Setup walkthrough·Document 6 of 21·From the GFX 100S II field guide
How to use this document
Use this while configuring the active bank directly on camera in menu order.
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| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IMAGE SIZE | Full · 102 MP | Skip |
| 2 | IMAGE QUALITY | RAW | Confirm |
| Universal base. RAW only — every bank in this system shoots RAW. Never JPEG for any bank; JPEG is for review output in post, never the primary capture. | |||
| 3 | RAW RECORDING Two sub-settings: compression type + bit depth | LOSSLESS · 16-bit | Confirm |
| Lossless, not Compressed: Lossless compression reduces file size 30–60% using a reversible algorithm — zero data loss. Lossy (Compressed) uses a non-reversible algorithm; artefacts become visible at print scale from a 102 MP file. 16-bit, not 14-bit: 16-bit gives 65,536 tonal steps per channel vs 14-bit's 16,384. That does not create extra dynamic range by itself, but it does preserve finer tonal gradation within what the sensor captures. Lightroom Classic handles 16-bit RAF natively. | |||
| 4 | SELECT JPEG/HEIF | — | Skip |
| 5 | FILM SIMULATION | ACROS | Set |
| Why ACROS for indoor sport: Crossfit venues under LED overhead lighting are chromatically unflattering — athlete skin reads warm-orange from exertion, backgrounds are rubber, steel, and powder-coat at mixed colour temperatures. An ACROS preview strips all of this away and forces the compositionally honest question: does this frame have tonal structure and drama? A blurred athlete in ACROS against a dark barbell rack tells you immediately whether the motion and tone work together. The RAW file retains full colour regardless — ACROS is a preview discipline, not a commitment. If a specific frame warrants colour treatment in post, the data is fully there. | |||
| 6 | MONOCHROMATIC COLOR | — | Skip |
| 7 | GRAIN EFFECT Two sub-settings: Roughness + Size | WEAK · SMALL | Set |
| Preview only — RAW unaffected. With ACROS active and motion blur present in the frame, a Weak/Small grain overlay reinforces the tonal, documentary quality of the image in the EVF and on review. It helps you evaluate whether the motion blur and tonal contrast will hold up in post at print scale. Some photographers find this essential for pre-visualising the final image; others prefer clean signal. Try both across a session and decide. It costs nothing to the RAW file either way. | |||
| 8 | COLOR CHROME EFFECT | OFF | Confirm |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | COLOR CHROME FX BLUE | OFF | Confirm |
| 10 | SMOOTH SKIN EFFECT | OFF | Confirm |
| 11 | DYNAMIC RANGE | 100% | Confirm |
| Never 200% or 400%: DR expansion forces a minimum ISO (160 for DR200%, 320 for DR400%) and compresses highlights in-camera. For RAW files this is usually redundant — the RAF already preserves broad highlight latitude. All it does is raise your ISO floor, increase noise, and provide little that Lightroom cannot achieve with its own Highlights recovery. | |||
| 12 | D RANGE PRIORITY | OFF | Confirm |
| When D Range Priority is anything other than OFF, it overrides and adjusts Tone Curve and Dynamic Range automatically. This creates unpredictable preview behaviour and, critically, raises the minimum ISO — you lose control of the base ISO exposure. OFF always. | |||
| 13 | WHITE BALANCE Select AUTO, then choose White Priority sub-option | AUTO · WHITE PRIORITY | Set |
| Why White Priority, not standard AWB: Standard AWB shifts toward warm tones in LED environments — athlete skin under sodium or LED overheads renders with an orange-amber cast that is visually misleading in the ACROS preview (it shifts the tonal conversion weighting) and unflattering in any colour output. White Priority AWB runs neutrally cooler, giving a more accurate reference in the field. If the venue has consistent, stable lighting throughout: take a custom WB from a grey card at floor level under the primary lighting zone and lock it. Custom WB eliminates all inter-frame WB drift for the whole session. | |||
