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 Contax body like the 159MM or the later Aria but it has a dark side in that’s tricky to focus due to aperture-dependent focus shift. 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 silky-smooth 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, those 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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