A couple of weeks ago, I demonstrated the multishot mode on the Leica SL3-S, allowing the 24Mp native sensor to deliver crisp 96Mp images. Today, I look at the similar feature on the Fujifilm GFX 50S II which uses its pixel shifting technology to make 200Mp images from its 50Mp sensor.
TGIFRiday: More multishot goodness…how to get bigger images
The multishot process: Leica vs Fujifilm
In the Leica SL3-S, the multishot feature can be accessed when the camera is mounted rigidly on a sturdy tripod, or even when hand held. The camera is able to somehow determine the shifts due to camera shake when hand held from its own shifting algorithm. In the Fujifilm, to access the multishot mode, which Fujifilm calls Pixel Shift, the camera is required to be on a tripod. The camera will detect motion when hand held, and will not take the photographs.
Second, the Leica SL3-S combines the images in-camera. The result is a single 24Mp image in raw as a backup, and a single multishot 96Mp raw image made out of the 8 exposures in the mode. In the GFX, the result is 16 images, all individual raw images which needs to be combined in post, using a free Fujifilm software called Pixel Shift. The result is a 200 Mp DNG image from the 50 Mp sensor. The software works quite fast on my Apple M4 Max Mac Studio, with 36 GB RAM.
The test rig
The test rig is setup using the Fujifilm GFX 50S II mounted on the rear standard of a Sinar X large format optical bench which is mounted to the Gitzo tripod via the Sinar Pan Tilt Head. This combination is extremely stable. The lens used is the Hasselblad HC 4/120 Macro lens attached to the GFX via the H Adapter G. The subject is the Mamiya RB67 PRoSD with the Sekkor 50mm lens attached. Light is natural sunlight streaming from a west facing window in the morning.
The results: Fujifilm GFX 50S II Pixel Shift
Though the status on the Pixel Shift software states that the files were combined – “Completed (defect detected)”, I saw no artefacts in the final 200 Mp image. Here are the results. The first image is the full 200 Mp image, scaled down in Photoshop to 1200 pixels across. The original image, before scaling is 16480 x 12360 pixels. The image is 830 MB.
100% crop of the center. The image of the distance markings on the body and front standardl ooks very good. Very sharp with little distortion. Resolution is excellent. The slight fuzziness you see is the actual print of the font used by Mamiya.
A little to the side from dead center, another 100% crop of the f-stop markings on the lens. Again, showing excellent resolution. Note the depth of the engraving on the numerals and in-filling of ink. We are begining to see a bit of chromatic aberration, likely due to the Hasselblad HC 4/120 lens mounted to the GFX 50S II via the H Adapter.
And here are the center lower, 100% crop, showing just the shutter release. As we move away from the center of the image, the chromatic aberration becomes worse.
Center top crop, also 100% of the image. The details on the leatherette cover and metal flutes are clean and clear.
Concluding thoughts
The process to obtain the multishot image requires a bit more work in the GFX than the SL system. There is also the additional mandatory requirement to mount the camera on a tripod, and the need to process the images in the computer. I do not have access to a modern GF lens which will likely to perform better in the known chromatic aberration of the Hasselblad HC lens. The chromatic aberration can be ameliorated using Phocus, but to do this properly, it needs to be fixed on each individual image before being combined with the Pixel Shift software, and can get tedious.
Hassleblad is a pioneer in this field, with their H4D MS back which uses a piezo electric enabled plate to do the heavy lifting needed for pixel shifting. They have improved their system with the H5D MS, and finally to their H6D. They have also used the IBIS enabled sensor technology used by Leica and Fujifilm to do their Multishot modes in the X2D.
Further recommended readings
For a fuller elaboration on the use of multishot technology for archival work, please see this excellent article comparing the Hasselblad X2D to the Fujifilm GFX 100 II. The article also includes the single shot comparison to the Phase One IQ3 100, which is not enabled to do multishot.
Also, industry insider Jim Kasson has written several articles on the advantages of the multishot technology, which he elaborates in several articles. Primary advantage of this method, other than being able to obtain a high resolution image, is the ability to bypass the in-camera bayer anti-aliasing algorithm, and transfer that task to a more powerful software running in the post processing computer.
