So, when will Fujifilm release a new lens roadmap? According to Fujifilm Manager Justin Stailey (and also to my sources) it will come this Summer (see video at the Top of this post from minute 37:40).
Here is just a Roadmap of what we have in the line up. […] we pretty much have the majority of the needs of most photographers covered with our current lens lineup. But we are not going to stop. We plan to expand the offer. There is definitely more stuff coming. At some point in Summertime we will probably update the roadmap.
The current Fujifilm lens roadmap is out of date. It shows lenses that, according to my sources, have been scratched and it also does not include other lenses that Fuji is designing right now.
At this point it’s interesting to note, that on the Roadmap the Manager presented to the people attending the BHphoto event, there is no 120mm…. a hint that we don’t have to expect that lens to come anymore? Maybe there is some truth in the 80mm rumor ;)
In the last months, I’ve updated the original Fujifilm Lens Roadmap every time a new rumor landet in my Inbox (last update here). But it started looking so chaotic, that a kind FR-reader made a new one for us (shared at the bottom of this post).
Except for the XF23mmF2 (which should be announced in September) I have NO indications and rumors about the release of the other rumored lenses.
Go to Minute 20:00 of the video for Tony’s Prediction about the Mirrorless Future
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Out Of the Dark
Anyone out there, who, like me, switched to the X-system very early?
Then you’ll remember how in the first years, every financial Report of Fujifilm said the imaging division is losing money. In the first 2 years of existence, Fujifilm sold only 700,000 X-series cameras! (src- New York Times)… not really exciting numbers!
So we are all happy to read in the latest reports, that the X-series system, despite being still a niche, is selling better, and, along with the Instax World, is pushing Fujifilm’s imaging division into profits.
The New Lens Strategy
It was mainly the X-T1, to give Fujifilm hope that the dark times are over. But in the last months, there is also one lens, that is making Fujifilm very happy: the Fujifilm XF35mmF2 WR (which for a limited time costs only $299 at BHphoto / AmazonUS / FocusCamera / Adorama)
The success of the XF35mmF2 WR was far beyond any expectation. I mean, who would have bet that it would become such a best seller, when there are already two faster and great X-mount primes covering that focal length, the XF35mmF1.4 and the Zeiss 32mmF1.8?
But it happened… the 35mmF2 is selling like hot cakes and therefore made Fujifilm rethink their lens strategy! Smaller & Cheaper… that’s where the money is!
So here is a Recap of what changed in Fuji’s Lens Strategy:
SMALLER: the XF120mm will be dropped and Fuji will make a smaller and OIS-less XF80mm Marcro lens – Rumor here
SLOWER: Fujifilm has no hurry anymore to release the XF33mmF1.0 – Post here
WEATHER RESITANT: the upcoming small and cheap lenses will be weather resistant, just like the 23mmF2 – Rumor here
CHEAPER: there will be a XF50mmF2 lens, basically a cheaper version of the XF56mm and Zeiss 50mm – Rumor here
And where is the 200mm, huh? Or something even longer? Or a nice tilt-shift lens? And why not step on gas and give us a prestige lens like the ultra-fast XF33mmF1.0 now?
The answer is easy: they won’t sell good. These are niche lenses within the already contained Fuji X-series market and will hardly give Fuji the same profits like the XF35mmF2 WR currently does.
The Final Mirrorless Battle
As you can see in the Video I’ve shared above, Tony Northrup is confident: some MILC makers will fall, but Fujifilm will Survive the Mirrorless Battle.
A battle, that is already going on, and made his first “victim”: Samsung! And you can bet that others will follow in the next few years.
Will the next one be the Micro Four Thirds system, as Kai from DigitalRev thinks here? Or maybe even Fuji itself, if they can’t make the big breakthrough and finally go mainstream? And how sustainable is Sony’s business strategy? Will they really be able to keep up developing cameras and lenses for APS-C, Full Frame and maybe even Medium Format all at the same time? And how competitive will Canikon’s mirrorless offer be in future?
I don’t know what will happen, but if lenses like the 35mmF2, 23mmF2, 50mmF2 will help Fujifilm to grow and make more profits, then let them come… the mirrorless battle just started, and the more X-shooters there are out there (and the more they invest into the system), the brighter Fuji’s future will be.
With the Fujifilm X-T2 announcement on July 7, it’s no surprise that prototypes are currently out in the wild.
One of those must be X-photographer John Rourke. As you can see above, hew as at the 24 hour of Le Mans with the X-T2!
We can see:
the X-T2 with the “C” marking on the comp.dial
the new ISO dial
the new battery grip (with added grip to the camera)
Moreover, there is a blurred lens mounted on the X-T2. I don’t think it’s because the lens is an unreleased Fujifilm prototype.
My personal guess is that Fujifilm blurred the lens image, because it’s an adapted lens (maybe the Canon EF 8-15mmF4L, as suggested in the comments)… and Fujfiilm does not really like it to advert other companies camera/lenses on their official channels. You might remember how they removed Zack Arias wonderful Morroco Video, just because for a fraction of a second there was a Leica to see. Fujifilm removed the Leica, and put the video online again.
But, luckily, they forgot to blur the real deal here: the Fujifilm X-T2 with the new vertical battery grip! And get ready to see some nice fast car shots on July 7 ;)
The leaks comes from Fujifilm itself, at fujifilm-x
Just yesterday I told you that the Fujifilm X-T2 will have a fast EVF refresh rate of 100fps in turbo boost mode.
Well, a trusted source told me that this is not all: in “boost” mode (selectable on the X-T2 Vertical Battery Grip), the Fujifilm X-T2 will also shoot at 11 frames per second in Continuous High Autofocus (the X-Pro2 has a maximum frame rate of 8pfs with live view)!
I know you have big doubts about the battery life. So I remind you that Fujifilm’s new vertical battery grip will take 2 batteries. Of course, without battery grip, the Fujifilm X-T2 will shoot at “only” 8fps, just like the X-Pro2 and use just the in-camera battery.
If you ask me, all this sounds very exciting… on paper! But X-shooters are often known to look less at the specs and more on the substance. So no matter which specs I share, we will all wait for some hands on experiences with this camera to see how good all these “on paper features” really work.
I’m sorry to bother you all with this, but it’s the only way to contact the source, who told me that on July 7 there will be a Fujifilm Press Event in Paris… probably regarding the X-T2.
To the source: First off, thanks for sharing. You’ve contacted me via rumor box and also shared an email there. But for some reason, if I try to contact you using that email, I get the message that the “Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently“. There might be a typo in the email adress you send me. Feel free to contact me again at fujirumor@gmail.com . Or use the rumor box, if you prefer, using a valid email adress.
