Last October FUJIFILM announced the development of a Broadcast lens to launch in 2023 with the highest combination of magnification & telephoto reach for large cinema sensors. The lens is now officially announced, and Fujifilm North America Corporation expects to begin shipping initial orders of the Duvo 25-1000 to its customers later this week.
Duvo 25-1000 is the first in Fujifilm’s new “Duvo” series of cinema lenses. Duvo 25-1000’s ability to provide telephoto filming with high magnification makes it suitable not only for sports broadcasts and live concerts, but also for movies, commercials, and other production uses. The name, in case you’ve wondered how it was chosen, has its roots in Latin. In fact, Duvo is a coined word combining the Latin words Duo (=Dual) and Vivo (=Live), meaning a lens with dual characteristics that is compatible with two sensors and capable of cinematic image expression while being a broadcast-use lens suitable for live shooting.
As noted in Fujifilm’s prior October 2022 development announcement, this native PL-mount cinema box lens achieves a zoom ratio of 40x and a telephoto focal length of 1000mm, the highest combination of magnification and telephoto reach available to date for large cinema sensors. “Large cinema sensor” as referenced by FUJIFILM means a sensor size that exceeds the super 35mm sensor size.
“In actively observing and gathering feedback from professionals about the emerging world of cinema-sized imagers in live production, our customers helped us identify a very clear need for a long and fast cinema lens that can produce cinematic results in a live production environment,” said Stosh Durbacz, national sales manager, Optical Devices Division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation. “With a pedigree that hails from the highly respected FUJINON PREMIER Series, Duvo 25-1000 provides production with unmatched flexibility and reach while producing the highly sought-after cinema look to live audiences.”
Duvo 25-1000 deploys a dual-format system that supports two single sensor sizes: a large format sensor size and a traditional super 35mm sensor. Duvo 25-1000’s use of Fujifilm’s newly developed 1.5x expander shifts the focal length of the telephoto side, enabling super telephoto image capture of 1500mm (1000×1.5). Duvo 25-1000 enables filming with the same field of view in both formats and produces rich image expression by taking advantage of the camera’s cinematic look.
Fujifilm notes, regarding the super telephoto at 1500mm, that “the image circle is enlarged by 1.5 times while maintaining maximum optical performance. The focal length is shifted 1.5 times toward the telephoto side, thereby covering a sensor size that is 1.5 times larger than the magnification ratio.”
Camera operators can operate Duvo 25-1000 in a setup specialized for live broadcasting, since existing FUJINON box lens accessories can be used in support of multi-camera operation. For film and commercial production, the lens’ focus / iris / zoom features can also be remotely controlled by connecting to compatible wireless lens controllers. Duvo 25-1000 also features Breathing Compensation Technology, ensuring the subject framing does not change during focusing, helping to ensure natural-looking images.
To maximize portability, the upper grip of Duvo 25-1000 is designed to be slightly longer than conventional box-type broadcast lenses. As a result, it can be lifted stably near the center of gravity. In addition, a new lower grip has been integrated to improve portability.
Fujifilm will exhibit Duvo 25-1000 at booth C5725 at the 2023 NAB Show, the world’s largest international broadcast equipment exhibition, to be held in Las Vegas April 15 to April 19, 2023.
Fujifilm will continue its efforts to enhance the world of cinematic image expression by expanding its lineup of lenses that employ its dual-format system to accommodate two large sensors.
FUJINON Duvo HZK25-1000mm F2.8-F5.0 PL Mount Cinema Box Lens is available for order now.