Fujifilm Fujinon GF 20-35mm F4R WR lens review

Fujifiilm’s lens division Fujinon has introduced an ultrawide-angle zoom for its medium format GFX mirrorless cameras. Kevin Carter looks closer  

Fujifilm’s GFX medium format cameras offer the compactness of mirrorless with the benefit of a generous 44x33mm sensor, so thumping great big lenses for full-frame 54x40mm 645 DSLRs is becoming less of a thing.  Indeed, as Fujinon used to supply the components for Hasselblad’s now discontinued HC/HCD models for the H series cameras (which were then assembled in Sweden according to my contact at Hasselblad), it’s little surprise that they’re not only filling that void but expanding what’s on offer with their brand of lenses. These GF lenses don’t have central shutters like the HC/HCDs but then they’re aimed at a different market.

Perhaps the biggest problem Fuji has, though, is competing with the range of ultrawides for the smaller FF 36x24mm sensor, once called 35mm format. Lenses like this tend to be large anyway, so designing one to cover the 44x33mm sensor means it’s likely to be larger still. 

This relatively new lens is the equivalent of a 16-28mm zoom in 35mm terms. At least that’s the case when calculated diagonally, and it’s similar horizontally too, as the squarer 4:3 format always provides practically the same coverage in terms of width but with the benefit of more in terms of the image height. That particular trait makes the format of interest to architecture photographers. And while quite a handful the lens is, thankfully, no larger than some 16-35mm F2.8 or F4 lenses designed for 35mm. With an equivalent F3.3 depth of field wide-open, that’s quite a feat in itself.

Externally the lens is made from metal with nicely damped rubber-covered focusing and zoom rings. There’s also a metal aperture ring with click-stops between aperture values. It all feels well-made and well-designed. Mounted on the 50MP Fujifilm GFX 50s II, on loan from super-friendly Fujifilm UK, the lens handles rather well. Admittedly, the combination is quite large compared to 35mm mirrorless but that can’t be helped and with more glass at the rear, closer to the body, it’s not as front-heavy as you would imagine. 

Zooming and focusing are smooth in operation and both actions are internal, which means there’s no change in length when you zoom or focus. Also worthy of note is that without an extending barrel, this internal design must improve the overall durability, especially if you’re in the habit of inadvertently knocking the thing when extended. I’m not, but it happens.

Fujifilm also includes a plastic but otherwise well-made hood with a locking button, so there’s none of the damaging torque required for those fearful, friction-based hood designs that plague other brands.

Do they sub-contract them? Probably, as I suspect they all do, but this is an example of someone somewhere giving the problem some thought. Would I prefer a rectangular hood? Yes, most definitely. As there’s probably a small manufacturer in Japan, or more likely China, making these for everyone, why don’t they offer rectangular hoods (with the locking mechanism) to both the OEM and replacement markets? 

Auto-focus is smooth and pretty swift in operation. It’s the closest you’ll get to AF in 35mm systems but it’s not as fast as the fastest of those. Still, it’s probably the fastest of any MF system, and besides most users are likely to adopt manual focus anyway.

I used, and particularly liked, the option to initiate focus with the rear AF button on the GFX 50S II body and then manually fine-tune afterwards.

Come to think of it, I once mentioned this feature to a Fujifilm executive at a sports event, which was at that time missing on their cameras. I like to think that I may have helped with its introduction. Who knows? If Fujifilm is reading this (probably not), I offer consulting services 😉

That’s not to say AF isn’t accurate, it is for the most part, but I like to fine-tune the focus point manually. But that’s just me and with internal AF motors in all the lenses (which allows you to seamlessly switch between AF and manual without first having to de-clutch) it’s a nice option to have in your workflow.

But what about the image quality?

Like most modern lenses these days there’s what we euphemistically call a “digital element” included in the lens design. In other words, it relies on digital correction. This helps keep the lens to a manageable size and reduces distortion, CA and vignetting. While there is some pixel stretching with the distortion correction applied, if you care to look using something that can turn off the corrections, it’s not as extreme as you might imagine. Meaning, the lens is pretty well-corrected optically to begin with and the profiles are used only to tweak it that bit further.

Admittedly, without correction, there’s some slight barrelling noticeable. However, there’s a some slight profile overcorrection, resulting in mild pincushion distortion. Turning distortion correction off results in a more natural-looking image at the wider end. But that’s just my opinion, yours might differ. In any case, I suggest at least some manual adjustment.

Where most correction occurs, or at least it is more evident, is at the longer end where there’s some automatic cropping and correction of pincushion distortion. At least that’s how FastRaw Viewer and Capture One interpret the RAW files.

As a technical note, none of the photographs are out-of-camera JPEGs and AWB is nearly always left selected, unless there’s some pretty challenging artificial lighting in low-light scenes. Colour and tonal adjustments are made to taste.

Sharpness is excellent, especially at the shorter end and mid-range, even when wide open, though stopping down a stop improves things across the frame. CA is well-controlled and the optical designers at Fujifilm must be applauded for their skill at controlling flare and ghosting, particularly the latter where even shooting inadvertently into the sun barely causes a ripple. What’s more, I used an 82mm Fujifilm Protector filter with all the sample images, so that sentiment extends to that, and I would not hesitate to recommend those.

The result then is that image quality is first-class. Admittedly, you might be tempted to tweak the distortion profile corrections on and off at times, but that’s to be expected these days. If you shoot architecture and interiors, or even fancy it for landscapes this must surely be rated as one of the “must-have” lenses in the system.

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Technical Data

Manufacturer	Fujifilm – Fujinon
Model	Fujinon GF 20-35mm F4R WR
Web	www.fujifilm-x.com
Elements/construction	14 elements in 10 groups
Angle of view	108° to 76° (diagonal)
Max aperture	F4
Min aperture	F22
Min focus distance	0.35 m (13.8″)
Mount	GF mount
Filter size	82mm
Length	112.5 mm (4 in.)
Diameter	88.5 mm (3.5 in.)
Weight	725 g (25.6 oz)
Price	£2349 inc VAT ($2,499)