NiSi’s 16mm f/2.8 Is the Fastest Ultra-Wide Prime Lens for Medium Format Cameras
NiSi has announced the 16mm f/2.8 ultra-wide prime lens for Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD mounts. With a 35mm equivalent focal length of 12.6mm, the lens is not only extremely wide, but it is also the fastest such prime lens available for medium format systems.
The 118-degree diagonal field of view is exceptionally wide, although it’s not quite the widest non-fisheye lens available for medium format systems. Laowa has it beat by a single millimeter with its 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D lens for Fujifilm GFX. To go any wider requires moving over to a fisheye perspective with lenses like the TTArtisan 11mm f/2.8 or the Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8. One note on that second lens, though: importantly, it doesn’t fully cover on full-frame, let alone medium format.
The combination of ultra-wide and fast is what makes NiSi’s 16mm f/2.8, which weighs 835 grams and has an 180-degree focus throw, unique in the world of medium format. Given existing NiSi cinema lenses, it would not be outrageous to think the company adapted the PL-mount 65 Prime series 16mm T2.9 lens here, since that shares a lot in common with this new lens and is also made for large format cinematography. Given the optical formulas use the same number of lenses and groups, that guess feels like an even safer bet.
On that note, NiSi’s 16mm f/2.8 is constructed from 16 elements arranged into 12 groups, with three aspherical elements and four ultra-low dispersion lenses. The company says that the lens was made to deliver “strong edge-to-edge performance with excellent coma control” despite the extreme wide angle, allowing it to render stars and point light sources well. The lens also uses NiSi’s proprietary SA+ ultra-low reflection coating, which it says improves light transmission while reducing flare, ghosting, and stray light. The lens is also weather-sealed.
It’s clear NiSi believes this will be particularly well-suited to astrophotography.
“A specially designed eight-blade diaphragm produces crisp eight-point sunstars throughout the f/4 to f/22 aperture range, while APO-level chromatic aberration control minimizes color fringing in high-contrast scenes,” NiSi adds. “Low distortion and minimal focus breathing make the lens equally suitable for architectural and interior photography.”
NiSi adds that the lens has been optimized to properly render resolution at up to 100 megapixels. Photographers should be sure to note that this lens is manual focus only, which does limit its usability somewhat. NiSi did not provide any sample images taken with the lens.
The NiSi 16mm f/2.8 Ultra-Wide-Angle Medium Format Lens is available in Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad XCD for $1,499.
Image credits: NiSi
