Fujifilm's Newest Lens Will Give You Wide-Angle Close-Ups
The FUJINON XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR lens will ship in late May for $999.
Fujifilm has introduced a new lens for its popular X-mount camera series. The XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR is designed for APS-C, but is a 27mm equivalent on a full-frame sensor with a minimum focusing distance of 4.33" (11 cm) to get you up close to subjects while still maintaining a wide-angle of view.
The Revenant, anyone?
Optically, the construction is a straightforward approach in creating a lens that minimizes aberrations, ghosting, and flaring without adding bulk to the footprint. It has 15 elements in 9 groups including 3 aspherical and 1 ED (Extra Low Dispersion) elements to resolve sharp images edge-to-edge and keep them looking clean.
Credit: Fujifilm
The fast F1.4 aperture is going to be great in low-light situations or when you want to be impressed by some creamy bokeh. Similar to other FUJINON XF lenses, the 18mm supports autofocus that is fast and near-silent, ideal for us video shooters. The focus ring provides some buttery smooth manual focus as well.The front element has a 62mm filter thread for ND or polarizing accessories. It measures just 3" (75.6mm) in length and weighs 13.1 oz (370g), so it's going to be easy to bring into a gimbal setup without significantly increasing your payload capacity.
All around, the XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR looks damn good on paper. If you're invested in the Fujifilm X-Series, this will be a stellar addition for shooting landscapes, car work, or interiors. Fujifilm previously announced the XF 16mm F1.4 R WR, but for video work, the 18mm F1.4 R WR might be a more preferred focal length.
The 18mm F1.4 R WR will ship in May for $999.