During IBC 2023, we caught up with Makoto Oishi-San from FUJINON to find out more about their recently-introduced Duvo HZK24-300mm as well as their freshly-announced Duvo HZK14-100mm PL mount zoom lenses. Both lenses are still in their development stage but aim to cover a very specific position in the marketplace. Let’s take a look!
   

In October last year, FUJINON announced the advent of the Duvo HZK25-1000mm f/2.8-5.0, a massive broadcast box lens featuring a PL mount. Then, at the beginning of this year, the company disclosed the full lens roadmap for the Duvo HZK series, stating that two lightweight, wide, and standard zoom lenses would follow. Indeed, the development of the “standard” Duvo HZK24-300mm was announced just a few days ago, whereas, on the show floor at IBC 2023, we are now learning that its “wide” sibling will be the Duvo HZK14-100mm.

Starting with the Duvo HZK24-300mm T2.9-4.2, there are certainly other lenses on the market offering a similar zoom range. For example, FUJINON’s own ZK25-300mm Cabrio and Canon’s CN-E 30-300mm are among the first few lenses that come to mind.

However, what sets the Duvo HZK24-300mm apart is its portability. Indeed, FUJINON seems to have found an optical formula to make this lens extremely lightweight (2.95kg/4.4lbs) and compact. The lens is 27cm/10.6” long and has an industry-standard front diameter of 114mm. This is pretty remarkable, especially considering the impressive 12.5x zoom ratio.

Another interesting design choice is the adoption of a cinema-standard PL mount. As Makoto Oishi-San clearly points out, the lens is not only aimed at the broadcast market but was designed to help you achieve “cinematic expression”.

Just like the HZK25-1000mm, the 24-300mm is designed to cover Super35mm sensors but has a 1.5x built-in expander to enable full-frame coverage. Additionally, the lens has a servo zoom drive motor and 0.8MOD FIZ gears for lens accessories.

Moving on to the HZK14-100mm, this has literally just been announced at IBC 2023. There isn’t much official information about it, but it’s impressive to see that – once completed – the Duvo HZK series will cover a 14-1000mm focal range.

Price and availability

Unfortunately, there’s currently no official information regarding the price and availability of the upcoming FUJINON Duvo HZK24-300mm and HZK14-100mm portable zoom lenses.

The products on display at IBC are actually mock-ups, and the company is still developing working prototypes. However, according to their roadmap, they should become available in the first and second half of 2024, respectively.