AddendumDocument 13 of 21From the GFX 100S II field guide

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GFX 100S II · C6 · Field Checklist

Pixel Shift —
On-Location Checklist

The walkthrough configures the bank. The addendum explains the practice. This checklist is the field companion — everything confirmed in order before the sequence fires. Work through it once per session, not once per shot.

The six sections below follow the session sequence: stability confirmed before drive mode selected, drive mode selected before IS confirmed off, IS confirmed off before the remote release is engaged. Order matters. A checklist consulted out of order gives false confidence — IS MODE ON does not become visible after the sequence completes. The failure mode is silent.

How to use this document

Use this when field conditions require specialist technique or failure-mode handling.

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Section I

Vibration Test

Pixel Shift sequences are defeated by any vibration between frames — surface vibration, wind load on a tripod, mirror slap from nearby machinery, even footsteps on a wooden floor. The vibration test is always first. It takes four minutes and cannot be deferred.

Mount camera on tripod with session lens
Ballhead locked. Arca plate seated. No slack in any mounting point. The camera must be in the final composition position — not in a temporary test position — because the tripod position is what you're testing, not the camera alone.
Set to C6 bank, verify M mode, IS MODE OFF, Electronic Shutter
This is the exact configuration that will be used for the actual sequence. A test in any other configuration measures nothing relevant.
Frame a high-contrast, texture-rich target at session distance
Brickwork, carved stone, patterned glass — anything with fine detail that will resolve vibration as fringing. The subject used for the test should ideally match the session subject distance and character.
Take a 4-frame Pixel Shift sequence with 2-second self-timer or remote release
Do not touch the camera. Do not allow the cable to add tension. Stand back from the tripod during the sequence. Note: 4-frame is adequate for the vibration test even if you intend to shoot 16-frame.
Transfer to Combiner, inspect combined output at 100% Critical
Look specifically at colour fringing at high-contrast edges, and at fine horizontal texture (stone courses, mortar lines). Any fringing visible at 100% indicates vibration during the sequence. The subject itself did not move — the camera did.
Go / No-Go decision
Clean output: proceed. Minor fringing at very fine edges only: acceptable; proceed with caution. Visible fringing at medium-contrast edges: find and eliminate the vibration source before proceeding. Gross ghosting across the frame: Pixel Shift is not achievable at this location today. Use C5 single-frame instead.
Section II

Drive-Button Mode

Pixel Shift Multi Shot is engaged via the DRIVE button, not through the standard shooting-menu shutter type. On the GFX 100S II, the DRIVE button is the defining operational gesture of C6 — it selects between 4-frame and 16-frame modes. Choose once, before framing. The choice changes the sequence duration, file count, and post-processing requirements.

Primary mode · Most sessions
4
4-Frame Pixel Shift
Four captures, shifted across the sensor by the camera's Accurate Color sequence. Produces one combined DNG after computer processing. Sequence duration: approximately 4–6 seconds depending on shutter speed. Best for subjects where the stability window is wide — still life, tripod-anchored architecture, geological subjects with no wind load. Sufficient for most Pixel Shift use cases.
Use unless 16-frame is explicitly needed
Maximum IQ mode · Controlled conditions only
16
16-Frame Pixel Shift
Sixteen captures, shifted sub-pixel with sensor averaging. Sequence duration: 20–40 seconds. Demands exceptional stability — any vibration during the extended sequence produces unusable output. Reserve for studio conditions or absolutely wind-free exterior sessions with confirmed zero vibration from the test.
Only when conditions are confirmed perfect

To set: Press the DRIVE button → navigate to PIXEL SHIFT MULTI SHOT → select 4 or 16 → confirm. The selected mode remains saved to C6 until changed.

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Verify the mode is set before framing. The mode is displayed on the top LCD and in the EVF when C6 is active, but it is easy to overlook. A session spent shooting in single-frame mode instead of Pixel Shift mode is not recoverable in post.

Section III

IS / OIS Confirmation

IS MODE must be OFF for Pixel Shift. The IBIS actuators are occupied by the shift sequence itself — they are performing the controlled sensor movement that constitutes the Pixel Shift technique. If IS MODE is ON, those actuators are simultaneously attempting to stabilise against the shifts they are executing. The result is unpredictable and usually produces a corrupted combined file, often silently — no error is displayed.

IS MODE: OFF Critical — check every session
SHOOTING MENU → IS MODE → OFF. This cannot be set once and forgotten — if C6 is cleared and rebuilt, IS MODE defaults may differ. Confirm before every session, not just the first configuration.
OIS switch on lens: OFF Critical if lens has physical switch
The GF 45–100mm F4 and GF 100-200mm F5.6 both have OIS. For C6 using the GF 80mm F1.7 or GF 20–35mm F4, this is not applicable. If using an OIS zoom for Pixel Shift, confirm the physical OIS switch on the barrel is in the OFF position. IBIS OFF does not disable lens-based OIS.
Confirm IS MODE status is visible in the EVF before engaging
The EVF and rear LCD both show IS MODE status as a small icon when enabled. When IS MODE is OFF, the icon is absent. Confirm the absence before every sequence, not just after setup.
Section IV

Remote Release

The camera must not be touched during the sequence. The shutter release that initiates the sequence is the last physical contact with the camera body. Any cable tension, accidental touch, or mid-sequence adjustment propagates into frame misalignment. Use a cable release or the 2-second self-timer; accept no other release method for Pixel Shift work.

