New Fuji Lightweight 35PL zoom, the 19-90 T2.9 Cabrio

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Mitch Gross

Veteran
Fuji just announced a new zoom which includes a removable handgrip/zoom servo. AbelCine will have it in our NAB 2012 booth.

Having trouble posting a link today, but I wrote a short article on our blog at blog.abelcine.com.
 
This is the most awesome looking ENG lens - sort of small (compared to a RRP 18-80) - decent range

I think they scored on the size by losing that 1mm at the wide end

If the rocker did focus (I guess it doesnt) it would be peeeerfection

S
 
Interesting marketing issue with this lens. I am sure it is worth the 38K as the zoom length of the lens is very long compared to other high end lenses. However, at that price you are either looking at the lens to rent or to rent out as an income generator. Not sure though when you look at the competition out there that the product is all that marketable even as a rental, partciularly when you place yourself in direct competition with Angenieux in that price range. The only saving grace for this lens is a bit more zoom throw and the zoom rocker which is unique for this quality of lens.

If I were buying a high end lens (as a rental item) I would go for an Angenieux, the new light weight one that has a list price of around 30K and use a wireless FF. Don't see the market for a "handbombing" kind of lens that retails at 38 grand.
 
I believe this lens will do well. The focal length range trumps everything else in it's weight class. You'd need multiple lightweight Angenieuxs to shoot the same shots - and this opinion comes from a longtime Angenieux owner and fan.

The only thing that makes me wonder about this lens is the speed. When I see "T2.9" my mind naturally starts to think it's a F2.8 stills lens design in a better housing - although I wouldn't expect that from Fujinon, so the speed is probably just an unfortunate coincidence.
 
mcgeedigital said:
A T2.9 lens with camera sensors being as sensitive as they are is no big deal.
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It's not that the lens is too slow (it certainly isn't), it's that specific number that isn't a whole stop but just barely slower. That makes me think that the glass was designed as an F2.8 lens (mostly it's stills lenses that are rated in F stops) and rerated to T stops when it was decided that it had higher aspirations.

Basically the issue would be if the glass wasn't designed with cine focus pulling in mind - stills lenses are made to be focused through the lens with focus distance marks not a concern, and hence the distance marks are not consistent through the zoom range nor particularly accurate. This is an issue I've dealt with before on lenses I won't name here.

I don't expect such design methods from Fujinon, so it's probably not the case here. It's just an unfortunate lens speed for marketing to those who have been burned by (undisclosed to the buyer) rehouses before.

As I've said, I like what I've heard about this lens so far and am excited to try it. I wish it was available next week, I have a perfect gig for it.
 
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Why would you think its T-stop has anything to do with it being re-rated stills glass? At $38,000 I have no doubt it's not stills glass, but even so, I had a Cooke 20-100 that was T3.1, and that certainly wasn't stills glass; the Red Pro Zoom 18-85 is a t2.9 and it's definitely not stills glass. The utterly gorgeous pure-cinema Angenieux Optimo 15-40 and Optimo 28-76, pure cinema lenses through and through, are both T2.6. My old Angenieux 12-120 was a T2.2, and on and on. There's nothing unusual about real dedicated cinema lenses being rated with non-whole-stop maximum irises.
 
Barry_Green said:
Why would you think its T-stop has anything to do with it being re-rated stills glass?
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Because of recent experience with T2.9 and T3 "cine" lenses that definitely ARE rehoused stills lenses, and which are a nightmare to pull focus on.

Barry_Green said:
At $38,000 I have no doubt it's not stills glass...
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If you read my posts you would see that I came to the same conclusion based on manufacturer reputation. Price is another clue.
 
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Drool,

A colleague of mine and I were just talking about the need for a lens like this. I think it definitely has a place. But for us price is a bit high. After re reading the artical I really think this lens is geared more towards the Alexa, then the f3 though.
 
(edited for length)...With that said, I've looked at getting a set of DP's but the waiting list is so long (6 months or more) and the market has been slowly saturating with them. I have stayed away, because I felt I missed the initial time-span to invest. I told myself that I would jump on the next set of light weight zooms that came out in the DP's class. I was really hoping Cooke would announce them, since that is the next step for the company, but they have been so flooded with orders they can barely keep up making Panchro/i's, S4's and 5/i's. In fact they just hired a bunch of new positions at the cooke factory to help keep up with demand!)

As it turns out, the next lightweight zoom that came out is the Fujinon Cabrio 19-90mm.

I'm sold.

