Fujifilm launches interchangeable-lens ZUH12000 projector

Fujifilm Australia has launched the Fujifilm Projector ZUH12000, the first model in the company's Z Series to use interchangeable lenses.

In Australia, the projector will ship with three optional lenses, including an ultra-short-throw model with a rotatable folded lens mechanism. It supports 4K projection and reaches 12,000 lumens, which Fujifilm described as double the brightness of the earlier ZUH6000.

The launch expands a projector range Fujifilm has been building around flexible installation for commercial and immersive environments. It introduced its first projector with a folded two-axial rotatable lens mechanism in 2019, then later added the Z8000 and the 6,000-lumen ZUH6000.

At the centre of the new model is a change in optical design. Until now, the Z Series had used fixed-lens systems. The ZUH12000 instead offers a choice of three lenses for different venue layouts and projection distances.

The optional line-up includes the FP-ZL034 ultra-short-throw lens, the FP-ZL050 short-throw lens and the FP-ZL125 standard lens. Their throw ratios span 0.34-0.41, 0.5-0.65 and 1.25-2.0 respectively, giving installers more setup options for conference rooms, halls, showrooms and exhibition spaces.

Lens design

Fujifilm is placing particular emphasis on the FP-ZL034. It says the ultra-short-throw lens is the only one in the industry with a folded-type rotatable mechanism, allowing 360-degree rotation so users can project onto ceilings, floors, walls and screens without moving the projector body.

The design is paired with a lens-shift range of 60% vertically and 30% horizontally, which Fujifilm says is among the widest in its class for ultra-short-throw lenses used with interchangeable-lens projectors rated at 10,000 lumens or more. In practice, that allows the image to be repositioned across a broader area while the projector remains fixed in place.

According to Fujifilm, the same lens can project images up to 400 inches from a distance of 297cm. That reduces unused space between the projector and the projection surface and can help when equipment must be installed discreetly.

Inside the projector is a 0.8-inch HEP DMD DLP chip with a screen resolution of 3840 x 2400. Fujifilm says it has also updated the optical engine from the previous ZUH6000 to improve colour reproduction, gradation and black levels in brighter settings.

Target markets

The product is aimed at venues where lighting cannot be tightly controlled, a segment that has become more relevant as museums, branded spaces, visitor attractions and commercial facilities seek large-format projection without darkening entire rooms. Fujifilm says the projector is intended for exhibitions, presentations, corporate showrooms and other large spaces with ambient light.

The 12,000-lumen rating places the ZUH12000 in a more demanding part of the commercial AV sector, where brightness is often balanced against transport, rigging and installation complexity. Fujifilm says the unit weighs about 18.1kg and measures 535mm wide, 396mm deep and 189mm high, excluding lens and fittings.

That comparatively compact form factor is likely to matter for rental and staging suppliers, systems integrators and venue operators that need to move equipment between sites or install it in confined areas. The rotatable lens arrangement also allows the projector body to be concealed while leaving the lens exposed, which can be useful in immersive rooms where visible hardware would disrupt the effect.

Colour settings

Fujifilm has also carried over colour science from its imaging business. The projector includes five Film Simulation modes - PROVIA, Velvia, ETERNA, CLASSIC CHROME and CLASSIC Neg. - giving users preset looks for different types of visual content.

According to Fujifilm, the ultra-short-throw lens uses an optical design with more than 20 lens elements, two mirrors and a large-diameter aspherical lens to reduce distortion and aberration across the image. It also says a newly developed three-group zoom mechanism gives the lens 1.2x optical zoom across its 0.34 to 0.41 throw ratio range.

Fujifilm says demand has grown for high-definition projection in spaces with more ambient light, beyond the darker museum and event environments where the Z Series had typically been used. "The projector offers exceptional installation flexibility and expands the possibilities of spatial production," customers cited by Fujifilm said.