Valhalla, N.Y. –
introduced
Tuesday a wide conversion lens accessory for its popular Fujifilm X100 digital
camera.
The WCL-X100 was designed to match the look and feel of the
camera while providing a wider range of shooting options.
The lens attaches directly onto the camera to multiply the fixed
focal length by 0.8x, converting it from 23mm (35mm equivalent) fixed focal
length to a 19mm wide angle (28mm equivalent).
The WCL-X100, which will ship in silver and black starting in
June at a $350 suggested retail, is said to have excellent optical quality,
even at the f/2 wide aperture setting while retaining the original optical
characteristics, including the bokeh effect.
“We are extremely pleased to offer this new wide conversion lens
for the Fujifilm X100, which has been enthusiastically received from the
professional and advanced amateur photographic communities for its beautiful
design and outstanding image quality,” stated Go Miyazaki, Fujifilm North
America imaging and electronic imaging divisions president. “Fujifilm is
committed to giving photographers the premium tools that they need to achieve
the best imaging results imaginable, and this new lens will allow the Fujifilm
X100 to exceed users’ expectations by opening up countless new shooting
opportunities.”
The WCL-X100’s uses four premium glass elements in three groups
to minimize aberrations, and also employs the unique Fujinon Super Electron
Beam Coating (EBC).
To use the lens, photographers select the Wide Conversion Lens
option in the X100’s menu system (camera must be updated to firmware version
1.30 or later) or select the function via the Function (Fn) or RAW buttons.
After selecting the Wide Conversion Lens option, the X100
automatically applies image processing to shots taken using the WCL-X100 to
reduce image distortion, creating balanced illumination across the frame with reduced
chromatic aberration that is common in wide conversion lenses, Fujifilm said.
The WCL-X100 maintains the full functionality of the X100,
including auto focusing speeds, the 10cm macro capability and the hybrid
viewfinder.
With the optical viewfinder (OVF) selected, icons showing the
edge of the frame are displayed instead of the frame rim (equivalent to 80
percent of the frame field of view), while selecting the electronic viewfinder
gives a 100 percent field of view.
Fuji’s optional LH-X100 lens hood and PRF-49S protective filter
can be used on the conversion lens, and the clip-on lens cap for the WCL-X100
can be attached with both the lens hood and filter in place.
