The new 100-200mm Fujinon lens for the GFX medium-format mirrorless digital cameras arrives in February, to expand the lineup of GF interchangeable lenses for the GFX Series.
Don’t let the focal length fool you. This new lens is in fact equivalent to a 79-158mm in the 35mm film format, and that’s important to know if you took it as a reference. That’s because the GFX is a medium-format camera, with a large-size Fujifilm G format image sensor, approx. 1.7 times the size of 35mm full-frame sensors. The sensor has 43.8 x 32.9mm, which is not the classic entry level medium-format of 60 x 45mm, but in a digital world it classifies as a medium-format camera.
5.0-stop image stabilization
The 158mm on the longer side open to users of GFX cameras a whole new world of possibilities in terms of landscape and nature photography, and these options can be extended further with the Fujinon Teleconverter GF 1.4X TC WR, a high-performance teleconverter that extends the lens’s focal length by 1.4 times, to cover the focal length range of 140mm-280mm (equivalent to 111-221mm in the 35mm film format) for even greater shooting coverage. It should be noted that the use of teleconverter drops the f-stop value by one stop.
Even on its own, the GF100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR is, as suggested by the technical specifications, a lens photographers will want to own. It is the first telephoto zoom GF lens with the maximum f-stop value of 5.6 and focal length range of 100mm-200mm. The number 5 is repeated on another aspect essential for photographers: the image stabilization, which works up to 5.0 stop, based on the CIPA standard. Telephoto zoom lenses are normally prone to camera shakes, but the image stabilization capability ensures that the lens brings out the full image-resolving power of the GFX Series even when the camera is hand-held.
Fujifilm now has nine GF lenses
Image stabilization is a key element for a lens that is to be used with the Fujifilm GFX 50S and Fujifilm GFX 50R mirrorless digital cameras, already released, and has to support the 100MP+ image sensor, to be incorporated in the GFX Series’ flagship model, currently under development. So, the Fujinon GF100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR is a lens designed with the future in mind, while based on all the knowledge and expertise revealed by Fujinon with the development of industry-leading lenses, including cine lenses that were awarded the Engineering Emmy Award by the U.S. Television Academy.
The use of a linear motor enables fast and quiet autofocusing with precision. The lens also includes a mechanical system for fixing the linear motor position when you turn the power off or playback captured images. The lens is weather-sealed at ten places on the barrel, making it dust and weather resistant and capable of operating in temperatures down to -10°C, giving you peace of mind even in outdoor scenes in light rain or in dusty conditions.
The addition of the GF100-200mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR expands the lineup of GF lenses to nine lenses. The lens will be available in mid February 2019.