FUJIFILM has released a new wide-angle prime lens – XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR lens. This wide-angle prime is designed for the company’s APS-C-format X Series of mirrorless cameras and provides a versatile 27mm equivalent focal length. Complementing the wide field of view is the bright f/1.4 design, which excels in low-light conditions also offers improved control over depth of field for working with selective focus techniques.
Key Features
- X-Mount Lens/APS-C Format
- 28mm (35mm Equivalent)
- Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
- Linear Autofocus Motor
- Minimum Focus Distance: 7.9″
- Locking “A” Position Aperture Ring
- Weather-Sealed Construction
This is the second 18mm lens in FUJIFILM’s lineup and is distinguished not just by its faster design, but also by its more complex optical layout, which includes three aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion glass element. The combination of these specialized elements helps to correct distortion and improve sharpness and clarity for accurate rendering.
The lens consists of 15 lens elements, including three aspherical elements and one ED element, in nine groups to effectively control chromatic abberation and comatic aberration. The focus lens group of six elements is driven together to reduce fluctuation of aberrations to achieve edge-to-edge sharpness.
The use of large-diameter lens elements provides the maximum aperture of F1.4. The resulting light-gathering ability allows users to take high-quality pictures with minimal camera shake and digital noise even in low light conditions such as nightscape. The aperture also provides shallow depth of field to produce creamy bokeh in the background.
With its wide-angle focal length of 18mm (equivalent to 27mm in the 35mm film format), this lens can not only capture landscape in a natural sense of perspective but also snapshots that close in on a main subject while keeping vast background in the frame. The lens can record even the finest details of a small subject in the background, as well as capturing atmosphere of the scene. The ability to shoot close-ups with the minimum working distance of just 11cm from the front lens element facilitates tabletop photography such as close-up of foods set up on a table.
Alongside the optical improvements, this wide-angle lens also features an internal focusing design, controlled by a linear AF motor, that affords quick and quiet performance suitable for both stills and video. A minimum focusing distance of 7.9″ suits working with close-up subjects, and the lens is also fitted with an intuitive manual focus ring and a manual aperture ring for intuitive tactile settings control.
Despite its bright f/1.4 design and refined optics, this lens also sports a relatively sleek form factor, measuring just about 3″ long and weighing approximately 13 oz. The lens is weather-sealed, to protect against dust and moisture, and is also freezeproof to suit working in cold temperatures down to 14°F.
The thickness of the metal lens barrel is controlled optimally to keep the lens weight to 370g, while the use of unique optical technology has reduced lens dimensions to 75.6mm in length and 62mm in filter thread size. The lens barrel is weather-sealed in nine points so that it is dust and weather resistant and can be used in temperatures as low as -10℃. This lens enables users to continue shooting in light rain, in a dusty place or at low temperatures such as for astrophotography in winter.
Together with the launch of the XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, Fujifilm is also releasing the rectangular-shaped Lens Hood LH-XF18, specifically designed for the lens. It helps reduce flairs and ghosting to capture clean pictures.
