Detailed reviews of the new Fuji E-mount Cine lens
The new Fujinon Cine lens on the A7 (image courtesy: Cinema5D).
Preorders:
Fujinon Cine 18-55mm T/2.9 E-mount lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Fujinon Cine 50-135mm T/2.9 E-mount lens at BHphoto.
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Today Fuji announced their first two E-mount Cine lenses. While still photographers have nothing to gain from that news video folks will actually scream for joy. Cine Zoom Lenses are usually very expensive but that Fuji is an exception in many ways: It’s “cheap”, it’s designed for E-mount which means it’s smaller and lighter than all other Cine Zoom Lenses. So let’s take a look at the reviews posted today:
Cinema5D writes:
The new FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 lens is a great addition for anyone using an E-mount camera for their professional work. Indeed (and thankfully) there are more lens options out there, but it looks like FUJIFILM has hit the sweet spot when it comes to lens quality, portability and price. For me personally, the maximum focal length of 55mm is a bit too short, but for others it may be perfectly OK. I also think FUJIFILM would be wise to offer the 2-lens set at a reduced price, providing a useful focal length coverage at an affordable price. All in all it is a great lens, the quality is right and knowing its limitations means having the ability to bypass them in order to achieve high-quality results.
Newsshooter added an interesting analysis about why Fuji decided to make these E-mount lenses:
There are two main reasons why Fujinon decided to only make these lenses available in E-mount.
The first is that Fujinon have been conducting research that indicated 29% of all lenses sold in the emerging production market were E-mount. Now this is still far behind the Canon EF mount which has 67%, but when they looked at the camera quantity share based on mounts, 57% of the cameras being sold were using the Sony E-mount. This really is testament to just how popular the Sony FS7, FS5, and Alpha series of mirrorless cameras have become.
The second reason has to do with the actual E-mount itself. By making the lenses E-mount only, Fujinon have been able to keep the design small and lightweight. The E-mount’s short flange back makes this possible. If they had tried to make the same lens in either PL, EF, or an interchangeable mount the physical size and weight of the lens would have been much larger. Building a constant T2.9 aperture cinema zoom with no breathing, that is parfocal weighs less than 1kg is only possible because of the E-mount.
Philip Bloom tested the lenses and writes:
The lens was an absolute pleasure to use. The focus was smooth and it has a perfect 200 degree rotation which makes it easy to focus by hand or with a focus puller. Many cine lenses are 300 degrees which is too much for a one person operator. The focus also didn’t breathe which was a wonder to behold, no changing of frame sizes when you rack focused unlike DSLR zooms! The zoom is definitely parfocal, for documentary filming this is a godsend; with DSLR zooms you are in focus, zoom in and the focus is off. There is also a lovely macro feature just like my old ENG lenses for super close focus. Oh…of course the constant aperture is a joy. Absolutely NO change in exposure when zooming in. NONE.
Here are all links to the Fujinon lens videos:
Cemetery of the nameless – FUJINON MK18-55 T2.9 sample footage by Cinema5D
CRAZY Good: We Go Hands-On With Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 in Sony E-Mount (Three Blind Men and An Elephant Productions)
Fujinon MK 18-55 f2.8 E-mount cine zoom first look by Newsshooter
Aperture Photographic – shot with Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 and Sony FS7 II by Newsshooter
Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 Lens Preview (TheCameraStoreTV).
BTS FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 Shot by Philip Bloom
FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9 Footage Shot by Philip Bloom
Dancing in New York with the FUJINON MK18-55mm T/2.9 Cine Lens (Adorama).
First Look: FUJINON MK 18-55mm T2.9 & 50-135mm T2.9 by BHphoto.
Shooting with the Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 cinema lens by Dpreview.