Fujifilm’s in-development Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR stills + video zoom lens was one of our personal highlights of last year’s Fujifilm X Summit Prime 2021 online event and we’re pleased that Fujifilm has now released full details of what we believe is one of the most significant lenses in the company’s X-mount lens lineup.
Just as Fujifilm released two video-oriented lenses alongside its X-H1 flagship camera back in 2018, the MKX 18-55mm T2.9 and MKX 50-135mm T2.9 manual cinema zooms, the company has announced this less conventional video and stills oriented zoom alongside its video and stills oriented X-H2S flagship camera here in 2022.
Fujifilm has long been respected throughout the movie and television production industries for the high quality and durability of its broadcast and cinema zoom lenses and we’re hoping those traits have found their way into the Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR.
According to B&H:
This zoom is the first X Series lens built in collaboration with FUJINON cine and broadcast lens designers and is a go-to all-around lens choice for video and motion applications.
Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR
Smaller, lighter, affordable & more versatile
Compared to those first two X-mount cinema lenses, the Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR is considerably more affordable and much smaller and lighter.
At time of writing, B&H has the MKX 18-55mm T2.9 priced at US $3,999.00, the MKX 50-135mm T2.9 at US $4,299.00 and the XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR at US $899.00.
If the MKX zoom pair was priced more affordably than other Fujinon cinema lenses of the time, then the XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR is priced comparably with three other X-mount zooms of similar focal length range.
B&H currently prices the Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR at USD $1,199.00, the XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS at US $699.00 and the XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR at US $899.00 while the XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR matches the latter at US $899.00.
When buying into Fujifilm’s X-mount camera and lens system with the X-Pro2, we considered adding the XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS to our lens wishlist but decided against it when comparing its variable maximum aperture and reportedly variable optical quality at both its focal length extremes to the performance of the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro for Micro Four Thirds cameras.
That lens, recently superseded by the OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II, remains a benchmark professional kit zoom lens and one we’ve enjoyed relying upon for stills photography and video production for many years now.
It and the XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR share some features and lack others.
While neither has an aperture ring, the XF 18-120mm doesn’t have the 12-40mms’ manual clutch focus ring.
The 12-40mms aren’t equipped with power zoom and internal zooming, have a shorter focal range, extend and retract when focusing and like the XF 18-120mm don’t have optical image stabilization.
The XF 18-120mm and the 12-40mms were specifically designed for stills and video production and for use under some of the most challenging dust, temperature and weather conditions.
Although we enjoy using Fujifilm’s aperture ring-equipped primes and zooms, our years with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro proved that we can work perfectly well without aperture rings.
That observation continues to be reinforced by our ongoing reliance on the now discontinued Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 pancake prime lens, now replaced by the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR with its switchable and lockable aperture ring.
The newer version’s aperture can be set by hand or via controls in the camera and we’ve had no problems with either method.
If the XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR had to lose an aperture ring in order to gain its many other new features then we’re sure we can live with that.
Foremost of those great new features is that it’s parfocal, essential in a cinema zoom lens and very handy for stills as well.
Size comparisons, Fujifilm lenses & cameras
Although we grew up using prime lenses for cameras in all formats during the analog era, forgoing zooms for the most part given how unsophisticated they were back then, zoom lens optical and mechanical engineering has advanced leaps and bounds in the years since.
We have several zoom lenses for our Micro Four thirds cameras and have often relied upon one or two for documentary projects where we had no control over our subjects and how near or close we could be to them.
We’ve missed having a zoom lens for the same situations where we’re carrying Fujifilm cameras rather than Panasonics.
Fujifilm’s prime lenses are pretty damned good but there are times when carrying several of them with one or two cameras is too unwieldy and results in losing too many shots due to having to swap between them.
We want to create more longterm, in-depth documentary stills and video projects where we don’t have to forgo sequences or images for the sake of not having a zoom lens with enough focal lengths to cover most situations in which we find ourselves.
The Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR could be that lens alone or in combination with the Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R.
Here are some documentary projects using a Panasonic Lumix GX8 with a Lumix or Olympus M.Zuiko Pro standard zoom lens:
- Unititled.Net – Defend LGBTIQ Rights in New South Wales: No Right to Discriminate! at Town Hall in Sydney on Saturday June 5, 2021 – Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom lens.
- Unititled.Net – Fujifilm Australia’s People with Cameras at Hyde Park in Sydney on February 27th, 2016 – Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro.
- Unititled.Net Photo Galleries – Ham Radio Portable Operations in Action at Cherrybrook in Sydney on August 13, 2020 – Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro.
- Unititled.Net Photo Galleries – Sydney MAY 21 #ClimateStrike at Town Hall in Sydney on May 21, 2021 – Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro.
In future we want to be carrying at least a Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR and an XF 14mm f/2.8 R attached to IBIS-equipped Fujifilm cameras to better document these and many other events, people and places.
Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF lens roadmap as of May 31 2022
There were some surprises at Fujifilm X Summit Omiya 2022 regarding in-development lenses that may be announced at September’s Fujifilm X Summit, including an XF 8mm f/3.5 “Fujicron” prime and an XF 30mm f/2.8 Macro “Fujicron” prime.
Both sound terrific and are much-needed but Fujifilm badly needs to expand its “seamless for both stills and movies” lens lineup beyond the Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR and the current “Fujilux” f/1.4 18mm, 23mm and 33mm trio.
Here are the other focal lengths we’d love to see come to the “Fujilux” ultra-fast prime lens range even if their maximum aperture is not 1.4.
- 14mm
- 27mm
- 50mm
- 60mm
- 70mm
With Fujifilm’s increasing support for video production, documentary and narrative moviemakers need access to a decent collection of native X-mount prime lenses similar in size, weight, colour rendering and optical and mechanical features.
Links
- B&H Affiliate Link – place your Fujifilm camera and lens preorders and click here to assist us in financing this website and its contents by purchasing from B&H.
- B&H Affiliate Link – Fujifilm
- B&H Affiliate Link – FUJIFILM XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR Lens
- Fujifilm X Global – XF18-120mmF4 LM PZ WR, Make Moving Memories – product page – “Compact, lightweight, and versatile, this lens is tailor-made for motion production professionals and enthusiasts alike. XF18-120mmF4 LM PZ WR features a variable power zoom, smooth manual focus, and stepless aperture adjustments to ensure a seamless recording experience.”
- Fujinon Cine Lens – website
- SmallRig Affiliate Link – click here to help us with costs for creating this website and its contents by pre-ordering and purchasing from SmallRig.
- Unititled.Net – Our Highlights of Fujifilm’s X Summit Prime 2021 – Screenshots + Commentary
- Wikipedia – Parfocal lens – “Zoom lenses (sometimes referred to as “true” zoom) are ideally parfocal, in that focus is maintained as the lens is zoomed (i.e., focal length and magnification changed), which is convenient and has the advantage of allowing more accurate focusing at maximal focal length then zooming back to a shorter focal length to compose the image.”
UNITITLED.NET 