竹炉山房

NEWS ONE

Fujifilm unveils the latest development roadmap for interchangeable lenses for the X Series Expanding the lineup of high-performance lenses even further

July 20, 2018

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has unveiled the latest development roadmap for interchangeable lenses for the X Series range of mirrorless digital cameras that offer outstanding image quality with the company's proprietary color reproduction technology.

The latest roadmap covers basic specifications of three new lenses to be added to the lineup, namely “XF33mmF1 R WR” large diameter prime lens, “XF16mmF2.8 R WR” compact prime lens and “XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR” standard zoom lens. A comprehensive lineup of 34 interchangeable lenses will provide extended shooting ranges.

In this roadmap, prime lenses are categorized into 2 series, “Ultra-fast Prime lens” and “Compact Prime lens”, and high-end zoom lenses are categorized as “Red Badge Zoom lens” series.

Lenses added to the development roadmap:

1. “XF33mmF1 R WR” large diameter prime lens

“XF33mmF1 R WR” is a standard large diameter prime lens. This ultra-fast lens will be the world’s first mirrorless lens with F1.0 maximum aperture and AF capability.

2. “XF16mmF2.8 R WR” compact prime lens

“XF16mmF2.8 R WR,” is a wide lens in compact prime lens category. It has the focal length equivalent to 24mm in the 35mm format and F2.8 maximum aperture, making it the perfect choice for landscape and travel photography. It complements the already-released “XF23mmF2 R WR,” “XF35mmF2 R WR” and “XF50mmF2 R WR” series of small, stylish prime lenses, covering wide angle to mid-telephoto focal lengths.

3. “XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR” standard zoom lens

The standard zoom lens “XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR” features a broad focal length range from wide angle equivalent to 24mm to mid-telephoto 122mm in the 35mm format, while keeping a constant F4.0 maximum aperture. Its broad focal range makes it a very versatile lens capable of covering a wide range of shooting scenes.

In addition to the development of these three lenses, Fujifilm has also announced today the launch of two FUJINON lenses: a large-diameter ultra wide angle zoom lens “FUJINON LENS XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR” and large-diameter telephoto prime lens “FUJINON Lens XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR.” Fujifilm will continue to expand the lens line-up to support a wide range of photography styles and requirements.

They are all good lens, however in my opinion, having my XF35mm/f1.4 R, XF10-24mm/f4 R OIS, and XF16-55mm/f2.8 R LM WR, the three new lens XF33mm/f1 R WR, XF16mm/f2.8 R WR, and XF16-80mm/f4 R OIS WR are not so superior.  😐

I'm probably in favor of XF56mm/f1.2 R which is super suitable for taking pictures with kids and is much cheaper in second hand market than when it was released.

---

NEWS TWO

Fujifilm launches new wide aperture ultra wide angle zoom lens “FUJINON LENS XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR”

July 20, 2018

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) will launch “FUJINON LENS XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR” (XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR), a wide aperture ultra wide angle zoom lens that covers a focal length from the world's largest wide angle 8mm (35mm equivalent focal length: 12mm) with a brightness of F2.8 maximum aperture throughout the entire zoom range. It will be a new addition to the interchangeable lenses for the X Series of digital cameras that realizes superior image quality created by Fujifilm's proprietary color reproduction technology. The lens will be released in late November 2018. Utilizing its wide angle of view, XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR enables the shooting of dynamic landscapes and vast structures with an emphasis on perspective. Further, in combination with brightness of F2.8 maximum aperture, it is also well suited to indoor shoots with a little light and for shooting night skies and lights.

XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR is a wide aperture ultra wide angle zoom lens that covers a focal length of 8 to 16mm (35mm equivalent focal length: 12 to 24mm) with brightness of F2.8 maximum aperture. By adopting an optical design consisting of 20 lenses in 13 groups including four aspherical lenses, three ED lenses, and three super ED lenses and a field curvature correction lens, the lens features remarkable resolution from the center of the screen to the periphery while being an ultra wide angle zoom lens with F2.8 maximum aperture. Fully harnessing the capacity of the proprietary X-Trans™ CMOS sensor developed by Fujifilm used in the FUJIFILM X-H1 mirrorless digital cameras and other X series cameras, it captures the high image quality of the X Series with open aperture. With a light, exceptionally robust body, it is dust and weather resistant, and capable of operating in environments as cold as -10°C. It is designed to be used by professional photographers as part of their photography equipment. In combination with the already available FUJINON XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR and FUJINON XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, the lens will cover a wide angle 8mm to telephoto 140mm (35mm equivalent focal length: 12mm to 213mm) focal length with brightness of F2.8 maximum aperture, meeting diverse shooting needs.

