Fujinon XS8X4AS-XB8 Comparison on YouTube
 

Just received the lens this morning : ) ....was inspired to do a quick trial run and test.
I was expecting the lens to be smaller and lighter than the stock lens- that's not true; this thing is a beast!

YouTube - Fujinon XS8X4AS-XB8 wide lens: A Comparison with PMW-EX3 stock lens.

This is a quick movie comparison between the Fujinon XS8×4AS-XB8 for the Sony PMW-EX3 versus the Standard Fujinon lens which comes with the EX3. The camera remained stationary during lens changes. This is the first night with the lens and I wanted to see the difference between the two, using my home theater as an example. Note: the audio track isn't exactly matched for the movie sequence.
Also note the color change between the two (settings were exactly the same).

Camera settings:
Iris- Open
Gain- -3db
WB- 3200k
Shutter- off
Video format 1080p 24

Did you notice any barrel distortion when fully wide open? I am currently using the Sony Wide Adaptor on the stock EX3 lens and it does suffer from a bit of barrel distortion and softening of the image. If this lens gets over those problems I will get one straight away as I need the standard lens to be wider than it is.

Hi Steve,
I am going on a couple shoots this week and will post my findings in regards to any barrel distortion or other anomalies I find.

Larry

catastrophe...
 

Turns out this new lens I purchased has a severe back focus issue which ruined a shoot yesterday. On my EX3 viewfinder, the image was crisp at full wide, and when I imported to FCP, the imaged is half way out of focus. Tested the lens on two different EX3's with the same issue. I have the focus ring on manual and macro is turned off. Image is sharp when zoomed in. I am returning to B&H for a replacement. I'm super bummed, as this was an important shoot which involved a lot of people and cost a lot of money.

Lesson #1 Never use new gear until you know it's rock solid.
Lesson #2 Never assume new gear will operate flawlessly.
Lesson #3 Use the biggest, sharpest monitor you can!

We have all been down this road Larry, and no doubt will do the same again in the future.

Hope you get it sorted.

Larry, did you set the backfocus? You should calibrate the backfocus of the lens using the back focus routine as it will be different for different cameras.

Larry, did you set the backfocus? You should calibrate the backfocus of the lens using the back focus routine as it will be different for different cameras.

auto flange adjustment fixed the issue
 

Allister,
No I didn't, until last night. Now the lens works just fine. The fujinon manual does not mention anything about adjusting the auto flange; only does the EX3 manual says to perform an auto flange adjustment. After performing the auto flange adjustment with a test pattern, I am now getting great results with the lens. I purchased a second lens which will be here Wednesday, so I guess I will pick the best one and send the other one back.

I assumed being that the lens was designed for the EX3, I did not need to calibrate the back focus. A BIG lesson learned here!

One thing to note: I have to perform an auto flange calibration every time I change lenses. Is this true?

Thanks, Larry

Steve,
To further answer your question, after I have fixed the flange issue with the lens, I feel the lens quality is very good- little barrel distortion if any for a lens this wide. Of course there is a forced perspective that accentuates the image depth, but that is exactly what I am going for. I'm quite happy with the results. I don't notice chromatic aberration and this lens looks sharper in it's longer end than the stock lens. I'm currently editing a piece with two EX3's, one with the stock lens and one with this wide angle (although I am only working with the tight shots as my lens was not properly calibrated for the shoot). The shots with the 8x fujinon really stick out and I love the natural color it gives. I am still doing tests, and will definitely keep it, as I need it for aerial shooting on the island of Yap in 3 weeks as well as many other projects. I have also experimented with the macro mode and I am extremely pleased with the sharpness edge to edge. In a real world situation, this lens is a winner if you can remember to auto calibrate the flange each time you throw it on and pay close attention to focus. Focusing with this lens is more challenging than the stock lens with the stock viewfinder.