Camera
Fujifilm announces 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR tele for medium format
| Photo: Fujifilm |
Fujifilm has announced the GF500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR, a relatively lightweight, compact super-tele prime for its GFX medium format system.
The 500mm delivers a 396mm equivalent angle of view in a lens that’s 247mm (9.4″) long and weighs 1,375g (3.03 lbs). It has built-in image stabilization rated to give up to 6.0EV of correction.
The design features 21 elements in 14 groups, including 5 extra-low dispersion (ED) elements and 2 Super ED elements. It can be used in conjunction with the company’s 1.4x teleconverter to give a 700mm (554mm equiv) angle of view with F8 maximum aperture.
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| Photo: Fujifilm |
The lens uses a small internal focus design with a linear motor to make AF speed usefully fast. It has a focus limit switch that restricts focus to the range between 5m (16.4′) and infinity, to speed AF still further. Fujifilm says the lens is suitable for sports and wildlife as well as landscape, street and cityscape photography.
Fujifilm says the lens is designed for the 102MP sensors it uses in its GFX 100 models.
Super Telephoto Powerhouse: Fujifilm Introduces FUJINON GF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens
VALHALLA, N.Y., May 16, 2024 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Electronic Imaging Division, today announces the latest lens in its GFX System line of digital camera and lens products – FUJINON GF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR (GF500mm), a super telephoto prime lens designed for photographers who primarily specialize in distant, moving subjects in genres ranging from wildlife and outdoor sports to landscape and street photography. GF500mm can create images up to 500mm (equivalent to 396mm in 35mm format), making it the lens with the longest range in the lineup of GF lenses to date.
“GF500mm is an exciting addition to the GFX System because it combines incredible range with the power of the system’s 102 megapixel sensor,” said Victor Ha, vice president, Electronic Imaging and Optical Devices Divisions, FUJIFILM North America Corporation. “GF500mm’s compact, lightweight design and super telephoto focal length enable photographers to create images in impeccable detail they may not have previously dreamed was possible.”
By miniaturizing a typically large and heavy super telephoto lens and achieving high-speed and high precision autofocus, GF500mm enables super telephoto photography in sports, wildlife, and bird photography, where high mobility is required. With incredible image stabilization sensing accuracy and optimal mechanical design, it achieves powerful image stabilization with up to 6.0 stops1 of compensation. Users can comfortably enjoy handheld image making in the challenging super telephoto range, where camera shake is likely to occur.
Product Features:
Telephoto capabilities beyond what the naked eye can see
- By combining GF500mm with the FUJINON Teleconverter GF1.4X TC WR, users can expand the GF500mm’s focal length, achieving a maximum focal length equivalent to 700mm (equivalent to 554mm in 35mm format).
- With a lens construction consisting of 14 groups and 21 elements, including two Super Extra-low Dispersion (ED) lenses and five ED lenses, GF500mm effectively suppresses chromatic aberration specific to super telephoto lenses and achieves high resolution performance. It accurately depicts a level of detail beyond what the naked eye can see.
Lightweight yet durable design
- In contrast to the usual heft of large format telephoto lenses, GF500mm tips the scales at only 1,375 grams (3.03lbs)2. In addition to its lightweight design, GF500mm’s optimal arrangement of ED lenses and Super ED lenses minimizes chromatic aberration that is likely to occur with miniaturization, enabling GF500mm’s compact size, light weight, and high-resolution performance.
- GF500mm is temperature resistant down to -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), and its weather-resistant structure features sealing at 18 points on the lens barrel. Furthermore, the front element of the lens is coated with fluorine, providing water-repellent and anti-smudge capabilities.
Fast, accurate autofocus
- While maintaining high resolution performance, GF500mm adopts an inner focus system that incorporates a small and light focus lens and drives the focus group using a linear motor. This enables a fast and silent autofocus (AF) with a minimum delay of approximately 0.31 seconds3.
- The user’s desired focus can be shifted to a pre-defined location via the Focus Preset button4.
- The GF500mm also features the Focus Limiter function (a setting within the Focus Range Selector), allowing users to restrict the lens’s AF range to shorten AF time when photographing a subject that is generally at least 5 meters (16.4 feet) away.
Pricing and Availability:
FUJINON GF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR lens is expected to be available in June 2024 at a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $3,499.95 USD ($4,724.99 CAD).
For more information, please visit https://fujifilm-x.com/en-us/products/lenses/gf500mmf56-r-lm-ois- wr/.
1 According to CIPA standards, pitch/yaw direction.
2 Excluding lens cap, hood, and tripod mount.
3 AF speed on the telephoto end, using a CIPA Guideline compliant measurement method and when mounted on the FUJIFILM GFX100 II mirrorless digital camera with Phase Detection AF and High-Performance Mode selected.
4 To operate the “SET button,” “focus control button,” and “focus select switch” on the FUJIFILM GFX50S, it is necessary to update the camera body to version 3.10 or later.
Fujinon GF500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR specifications
| Principal specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Prime lens |
| Max Format size | Medium Format (645) |
| Focal length | 500 mm |
| Image stabilization | Yes |
| CIPA Image stabilization rating | 6 stop(s) |
| Lens mount | Fujifilm G |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F5.6 |
| Minimum aperture | F32 |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 9 |
| Aperture notes | Rounded blades |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 21 |
| Groups | 14 |
| Special elements / coatings | 2 Super ED, 5 ED elements |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 2.75 m (108.27″) |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Linear Motor |
| Full time manual | Yes |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 1375 g (3.03 lb) |
| Diameter | 105 mm (4.13″) |
| Length | 247 mm (9.72″) |
| Sealing | Yes |
| Filter thread | 95 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
| Image: Adobe |
Adobe has announced that it’s working on a feature for Photoshop called Live Co-Editing, which lets multiple people view and edit the same document at once. The concept will be familiar to anyone who’s worked in a Google Doc with other people, though applied to photo or graphical editing instead of word processing.
