FUJIFILM has announced the development of the FUJINON Premista 19-45mm T2.9 lightweight wide cinema zoom lens (“Premista 19-45mm”) for large format sensor cameras. This lens will join the prestige Premista family of full-frame cinema zooms. Read more about it down below.

The Premista family

The Premista family is FUJINON’s brand for high-end cinema productions that demand accurate glass to be paired with large sensors. The family was announced at NAB 2019 and had drawn a lot of interest among filmmakers and enthusiasts who like to shoot with large sensor cinema cameras. The Premista Series aimed to provide high resolution, attractive bokeh ( these lenses were the first to use a 13-blade iris diaphragm to create circular bokeh), and rich gradations that make it ideal for HDR imaging. The first two lenses were announced back then, which are the 28-100mm T2.9 and the 80-250mm T2.9-3.5. Read more about the first film that was shot on Fujinon Premista (was premiered at Cine Gear 2019).

The response we’ve seen to the Premista lenses since their 2019 launch has been tremendous both in terms of excitement and usage across feature film and high-end TV productions.

Thomas Fletcher, Director of Marketing, Optical Devices Division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation

Premista 19-45mm

The short, lightweight wide-angle Premista 19-45mm T2.9 expands the Premista family of zooms to three lenses. Joining the 28-100mm T2.9 and the 80-250mm T2.9-3.5, the Premista 19-45mm produces images with the same natural bokeh, accurate color rendition, and controllable flare with minimal ghosting for capturing high dynamic range. According to FUJIFILM:  “The Premista 19-45mm T2.9 shows very little distortion throughout the entire zoom range, lightening the burden of correcting footage after shooting, and allowing high-quality cinematic images to be created more efficiently”. As stated by Thomas Fletcher, Director of Marketing, Optical Devices Division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation: “The response we’ve seen to the Premista lenses since their 2019 launch has been tremendous both in terms of excitement and usage across feature film and high-end TV productions…Now, with stricter safety and efficiency needs on set, there is a growing demand for high-quality zoom lenses that match the quality and ‘look’ of prime lenses, and efficiently capture images without the hassle of having to frequently change lenses. The Premista family checks off all the boxes, with no compromise”.

Now, with stricter safety and efficiency needs on set, there is a growing demand for high-quality zoom lenses that match the quality and ‘look’ of prime lenses.

Thomas Fletcher, Director of Marketing, Optical Devices Division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation

Zooms to replace primes

By the way, Fletcher is talking about the way cinema productions are handling safety due to COVID restrictions. It appears that the cine-zooms are preferred to reduce the act of switching between lenses. The Premista is mentioned in the social distancing cinematography guide written by Sony (Read our article to learn more: Sony Publishes the VENICE Remote Operation Cinematography Guide).

Sample footage of the Premista 19-45mm T2.9

Here are some videos showcasing a blind test comparing the Premista family of large format zoom lenses to high-end large-format primes and modern large-format cinema zooms, respectively. The tests were performed on the RED Monstro. Check them out below:

BLIND TEST: FUJINON Premista Zooms vs. High-End Large Format Primes

BLIND TEST: Fujinon Premista Zooms vs. Modern Large Format Cinema Zooms

Price and availability: About $30,000(?)

The Premista 19-45mm is scheduled for release in early 2021. The price is yet to be announced. However, it’s not going to be cheap (our estimation is around $30,000 per lens).