Sigma’s CEO Wants to Make Lenses for Medium Format Cameras eg Fujifilm GFX100 II + Reader Comments
Related: apochromatic, Fujifilm, Fujifilm GFX100 II, Fujifilm GFX100S II, Fujifilm medium format, Fujifilm mirrorless, Jason W, medium format, optics, Other World Computing, reader comment, Sigma, Sigma lenses, Voigtlander, Voigtlander FE, Voigtlander FE APO-Lanthar 50mm f/2 Aspherical
re: Fujifilm GFX100 II, Fujifilm GFX100S: Standout Lenses that Nail It
From Petapixel:
Sigma’s CEO Wants to Make Lenses for Medium Format Cameras
In an interview with PetaPixel at the Japanese camera exhibition CP+ in Yokohama, Sigma’s CEO Kazuto Yamaki expressed interest in expanding his company’s support for lenses beyond full-frame cameras, specifically saying that he would like to see Sigma make glass for medium format options.
“I [am] personally very much interested in supporting medium format. Again, it’s a small market, but I have some interest,” he says.
...“Up until now, we have been very busy to have the range of lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras. So we have to have some kind of regular stuff, like a 24-70mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.4, or 50mm f/1.4, but now we have these lenses,” Yamaki explains.
“That’s why we started releasing such unique products, like the 500mm f/5.6 or 15mm f/1.4 fisheye,” he continues, referencing both of the optics Sigma debuted at CP+ last week.
“So from now on we can expand our road map.”
Yamaki does temper expectations however, stating that while he would personally like to see Sigma start supporting medium format, it isn’t currently part of the company’s plans.
“So right now we don’t have such plan, but if Sigma wants to be a master of optics, I think we need to support medium format. But that’s just personal hope. But I need to carefully look at the market and demand,” he explains.
DIGLLOYD: these comments are a trial balloon if ever there were one.
it would terrific to see both Sigma lenses for medium format. In practice that means Fujifilm GF lenses, since Hasselblad trails far behind in market share and PhaseOne has no meaningful market share.
This might unleash the platform in a serious way by hugely expanding the ecosystem just as the cost of medium format plunges well below some 35mm-format cameras.
There are 3rd-party lenses for Fujfilm medium format already. To date, the ones I have tried are of very poor quality, of no interest to me whatsoever. There might be a few specialty things that are exceptions (eg Cambo RPM-80-105 REPRO System), but so far no bueno. This is why a foray into it by Sigma would be so interesting.
Still, I am less interested in Sigma than in Voigtlander. What I want is ultra-high performance lenses.
In particular, I would like to see Cosina Voigtlander deliver equivalents of its Voigtlander FE 35mm f/2 APO Lanthar, Voigtlander FE 50mm f/2 APO Lanthar, Voigtlander FE 65mm f/2 APO Lanthar for Fujifilm medium format. Though I have some trouble reconciling this idea with the need for manual focus which makes the automated focus stacking of AF lenses impossible. OTOH, the impressively greater real depth of field of the Voigtlander APO lenses would help out.
Even if they were 50% larger than the 35mm-format lenses, Voigtlander medium format lenses would still be small. And I’d be very happy with seeing them kept to f/2.8, which in theory could keep them to a similar size: covering a frame 2/3 larger but more squarish (4:3 instead of 3:2) and also dropping a stop of brightness should make that feasible. I’d be pleased with f/3.5 lenses so long as they are as good or better than the 35mm-format ones.
Jason W writes
What strategy Sigma pursues entering the G-mount ecosystem will be interesting. Their FF strat has been to offer best in class performance priced below equivalent OEM lenses, or offer unique lenses. Some of their FF designs can also probably be adapted to G-mount without completely re-inventing the wheel. Here's my personal conjecture on what they might do:
1) Stick with tradition by launching fast high performance primes in the normal focal lengths. This allows apples to apples comparisons and proves value, which is Sigma's M.O. I'll bet a 35mm or 50mm @ 1.8. Price needs to be under $1699, with below $1499 being excellent.
2) Wide or ultrawide astro prime. Fuji has nothing faster than f4 in the wide or ultrawide and astro is a pain point for the system. I'd say a 20mm or 24mm f1.8 and not slower than f2.8 would do the job here. It can even be a little pricey.
3) Faster fixed aperture zoom. The 32-64 and 45-100 f4's are dogs and the 35-70 is variable aperture. Any high performing 2x zoom within the wide to normal range with any fixed aperture faster than f4 competitively priced would be compelling.
DIGLLOYD: Jason may well be right about how Sigma would proceed, as much as I wish for smaller/slower/better. That the Fujfiilm GF 32-64mm f/4 and Fujifilm GF 45-100 f/4 are wildly unusable for landscape photography is not a testament to Fujifilm’s design failings, but rather to it being extremely difficult to wrangle the tradeoffs while covering a 44 X 33mm sensor. In fact those two lenses would have been jaw-dropping accomplishments a decade ago. I do not think that Sigma could eke out more lens speed without making things worse.