| 14 | TONE CURVE Two sliders: Highlights and Shadows | H: −1 · S: +1 | Set |
| Preview only — the RAW file captures the full tonal range at every setting. These are compositional aids, not exposure decisions. Highlights −1: Crossfit venues are lit with bright overhead LED arrays. Without highlight compression, these fixtures dominate the EVF and compete visually with the athlete — the preview becomes difficult to read. A −1 roll-off brings the bright ceiling fixtures back toward manageable without distorting the midtones where the athlete lives. Shadows +1: Venue floors and equipment racks are typically in the deep shadow zone relative to the overhead lighting. A +1 shadow lift opens the preview shadow enough to evaluate composition and tonal structure — to see whether the barbell, the rack, and the athlete's position actually form the image you think they do. | |||
| 15 | COLOR | 0 | Confirm |
| 16 | SHARPNESS | 0 | Confirm |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | HIGH ISO NR | −4 | Set |
| Why −4 — see reality, not comfort: In-camera NR affects the JPEG preview only. At −4, the preview shows you the actual noise state of the RAW file at your current ISO. This is essential information for C4: if the preview looks noisy at ISO 3200, the file is genuinely noisy and you need more light or a wider aperture — not more in-camera smoothing that hides the problem. At default NR levels, the preview lies optimistically about a file that will show real noise in Lightroom. AI Denoise in LRC handles noise reduction from the RAW data far more effectively than any in-camera processing. | |||
| 18 | CLARITY | 0 | Confirm |
| 19 | LONG EXPOSURE NR | OFF | Confirm |
| 20 | LENS MODULATION OPTIMIZER | ON | Confirm |
| LMO compensates for diffraction at small apertures and peripheral focus falloff using GF-lens-specific correction profiles. At 102 MP, diffraction becomes visible at f/11+. Although C4 will mostly be shot at f/4 on the 45-100mm or f/5.6 on the GF 100-200mm, LMO provides a meaningful correction at f/5.6–f/8 if you close down for environmental context shots. No performance cost. Always on. | |||
| 21 | COLOR SPACE | ADOBE RGB | Confirm |
| 22 | PIXEL MAPPING | — | Skip |
| 23 | EDIT / SAVE CUSTOM SETTING | ← Use last | Later |
| 24 | AUTO UPDATE CUSTOM SETTING | DISABLE | Critical |
| The most dangerous setting in the camera. With ENABLE, any adjustment you make while shooting in C4 — an ISO change, a shutter speed nudge — is silently and permanently written back to the C4 bank. Return to C4 a week later and find a completely different configuration from the one you built. DISABLE means changes must be saved explicitly and intentionally. The bank you built stays exactly as you built it until you consciously choose to update it. | |||
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | MOUNT ADAPTOR SETTING | — | Skip |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOCUS AREA Frame position — set in live view with focus lever | — | Skip |
| 2 | AF MODE | WIDE / TRACKING | Set |
| Why Wide/Tracking, not Zone: Crossfit athletes move through the full height and width of the frame. Zone AF has a fixed boundary; once the athlete leaves that zone, tracking collapses. Wide/Tracking is the better fit because it can follow a subject across the frame without forcing you to keep the action inside one predefined box. On this body, that behavior is not tied to a dedicated Human subject-detection mode. | |||
| 3 | ZONE CUSTOM SETTING | — | Skip |
| 4 | AF MODE ALL SETTING | Optional | Optional |
| 5 | AF-C CUSTOM SETTINGS | SET 4 | Set |
| Why Set 4, not Set 1 or 2: Fujifilm's SET 4 uses Tracking Sensitivity 0, Speed Tracking Sensitivity 1, and Zone Area Switching FRONT. It is designed for subjects that appear abruptly or when you need the camera to release the previous lock quickly and grab the new closest subject. That behavior suits erratic Crossfit movement better than C3's SET 1, which is deliberately more persistent. | |||
