In the field: First impressions of the Fujifilm GFX 100S II

Last week I brought the Fujifilm GFX 100S II with me on a trip to the UK. This was an aviation-themed trip with visits to the Royal International Air Tattoo held at RAF Fairford and the excellent RAF Museum at RAF Cosford. It would also be the first serious outing for the GFX, I was very excited to see what results this camera would produce and how it handled itself in the field.

GFX 100S II, 200mm, f/9, ISO 200, 1/500th

General use

Now the GFX system is new to me and there are a few things I really have to get used to. I really wonder why the Fujifilm engineers omitted a dedicated ISO button. Now I either have to go to the menu to change the ISO settings or I have to use the front wheel after pressing it down. The latter function is tricky, if you accidentally touch the wheel whilst shooting your ISO settings will change without you noticing it. And if, after switching lenses, you'd like to activate the dust removal function, good luck. That means scrolling through the menu again instead of taking pictures and at RIAT things happen fast. No time to fiddle with the menu. I guess it would be quicker to just switch the camera off and then on again to activate dust removal. 

Battery life is another thing to consider. I used up two batteries before the end of the afternoon at the RIAT.

Aside from the lack of an ISO button these are things that I will get used to over time when the menu of this camera gets more familiar. The short battery life was unexpected, I'll have to get me at least one more battery before I take the GFX out for a long day of shooting again.

The camera feels solid in my hands and I had no issues carrying it around all day long. And those images? Wow! This is where the GFX really shines, those gorgeous medium format images. I had no issues with the autofocus, I had set the camera autofocus to the airplane mode and this worked fine for me. The image stabilization is also top notch, I am very impressed how slow I can go with my shutter speeds whilst using the camera handheld and still get sharp images.

Will I take the GFX to an air show again? You bet! I just need a longer lens than the 100-200mm I was using so Fuji, if you're reading this: I would really like to see a 100-500mm telephoto lens for the GFX system!

Images

Below you'll find images shot at the RIAT at RAF Fairford and at the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford.

GFX 100S II, 145.3mm, f/7.1, ISO 200, 1/640th

GFX 100S II, 200mm, f/10, ISO 200, 1/500th

GFX 100S II, 200mm, f/10, ISO 200, 1/500th

GFX 100S II, 200mm, f/10, ISO 200, 1/400th

GFX 100S II, 200mm, f/10, ISO 200, 1/400th

GFX 100S II, 45.9mm, f/4.5, ISO 400, 1/80th

GFX 100S II, 45mm, f/4.5, ISO 400, 1/20th

GFX 100S II, 45,9mm, f/4, ISO 400, 1/40th

GFX 100S II, 45mm, f/5, ISO 400, 1/80th

Behind the fence: Ramstein 1v1 - Gun heroes

When the word went round that Ramstein Air Base was hosting a one-day exercise called Ramstein 1v1 with several fighter jets from different NATO countries attending I called my buddy Leo and together we drove off to Rheinland-Pfalz to see what Ramstein 1v1 had to offer.

Behind the scenes

Whilst at the base we had a chat with Lieutenant Colonel Kyle 'Cyclone' Rutherford. Lt Col Rutherford explained that Ramstein 1v1 includes both aviators and aircrew from nine NATO countries, bringing 37 NATO aircraft to Ramstein. "The Ramstein 1v1 exercise is similar to the US Navy's Fighter Weapons School (better known as Top Gun) 1v1 event. Basic fighter maneuvering (BFM), perhaps better known as dog fighting, is a foundational skill for fighter pilots. Additionally, we talk a lot about interoperability and today, we are exemplifying that capability by having jets cross serviced by ground crews from other countries. For example, the Norwegian F-35's could only participate today based on US maintainers offering to help to service their aircraft. Furthermore, Ramstein 1v1 is a prime opportunity to hone our skills in a fun but learning experience that builds camaraderie amongst all the participants."

Luftwaffe Oberst (Colonel) Michael 'T-man' Trautermann, commander of the German units based at Ramstein, explained to us that it not just about getting the aircraft , pilots and maintainers to Ramstein but also about reserving airspace so that these trainings can actually take place. "Having the exercise run by USAFE at Ramstein had the added advantage that NATO Allied Air Command is also based at Ramstein and that helped keeping lines between NATO nations short. Ramstein 1v1 will demonstrate the strength and unity of our alliance. The skills honed here will contribute significantly to our collective defense capabilities."

Oberst Trautermann also added that cross servicing is becoming a more sought-after skill. Whilst in the 1990s any NATO pilot could land at any NATO airfield and have his jet serviced this is not as common now. So having exercises like this is of great importance to both air crew and ground crew.

The aircraft

The exercise featured a variety of fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-35 Lightning IIs, Eurofighter Typhoons, Rafales, and modernized F-16s. The exercise consisted of multiple sorties, with pilots engaging in simulated dogfights.

The images

Although we enjoyed our chats with Cyclone and T-Man we came to Ramstein with one thing in mind, to get some images of the flying participants! So we unpacked our photo gear and got to work.

A Dutch F-35 returning from a mission

Top Aces brought one of their A-4N Skyhawks

The Belgians were involved too. This is one of their F-16's

Another shot of the A-4.

Two Danish F-16's

Check out the pilot doing paperwork...

A Belgian F-16AM

Another angle on that magnificent Skyhawk

A French Rafale ready to go

All in all Leo and I were both very pleased with the results. A big thanks to the Ramstein PAO for making this visit possible!