Today we have an update regarding the XF27mmF2.8 MK II.
We already told you that it will be weather sealed and have an aperture ring. Now we can add that it will share the same optics of the original XF27mmF2.8. And that’s perfectly fine. I own it, and I can tell you the image quality in terms of sharpness, fringing and chromatic aberration is really good. I frankly do not see any need to change the optics.
We’ll talk about gear & specs. We will get mad at some, we will love others. But in any case, we are going to have fun.
And yet, that’s not how I’d like to start 2021 here on FujiRumors.
Nope, I’d like to start with an image roundup, because what I love most on my Fujifilm system, is not all the cameras and lenses that I have in my bag, but the images I was able to print big and put on my wall thanks to it.
And little it matters which gear you use, as long as it is fun to you.
May it be APS-C, full frame, or that sensor, that is actually 70% “fuller” or “bigger” than full frame and you find inside Fujifilm GFX cameras.
Every system has its strenghts, and the one of the Fujifilm GFX system is definitely portraits and landscape.
And that’s what we want to focus on today: the Fujifilm GFX.
Today I’d like to highlight the one they released about the Fujinon XF200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR, a lens that belongs to the very best ones Fujifilm ever made, and is hard to beat in terms of IQ also by similar lenses of other brands. You do get what you pay for!
So how did Fujifilm achieve this tremendous image quality? In the Promo video, managers and engineers explain:
One or two times a year, I like to look back on the rumors we shared here on FujiRumors, and see if I delivered accurate content or not.
Plus, I will share the remaining rumors that should materialize in 2021 with reliability ranking.
Let’s check it out:
90 rumors shared in 2020 so far
1 rumor still to be verified and 2 rumors not in ranking (details below)
82 correct rumorsout of 90 verifiable rumors
5 wrong rumor out of 90 verifiable rumors (most of the the wrong rumors were acutally right at the time of sharing. You’ll understand if you check out the details below.)
In 2019, smartphones killed the entry level market forcing Fujifilm to discontinue the X-T200 and also the Fujifilm X-A7 in a record-time of just a few months after release.
And in 2020, a worldwide pandemic and global recession had a terrible impact on sales of mid/high-end gear, which was the segment Fujifilm (and other brands) were focusing on to escape the stranglehold of smartphones.
And yet, it’s not all bad for Fujifilm.
In fact, statistics show that Fujifilm was the one brand, who could resist best to COVID-19, with just a slight decrease in sales compared to the previous year. Also Fujifilm managers confirmed that Fujifilm is holding on better than other brands in 2020, especially thanks to the Fujifilm X-T4 and X100V.
And in fact, the X-T4 and X100V where the best selling cameras also here on FujiRumors in 2020.
But let’s look at it closer and see which gear was the most successful among the FujiRumors community.
DPReview TV has now published their Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5 hands on review, which was filmed with a GF30mm F/3.5 mounted on a Fujifilm GFX100.
The lens is another winner, and can easily keep up with the 100 megapixel of the Fujinon GFX100.
At some point of the video, he took a video of the forest, with a deer far away in the distance, and then cropped in and says “who needs a wildlife lens anymore“. Of course he said it as a joke, and the GF30mmF3.5 can’t replace a proper wildlife lens, but it was also a statement made to underline that with the combination GFX100 and GF30mmF3.5 you are in photographic crop-heaven.