| 6 | STORE AF MODE BY ORIENTATION | ON | Confirm |
| 7 | AF POINT DISPLAY | — | Skip |
| 8 | WRAP FOCUS POINT | — | Skip |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | NUMBER OF FOCUS POINTS | 117 (9×13) | Set |
| Why 117 here: Fujifilm applies NUMBER OF FOCUS POINTS to manual focus and SINGLE POINT AF, not to Wide/Tracking itself. C4 still uses 117 as a practical default because it keeps fallback Single Point selection simpler if you temporarily leave the tracking setup during a session. It is a workflow choice, not a hidden Wide/Tracking speed boost. | |||
| 10 | PRE-AF C4 exception — enable for session duration only | ON | Set |
| This is a C4-only exception to the normal Pre-AF OFF setting. The base setting keeps Pre-AF OFF to preserve battery. For the finite duration of a sport session, enabling Pre-AF keeps the lens continuously acquiring focus on detected subjects. The practical effect: when you raise the camera to an athlete who is already mid-movement, AF-C lock is established faster because the system never stopped looking. The battery cost is accepted for the session. Remember to turn Pre-AF OFF when you leave C4 and return to other banks. | |||
| 11 | AF ILLUMINATOR | OFF | Critical |
| The AF illuminator projects a visible beam onto the subject to assist focus in low light. In a Crossfit event, it destroys the candid relationship with the athlete — it announces your presence, interrupts their concentration, and is intrusive at close distances. There is no circumstance in sport or documentary work where this should be active. Confirm it is OFF and saved to the bank. | |||
| 12 | FACE/EYE DETECTION SETTING Face Detection + Eye Detection sub-settings inside | FACE DET. OFF | Set |
| Why OFF, not the usual Face + Eye for portrait work: In Crossfit, the most technically and artistically interesting moments frequently do not present a clear face: the athlete is folded over the barbell, turned away, or obscured by equipment. Face/Eye Detection is therefore unreliable as the default tracking layer. Keep it OFF as the bank default and engage it only if a specific athlete-facing sequence makes it useful. | |||
| 13 | SUBJECT DETECTION SETTING Select subject type from list | OFF | Set |
| The GFX100S II does not offer a Human subject-detection category in SUBJECT DETECTION SETTING; that menu is for animals and vehicles. Leave Subject Detection OFF here. C4's tracking stack is Wide/Tracking AF plus AF-C SET 4, with Face/Eye Detection used only when a face is clearly presented and the sequence calls for it. | |||
| 14 | AF+MF | OFF | Set |
| AF+MF allows manual focus ring adjustment after AF-C locks. In action shooting this is a liability — touching the focus ring while repositioning or panning could inadvertently shift the focus plane away from your tracked subject. OFF for C4. | |||
| 15 | MF ASSIST | — | Skip |
| 16 | INTERLOCK MF ASSIST & FOCUS RING | — | Skip |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | FOCUS CHECK | OFF | Set |
| Focus Check magnifies the image on the EVF immediately after each shot — excellent for landscape work where you want to verify critical sharpness before moving on. In action shooting it is catastrophic: it blocks your view of the subject for the 1–2 seconds it takes to dismiss, which is exactly when the next frame is happening. OFF for C4. Review sharpness during dead time between athlete sets, not between frames. | |||
| 18 | INTERLOCK SPOT AE & FOCUS AREA | OFF | Confirm |
| 19 | INSTANT AF SETTING | — | Skip |
| 20 | DEPTH-OF-FIELD SCALE | — | Skip |
| 21 | RELEASE / FOCUS PRIORITY (AF-C) Confirm you are setting the AF-C row, not AF-S | RELEASE | Critical |