Fujifilm will also launch the following new products: the wide aperture single-focus telephoto lens FUJINON XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR and the high-performance teleconverter FUJINON TELECONVERTER XF1.4X TC F2 WR , in addition to FUJINON XF16mmF2.8 R WR, FUJINON XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, and FUJINON XF33mmF1 R WR announced in the development roadmap for the X Series interchangeable lenses. We will have a total of 34 lenses that will cover a wide range of photographic areas from ultra wide angle to ultra telephoto, delivering the joy of photography with the X Series.

In my opinion this lens is a "must-buy", because of its high-end quality with large aperture and wider angle. But with 10-24mm/f4 at hand, I will still hesitate if investing into such expensive lens would earn the money. I think I'd "walk-and-see".

---

NEWS THREE

Fujifilm launches new large-diameter telephoto prime lens “FUJINON XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR Lens”

July 20, 2018

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has announced that it will introduce the FUJINON XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR Lens (XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR), a large-diameter telephoto prime lens for the X Series of digital cameras. It uses Fujifilm's unique color reproduction technology to deliver outstanding photo quality. The lens will be released in late October, 2018, in a kit that also contains the FUJINON Teleconverter XF1.4X TC F2 WR (XF1.4X TC F2 WR), a high-performance teleconverter that can extend the lens's focal length by 1.4 times.

The XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR is the X Series' first telephoto interchangeable lens that offers the maximum aperture of F2.0. The lens has the focal length of 200mm (equivalent to 305mm in the 35mm film format.) Tapping into the optical technologies nurtured through the production of FUJINON lenses, widely used in the broadcasting and cinematography industries, it produces advanced sharpness and beautiful bokeh to achieve outstanding descriptive performance. It can be combined with the XF1.4X TC F2 WR, which supports the main lens's maximum aperture of F2.0 and extends its focal length by 1.4 times, to cover the ultra-telephoto focal length of 280mm (equivalent to 427mm in the 35mm film format), making it an ideal choice for shooting sports, airplanes and wild birds.

The XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR is a large-diameter telephoto prime lens, capable of bringing out the full performance of FUJIFILM's X-TransTM CMOS sensor, used in mirrorless digital cameras including the FUJIFILM X-H1. The lens offers sharpness even when the aperture is wide open, using advanced optical design technology and manufacturing technology that makes it possible to process lens surfaces at micron-level precision, fostered through the development of industry-leading FUJINON lenses including broadcast lenses that support 4K / 8K video. The maximum aperture of F2.0 and the long focal length of 200mm (equivalent to 305mm in the 35mm film format) creates beautiful bokeh for outstanding descriptive performance. The lens also features the new Focus Preset function, which allows you to instantaneously change the focus to a pre-defined position to capture your main subject with ease without having to make focus re-adjustments. The lens barrel is made of magnesium alloy to create a lightweight yet robust body. The lens is also dust and weather resistant, and capable of operating in environments as cold as -10°C, making it highly reliable as photo equipment for use by professional photographers.

The XF1.4X TC F2 WR is a high-performance telecoverter that is fitted between a camera body and a lens to extend the lens's focal length by 1.4 times while drawing out the lens's advanced optical performance to the maximum extent. It is specifically designed to control aberration well, while supporting the lens's maximum aperture of F2.0. The combination of the XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR and the XF1.4X TC F2 WR covers the focal length of 280mm (equivalent to 427mm in the 35mm film format), broadening users' scope of photography.

Offering the total lineup of 34 lenses including the XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR ultra wide-angle zoom lens announced today as well as the FUJINON Lens XF16mmF2.8 R WR, FUJINON Lens XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR and FUJINON Lens XF33mmF1 R WR, featured in the roadmap for developing X Series' interchangeable lenses, Fujifilm covers a wide range of shooting conditions from ultra wide-angle to ultra telephoto, providing photographic pleasure with the X Series.

I think XF200mm/f2 R is suitable for those film shooters who are in desperate to get a large-diameter telephoto prime lens with big aperture such as F2 on such a long range.