Medium format cameras have traditionally been associated with studio photography, but two accomplished photographers are challenging that notion by taking Fujifilm's compact GFX100RF on street photography adventures through Europe's most iconic cities. Their journeys through Venice and Paris demonstrate how modern medium format technology can capture intimate urban stories with unprecedented detail and portability.
The dreamlike canals of Venice and bustling cafés of Paris represent two dramatically different urban environments, much like the contrasting approaches of the photographers who explored them. One seeks the fleeting and quiet moments through graphically reduced compositions, while the other engages directly with street life, finding stories in faces and gestures. Yet both share a passion for street photography and appreciation for a camera that makes their vision possible.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF stands as the most compact medium format camera on the market, weighing just over 1.6 pounds and featuring a fixed 35mm lens equivalent to 28mm in full-frame terms. With 100 megapixels of resolution, this tool promises new freedom for travel photography, combining the image quality advantages of medium format with the mobility traditionally reserved for smaller camera systems.
Nina Papiorek, known for her minimalist photographic vision, created her series "Ephemera" during a February 2025 visit to Venice. Her images function almost like visual whispers, avoiding iconic gondola shots and crowded bridges in favor of early morning light, empty alleyways, and deserted cobblestone paths on the outlying island of Giudecca. Morning fog drapes over the canals like a curtain, rendering the city ethereal and nearly timeless.
"I seek the fleeting moments that happen between two heartbeats," Papiorek explains. Her photographs tell stories of everyday quiet beauty and demonstrate the art of pressing the shutter at precisely the right moment without disrupting the scene. The unobtrusive presence of the GFX100RF proved crucial for her approach, as its compact form factor doesn't draw attention—essential for remaining unnoticed on the street.
Despite rarely using fixed focal length lenses, Papiorek discovered new creative possibilities through the camera's aspect ratio dial and crop zoom features. "I initially thought I wouldn't need those functions, but this functionality suddenly reveals details that would otherwise escape me," she notes. The camera's ergonomics also impressed her, particularly for street photography demands. "I have small hands, but I could operate almost everything with one hand. On the street, that's worth its weight in gold when you need to react quickly."
Bettina Flitner approaches photography as a means of human exchange, beginning her Paris series along the Seine just before Christmas during cold, gray weather with no tourists in sight. Her goal focused on capturing everyday life, encounters, and people with stories to tell. Walking through the city with the GFX100RF, she traveled from flower markets to Île de la Cité, across ancient bridges to houseboats near the Eiffel Tower.
During her urban exploration, Flitner encountered fascinating subjects including Fanny, who enjoys dressing in medieval clothing, and Joffrey, a photographer living on a boat. In a restaurant that appeared frozen in time from another century, she conversed with various artists and writers. All these experiences flowed into her images—casually captured yet attentively observed. "I was never the photographer with a camera," she reflects. "I was simply part of life and right in the middle of it." This philosophy shows clearly in her resulting photographs.
For Flitner, the GFX100RF functions as an intuitive tool where button placement, the large brilliant viewfinder, and fast autofocus system all contribute to photographic flow. The technical capabilities of Fujifilm's compact medium format camera also convinced her of its street photography potential. "One hundred megapixels isn't just impressive—it allows me to choose exactly the crop I need later while still having sufficient resolution available," she explains.
The December-gray Paris atmosphere possesses its own charm, and thanks to the GFX100RF's high dynamic range, every subtle gradation becomes visible in the final images. This technical capability proves particularly valuable when working in challenging lighting conditions common in urban environments during winter months.
Both photographers pursued different objectives in different cities with different visual languages, yet used the same camera system. Both experienced the Fujifilm GFX100RF as a creative enabler that expanded rather than limited their artistic possibilities. This represents what makes the camera special—medium format photography no longer needs to be heavy, complicated, or restricted to static subjects.
With the GFX100RF, medium format becomes mobile and intuitive, but most importantly, it becomes natural and unobtrusive. Whether navigating narrow Venetian alleyways or strolling along Parisian riverfront promenades, the GFX100RF demonstrates that medium format cameras aren't exclusively designed for studio work. They're equally at home on the street, facilitating genuine encounters and capturing fleeting moments that endure.
Nina Papiorek, the award-winning photographer from Oberhausen, Germany, emphasizes minimalism, graphic precision, and urban tranquility in her black and white imagery. Her style moves fluidly between street photography, architecture, and fine art. Bettina Flitner, based in Cologne, has built her reputation on compelling portraits and socially conscious reportage, with her work appearing in books and exhibitions both domestically and internationally. Flitner approaches people with an open perspective, telling their stories through both her camera and her compassionate attitude.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF represents the most compact medium format camera in Fujifilm's lineup, weighing approximately 735 grams with 100 megapixels and featuring fast AI subject recognition for autofocus performance. Combined with its 35mm f/4 lens, users achieve excellent image quality with enormous color depth. Instead of traditional zoom functionality, the camera incorporates a sophisticated crop function that maintains image quality while providing framing flexibility.
The camera's minimum focusing distance of 20 centimeters ensures maximum flexibility during photography sessions. For creative image composition, an integrated neutral density filter with four stops of light reduction provides additional artistic control. The complete system is priced at $5,499, positioning it as a premium tool for serious photographers seeking medium format quality in a portable package.
