I can say I was there.

I was there, when Fujifilm launched what would become their all time bestseller, the Fujinon XF18-55mm f/2.8-4.

I was there to blog about it, to talk about… and to buy it for myself.

And actually, I bought two of them.

The first one I destroyed it when I had to jump into the Mekong river (story here – only the legendary Fujinon XF35mm f/1.4 survived that adventure, the rest of my gear broke).

I loved the XF18-55 so much that I bought a new one after destroying the first one.

The second sample did stick with me until I decided to sell it along with my XF55-200mm, in order to replace both of those lenses with the king of versatility, the Fujinon XF18-135mm.

I have had wonderful years with my Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4. It has taken some of my favorite images. And I am sure it has given great joy to many other fellow X shooters out there.

But now it is time also for this glorious lens to retire.

Because the Fujinon XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 is coming on May 16

As a consequence, the first stores in Japan are starting to mark the Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 as discontinued as reported by asobinet.

The Fujinon XF16-50mm will certainly be a fantastic lens. We leaked the images, we reported about the internal zoom, it will be sharper than the XF18-55mm, weather sealed and what not. But the XF18-55mm will always have a special place in the hearts of many as one of the best kit lenses ever made by any company.

• XF18-55mmF2.8-4.8
  BHphoto / Amazon / Adorama
• XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 – coming May 16
  BHphoto / Amazon / Adorama
• X-T50 – coming May 16
  BHphoto / Amazon / Adorama
• GFX100SII – coming May 16
  BHphoto / Amazon / Adorama