The lens is only 5.6lbs! And it covers 19-90mm... BOTH Angie DP's together spanned 16-80. This lens also covers Epic 5k, and has an attachable servo zoom motor, and macro capability. Fujinon makes wonderful zooms. It would only make sense Fujinon would be the first reply to the super small and wonderful DP's. It looks like they did and with only one lens. I guess that is why the one lens costs about the same as the two combined. :/

Can't wait to see some real meat and potatoes lens tests, but until then, I'm fighting my way to the front of the line. Seems amazing.

That said, the focus barrel rotation is only 200* and lacks the amount of witness marks typically found on cine lenses. Sure I'm super spoiled with the elaborate Cooke focal scales, but still... I'd like to see Fujinon shrink the numbers to be smaller and more numerous.

I've already put in a request to Duclos to look into custom scales. I doubt he can/will, but I can dream. I would just like to see more witness marks. Right now it's infinity, 40, 20, 15, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.5, 4, 3.75, 3.5, 3.25, 3, etc.... Would love to see a 60, 30, 18, 12, 9, or something like that added.
 
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nothing said:
Because of recent experience with T2.9 and T3 "cine" lenses that definitely ARE rehoused stills lenses, and which are a nightmare to pull focus on.



If you read my posts you would see that I came to the same conclusion based on manufacturer reputation. Price is another clue.
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Which lenses are those? The only main-stream cine lenses that I know are rehoused photography lenses is Red lenses and CP.2's. Which lenses are you talking about?

Mwjace said:
Drool,

A colleague of mine and I were just talking about the need for a lens like this. I think it definitely has a place. But for us price is a bit high. After re reading the artical I really think this lens is geared more towards the Alexa, then the f3 though.
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The good thing about PL lenses, is they often last for many cameras. Sure you buy it now for the F3, but it will work with any future camera that is not full frame.
 
I don't see how it could be from a still lens design. Stills are not parfocal. The lens grouping and mechanics are completely different (and therefore much cheaper) for stills. Fujinon is an expert at video lenses and does not market still lenses.
 
Let me repeat: I don't think this is a stills lens glass design. I know Fujinon wouldn't do that. Others have done so without stating the origin of the glass, however, so I will always be initially momentarily suspicious of T2.9 zooms.

I prefer not to specify which known rehouses I previously referred to (although it's no secret anymore) and I won't debate the overall merits of those lenses here (can be decently sharp, in particular the latest) but I will stand by my statement that they suck for focus pullers.

I get the feeling that some are doubting my qualifications to make such statements - maybe it's my username :)
 
I don't think anyone's doubting your qualifications to call the original Red 18-50 or RPZ 17-50 "rehoused stills lenses", or even the new Sony F3's PL lenses as rehoused stills lenses. That's pretty much a known and accepted thing.

Only thing I was pointing out was that lots of perfectly valid cine designs end up with oddball max-open t-stops too, so the actual t-stop of the lens is (IMO) no indication whatsoever as to whether it originated as a stills lens or not.

I think the price tag is a far more likely indicator.
 
Andrew Stone said:
Interesting marketing issue with this lens. I am sure it is worth the 38K as the zoom length of the lens is very long compared to other high end lenses. However, at that price you are either looking at the lens to rent or to rent out as an income generator. Not sure though when you look at the competition out there that the product is all that marketable even as a rental, partciularly when you place yourself in direct competition with Angenieux in that price range. The only saving grace for this lens is a bit more zoom throw and the zoom rocker which is unique for this quality of lens.

If I were buying a high end lens (as a rental item) I would go for an Angenieux, the new light weight one that has a list price of around 30K and use a wireless FF. Don't see the market for a "handbombing" kind of lens that retails at 38 grand.
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Angenieux has a pair of zooms which are about $20K each, 16-42 and 30-80. So that's two lenses with an overall zoom range of 16-80, for a bit more money than one lens which reaches from 19-90.

There are differences in T-stops, the ability to rent out one half of the Ang. pair at a time as needed, the Fuji's zoom rocker, etc. in the end I think this is quite competitive and there will be popularity for all.
 
nothing said:
The only thing that makes me wonder about this lens is the speed. When I see "T2.9" my mind naturally starts to think it's a F2.8 stills lens design in a better housing - although I wouldn't expect that from Fujinon, so the speed is probably just an unfortunate coincidence.
Click to expand...

The Cabrio 19-90 is an original creation, purpose-designed for exactly this application. That it landed at T2.9 is a result of the various compromises of focal length, weight, size and a myriad of other factors that goes into the design of any lens. No rehousing here.
 
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