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GFX 100S II · System Reference
Settings Backup,
Cards, and Recovery
Use this page before firmware updates, travel, rentals, workshops, and important jobs. It covers settings backup, card-slot choices, metadata, ingest, and the quick checks to run when the camera is not behaving as expected.
How to use this document
Read this first for the assumptions, limits, and checks behind the menu settings.
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I
Settings Backup
A saved custom bank is not a backup. A backup is an external copy or written reference that can restore the camera after firmware work, rental use, accidental reset, or testing.
| Method | Use for | Limit | Field note |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUJIFILM TETHER APP | Current Fujifilm direction for tethering plus camera settings backup/restore. | Requires computer, USB connection, and setup before the job. | Preferred software path to test first on a current workstation. |
| FUJIFILM X Acquire | Documented backup/restore path still referenced by Fujifilm's manual and support pages. | Fujifilm now says X Acquire has been integrated into FUJIFILM TETHER APP. | Useful where already installed and tested; do not assume it is the future path. |
| Walkthrough rebuild | Manual recovery from the published chapter. | Slower than restore. | Most reliable when no computer is available. |
| Critical-settings sheet | Paper or phone note containing the few settings that ruin a session if wrong. | Does not capture every menu item. | Use for field triage under pressure. |
| Camera EDIT/CHECK | Inspection of bank state on the camera. | Inspection only; not an external backup. | Use after any temporary bank adjustment. |
Fujifilm documents settings backup and restore through X Acquire using USB RAW CONV./BACKUP RESTORE as the selected connection setting. Fujifilm's current X Acquire download page also says the function has been integrated into FUJIFILM TETHER APP, so test the Tether App path first on a current computer.
II
When To Back Up
Backups are maintenance work. Do them before the camera becomes important, not after settings are already suspect.
- Before firmware updates: export or document the current camera state, including connection settings and all six custom banks.
- After changing any bank: run EDIT/CHECK and compare the critical rows against the relevant walkthrough before calling the bank finished.
- Before travel: carry a written C1-C6 critical-settings sheet. A computer restore is useful; a field-readable sheet is safer.
- Before lending or sharing the camera: back up first, then restore or audit afterward. Assume buttons, AF behavior, card mode, and connection settings may have changed.
- After a workshop, rental, or assisted shoot: verify Auto Update Custom Setting, shutter type, IS mode, card-slot mode, wireless state, and function-button assignments.
- Before a paid or unrepeatable session: confirm the correct bank loads, card policy is appropriate, and no upload or tether profile is active unless required.
III
Card Policy
The GFX100S II has two UHS-II SD slots. Card policy changes by session risk, file volume, and delivery pressure.
| Mode | Use when | Avoid when | Bank examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backup | Client work, travel, portraits, architecture commissions, any unrepeatable session. | Only avoid when both cards are not fast, empty, and trusted. | C2 portraits, C5 architecture, travel C1, commissioned C3. |
| Sequential | Personal field work with reliable ingest discipline and high file volume. | Any job where losing one card would lose the session. | Long C1 days, personal C3 walks, C4 practice sessions. |
| Separate RAW/JPEG or HEIF | JPEG/HEIF delivery has a defined role. | The guide's normal RAW-first practice. Separate recording adds ingest complexity without benefit for most chapters. | Event handoff, quick social previews, client contact sheets. |
Official save-data settings describe SEQUENTIAL, BACKUP, and SEPARATE card-slot behavior, plus frame numbering, copyright, IPTC, and geotagging controls: SAVE DATA SETTING.
C1 landscape
Sequential for personal, backup for travel
Landscape file volume can be high, but locations may be hard to repeat. Use Backup when the trip matters more than card capacity.
C2 portrait
Backup by default
People sessions are time-bound. One corrupted or lost card should not erase a sitting.
C3 street
Sequential is acceptable
Use Backup for travel documentary or assignment work. For personal walks, Sequential keeps card use simple.
C4 sport
Use fast matched cards
If using Backup, both cards must be fast enough for bursts. A slow second card can become the hidden bottleneck.
C5 architecture
Backup for commissions
Architecture access is often limited. Record twice unless a tethered workflow already creates verified copies.
C6 Pixel Shift
Empty cards before sequences
Pixel Shift creates grouped source frames. Keep card state simple and avoid mixing unrelated work in the same folder.
IV
Ingest Routine
Card policy is only half the safety system. Files become safe only after copied, verified, and backed up outside the camera.
- Copy before culling. Do not delete in-camera to make the ingest look cleaner. Copy the full card first.
- Use a project folder name before import. Date, location or client, and bank/session type are enough:
2026-05-12_rotterdam_c5-architecture. - Verify both cards when using Backup. Do not assume the second card is identical until import software or folder counts confirm it.
- For Pixel Shift, preserve source RAF sequences. Combined DNG files are derivatives. The source RAF sequence is the negative.
