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Cameras

Improvements to Fujifilm’s GFX100 II Make This the Ultimate Workhorse Camera

Alberto Lima
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Last updated on 06/23/2026
06/26/2026
5 Mins read
Close up of the Fujifilm GFX100 II's control dial
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After nearly three years, it’s time we took another look at Fujfiilm’s GFX100 II. The GFX100 II remains atop of Fujifilm’s medium format system and as we noted in our initial review, it produces some of the most beautiful colors we’ve seen in any camera. Unfortunately, during our initial testing, we found that the GFX100 II also suffered from some serious issues with its autofocus system, making the hefty investment into the system something of a gamble. Today, we take another look at the GFX100 II and ask the question, have time and the latest round of firmware updates made the GFX100 II a camera to bring you into the medium format world of photography.

The Fujifilm GFX100 II in 2026

A digital camera with a strap rests on a tree stump outdoors, displaying its menu on the screen.
A product image of the Fujifilm GFX100 II

In our initial review we noted that the GFX100 II was a beast in terms of color and dynamic range, but suffered from autofocusing issues. In that review, we said:

In around 200 shots of semi-still kids, only 18 percent were out of focus. Once I switched from jokes to make them smile to games, however, the number of keepers dropped drastically, with some bursts of running towards the camera all out of focus and some getting a small handful of sharp shots.

Since that time, Fujifilm has released several firmware updates with Version 2.21 being the one that primarily aimed to resolve many of the issues with some of the most popular lenses on the system – namely, the GF50mm and the GF35-70mm; the latter of which we used during our review period with the camera. We tested the Fujifilm GFX100 II with the latest firmware, version 2.50 which bundles the Ver.2.21 update along with other previous updates which largely addressed connectivity issues with both Fujifilm’s XApp, and improvements to the camera’s video capabilities (which we did not test).

A crowd gathers on a city street; a person in a Dotson 21 jersey stands in the foreground.
An unedited sample image taken at the New York Knicks Championship Parade

From my time with the GFX100 II, I’ve found that there are significant improvements to autofocusing, allowing me to use the camera nearly exclusively the way a photojournalist would – in the thick of, at times, chaotic environments where you’d only have the opportunity to get the shot once, or it’d be gone forever. During my first outing with the camera and lens, I found myself in the middle of the chaos of an active fire emergency. There were people frantically moving from place to place, some moving towards, some moving away, and others still crossing my focal plane in front of a subject. In each instance, I found that the GFX100 II was able to not only achieve focus without issue, but as was the case during the recent New York Knicks Championship Parade in New York City, it was able to lock onto moving subjects, people of color in throngs of humanity, and everything in between. It’s important to note that this is still relative. For example, I used the camera in AF-C and AF-S for most of my time with it. However, I did remove subject detection. I wanted to be able to lock onto an AF point faster versus trying to pick out faces in a crowd. If I were using this for portraits – people or animals, then I would’ve approached this differently.

Firefighters and paramedics assist at an emergency scene on a city street with people and stretchers visible.
A sample image taken on the GFX100 II – this is a JPEG straight from camera (no RAW conversion)

One final improvement that’s worth mentioning are the quality-of-life improvements Fujifilm have taken to fully integrate the GFX100 II to the XApp. To be fully transparent, I still don’t like the XApp for a number of reasons – mainly connectivity speeds – but I found that for dumping JPEGs onto my phone or iPad, the GFX100 II is able to send a couple of hundred of full-sized JPEGs in a few minutes. Ironically, that’s something I’m not able to do with my X-Pro 3 and its much smaller image files.

No Pain Points?

For all that improvements that Fujifilm have made to this camera’s AF capabilities, it’s still feels slower compared to something like the Sony a7R VI which I was reviewing concurrently with the GFX100 II. That’s not to say that autofocusing is slow – the GFX100 II is not just going to be a camera you’d consider for high-action sports or birding. And when you consider that there are an increasing number of high-resolution full-frame cameras coming to market with substantially quicker autofocusing speeds, it still makes the GFX100 seem like a big financial commitment when compared to those full-frame options, but not by much.

A group of young adults happily crossing a city street at night under bright lights.
Heavily edited sample: RAW flexibility of the GFX100 II saved this photo

Taking the example of the GFX100 II when compared to the Sony a7R VI, I found the autofocusing speed of the Sony a7R VI to beat the GFX100 II in everything except extreme low light. The other consideration is the amount of give (and grace if I’m being honest) that the RAW files offer photographers. The image above was very poorly taken by me in the throes of the Knicks victory over the Spurs. For context, I was at a bar enjoying the game and never once bothered to look at my settings before running to the streets to capture people celebrating. I was gutted the next morning when I found out that the images straight-out-of camera were pretty much a black screen. I was able to achieve the final image by essentially pushing every slider I could to the right and added Capture One’s De-noise. Lastly, I’d much quicker use the JPEGs of the GFX100 II before I’d consider any unedited Sony file.

