By Sebastian Oakley
Skip to main content
Digital Camera World
Digital Camera World THE HOME OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Search Digital Camera World
View Profile
Accessories
Buying Guides
The Photography & Video Show
Digital Camera
Australian Camera
Australian ProPhoto
Photography Magazines
Why subscribe?
Issues filled with product reviews, latest updates, expert advice and more
Delivered to your Android or IOS device
Every issue is packed with photo tips, kit reviews and inspiration
From$12View
Camera news
Camera rumors
Photography & Video Show
Photo mag deals
Cheatsheets
Recommended reading
Compact Cameras
The Fujifilm GFX 100RF is the medium format compact camera I should love… but don’t
The GFX100RF is the compact camera Fujifilm HAD to make, to channel its medium format heritage
Compact Cameras
If I had to choose a new compact camera, the Ricoh GR IIIx gets my vote!
Mirrorless Cameras
So what if the Fujifilm X Half isn’t for me and you? It’s here to foster the next generation of photographers – and we need that now more than ever
Mirrorless Cameras
The Fujifilm X-E5 seems like a more versatile X100VI — and that’s why I’m tempted
Compact Cameras
I bought the holy grail compact camera, the Sony RX1R II – and I regretted it
“The Sigma BF is as audacious as it is daring, but it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is. Fashion statement? Prestige product? Luxurious point-and-shoot camera? All the above?”
Digital Cameras
Compact Cameras
This is what’s holding back the Fujifilm GFX 100RF from being my perfect camera
Sebastian Oakley
2 July 2025
I love everything about the GFX 100RF medium-format compact – apart from its lens
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Fujifilm)
Shop Fujifilm GFX100RF
There’s no denying the Fujifilm GFX100 RF is an incredible achievement – a beautifully designed, medium format rangefinder-style camera that finally feels as good in the hand as it does on paper.
With its sharp lines, minimalist controls, and a sensor that captures life with breathtaking clarity, the Fujifilm GFX100 RF could easily be my forever camera. And yet, as someone who lives behind a lens daily, one thing holds me back: the fixed 28mm equivalent lens.
(Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)
Now, I get why Fujifilm went for the 28mm equivalent. It’s wide enough to be immersive, discrete enough for documentary and street work, and, for many, it’s the ideal everyday field of view.
You may like
The Fujifilm GFX 100RF is the medium format compact camera I should love… but don’t
The GFX100RF is the compact camera Fujifilm HAD to make, to channel its medium format heritage
If I had to choose a new compact camera, the Ricoh GR IIIx gets my vote!
I even use 28mm on my Leica when I’m photographing family life – kids racing through the living room, or breakfast sunlit on the kitchen table. It’s the perfect way to tell those honest, messy, intimate stories. But when I step out into the world, when I want to distill a scene, when I need to isolate and simplify, I always reach for a 50mm.
A 50mm is my truth-teller. It’s the lens that I reach for when I’m working, the one that feels most like my eye. It brings balance, structure, and intimacy to images without shouting.
Yes, I could crop in on the GFX100 RF to simulate a 50mm field of view – but that’s just mimicry. It doesn’t replicate the depth, compression, or that unique signature look you get from an actual 50mm prime. A crop is a compromise. What I want is authenticity.
(Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)
Everything else about this camera sings. The ergonomics are spot-on, with controls that are intuitive and responsive without overthinking things. The styling is pure photographic lust – minimal, robust, and beautifully balanced. And then there’s the sensor.
Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter
The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Medium format delivers a tonal richness and dimensionality that APS-C and full-frame can’t match. It’s the kind of file you want to live in. I pick it up and immediately feel like making pictures. It invites creativity without demanding it.
But the lens – the fixed lens – is the only thing holding it back from being my perfect camera. If Fujifilm had built this with a 50mm equivalent instead, I honestly think I’d never need to look at another body again.
I’d carry it everywhere, from Cornish lanes to foreign cities, from slow Sundays to fast-moving commissions. It would become not just a camera I use, but an extension of how I see.
(Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)
I know camera design is a game of compromises, and Fujifilm had to draw a line somewhere. For many, they got it right. But for me, it’s so close, and yet, not quite.
I’ll keep admiring the GFX100 RF – maybe even shoot with it from time to time. But unless they make a 50mm version, it’ll remain the one that got away.
Shop Fujifilm GFX100RF
Today’s best Fujifilm GFX100RF deals
$4,899View
$4,899View
$5,099View
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Sebastian Oakley
Social Links Navigation
Ecommerce Editor
For nearly two decades Sebastian’s work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and holds a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since his film days using a Nikon F5. He saw the digital transition with Nikon’s D series cameras and is still, to this day, the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, the British Equestrian Writers’ Association.
He is familiar with and shows great interest in 35mm, medium, and large-format photography, using products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2, shooting Street/Documentary photography as he sees it, usually in Black and White.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
The Fujifilm GFX 100RF is the medium format compact camera I should love… but don’t
The GFX100RF is the compact camera Fujifilm HAD to make, to channel its medium format heritage
If I had to choose a new compact camera, the Ricoh GR IIIx gets my vote!
So what if the Fujifilm X Half isn’t for me and you? It’s here to foster the next generation of photographers – and we need that now more than ever
The Fujifilm X-E5 seems like a more versatile X100VI — and that’s why I’m tempted
I bought the holy grail compact camera, the Sony RX1R II – and I regretted it
Latest in Compact Cameras
This cheap retro compact camera has devoured its Kickstarter target with 27 days left to go
This viral, cheap compact camera just got an update that looks straight out of the 1990s
I’d buy this monster $1000 camera if I were a wildlife enthusiast first and a photographer second
The Olympus Stylus 1 is a vintage compact camera with an excellent zoom lens – and I really wish OM System would make a modern version
The Fujifilm X Half is now shipping. Will Fujifilm’s newest retro compact camera become just as trendy as the X100VI?
This compact camera from AgfaPhoto has a 10x zoom, funky removable flash and rotating screen
Latest in Features
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV may be a mirrorless camera, but it’s lighter than the trendy X100VI – and wickedly cheap on Amazon right now
A camera repair shop is making a screen cover to help digital cameras feel more like film!
What happens when you combine digiscoping with a Micro Four Thirds camera? I watched this YouTube video to find out
I write about cameras for a living, and these are the Fourth of July deals I’d seriously consider – and the ones that I would skip
Sigma’s new lens isn’t just a prime killer – it may be a full-frame camera killer, too
“We have melted carcasses of cameras just lining the camera case” – MrBeast’s crew shares what goes on behind the scenes of YouTube’s most popular channel
LATEST ARTICLES
SmallRig has just made the Sony FX2 even more tempting
What happens when you combine digiscoping with a Micro Four Thirds camera? I watched this YouTube video to find out
Ever wondered what it takes to be a National Geographic photographer? Then you won’t want to miss this event!
NASA’s epic space footage is coming to Netflix this summer – but you can already watch it now, for free
These mesmerizing marine shots earned a pro drone pilot the coveted Aerial Photographer of the Year title
Digital Camera World is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
Terms and conditions
Contact Future’s experts
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Advertise with us
Accessibility Statement
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
Please login or signup to comment
Please wait…