Fuji Lens Marking Secrets

At the present stage, the fame of the company has brought a sure bet on the development of mirrorless systems — system cameras with interchangeable lenses from Fuji are excellent tools for creativity. They are preferred by both advanced amateur photographers and pros, and more and more often as not an additional, but the main camera. An important role in the success of the system is played by optics — Fujifilm lenses are built on the basis of high-quality optical elements, and the best minds of the company took part in their development.

All Fuji lenses have been named Fujinon since their production began. The main mount of the modern system is called X-Mount — this is how the manufacturer marks optics sharpened for use in tandem with APS-C format mirrorless cameras (crop factor 1.5x). In turn, X-Mount lenses are divided into two separate subcategories:

XF — premium lenses of the highest build quality with an advanced optical design that allows you to get the brightest and most colorful picture without losing detail in most shooting conditions; often fixes with XF symbols on board boast high aperture, and zoom lenses — a constant maximum aperture throughout the zoom range.

XC — lightweight and compact lenses with a more affordable price tag, enclosed in a plastic "wrapper"; the bayonet mount is made of metal.

Despite the plastic body and less advanced optical design, the XC series lenses draw a very decent picture.

Relatively fresh is the G-Mount mount — its carriers are the brand's medium format mirrorless cameras. The first-born in the line is a camera Fujifilm GFX-50S body presented as part of the Photokina-2016 exhibition. The size of the camera's sensor is 1.7 times larger than the similar dimensions of the matrices of full-frame cameras.

GF — this is how the manufacturer marks a series of lenses for medium format, capable of working with resolutions up to 100 MP.

The origin and development of an optics park for medium format.

18mm, 16-55mm — numbers that indicate the focal length of the lens (or range of distances), are written in the marking after the name of the mount.

1:1.2, 1:3.5-5.6 — the maximum possible aperture value of the lens; in the case of zoom lenses, the aperture value for the minimum focal length is indicated first, and then for the maximum distance.

R — the presence of this symbol in the name of the lens indicates that it is equipped with an aperture control ring; the ring does not work with the aperture directly, but by sending a command through the camera itself, i.e. it is not mechanical, but electronic.

A smaller ring (closer to the bayonet mount) controls the aperture of the lens through the camera.

LM(Linear Motor) — linear motor of the auto focus system; the motor is involved in fast and quiet focus.

OIS(Optical Image Stabilizer) — in a combination of these symbols, the optical image stabilization system installed on board the lens is encrypted; the effectiveness of the stub is estimated by the ability to win up to 4-4.5 stops of exposure when shooting handheld in low light conditions. More details about the principles of operation of stabilization systems are described in the article "All you need to know about image stabilization systems".

ALG(All-Group Focus) — to maximize the optical characteristics of the lens during focus, all lens groups in its optical scheme are moved.

Fuji lens optical layout. Sectional view.

The group of the following designations is directly related to special lens coatings to improve image quality and minimize the effect of parasitic effects on the frame:

EBC(Electron Beam Coating) is a special coating that increases the light transmittance, thanks to which it is possible to suppress glare and ghosting, as well as reduce light reflections.

Super EBC is an even more advanced version of the aforementioned coating that is applied to the front element of the lens.

Nano-GI(Nano Gradient Index) — a coating with this name is used to reduce refraction and reflection of light.

The proprietary Nano-GI coating prevents the appearance of refractions and reflections of light in the frame.

APD(Apodization) — the use of an apodization filter in the design of the lens; its role is played by an element of the optical scheme in the form of a lens with thickened edges, which is done in order to reduce the amount of transmitted light to the edges of the image. As a result, out-of-focus edges of the frame are softly contoured, and the focus on the subject is emphasized by fabulous bokeh. A similar element is equipped with a super-aperture portrait lens Fujifilm 56mm f/1.2 XF R APD Fujinon Price from 70 685 up to 75 473 ₴.

WR(Water Resistant) — from the decoding of the WR symbols, it becomes clear that this is the name of the optics detachment with protection from the penetration of dust and moisture into the body.

II — generation number of the same lens (specified when releasing its modified version).

Macro — the designation of macro lenses. There are only two of them in the optics park of the Japanese brand: Fujifilm 60mm f/2.4 XF R Macro Fujinon Price from 18 380 up to 42 043 ₴ with a modest 1:2 magnification and a medium format lens Fujifilm 120mm f/4.0 GF OIS R LM WR Macro Fujinon Price from 105 380 up to 193 142 ₴.

A separate family of Fuji lenses saw the light at the dawn of 2017 and is unlikely to break out into the masses. The fact is that the company is engaged in the production of cinematographic lenses — a rather highly specialized area of optical engineering.

Cinematic lens for professional video production.

Film lenses are labeled MK, and their aperture, according to all the canons of the "cinema" genre, is indicated in T-stops. The Fujifilm MK 18-55mm T2.9 and Fujifilm MK 50-135mm T2.9 zoom lenses became the first-born of the line.

Good luck with your shooting!