A day after the
announcement of the XF10, Fujifilm adds two new monster lenses to their line up
along with three upcoming lenses: 33 f/1.0, 16 f/2.8 and 16-80 f/4.0! Fujifilm
proudly calls the two new lenses monster glass because of their sheer size and
capability.
The first of the
two is the XF 200 f/2.0R WR OIS (R = Aperture ring, WR = Weather Resistant, OIS
= Optical Image Stabilization). It is a large diameter telephoto prime with a
fast maximum aperture of f/2.0 and is a 305 mm field of view equivalent in 35
mm format.
The aperture goes
down to f/22 with a weight of 2,265 grams and is painted in a matte silver
color to reduce the internal temperature under intense summer heat. It also has
a new function button that functions as focus control.
This clearly is a
specialty lens that will be used by professionals in the fields of sports,
action, wildlife and high end portraiture. The major downsides will be the
size, weight, and cost of the lens. It is priced at USD 5,999 at BH photo. It
comes bundled with the new 1.4x teleconverter version two with the same matte
silver finish.
The next lens is
the ultra wide zoom 8-16 mm f/2.8 R LM WR (LM= Linear Motor) with a wide
maximum aperture. It covers a 12mm to 24 mm field of view equivalent in the 35
mm format. Though it goes to as wide as
8 mm, it remains to be rectilinear (which means it doesn't the image is without
distortion unlike a fisheye lens). It promises superior sharpness, minimal
distortion and minimal vignetting even at f/2.8.
There is no filter
thread and thus for long exposure photographers may need to wait for their
filter system manufacturer to produce an adaptor for this lens. It is priced at
BH Photo for USD 1,999. Fujifilm also announced their new lens roadmap that
contained three upcoming and most requested lenses. The hotly requested super fast XF 33 f/1.0 is
slated for release in 2020.
While the compact
16 f/2.8 R WR will be a smaller more compact compared to the already amazing
16mm f/1.4 R WR (That we personally own and love). It will probably be an
addition to the popular f/2 WR primes (23, 35, 50). This is slated for 2019
release.
The third and last
is the 16-80 mm f/4.0 OIS WR. It is a lighter alternative to the large 16-55
f/2.8 WR red badge zoom lens from Fujifilm. This is a perfect walk around lens
because of its smaller size and lighter weight but with a longer range. Pricing
on the upcoming lenses is still unannounced. This is also slated for a 2019
release.
Local pricing for
the new XF 8-16 and XF 200 lenses have yet to be announced. This is a
developing article and will be updated with the prices as they become
available.
