Fujifilm announced that the company will release its newest wide-angle prime lens, FUJINON GF30mmF3.5 R WR, in late July 2020. It will be a new addition to the lineup of interchangeable GF lenses designed for the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras, incorporating the large format sensor, about 1.7 times larger than a full-frame 35mm sensor.
Fujifilm has been in the news, recently, due to its solution to turn some of its cameras into webcams, the ability to record 12-bit 4K ProRes RAW with the Fujifilm GFX100, making is the first commercially available medium format RAW video shooting system available to buy, and a series of other features added to its range of cameras. Now the company continues that flow of news with the confirmation of the rumors: a wide-angle prime lens presented as a perfect choice for snapshots in streets and landscape photography at travel destinations.
The GF30mmF3.5 R WR lens, the 12th GF lens in its lineup, has the maximum aperture of F3.5 and the focal length of 30mm (equivalent to 24mm in the 35mm film format). The 24mm angle of view has become so popular that many consider this to be the standard for wide angle lenses. Once this was referred to as super wide angle, but now this view captures all the magic of a scene.
The GF30mmF3.5 R WR lens realizes ultra-high resolution that captures images in finest detail and compact design that offers excellent portability – it weights just 510g, has 84mm in maximum diameter and measures 99.4mm in length – meaning users can carry it everywhere with ease to take high-quality pictures. When mounted on the FUJIFILM GFX100, released in June last year, GF lenses bring out the full performance of its 102MP image sensor, delivering high-quality imagery previously unheard of in the industries by utilizing Fujifilm’s unparalleled color reproduction technology.
GF lenses are Fujifilm’s highest-grade lenses that deliver ultra-high resolution performance and wide tonal reproduction. GF lenses use Fujifilm’s exceptional optical design technology and production technology that processes lens surfaces with the precision at a submicron level, fostered through the development of FUJINON Lenses.
The new FUJINON GF30mmF3.5 R WR lens is optically designed with 13 lens elements in 10 groups, including two aspherical elements and two ED elements to control spherical aberration and chromatic aberration achieving astonishing image sharpness. The use of the Inner Focus system enables fast, quiet and highly accurate autofocus (AF). The system moves relatively small lens elements in the middle or at the rear for focusing instead of moving the front group, which consist of relatively large lens elements.
The FUJINON GF30mmF3.5 R WR is a tool for professional photographers that videographers or anyone shooting video will also appreciate. The design of the lens reduces focus breathing – change of angle of view during focusing – to just 0.05%, making the lens perfect for shooting both stills and video.
Sealing has been applied to the lens in nine different locations to ensure dust and weather resistance. It also operates at temperatures of down to -10℃, facilitating photography in light rain or in dusty outdoor areas.These features make GF30mmF3.5 R WR highly reliable equipment suitable for professionals who need to work outdoors regularly.
Fujifilm offers 12 lenses, including the new FUJINON GF30mmF3.5 R WR lens, and a wide range of accessories to cover a broad range of shooting conditions from wide angle to telephoto. The two videos published here, from Canadian X-Photographer Patrick La Roque shooting portrait with the GF30mmF3.5 R WR and French X-Photographer Jean-Michel Lenoir, who shoots landscape photography with the FUJINON GF30mmF3.5 R, give PVC readers some hints about the versatility of the new lens from Fujifilm.