The feature is coming next week as a private beta, so it won’t immediately be accessible to everyone. If you sign up for the beta and are accepted, you’ll be able to use it via the share button, similar to the existing collaboration feature. However, instead of only one person being able to work on the document at once, you’ll have the option to turn on Live Co-Editing.
Adobe’s press release details some examples of when the ability to work on the same Photoshop document could be useful. The first is the most obvious one, where there’s a big project with several pieces that designers can work on at once. It could also be handy if a teacher is trying to explain a specific process to a student or if you’re on a call with a client and want them to be able to see your work in as much detail as possible.
The announcement is Adobe’s latest move to present Photoshop and its other products as services rather than simply applications, along with the increasing number of built-in generative AI features. It may hope that these features will help justify the ongoing cost of a subscription, especially as some tiers of that subscription are getting more expensive. To start, Live Co-Editing will be available on the desktop and web versions of Photoshop.
| Photo: DJI |
DJI has announced a new drone, offering a folding design unique to its lineup. The DJI Flip is the company’s first foldable drone with full-coverage propeller guards, maintaining safety in a compact, portable package. The palm-sized drone combines the simplicity of the DJI Neo with the photo capabilities of the DJI Mini 3. Like both the Neo and Mini 3, it weighs less than 249 grams, so it’s more accessible to fly than heavier drones since you don’t need a license from the FAA. DJI is calling it an all-in-one vlog camera drone with features ideal for content creators on the go.
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| Photo: DJI |
The standout feature of the DJI Flip is its foldable design. The propeller guards are attached to the rotors using carbon fiber string, and each rotor can then fold down for easier storage. Like the Neo, it offers very simplified flight controls, making it an easy option for those who don’t have drone flying experience. That includes one-tap flight, six intelligent shooting modes (Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Helix and Boomerang) and AI Subject Tracking. It also offers automatic braking with the 3D Infrared Sensing System, making it safer to fly.
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| Photo: DJI |
Regarding camera capabilities, the DJI Flip features a 48MP Type 1/1.3 (9.6 x 7.2mm) CMOS sensor behind a lens with an F1.7 aperture. The sensor has a Quad Bayer-style color filter layout, meaning it can either output 48MP photos, or combine pixels to give 2.4μm “4-in-1” output, just like the DJI Mini 3.
DJI also promises “Dual Native ISO Fusion,” which appears to be its branding for sensor maker Omnivision’s Dual Conversion Gain HDR feature. This claims to sample each pixel’s charge twice, using different conversion gain levels to boost DR, while also combining variable exposures. It appears to be for capturing wide-DR video in a standard DR space rather than true HDR footage for playback on high DR screens. We’ve asked DJI for more information.
The drone can record HDR video up to 4K 60 fps, supports slow-motion recording at 4K 100 fps, and the 4:3 sensor produces vertical crops up to 2.7K. It also supports 10-bit D-Log M color mode for those who want to dive into color grading.
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A sample image taken with the DJI Flip
Photo: DJI |
The DJI Flip offers up to 31 minutes of flight time, which is quite a bit less than the DJI Mini 3’s 51-minute flight time (provided you use the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) but substantially longer than the Neo’s 18-minute max flight time. You can control the Flip with Voice Control or the DJI Fly app, and it is also compatible with the DJI RC-N3 and RC2 controllers. It supports up to 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) of 1080p 60 fps video transmission, so you don’t need to be right next to your subject to record or capture photos.
The DJI Flip is available for purchase as of today. You can opt for only the drone only for $439, buy a kit with the DJI RC 2 for $639 or opt for the Fly More Combo with the DJI RC 2 for $779.
| Image: TTArtisan |
TTArtisan is keeping the lens news coming this year with another lens announcement just a few weeks after its last. The company is following up its AF 35mm F1.8 II with another F1.8 prime lens for APS-C users, as reported by PetaPixel. Priced at just $127, the TTArtisan AF 23mm (35mm equivalent) F1.8 is a budget-friendly option that slots nicely into TTArtisan’s existing lineup of affordable yet fast prime lenses. It is available for Fujifilm X cameras now, with Sony E and Nikon Z mount models coming later, though the company hasn’t specified exactly when.
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| Image: TTArtisan |
Like TTArtisan’s other lenses, the 23mm F1.8 features an aluminum body, offering better durability than you may expect for the budget price. It’s also very lightweight, weighing 210 grams (7.4 ounces). TTArtisan doesn’t provide additional details on dimensions, but the lightweight design and 35mm equivalent focal length could make it an ideal street, travel, and landscape lens. The USB-C port for firmware updates on the rear lens cap, so you won’t want to lose that after unboxing the lens.
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| Image: TTArtisan |
While the details about the lens size are minimal, the company did provide information on the optical design. The lens is composed of 11 elements in nine groups. It includes two extra-low dispersion elements and a high index element. Additionally, it features a nine-blade aperture diaphragm. There is no aperture control ring (as is expected on a lens of this price), so all aperture control will be done through the camera. The 23mm F1.8 uses a stepper motor for autofocus, which the company says is fast, accurate and suitable for video applications. Finally, it can focus as close as 0.3 meters (11.9 inches).
Sample Images
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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