Cameras lenses come in so many different shapes and types that just saying “camera lens” is far too limiting a descriptor. Is the lens a photo-style DSLR lens, a cinematic lens, a box-style broadcast lens, or a portable ENG-style lens? On top of that, the different mounts between those types of lenses would require a more in-depth explanation that could be covered in one article. However, this review is of the Fujinon UA24x7.8BRED-S10B, an ENG or TV-style lens with a B4 bayonet mount. This lens works with a 2/3” three-sensor prism in the cameras in the conventional studio electronic news gathering (ENG) or electronic field production (EFP).
The unique characteristics of the lens…make it look more cinematic than the other lenses...
Tech Specs
The speeds and feeds on this lens are pretty impressive; it’s a 24-times zoom ratio which works out to 7.8mm on the wide side to 187mm on the tele side. It also features a 2x extender, which doubles the zoom range extending to 15.6 ～ 374mm, making this a good lens for setting up at a significant distance from the subject. But it must be noted that manually engaging the extender results in the loss of two stops of light. It also has a macro setting which, typically, isn’t a setting that gets used often in church settings, but it’s a good feature. The view angle on the wide side is 63.2°× 38.1 (HxV) and 34.2°× 19.6 on the tele side. It features a standard iris range of F1.8 to F16. While it isn’t the heaviest lens, it comes in at a hefty 1.98kg or 4.3 lbs.
Features
The UA24x has a few unique features not found on all TV- zoom lenses. Firstly, it has servo zoom and servo focus. Now, a servo zoom is a standard in this range of lenses, but the servo focus was an interesting addition—something Fujifilm has now made standard on all of the UA series portable lenses. Typically, lenses in this category have a small gearbox mounted to the lens and a glorified flexible screwdriver, which manually focuses the lens rather than a servo connection.
The lens also has QuickZoom, a helpful feature, especially in fast-moving live production environments.
Secondly, at nine, the UA24x has more iris blades than the standard six found on most lenses like this. The lens also has QuickZoom, a helpful feature, especially in fast-moving live production environments. The button jumps the lens into full tele allowing the user to find focus quickly. Once you stop pressing the button, the zoom returns to the position it was in before pushing the QuickZoom button.
One of the more interesting features of the lens is the zoom limit options. On the front of the hand grip, a rubber gasket covers dip switches, allowing you to limit the lens’s zoom. You can change the tele or wide side limit, which could be helpful in an IMAG situation for ensuring the cameras are only getting images magnifying the view rather than making it smaller. Beyond that, an expansion connection outputs an encoder signal for use in a virtual studio environment; this connector can also take control from a PC or a robotic head.
In testing
I was able to test the UA24x on a Sony FB80 and ran it head-to-head against a Canon KJ22ex7.6b. Right off the bat, similarly framed static shots of a subject on the stage looked similar. The UA24x was slightly sharper throughout, but the lenses looked far more alike than different. The main difference was noticeable when light hit the lens. The UA24x had far more pleasing-looking bokeh; the 9-blade aperture resolved the bokeh far more circularly than the six blades found on the other lens, which resolved in pentagons. The aperture blades also affected the number of points coming off direct light sources; the stars had far more points on the UA24x and a slight but pleasant halation.
I couldn’t test the servo focus because I only had access to manual focus demands. However, the fact that there was a switch under the lens to engage or disengage the servo motor on the focus was a pleasant surprise. The main issue with most lenses in this category is that those switches are easily flipped and accidentally disengage those motors. Having both focus and zoom motor switches right next to each other means the user needs to be twice as careful. This is especially true because flipping the switch from M (manual) to S (servo for use with a focus demand) and trying to focus the lens manually could cause a malfunction or even damage the servo motor in the handgrip.
I found this lens useful for images at a distance of about 70 feet; with the 2x extender engaged, the lens resolved subjects very well. The unique characteristics of the lens due to the more significant number of aperture blades make it look more cinematic than the other lenses, especially in the out-of-focus areas. The fast aperture means you can get a shallow depth of field and really highlight those unique characteristics. This lens is an excellent choice for directors who are obsessed with sharp focus and image quality.