| RELEASE priority for action — always. FOCUS priority withholds the shutter unless AF-C confirms a lock. On a fast-moving athlete with an imperfect tracking lock, this means the camera refuses to fire at the peak moment. The peak moment does not repeat. RELEASE fires the shutter regardless of focus confirmation — at f/4 on the 45-100mm, or f/5.6 on the GF 100-200mm when distance requires it, a slightly uncertain AF lock still produces a usable, sharp frame more often than a withheld shutter does. The one frame you lose to minor focus uncertainty is worth far less than the one peak moment you would lose by withholding the shutter entirely. | |||
| 22 | AF RANGE LIMITER | OFF | Confirm |
| In C1 Landscape, a 3m–∞ range limiter speeds up AF by preventing hunting through the close-focus range. In C4, athletes are at unpredictable distances — the full focus range must be available. Confirm OFF so the lens can track from close environmental details to distant subject positions without restriction. | |||
| 23 | TOUCH SCREEN MODE | AF | Set |
| Tap-to-focus on the LCD allows quick subject targeting when the primary athlete is not at the centre of the frame — useful when shooting from a low angle or when a second athlete enters the frame and you want to explicitly target one. In a wide/tracking bank this overrides the automatic selection for the tapped frame. | |||
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SELF-TIMER | OFF | Confirm |
| 2 | SAVE SELF-TIMER SETTING | — | Skip |
| 3 | SELF-TIMER LAMP | — | Skip |
| 4 | INTERVAL TIMER SHOOTING | OFF | Confirm |
| 5 | INTERVAL TIMER SHOOTING EXPOSURE SMOOTHING | — | Skip |
| 6 | INTERVAL PRIORITY MODE | — | Skip |
| 7 | AE BKT SETTING | — | Skip |
| 8 | FILM SIMULATION BKT | — | Skip |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | FOCUS BKT SETTING | — | Skip |
| 10 | PHOTOMETRY | CENTER-WEIGHTED | Set |
| Why Center-Weighted, not Multi: Multi metering evaluates the entire frame and averages it. In a sport venue with bright overhead LED arrays, dark equipment racks, reflective flooring, and athletes positioned against complex backgrounds, Multi metering is constantly influenced by the elements you are not photographing. It will underexpose the athlete to protect bright ceiling fixtures, or overexpose when the background is dark rubber. Center-Weighted biases exposure toward the centre of the frame — where your subject typically is — and is far more consistent across changing venue positions. For subjects who fill the centre zone (which is most sport framing), this gives a reliable, repeatable starting point that responds to the athlete, not the background. | |||
| 11 | SHUTTER TYPE | MECHANICAL | Critical |
| The single most important setting for indoor shooting. The Electronic Shutter reads the sensor progressively from top to bottom (rolling shutter). Under LED or fluorescent lighting that cycles at 50 or 100 Hz, different rows of the sensor are read at different phases of the light cycle — producing horizontal banding across the image. This banding is not correctable in post. The Mechanical Shutter exposes the entire frame simultaneously within the travel of its curtains, eliminating this risk entirely. You may switch to Electronic via Fn3 only if: (a) you have tested a burst sequence at the venue and confirmed zero banding, AND (b) silence during a specific athlete's lift is required out of respect for their concentration. If banding appears on any Electronic Shutter frame, switch back to Mechanical for the remainder of the session. | |||
| 12 | FLICKER REDUCTION | ALL FRAMES | Set |
| Why ALL FRAMES for indoor burst shooting: Flicker Reduction synchronises burst release timing to the light source's AC cycle — the camera delays each frame release until the light is at a consistent, peak phase. Under fluorescent or pulsed LED lighting, without this setting, consecutive frames in a burst sequence can show uneven exposure — one frame darker, the next lighter — as the light oscillates. ALL FRAMES applies this sync to every frame in a continuous burst. The slight reduction in burst rate is acceptable. Do not disable for any indoor artificial-light session. | |||
| 13 | FLICKERLESS S.S. SETTING | — | Skip |