Below is a sample gallery of unedited images:

A tree shades a sidewalk in front of brownstone buildings with Newton’s Laundry storefront visible.
Close-up of shiny, dark green leaves with deep veins, bathed in natural sunlight.
Two fire trucks parked on a city street with buildings and cars on either side, in daylight.
An open camera backpack on a wooden floor with a laptop, Sony cameras, lenses, and an external drive.
An orange New York Knicks flag hangs outside a building with colorful graffiti and stringed flags overhead.
A Sony Alpha 7 camera with a large lens sits on a wooden surface against a blue background.
A Sony camera and black headphones rest on a white tote bag with red text, placed on a beige chair.
A Sony camera and black headphones rest on a white tote bag on a beige chair.
A Sony mirrorless camera with a wide lens sits on a light wood surface, viewed from above.
A Sony camera with a large Thypoch lens sits on a wooden surface against a blue textured background.
A silver and black camera rests on a black notebook atop a woven placemat.
A Sony camera with a tilted LCD screen and attached lens rests on a white bag with red text.
Close-up of a camera displaying a photo preview, with headphones beside it on a padded envelope.
A Sony camera with a Thypoch 24-50mm lens sits on a black surface against a blue background.
A digital camera with its display screen flipped out, showing a photo of a person sitting indoors.
A camera lens on a wooden surface with a blue textured background.
A close-up of a camera lens placed upright on a wooden surface, showing its metal mount.
A camera lens facing upward on a wooden surface with a red logo in the lower right corner.
A camera lens with a lens hood on a wooden surface, with a blue textured background.
A snake plant in a white pot sits on a wooden surface by a window with sunlight coming through.
A crowd gathers on a city street; one man in a blue jersey raises his phone to record.
A man stands on a signpost among a crowd in a city surrounded by tall buildings and flags.
A man crosses a city street while looking at his phone, blurred cars passing in front and behind him.
People walk past a row of parked bikes on a city street, with blurred cars in the foreground.
Large crowd celebrates on city street; many people are gathered on orange trucks, surrounded by tall buildings.
A sandwich with striped orange and blue bread sits on a decorative paper plate.
Crowd gathered on a city street corner near tall building; people are wearing sports jerseys and caps.
A crowd of people in sports jerseys gathers on a city street with blurred motion in the foreground.
A large crowd gathers on a city street, many people taking photos and wearing sports apparel.
A crowd gathers on a city street; a person in a Dotson 21 jersey stands in the foreground.
Two Sony cameras with large lenses sit in and beside an open black camera bag on a wooden floor.
Two Sony cameras with lenses are placed inside and next to an open black camera bag on a wooden floor.
A crowd gathers on a city street lined with tall buildings on an overcast day.
A crowd gathers on a city street; one person stands elevated, facing away, near a yellow traffic light.
FDNY emergency vehicles and fire trucks parked on a city street, with firefighters and pedestrians nearby.
Person in a blue and orange New York Knicks cap stands in a crowd on a city street with steam in the background.
A person in black jeans and shirt climbs a yellow traffic light above a busy city street with crowds below.
A person climbs a traffic light pole in a city, surrounded by tall buildings and overcast skies.
A man kneels next to a boy in a New York Knicks jersey at an outdoor street event in the city.
A man kneels next to a boy in a New York Knicks jersey at a street event, with city buildings behind them.
Crowd gathered on a city street with several police officers present, surrounded by tall buildings.
Green restaurant with a white elephant logo and Chiang Mai Diner & Bar sign, motorcycles parked outside.
Firefighters and paramedics assist at an emergency scene on a city street with people and stretchers visible.
Firefighters in uniform assist with a stretcher on a city street, covering it with a white sheet.
Firefighters respond to a fire in the upper floors of a brownstone building using ladder trucks.
Firefighters on ladders respond to smoke coming from windows of a brick building under a clear blue sky.

Here are the edited ones:

A group of young adults happily crossing a city street at night under bright lights.
Three people cross a city street at night, laughing and cheering; bright lights illuminate the scene.
A person raises a dollar bill in a dimly lit, crowded bar or club.
A Sony camera with a Thypoch 24-50mm lens sits on a wooden surface against a blue background.
Blurry crowd on a city street; a man in a blue jersey raises his phone among people walking.
Three men in casual clothes and Knicks hats pose in a crowded indoor setting, one smiling and holding a phone.
Several men wearing New York Knicks hats stand in a crowded subway station, some smiling at the camera.
Two boys in graphic t-shirts pose on a city street during a crowded outdoor event.
A lively crowd in Knicks gear fills a city street, with tall buildings in the background.
A group of people in casual clothes stand closely together in a busy indoor setting, some smiling at the camera.
A lively crowd gathers at a street intersection in a city surrounded by tall buildings and traffic lights.
Man in a baseball jersey walking between cars, looking at his phone, with blurred people in the background.
A half-eaten hamburger with a vibrant orange and blue bun on a paper plate with a blue pattern.
A crowd gathers outside a building; two men stand higher, one in a Knicks jersey, both addressing the crowd.
Large crowd gathers on a city street with people photographing and sitting on vehicles and buildings.
A crowd gathers on a city street; a person in a Dotson 21 jersey stands in the foreground.
Blunt Bros Bagel Shop lit up at night with cars parked and people walking past on the sidewalk.
A man in a blue New York jersey and matching sneakers stands smiling on a busy city street.
A crowd walks in a city street; one person wears a Knicks blanket around their shoulders.
An orange New York Knicks banner hangs on a graffiti wall, with various country flags above it.

Does this mean that the GFX100 II is worth its hefty $8k price tag? That ultimately depends on what you value as a photographer. But since its version 2 updates, the GFX100 II feels like a true workhorse camera, and one that can survive the chaos of the streets just as easily as the chaos of a studio.

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