the launch of its medium format GFX series, Fujifilm moved the goalposts. Now, the Fujifilm GFX 100S II offers a bigger sensor and 102MP resolution that wipes the floor with even the highest-resolution full frame cameras. But this comes at a price, especially when you’re building a lens system.
There's not much doubt that the GFX 100S II is one of the best medium format cameras on the market, and with its well-rounded specifications and a price no higher than some of the best full frame cameras, it's also one of the best professional cameras today.
The GFX 100S II is actually the portable and affordable option in the GFX line-up, while the GFX 100 II is the full-fat professional model and is the one to choose for high-end commercial work, and especially video. So with that in mind, for the GFX 100S II we’ve concentrated on Fujifilm’s more affordable GF lenses, together with lenses that balance well on the smaller (well, it’s relative!) GFX 100S II body.
This doesn’t mean any compromises in performance. There are really no weak points in the GF lens range. But it does mean being a little more sensible about the specifications. Fujifilm’s longer telephoto primes and tilt-shift lenses are highly desirable but extremely expensive, and probably more appropriate for the flagship GFX 100 II.
We’re picturing a mix of travel, landscape and some commercial/product photography for the GFX 100S II, where portability is likely to be a factor, just as much as costs. So with that in mind, here’s our list…
Best lenses for the Fujifilm GFX 100S II
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This was the original ‘go-to’ standard zoom for the GFX series and it still stacks up well today. The focal range is pretty modest at an effective 25-51mm in full frame terms, but limited zoom ranges go with the territory in the world of medium format. If you want a standard zoom that’s a little longer, look at the Fujifilm GF 45-100mm f/4 R LM OIS WR, which also has OIS. If the focal range fits your needs, though, the GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR is an excellent buy, with great handling and stellar image quality. It’s a shame it’s quite expensive, though – there is a cheaper GF 35-70mm f4.5-5.6 WR lens, but that’s a budget option with no aperture ring. Sacrilege!
A pancake lens on a medium format camera sounds like a contradiction in terms, but that’s effectively what this lens provides, with a handy everyday 40mm effective focal length and an f/3.5 maximum aperture that’s a bit basic by full frame camera standards but still perfectly acceptable on a medium format model – and while this lens is one of Fujifilm’s cheapest GF lenses, its optical performance is still very good, though it does lose some definition at the edges. But if your main interest is travel and street photography, then this little lens is practically a no-brainer.
The original ‘standard lens’ for the GFX system, the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR is a 50mm equivalent lens with a modest f/2.8 maximum aperture but excellent optical performance in the center of the frame and remarkably good sharpness at the edges, too. It’s not massively expensive by GFX standards, but the GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR really shows what Fujifilm’s larger format sensor is capable of.
If you like short focal lengths and wide-angle perspectives, the GF lens range doesn’t give you a whole lot of choices. In fact, this is it for wide-angle zooms. Luckily, the GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR performs brilliantly for a lens of this type, with superb center resolution and sharp detail at the edges – though you really need to stop down to f/8 to get the best results. The GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR is an expensive lens to buy, but it’s just how it is with medium-format extra-wide lenses. The GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR, for example, is no cheaper and limits you to a single focal length.
If the regular GF 32-64mm standard zoom is a little short for your liking, then this GF 45-100mm f/4 R LM OIS WR could make a great alternative, offering a longer reach of 36-79mm equivalent. Our lab test show very good optical performance, with good edge sharpness too. It’s still not a long zoom range, but as long as you don’t mind losing a little at the wide end you might find it more useful than the GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR. It also has optical stabilization – though that’s perhaps a throwback to first-generation GFX cameras which didn’t have IBIS.
There’s no equivalent of the ubiquitous 70-200mm zoom in the GF lens line-up, but the GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR comes close, with its 79-158m effective focal range. The maximum aperture is just f/5.6, which could be a drawback, but this is a very useable, portable lens and – perhaps even more important – it’s relatively affordable. The zoom ‘reach’ might rule it out for sports and wildlife photography, but it would make a great travel/landscape lens for longer perspectives.
The exceptional resolution of the GFX 100S II sensor will appeal to macro fans looking for the ultimate fine detail rendition, and this lens looks like the obvious candidate, with a 95mm equivalent focal length offering a decent working distance and optical stabilization thrown in. There is a catch, though. Fujifilm calls this a ‘macro’ lens, but it only goes up to a 0.5x magnification, not a true ‘macro’ 1.0x. Fujifilm is not the only lens maker to do this, alas. The image quality helps make up for this, though, as it is quite exceptional, especially when you stop down to f/8 and beyond.
This is the closest thing to a classic ‘portrait’ lens in the Fujifilm GF lens line-up. The GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR has an effective focal length of 87mm (let’s call it 90mm), and while the f/2 maximum aperture might seem a little lacking compared to the 85mm f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses on full frame cameras, don’t forget that this lens’s longer focal length brings intrinsically shallower depth of field, so the subject-background separation will be strong. The Fujifilm GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR is also ridiculously sharp in the center of the frame, and while it loses a little sharpness towards the edges, who puts their portrait subjects at the edge of the frame?
