Fujifilm Fujinon GF50mm F3.5 R LM WR lens review
What is it?
The Fujifilm Fujinon GF50mm is a highly compact and relatively lightweight lens for Fujifilm medium format mirrorless cameras. It’s the equivalent of a 40mm on a full-frame 35mm camera, and at one time, back in the 70s, this focal length was hugely popular. Much of that had to do with price, as they competed with medium-speed (F1.8/2) 50mms – the kit lenses of the day – and were often sold as a more affordable alternative. These smaller and lighter 3-group, 4-element Tessar ‘pancake’ designs were and still are highly compelling.
Indeed, the Olympus Zuiko 40mm F2 is around £600, secondhand, and the Contax Zeiss T* 45mm F2.8 is around the £200 mark for a good condition sample. It’s a tiny gem and wonderful on a small body like the Contax 159MM or the later Contax Aria but it has a dark side in that’s tricky to focus due to aperture-dependent focus shift and field curvature. Though that lens was of course, for small format 35mm cameras, which we call ‘full-frame’ today.
The 40/45mm focal length is making a comeback (just to prove the point, Leica introduced the Q3 43, which has a 43mm focal length that falls directly between the two). One of the best performing is the Sigma 40mm F1.4 DGM HSM Art, which is a bargain at around £629. The only downside is it’s massive. The Zeiss Batis is another that’s worthy of consideration. It’s smaller and lighter but it’s F2 and nearly twice the price.
The 57-degree angle of view is highly sought-after for its indeterminate look, as it falls between a mildly wide 35mm and the normal 50mm focal lengths. If you can’t figure out the focal length used in a picture, chances are it’s a 40mm or 45mm.
In this medium format system, those small (35mm) format lenses would equate to the Fujifilm GF 50mm and 55mm lenses, respectively.
This lens has 6 groups with 9 elements, one of which is an aspherical surface, so the optical performance is promising.
Fujifilm makes a 14-element 55mm with a maximum aperture of F1.7 but it’s twice as long, weighs more than double this lens (778g), and takes 77mm filters. This 50mm lens, on the other hand, takes 62mm filters and weighs just 355g. On the smaller GFX100s/50s II or perhaps the now discontinued GFX 50R it’s the perfect compact outfit for fieldwork. That’s not a slight on the GFX100 or newer GFX 100 II but those models are a bit larger and heavier than the 100s/50s bodies, especially the original GFX100.
While the intention is on accessibility, there’s no obvious scrimping. Indeed, this lens is beautifully made and feels quite rugged. It has a wonderfully machined aperture collar in third stops and a highly tactile rubberised focusing collar. The lens has the WR spec, meaning there are seals at 10 points to prevent dust and moisture ingress. Everywhere else is metal, and there’s a nice heft to it even though it weighs in at just 335g.
When held in the hand and moved slightly, some movement inside is noticeable, which feels disconcerting initially but is a part of the design and I’m told it’s nothing to worry about. Mounted on a body it’s not noticeable.
Inside, it has a much more complex optical construction than those 4 element Tessar types of the 70s. Indeed, it features 9 elements in 6 groups, with one of those elements having an aspherical surface. The minimum focus is a typical 55cm, and the maximum magnification is 0.1x, so close-ups aren’t a real strength.
Like most modern lenses, designed expressly for digital anyway, this lens has some minor profile corrections applied to RAW files and out-of-camera JPEGs for EVF and LCD viewing.
Priced at £949 inc VAT ($949), it’s one of the system’s most accessibly priced GF lenses.
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How does it handle?
Mounted on the Fujifilm GFX100S II that I was sent for testing, the lens initially feels quite large. But it’s then that you notice the camera’s mount is on a fairly substantial collar, no doubt to make the body feel narrower. After that, you’ll notice that the lens is quite wide, but then it’s a medium format after all. It’s a very nicely balanced combination, though, and that initial feeling of it being quite large soon subsides.
The aperture ring is a highlight. It’s easily gripped and very positive between settings, with click-stops in 1/3rd steps. There are two ‘Auto’ settings with a push button lock; one is intended for Program and Shutter Priority, where the aperture is selected automatically, and the other is meant to be adopted if you prefer to change the aperture on the body with a command dial, though from the menu, it looks like the functions are interchangeable. I didn’t try either, as I mainly use manual exposure control, adjusting the aperture ring on the lens.
With a single linear AF motor, focusing is quite quick and quiet. There isn’t much to move after all. And, rarely did I have to refocus. Manual focusing is incredibly smooth, but there are no hard stops. However, there’s a choice of linear/non-linear manual focusing selectable from the body (in this case the GFX100s II). Manual focus is usually my preferred method, but left it to AF on many occasions as it was pretty reliable. Looking through the Exif data, it was mostly set on AF-S, single point with Focus priority.
Image quality
Some profile correction is applied for the mild barrel distortion, but in my opinion, images look better without it, especially at closer distances, where images look more 3-D. Indeed, the lens’ 3-D look is highly attractive and addictive. Corner sharpness is a little problematic (if closely scrutinised) up to and including F5.6 from slight field curvature, so stopping down beyond that is a must if it’s crucial to the narrative.
Detail across the field is preserved up to F11, but above that, diffraction effects (on the GFX 100s II) are quite noticeable.
Both vignetting and lateral chromatic aberration (LaCA) are reduced by the lens correction profile, but just how well with RAW files is dependent on your converter. Lightroom and Capture One work really well when using corrections manually. Mac-only Nitro (founded by an ex-Aperture developer from Apple), also does an excellent job.
Rendering is first class, though the 3D look is emphasised by the vignetting. There’s a wonderful plasticity to images in well-lit environments, but some slight glare can be provoked when photographing towards the sun, even with it just out of the frame and when using the supplied hood.
While alternatives are few, Fujifilm’s own GF 35-70mm F3.5-4.5WR is a not-so-obvious contender. While it doesn’t have quite as wonderful a drawing style as this lens, it’s compact, light and around the same price. It’s also well-corrected, optically. There’s more barrelling at the wider end, obviously, but at 50-55mm, it has lower distortion than this lens.
Overall, the GF 50mm F3.5 LM WR is a joy to use, and while not without some (very slight) shortcomings, it’s highly recommended.
Pros
Lovely drawing style/rendering
Compact and light
Nicely made
Cons
Corner sharpness up to F5.6
Some LaCA
Vignetting
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Please scroll down for the technical data and more sample shots
Sample Shots
Technical Data
| Manufacturer | Fujifilm |
| Model | Fujinon GF50mm F3.5 R LM WR |
| Web | www.fujifilm-X.com |
| Elements/construction | 9 elements in 6 groups (including 1 aspherical surface) |
| Angle of view | 57.4° (diagonal) 40mm equivalent |
| Tilt/Shift | n/a |
| Max aperture | F3.5 (9-blades, rounded) |
| Min aperture | F32 |
| Min focus distance | 0.55 m (1.8 in) |
| Max magnification | 0.1x |
| Mount | GF mount |
| Filter size | 62mm |
| Length | 48mm (1.89 in.) |
| Diameter | 88mm (3.31 in.) |
| Weight | 355g ( 11.2 oz) |
| Price | £949 inc VAT ($999) |
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