Fujifilm GFX100 II: Sensor Pixel Quality vs Sony A7R V... Less Noisy?
Related: digital sensor, Dr S, Fujifilm, Fujifilm GFX100 II, Fujifilm medium format, Fujifilm mirrorless, medium format, Sony, Sony A7R, Sony A7R II, Sony A7R III, Sony A7R IV, Sony A7R V, Sony mirrorless
re: Fujifilm GFX100 II
re: Sony A7R V
In Sony A7R V Sensor Excessively Noisy, I commented upon the noise level I perceive with the Sony A7R V files vs the Fujifilm GFX100 II, which I shot extensively during October/November 2023.
I did not do an A/B comparison, and I feel foolish for it. The last A/B I did was SHOOTOUT for Landscape Photographers @ 62/50mm: Fujifilm GFX100S vs Sony A7R V: View from Hilton Creek Area to Nevahbe Ridge, and that was the GFX100S.
So what I am saying here is based on processing many hundreds of files from the GFX100 II vs what I see with the Sony... and while I could be wrong, doing this stuff for 15 years has taught me that these impressions that steadily build up are rarely if ever wrong.
Namely, the GFX100 II pixel quality and noise level seems notably better at ISO 100 than the Sony A7R V. This doesn’t make sense given essentially identical sensor technology and same-size photosites (3.7 microns), but with a special ISO 80 mode on the GFX100 II, there may be some secret sauce there.
OTOH, it was/is also my distinct impression that Fujfilm GFX100 II image quality for the first time makes me feel like I am getting real medium format quality—a feeling I did not and do not have with the GFX100S—the GFX100S feels like more pixels vs Sony, and not much more (albeit far superior camera profiles, no small thing).
Dr S writes:
I, for one, want to see more about this sooner rather than later.
I assume your comment is based upon observation from the time you tested the cam..... but need further investigation? How about contacting the Fujifilm rep for the western US?
It seems you regularly criticize some aspect of most cams you test. As far as Fujifim=lm is concerned you have probably said more positive things about the version 2 than any other.....and highly positive comments about the 55mm/1.7.
DIGLLOYD: I always wonder about how camera companies perceive my commentary—good and bad both. But more often I wonder if they read it at all. Which is weird, because you couldn’t buy better product feedback—it’s “free money” for a camera-maker, IMO.
I cannot afford to go buy a GFX100 II at this point, but one way or another I’ll get ahold of the GFX100 II again, and I’ll make that comparison.
Since I think I’ve established my “no axe to grind” and unbribable bonafides over 15 years of no-holds-barred evaluations, I’ll put this offer out there to Fujifilm: trade-in my GFX100S for the GFX 100 II at nominal charge and we both win. I’ve already praised the GFX100 II as well as complained bitterly about its bugs. If someone out there wants to accuse me of being conflicted, that doesn’t matter to me—I’m not going to stop bitching about Fujfilm engineering incompetence until the problem is fixed.
