OREANDA-NEWS. FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) has announced the launch, in August 2016, of the new 2/3” “FUJINON UA13x4.5” (hereinafter “UA13x4.5”) wide zoom lens, capable of shooting at an ultra-wide-angle of 4.5mm, as a high-performance broadcast zoom lens for use with 4K cameras. Fujifilm also announced the launch, in May 2016, of the new 2/3” “FUJINON UA80x9 1.2 EXT” (hereinafter “UA80x9 1.2x EXT”) high magnification zoom lens achieving a telephoto focal length of 864mm with a 1.2x extender** in addition to the “FUJINON UA80x9” released last year. Both of these products are high-performance zoom lenses capable of obtaining excellent image quality with a resolution exceeding 4K*, high contrast, and high dynamic range. Fujifilm will promote these high-performance lenses as part of the “4K Plus Premier” Series.

The market needs for 4K footage are rapidly expanding, as seen through the worldwide shipment of 31.6 million units*4 of 4K televisions, a year-on-year increase of approximately 2.7x in 2015. Requirements for 4K are expected to further increase in the future. Currently, needs are also increasing in the frontline of TV production to shoot dynamic footage in high resolution, such as massive landscapes and panoramic views of sports stadiums in wide-angle, zoom tight for powerful sports impact as well as footage of subsequent interviews close to the subject.

With a resolution exceeding 4K, high contrast and high dynamic range, the “UA13x4.5” is a wide-zoom lens that achieves a focal length of 4.5mm for ultra-wide-angle shooting with a minimum object distance of 0.3m. By adopting an ultra-high-precision large-diameter aspherical lens, issues that super-wide-angle lenses are prone to, such as image distortion and a decrease in peripheral resolution, are controlled as much as possible, making high-resolution possible for the entire zoom range. These functions address the needs to shoot dynamic ultra-wide-angle footage, such as landscapes or while shooting sports, as well as images close to the subject, at the highest resolution. In addition, on the telephoto side, the lens covers a focal length up to 59mm (118mm with the built-in 2X extender), working great for a variety of applications, such as program productions and news shot both indoors and outdoors.

The “UA80x9 1.2x EXT” is a high-magnification zoom lens with a built-in 1.2x extender in addition to the current “UA80x9” which has won a high reputation. Even when using the 1.2x extender, a resolution exceeding 4K, high contrast and high dynamic range are achieved across the entire zoom range up to a focal length of 864mm. Shooting scenes can be further expanded, such as in sports broadcasts.

FUJINON lenses by Fujifilm are known for advanced descriptive performance, contributing to the evolution of imaging through their use in the production of TV programs, movies and commercials across the world. Fujifilm will continue to tap into its optical, high precision forming and assembling technologies that have been nurtured over many years to develop and supply innovative products that address the diversifying needs of broadcast production.

These two products will be showcased at “NAB 2016,” a trade show of broadcasting equipment to be held in Las Vegas from April 18 to 21, 2016.