FUJINON GF 110MM F2 R LM WR
A top-quality medium-format camera needs a top-quality portrait lens
Big and heavy lenses seem the order of the day, and this 85mm equivalent for the GFX 50S and recently announced 50R is no different. As a mediumformat lens it’s an unusually fast f2.0; most are f2.8 at best. Perhaps then Fujifilm has done well to keep it so manageable.
Build quality is delightfully high, and on the 50R the lens handles well. Like the others in the range, the aperture ring is nicely machined with clearly defined third-stops and locks for the two auto options. If we’re being picky, though, that and the focus collar could be marginally closer to the lens mount.
As an AF lens though the slightly forward placement of the focusing collar doesn’t matter much – particularly as autofocus is such a highlight. Not only is it fast, given the size, but best of all the 50S is capable of repeatably accurate focus. High-speed lenses like this didn’t used to be all that sharp wide open, but that’s not the case anymore, and certainly not with this lens.
It is very sharp, at least in the centre. Indeed, it’s rather revealing for a lens destined to be used for portraits. Stopping down really only improves sharpness in the mid and outer areas of the frame, so it’s rather predictable and just what professionals expect at this level anyway. Fuji makes no secret of the use of built-in lens profiles – there’s no fringing to be seen anywhere. Still, I suspect the lens is well corrected optically anyway.