You can find the video above and summary of the video down below:
24mm full frame equivalent
is surprises how compact it is: just over 500g
58mm filter thread
very chunky aperture ring and two-step phase between aperture ring and focus ring means you are not going to confuse where your fingers are
a very nice tactile experience
basically no real chromatic aberration and longitudinal chromatic aberration
about 32 cm minimum focus distance, hence you can get fairly close to objects and with that 3.5 aperture get nice and soft background
flare is pretty average, lots of ghosting. Sometimes you see rainbow pattern, but that’s not the lens, it’s reflection coming from the sensor, which you can see on a lot of modern cameras
autofocus speed is fine, it is not super fast, but on medium format you don’t need ultra fast focussing lenses
bokeh is not Chris’ favorite, not the greatest out there, a little bit busy around the edges, and gets more busy if you stop down the lens, but that’s not the end of the world on a wide angle lens
it’s a very sharp lens, especially wide open Chris was quite impressed. Very impressive at f/3.5 from center to corner, and corners sharpen up more really nicely if you stop down
he took a shot of a deer from far away and cropped in and said “who needs a wildlife lens” (of course joking, but to underline how sharp this lens really is)
like the other GF lenses, also this one is optically excellent lens
it’s capable of supporting the 100 megapixel resolution of the GFX100
compact, fairly wide aperture lens for your GFX system, Chris would totally recommend it, except for one thing: there is also the excellent GF32-64mmF4
the GF30mmF3.5 is a little bit better optically compared to the the GF32-64, but the IQ of the 32-64 is great, too
but if you like primes, or if you maybe have already the GF45-100mmF4, this could be your lens
We wait for nokishita to leak the images in the next few days, and as soon as it happens, I’ll report about it on FujiRumors.
Of course there will be a live blogging. When exactly? Well… let’s say you should just trust my sixth sense. I will start the live blog 0.01 seconds after the lens has been announced, don’t worry about that at all. ;)
The Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 equals to a much loved focal length among Fujifilm APS-C X-shooters, the 16mm (in terms of primes, there are the XF16mm f/1.4, and the compact XF16mm f/2.8).
If we want to be precise, the Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5, converted in other formats, is about:
Fujinon GF lenses are about the top lenses you can get on the market.
And in fact, one crucial advantage of medium format GF lenses over full frame or APS-C lenses, is that they can be designed for much higher resolution than lenses for smaller formats.
This is why, if sharp images with tons of detail is what you are looking for, then the best and most future proof system you can buy into (without breaking the bank), is the GFX system.
I am sure the new Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5 will keep the excellent G mount tradition, and deliver spectacular results, too.
Image Roundup
And in order to celebrate the arrival of the Fujinon GF30mm f/3.5, I thought I share a rounudp of GFX images, with some selected photographs taken by members of our massive Fujifilm GFX facebook group.
The roundup includes many Fujinon G mount lenses, but not only that.
The GFX system is a joy to use with adapted lenses, hence in this roundup, you’ll find GFX cameras taking picutres with the following lenses:
And to be clear: we apply the conversion to the f-stop, only to indicate the equivalent shallow depth of field, and not the light gathering capabilities of the lens itself, which remains the one mentioned on the lens (with the consequences we told you here).
We also find a lovely Fujinon GF 30mm f/3.5 lens, which Fujifilm says is meant for street and landscape photography, be very sharp and also focus fast.
Above you can see a size comparison provided by Fujifilm. The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 is 20% smaller and will weight under 800g, as opposed to the GF110mm f/2, which weights 1010g.
The picture above also shows the GF80mm f/1.7 mounted on the Fujifilm GFX100.
Fujifilm gave us some indications on what the differences between both lenses are.
The Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.7 will have a very creamy and softer bokeh compared to the one on the Fujinon GF 110mm f/2. Different bokeh quality for different tastes.
Also, due to its more compact nature, the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 is good for outside and active shooting, whereas the GF110mm f/2 instead is better suited for studio.
I decided to compare the Fujinon GF80mm f/1.7 to its closes in terms of focal length, the Fujinon GF110mm f/2 and the GF63mm f/2.8.
As you know, I am a teacher, and usually it’s me, who has to judge and give votes to others.
But not today, as it’s time for our yearly 2019 rumors check, and to see if I did my homework well or not.
Also, there will be an accuracy rating of those rumors, that still could not be verified.
Keep in mind, there could be further rumors before the end of the year, in which case I will update this list!
Ready? Cool, so let’s start,
But be warned: I will be incredible severe to myself, as I will include in the wrong rumor section, rumors that were actually correct at the time of sharing, but just turned out wrong because Fujifilm changed plans.
It’s the case for example of the new lens roadmaps. In fact, just a few days after our rumor, top Fujifilm manager confirmed here, that indeed there would have been new roadmaps in 2019, but 2019 is now ending, and nothing came. So I was wrong, but so was the top Fujifilm manager.