| 14 | ISO Three sub-settings: ISO value · Auto ISO max · min shutter speed | AUTO · Max 6400 | Set |
| Set ISO to AUTO. Then enter the sub-settings: — MAX SENSITIVITY: ISO 6400. The GFX 100S II at ISO 6400 produces files with meaningful grain but recoverable tonality and structure. With LRC AI Denoise applied, ISO 6400 files are practical at fine art print sizes. At medium format, grain at ISO 6400 reads more like photographic grain than digital noise — there is a case for it being part of the aesthetic in a sport context. If the venue is unusually dark and you are deliberately embracing artistic grain, you may push to ISO 12800 on a per-session basis; but set 6400 as the saved default. — MIN SHUTTER SPEED: In S mode you set the shutter directly, so this sub-setting is less relevant. Configure it to 1/250s as a fallback for any A or P mode moments within the session. |
|||
| 15 | IS MODE | CONTINUOUS | Set |
| IBIS discipline with a monopod — the opposite of the C1 rule. In C1 Landscape, IS MODE is OFF on a tripod because IBIS generates micro-movement searching for vibration that doesn't exist. On a monopod, the situation is entirely different: the monopod stabilises the pitch axis (forward/backward tilt) and significantly reduces roll (lateral tilt), but it leaves yaw (left/right panning), torsional vibration, and floor vibration transmitted from athlete impact on the venue floor. IBIS in CONTINUOUS mode compensates for all three of these residual movements. The net result at 1/60s on a monopod with CONTINUOUS IBIS is meaningful camera stability for slower artistic frames, and reduced shake even at 1/400s. Also confirm: the lens OIS switch is set to ON when using an OIS zoom in this bank — GF 45-100mm as the standard action lens, or GF 100-200mm F5.6 when the venue or distance demands more reach. | |||
| 16 | 35mm FORMAT MODE | OFF | Confirm |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | WIRELESS COMMUNICATION | — | Skip |
Drive Mode is not in the menu — set it on the DRIVE button. Press the DRIVE button on the top plate and select CONTINUOUS (Low). Fujifilm rates CL at 2 fps, which is still enough to catch the peak of most Crossfit movements without exhausting the buffer mid-sequence. Do this before saving the bank — it will be captured in the bank state.
Shooting mode S is set on the mode dial, not in the menu. Rotate the dial to S. Set your starting shutter speed to 1/250s using the front command dial. This is your default C4 position — fast enough to produce partial motion blur while keeping subjects largely readable. Adjust toward 1/800s for freeze or 1/60s for intentional blur during the session. The mode dial position and shutter speed are both captured when you save the bank.
Exposure Compensation: set +0.3 to +0.7 EV before saving. Indoor sport venues under LED tend to read darker than they appear. Center-Weighted metering will underexpose slightly to protect bright overhead fixtures. A push of +0.3–+0.7 EV compensates for this tendency and keeps athlete skin and equipment in the usable tonal zone. Verify with the RGB histogram after the first five frames and adjust.
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FLASH FUNCTION SETTING | OFF / DISABLED | Confirm |
| No flash for C4. Flash disturbs athletes at peak concentration, creates flat, unflattering light that destroys the tonal quality the GFX delivers in available light, and is banned or discouraged at most indoor sport events. Confirm OFF is saved to the bank so a connected flash unit cannot fire accidentally. | |||
| 2 | RED EYE REMOVAL | — | Skip |
| 3 | TTL-LOCK MODE | — | Skip |
| 4 | LED LIGHT SETTING | — | Skip |
| 5 | COMMANDER SETTING | — | Skip |
| 6 | CH SETTING | — | Skip |
These settings live in the Setup menus and apply globally. They cannot be saved to individual banks. Confirm them before the sport session. The most consequential for C4 is Performance → High Performance: without it, AF-C response is meaningfully slower.
