These Fujifilm Dream Lenses Are What Photographers Want the Most
Earlier this month, Fujifilm hosted a special “Focus on Glass” event, where the company highlighted some of its optical achievements in its APS-C X System, while also proposing 14 Fujifilm X lens concepts. The company asked its customers to vote for their three favorite ideas, and voting closed late last week. The results are fascinating and highlight just how much photographers value the versatility of zoom lenses.
Shortly after voting opened earlier this month, the proposed Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/2.8 fast zoom lens took an early lead, and it never looked back. With 16.4 percent of respondents picking this lens idea, it is clear that Fujifilm X shooters would love a fast 24-120mm equivalent zoom lens in the system. In this case, Fujifilm’s optical engineers estimate the lens would weigh less than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) and be less than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) long. That would be impressive and highlight the relative size and weight advantages of making lenses for an APS-C image circle.
Unsurprisingly, this was also a favorite among the PetaPixel team, as evidenced by the discussion in a recent PetaPixel Podcast episode.
Finishing in a very close second was the XF 18-50mm f/1.4 ultra-fast zoom lens. This would have an equivalent focal length of 24-75mm, with a super-fast, constant f/1.4 aperture, and would be unlike anything else in the Fujifilm system. Sigma released a 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art last year for APS-C cameras, and it’s fantastic, but it’s not as fast or as long as Fujifilm’s concept.
It is not surprising at all that this lens finished near the top, but it would be a pretty hefty zoom to lug around. Fujifilm believes it could weigh as much as 800 grams (28.2 ounces) and be 130 millimeters (just over five inches) long.
Another favorite among the PetaPixel crew rounded out the podium, the XF 18 and 30mm dual focal length prime. Inspired by the lens in the classic Fujifilm Travel mini film camera, which lets photographers swap between 28mm and 45mm focal lengths, the XF 18/30 would provide useful 24mm and 45mm equivalent focal lengths with no coverage in between. By swapping between two focal lengths, photographers get much of the versatility of a zoom lens without any of the requisite size and weight. Fujifilm thinks it could keep the lens between 100 and 200 grams (3.5 and 7.1 ounces) and make it under 50 millimeters (1.97 inches) long. It sounds great, and voters agreed; it received support from 12.1 percent of respondents.
Up next is the XF 14-140mm f/3.5-6.3 “high image quality” all-in-one zoom lens. Fujifilm likes the idea of all-in-one zooms but thinks they could make one without any image quality compromises. It would be bigger, heavier, and more expensive than most competing all-in-one lenses, but it could be a great choice for more demanding photographers. 9.2 percent of photographers agreed.
The full results are very interesting, but there are a couple more things to focus on here. One of Fujifilm’s concepts was a new 35mm f/1.4 lens, and it presented three different ways it could succeed its legendary prime lens. One idea was to make a lens that was basically the same but better, so it could be used effectively on Fujifilm’s newest 40-megapixel cameras. Another was to prioritize a compact, lightweight form factor. The final idea was to essentially split the difference between the two. As the voting shows, photographers want a balanced 35mm f/1.4 II that is mid-sized, delivers strong image quality, and, most importantly, provides quick, quiet autofocus. The least popular of the three ideas was the lens that focused on image quality, even at the cost of extra size and weight.
It is also notable that Fujifilm’s more experimental ideas didn’t prove too popular. The two least popular options, garnering votes from around just two percent of respondents, were the porous aperture soft focus prime concept and the XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 zoom with heavy ghosting.
As Fujifilm emphasized during its “Focus on Glass” event, these are all just ideas — the company is not actively developing these products. It is also not guaranteed that just because an idea was popular with photographers, Fujifilm will make it. However, it’s a really great way to get direct feedback from the biggest Fujifilm fans and start conversations about which types of lenses X System photographers want most. The lenses that got the most votes are also, generally speaking, the ones that seem the most commercially viable. It would not be surprising at all if lenses very much like these concepts eventually made it to market, as they are great, realistic, and, importantly, popular.
Image credits: Fujifilm
