Fujifilm GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6 WR Lens

This lens is a stunner if you can get it at the kit or rebate price. At MSRP, I'd potentially save your money to put towards other lenses. This 35-70mm is light and compact. It's somewhat soft in the corners until you stop down a stop or two. It's actually a great landscape lens offering a 28-55mm FF equivalent focal range, and from F/8-F/11 it's a razor. 62mm filter thread diameter isn't super common like 77mm is, maybe get a stepdown ring and share your filters between lenses then. There's a tiny bit of CA on very high contrast subjects, especially at 70mm, but stop down to F/11 and it'll go away. Keep in mind, diffraction doesn't become an issue on medium format until after f/11. F/11-f/16 is perfectly usable without lots of softness like can creep in on APSC and ... MoreThis lens is a stunner if you can get it at the kit or rebate price. At MSRP, I'd potentially save your money to put towards other lenses. This 35-70mm is light and compact. It's somewhat soft in the corners until you stop down a stop or two. It's actually a great landscape lens offering a 28-55mm FF equivalent focal range, and from F/8-F/11 it's a razor. 62mm filter thread diameter isn't super common like 77mm is, maybe get a stepdown ring and share your filters between lenses then. There's a tiny bit of CA on very high contrast subjects, especially at 70mm, but stop down to F/11 and it'll go away. Keep in mind, diffraction doesn't become an issue on medium format until after f/11. F/11-f/16 is perfectly usable without lots of softness like can creep in on APSC and FF formats. The lens is nice and sharp, there is a bit of distortion especially at the wide end, but the cameras firmware profiles will correct for it. I also own the 45-100mm, which is 3 times heavier, 3 times the size, and 3 1/2 times more expensive. It has less wide angle, less distortion, less CA at larger apertures, OIS stabilization, and less close focus ability. The 35-70mm can do close-up shots much better than the 45-100mm where you'll need an extension tube. For the money, you can't beat this little zoom. It's not a portrait lens though, don't expect anything in the way of bokeh and creamy backgrounds. Cheers.

I use a larger format premium camera much for most of my work, but decided to invest in the Fuji GFX50r to have a camera that would be easier to carry when hiking. Had this lens been available, I would have bought it first (I purchased the 30mm f3.5). The 35-70 is the right focal length for most of my work. This lens is light and small - just what I wanted. Image quality is excellent. Reviewers have noted that wide open it is a bit soft in the corners. That is true, but in practice it is quite good. Stopped down one or two stops it offers excellent sharpness. I expected flare to be a problem, but so far, even when shooting into the sun, it has been fine. I'm impressed and pleased. The 35-70 won't replace the relatively light 30mm, which is just that much wider and ... MoreI use a larger format premium camera much for most of my work, but decided to invest in the Fuji GFX50r to have a camera that would be easier to carry when hiking. Had this lens been available, I would have bought it first (I purchased the 30mm f3.5). The 35-70 is the right focal length for most of my work. This lens is light and small - just what I wanted. Image quality is excellent. Reviewers have noted that wide open it is a bit soft in the corners. That is true, but in practice it is quite good. Stopped down one or two stops it offers excellent sharpness. I expected flare to be a problem, but so far, even when shooting into the sun, it has been fine. I'm impressed and pleased. The 35-70 won't replace the relatively light 30mm, which is just that much wider and sharper, especially wide open. But this new lens will live on the camera 75% of the time. It handles very well and is recommended.

I already have the GF 45-100 but wanted something smaller and lighter to carry for casual use. This lens is incredibly small and lightweight - it is a joy to carry around. AND the image quality is really good. It is sharp and contrasty. The variable aperture doesn't bother me at all. I just set it to 5.6 or 8.0 and never worry about it. The lack of an aperture ring isn't a big deal either. Just adjust it with the front command dial - it is super easy to do. I have used it for landscapes and studio use it was great. It was $500 when I bought it and for that price it is a good deal.