At the latest X Summit 2021 event, Fujifilm announced the release of the Fujifilm XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR and Fujifilm XF23mm F1.4 R LM WR lenses, which are upgraded versions of two XF35mm F1.4 R and XF23mm F1 lenses. 4 R are extremely successful and popular X-mount systems in the past.
The XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR is the company’s latest line of tubes, offering a more modern alternative to the XF35mm F1.4 R, touted as the first X-mount tube. Obviously, the presence of the XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR does not mean that it will completely replace its 9 year old predecessor, but instead both pipe lines will be available in the market together.
The XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR is significantly larger than the old XF35mm F1.4 R, and also has a more complex structure. Equipped with 15 elements in 10 groups, including 3 ED elements and 2 aspherical elements, it is far more complex than the 8-element 6-group structure of the XF35mm F1.4 R, equipped with a single aspherical lens.
The addition of a significant number of lenses makes the XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR 50% larger than its predecessor, and also almost twice as heavy (360g vs. 187g).
Fujifilm describes this version as focusing on maximizing sharpness while radically minimizing aberrations. Distortion and aberrations are corrected by optical elements which, together with the design of symmetrical focus clusters, help eliminate aberrations as light passes through the lens.
The focus group is located behind the aperture blade group, allowing for a more compact design, as well as the use of a linear motor (linear motor, described by the words LM on the tube name), making smooth focusing and much faster than the older generation XF35mm F1.4 R.
In terms of control, the lens has a number of features, such as an aperture ring and a manual focus ring. As usual, on the aperture ring of the tube there is an A symbol, allowing the control of the aperture to be transferred to the camera body, with the choice of automatic aperture adjustment or by keys .
On the back of the tube, a rubber coating has been added, true to the company’s upgrade promise to increase water and weather resistance, and at the joints are also applied special techniques. Try resist water and humidity.
The size of the XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR is much larger than the XF35mm F1.4 R, so this may also be one of the reasons why the company decided to keep 2 tube lines in the range of products. Focus lag is minimized, and contrary to many previous speculations, the tube has no focus aperture mechanism (which appeared on models like the 23mm F1.4 R and 16 mm F1.4 R WR before). This is explained to help the manual focus ring operate more smoothly, allowing continuous focus adjustment to manipulate better response during video recording.
The new 33mm has 9 blades, more than the 7 blades of the 35mm. The minimum focus distance has been increased from 28cm to 30cm, but the company has announced that sharpness when focusing close-up will be better.
Along with the XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR, Fujifilm has also announced the XF23mm F1.4 R LM WR, an upgraded version that replaces the old XF23mm F1.4 R and will be available for purchase from November. is quite similar to 33mm, with similar improvements and upgrades, such as focus speed, weather resistance.
Also equipped with 15 elements in 10 groups, including 2 ED and 3 aspherical lenses. This again makes the optical design more complex than its predecessor, the XF23mm F1.4 R, with 9 elements in 6 groups with 1 aspherical element. The number of aperture blades has also been increased from 7 to 9 blades, and a linear focus motor increases speed and smoothness when focusing.
This version of the XF23mm F1.4 R LM WR has removed the focus aperture mechanism, but at the same time it is also replaced by the use of a focus ring to adjust the linear motor to help smoother focusing. who are videographers.
The focusing distance of the XF23mm F1.4 R LM WR is significantly reduced compared to the old model, from 28cm to 19cm, and sharpness is further increased by eliminating maximum aberration.
So two XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR and XF23mm F1.4 R LM WR lenses join the ranks with the XF18mm F1.4 R LM WR released earlier this year, becoming an upgraded three-lens set from the most popular lenses. elders of the Fujifilm X mount system.
In 2022, the X-mount system will celebrate its 10th anniversary, and with Fujifilm also opening up the mount system to third-party manufacturers, the company’s decision to upgrade older tube versions is welcome news. The new tubes are all upgraded to improve image quality, focus speed, special use for video recording, as well as weather resistance.
It is also no coincidence that these lens versions are accentuated to support image resolution capability at a higher level. As rumors begin to spread about a new generation of X-trans sensors that dramatically increase resolution, these are sure to be the tubes that will maximize the power of next-gen X-series bodies next time around.