Cable release attached and cable loop slack confirmed
The cable must have enough slack that it cannot transmit tension to the camera body during the sequence. A taut cable is a vibration conduit.
Alternative: 2-second self-timer engaged
SHOOTING MENU → SELF-TIMER SETTING → 2 SECONDS. The 2-second delay is sufficient for hand-vibration decay after pressing the shutter. Do not use the 10-second self-timer — the longer delay gives no additional benefit and wastes field time.
Interval Timer: confirm NOT active Critical
The Interval Timer, if active from a previous session, will attempt to fire the next Pixel Shift sequence at the programmed interval — often producing overlapping sequences and file-naming collisions. SHOOTING MENU → INTERVAL TIMER → OFF before every Pixel Shift session.
Bluetooth / WiFi remote: not recommended
Wireless communication from the phone app introduces a variable delay that cannot be controlled, and the phone confirmation vibration can propagate through the table or floor. Use a cable release.
Section V

At-Scene Execution Sequence

Once the vibration test is passed, drive mode and IS setting confirmed, and remote release ready, the execution sequence is brief. Work through it in order. Do not skip steps — the sequence is short precisely because the preparation work is already complete.

1
Level the camera with the Electronic Level
Check both axes. Architecture and still-life subjects demand a levelled sensor — a 0.5° error at 102 MP is visible in print. DISPLAY BACK BUTTON → Electronic Level active in EVF during composition.
2
Focus in AF mode — confirm point on the primary plane
Use single-point AF aimed at the sharpest-priority surface. For near-flat subjects (stone wall, fabric, glass), the focus point should be at the centre of the subject depth, not the nearest edge. Verify in the EVF at maximum magnification.
3
Switch to MF — lock focus
Move the AF/MF switch to MF. The camera must not attempt to refocus during the sequence. The focus lock is the single most important setting after IS MODE OFF.
4
Final IS MODE check — confirm OFF before engaging
Last confirmation before the sequence. IS MODE is easy to toggle accidentally if the rear dial was bumped during focussing. Check it.
5
Engage remote release or self-timer — step back from tripod
Do not lean on, touch, or hold the tripod during the sequence. Step back at least half a metre. If shooting on a hard floor with footfall (gallery, museum), warn others nearby and wait for a pedestrian-free window.
6
Confirm file count after sequence completes
4-frame sequence: 4 RAF constituent files. 16-frame sequence: 16 RAF constituent files. The combined DNG is generated later by the Combiner, not by the camera. If the file count is wrong, a sequence was interrupted — reshoot before moving the camera.
7
Review on camera — check for file error icon
Browse to the last files in playback. An error icon adjacent to any file indicates a write problem or an incomplete sequence. Reshoot if any error icons are present. Do not rely on the Combiner to recover a partial sequence — it cannot.
Section VI

Software Ingest Sequence

The Pixel Shift RAF constituent files are not directly usable in Lightroom without combining first. Import the combined output, not the individual frames. This is not a workflow preference — Lightroom reads the constituent RAFs as ordinary single frames, producing no Pixel Shift benefit and potentially confusing the catalogue management.

Step Action Notes
01 Transfer files from card Copy the full session folder. Keep constituent RAFs with the combined output — they may be needed for Combiner re-processing.
02 Open Fujifilm Pixel Shift Combiner Free software. macOS and Windows. Processes one sequence at a time. Do not run it from within Lightroom — launch independently.
03 Add files — select by timestamp group One 4-frame sequence = 4 files with consecutive timestamps. One 16-frame = 16 files. If multiple sequences were shot in the same session, process them individually — do not mix frames from different sequences.
04 Set output folder and combine The Combiner produces a combined DNG RAW master alongside metadata. The output filename differs from the constituent filenames. Note the output location before closing.
05 Import combined DNG into Lightroom Import only the combined output DNG. The constituent RAFs can be archived and excluded from the Lightroom catalogue. Do not import constituent RAFs alongside the combined file.
06 Apply reduced sharpening and NR settings Combined files do not need the same sharpening and noise reduction as single frames. Sharpening Amount: 40 (vs. 70 default). Noise Reduction Luminance: 0. The combined file has lower noise than any single frame by design.
07 Verify in Lightroom before archiving sessions Zoom to 100% and confirm the combined file shows the expected resolution gain over a single constituent frame. If the combined output looks identical to a single frame, the sequence was likely corrupted — recheck the Combiner log for errors.
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The Lightroom Classic Editing Guide contains the full post-processing workflow for Pixel Shift combined files, including the channel mixer discipline specific to monochrome conversions. Use this checklist for the ingest sequence and turn to the editing guide for the complete Lightroom workflow.

Companion: C6 Walkthrough · Pixel Shift Addendum · Lightroom Manual

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