I have been keeping an eye on the new MK series of lenses from Fujinon since Cinegear last summer. These are a wonderful blend of size, performance and cost. I recently gathered a few shooter friends together to try these out. We took over the green screen stage at Video Resources in Santa Ana California. I was able to get the pair of lenses from FujiFilm HQ for the week. We tried them on my Fs5, an A7s and with the help of a new DuClos adapter a Sony F5.
I grabbed the 18-55mm and the 50-135mm as a kit. What I like about these lenses is they weigh less than my Canon 70-200mm ƒ2.8 zoom and are super sharp and super responsive. I do a lot of focus pulling and the short 90 degree barrel throw on a DSLR lens has always been a problem for me. These lenses have almost 200 degrees of focus barrel rotation – Yay!!! The rotation is also smooth with just the right amount of tension so you don’t blow by your marks (like I always do…).
Both lenses are the same size with the gears in the same place so a fast lens change is even faster. There is a back focus adjustment, just like our old B4 broadcast lenses as they are parfocal and can hold focus throughout the full zoom range. In addition there is also a macro adjustment for closeup work.
I found the lenses very easy to set up. Even adding the Duclos FZ adapter is pretty simple – you’ll need a jeweler’s screwdriver and a flat clean surface to work on. It takes about 3 minutes to swap the e-mount plate for the FZ mount. You might want to have some tiny shims on hand in case your lens is a little worn.
I was curious to see how these would work on an A7S when mounted on the eMotimo pan/tilt head – they worked great! They are very light and balance well. Also the eMotimo focus motor had no trouble with the lens at all.
Over all, the range of the two lenses in the set seems about perfect. You can check out the detailed reviews of the Fujinon MK line from: ProAV or Philip Bloom. For us, we needed to get them in our hands and see how the work with our rigs. The draw here is outstanding Fujinon design and quality combined with accessible pricing. Each lens comes in just under $4000 UDS. For a range of 18mm to 135mm across a two lens set, I think this is a pretty fantastic deal.
Until next time, good shooting and editing and grading,