| Sub-menu | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | ELECTRONIC SHUTTER VOLUME | OFF | Set |
| Sound | ELECTRONIC SHUTTER SOUND | OFF | Set |
| Disable all simulated shutter sounds. In a Crossfit event, the mechanical shutter is already audible but expected. Any additional simulated click or beep is intrusive and unnecessary. If you switch to Electronic Shutter for a quiet moment, the camera must be fully silent. | |||
| Sub-menu | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | PERFORMANCE | HIGH PERFORMANCE | Critical |
| The most impactful Setup setting for C4. High Performance mode maximises AF speed, burst response, EVF refresh rate, and processing throughput. The GFX 100S II's AF-C in Normal Performance mode is noticeably slower — tracking is less responsive and there is a perceptible lag between subject movement and focus adjustment. For a sport session where the AF stack (Wide/Tracking + Subject Detection + SET 4) needs to perform at its ceiling, High Performance is not optional. Battery drain is meaningfully increased — carry a fully charged spare NP-W235. | |||
| Power | AUTO POWER OFF | 5 min or longer | Check |
| Power | SHOOTING STAND BY MODE | Leave extended | Check |
| Sub-menu | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | LIVE VIEW HIGHLIGHT ALERTInside DISP. CUSTOM SETTING | ON | Confirm |
| Blinkies (highlight alert) fire at the JPEG preview clipping point — typically 1–2 stops before the actual RAW data is exhausted. In a sport context under bright LED fixtures, use them as a push indicator: if the athlete's skin is blinking, you may still have 1+ stop of headroom in the RAF file. Never discard a frame because of blinkies without checking Highlights −100 in LRC first. | |||
| Screen | HISTOGRAM DISPLAY (RGB)Inside DISP. CUSTOM SETTING | RGB Histogram | Confirm |
| Indoor LED lighting may clip individual colour channels (particularly red or green) before luminance clips — the luminance histogram looks safe while a single channel is blown. The RGB histogram shows each channel separately, revealing this failure. Essential for any artificial light environment. | |||
No C4-specific network settings. C4 drops the Tethered workflow. The only action here is to confirm that background wireless services (Frame.io, FTP) are not active during the sport session — sustained wireless upload competes with the card write bandwidth required for burst shooting at 102 MP lossless.
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CREATE/EDIT CONNECTION SETTING | — | Skip |
| 2 | SELECT CONNECTION SETTING | — | Skip |
| 3 | AIRPLANE MODEConsider enabling for burst performance | Consider ON | Check |
| 4 | BLUETOOTH / SMARTPHONE SETTING | — | Skip |
| 5 | instax PRINTER CONNECTION SETTING | — | Skip |
| 6 | Frame.io Camera to Cloud | OFF for session | Check |
| 7 | FTP OPTIONAL SETTING | OFF for session | Check |
| Continuous upload via Frame.io or FTP during burst shooting competes for card write bandwidth. At 102 MP lossless, a single frame is ~80–120 MB. A burst sequence of 8–12 frames fills the buffer while the card is simultaneously uploading previous frames — stall time increases and buffer recovery slows. Disable both for the duration of the sport session. Re-enable for post-session file transfer. | |||
| 8 | USB POWER SUPPLY / COMM SETTING | — | Skip |
| # | Setting | C4 Value | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | INFORMATION | — | Skip |
| 10 | RESET NETWORK/USB SETTING | Do not reset | Skip |
Writing C4 to the camera
Confirm you are in S mode on the dial with 1/250s set and CONTINUOUS (Low) drive mode active. Then navigate to H IMAGE QUALITY SETTING → Page 3/4 → EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING. Select C4. Select SAVE CURRENT SETTINGS. The camera writes the complete menu state — including drive mode and shooting mode — to the C4 bank.
Then in the same menu: EDIT CUSTOM NAME → C4 → type: INDOOR SPORT.
To verify: EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING → C4 → EDIT/CHECK. Scroll through and confirm: AUTO UPDATE CUSTOM SETTING = DISABLE · RELEASE/FOCUS PRIORITY = RELEASE · SHUTTER TYPE = MECHANICAL · IS MODE = CONTINUOUS · PERFORMANCE = HIGH PERFORMANCE (global).
Pre-session verification — do not skip this. Rotate the dial to C4 at the venue before athletes start. Fire 20 frames at a moving or panning subject. Confirm: Subject Detection tracking is active in the EVF. ACROS preview is showing. Mechanical shutter is audible. ISO is floating on the display. No banding visible in burst frame review. The mounted OIS lens has its stabilisation switch physically ON — GF 45-100mm by default, or GF 100-200mm F5.6 if the session is being covered from further back.
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