- Do not format until two copies exist. One working copy plus one separate backup is the minimum. Cloud sync alone does not count until sync is complete.
- Record session exceptions. If C4 used Pre-AF, C5 used tethering, or C6 used a non-default interval, note it before the next session.
V
Metadata and File Continuity
File management is not clerical. At 102 MP, jobs produce large archives quickly; duplicate filenames and missing authorship metadata become real problems.
Frame No.
Use continuous numbering
Continuous numbering reduces duplicate filenames across formatted cards. Reset only when a deliberate folder/project naming system replaces it.
File prefix
Use a stable prefix
A personal prefix makes files easier to identify after handoff. Avoid changing it between banks unless a job requires separation.
Folder discipline
Create folders per project when useful
Project folders help on long trips or multi-day commissions. Do not rely on folders as your only ingest organization.
Copyright / IPTC
Enter authorship once
Camera-side copyright and IPTC metadata are small protections against anonymous files. Lightroom metadata presets should still be applied at ingest.
Geotagging
Use when location matters
Useful for landscape archive work, less important for controlled portrait and architecture sessions. Be intentional with privacy-sensitive locations.
Captions
Avoid generic captions
A default caption is useful only if it is accurate for every job. Otherwise leave captioning to ingest templates.
VI
Travel, Rental, and Shared-Camera Recovery
The highest-risk settings changes happen when the camera leaves its normal environment: travel, rental counters, workshops, assisted shoots, and testing sessions.
| Situation | Likely changed | First check | Recovery action |
|---|---|---|---|
| After firmware update | Wireless profiles, menu wording, connection behavior, saved custom state. | Firmware baseline and C1-C6 critical settings. | Run firmware chapter recheck, then restore or rebuild banks. |
| After lending camera | AF mode, subject detection, Q menu, buttons, card slot, drive mode. | Mode dial bank, drive button, focus mode, shutter type. | Use EDIT/CHECK and rebuild only the affected bank if the rest is intact. |
| After rental return | Everything, including reset state and connection profiles. | Body reset status, firmware, card formatting, language/date/time. | Full restore from backup or rebuild from the Settings Overview and bank walkthroughs. |
| After workshop | Temporary learning changes: film sim, AF assist, touch screen, button assignments. | Universal base settings and Auto Update Custom Setting. | Disable accidental persistence, then review all six banks. |
| After tethered/client session | USB mode, connection profile, card mode, display settings, power management. | Connection icon, indicator lamp, selected connection setting. | Return to disconnected field state unless the next job also needs tethering. |
VII
Field Recovery Steps
When something feels wrong in the field, check the likely causes in order. Most failures are one physical switch, one persistent temporary setting, or the wrong bank.
- Confirm the mode-dial bank. Many failures begin with the wrong bank, not a wrong setting.
- Check physical state. Lens OIS switch, focus mode lever, drive mode, card doors, trigger or tether cable, tripod collar, and filter stack.
- Check shutter type. C3 and C6 often need Electronic; C4 and flash work need Mechanical; C5 depends on the assignment.
- Check stabilisation. C1/C5/C6 tripod work needs IS/OIS off. C2/C3/C4 handheld work usually needs IBIS or OIS active.
- Check card mode and remaining capacity. Backup mode fails quietly if one card is nearly full or slower than expected.
- Check wireless and upload state. If the indicator lamp shows connection or pending upload activity, stop and decide whether that is intentional.
- If still uncertain, rebuild from the relevant walkthrough. Five minutes checking the setup is better than continuing with compromised files.
VIII
Failure Signatures
Use symptoms to find the likely cause quickly. The goal is not to inspect every menu; it is to find the setting most likely to explain the behavior.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | Prevent next time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera feels different after a session | Auto Update Custom Setting preserved temporary changes. | Compare bank via EDIT/CHECK and rebuild affected rows. | Keep Auto Update disabled; save banks intentionally. |
| Only one card has files | Card slot mode set to Sequential or Separate. | Do not format either card; ingest both and reconstruct the session. | Confirm card-slot setting before client work. |
| Burst shooting slows early | Slow second card in Backup mode or nearly full card. | Switch to matched fast cards before continuing. | Use paired cards for C4 and format before action work. |
| Pixel Shift files are mixed with unrelated work | No project folder or card reset before sequence work. | Sort by timestamp and sequence count before combining. | Create a fresh folder or empty card for C6 sessions. |
| Wireless activity continues after a job | Frame.io, FTP, tether, or XApp state remained active. | Select disconnected field profile or Airplane Mode as appropriate. | Run the post-session connection reset. |
| Backup restore fails in the field | Computer, cable, software, or connection mode missing. | Use the written critical-settings sheet and bank walkthrough instead. | Do not depend on software restore as the only recovery path. |
Support the work
This guide is free to read
The complete GFX 100S II suite — six shooting streams, field references, and the linked editing guides — is available here. If a document has saved you time in the field or at the edit, a Ko-fi contribution helps keep it going.
