AstrHori AF 27mm f/2.8 Autofocus lens for Fujifilm X Mount… and Why (Some) Chinese Lenses are Starting to Bore Me

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The first image of the upcoming AstrHori AF 27mm f/2.8 autofocus lens for Fujifilm X mount has now leaked at the Chinese social media account Camerabeta and 独立摄影师联合会 here and here.

  • AstrHori AF27mm F2.8
  • autofocus lens
  • minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters
  • 39mm filter size

It looks very similar to the 7Artisans 27mm f/2.8 that will also be launched soon.

As noted by the Chinese blogger, this is just a re-branded lens. It’s basically one company that makes them and then throws on it the brand name they get paid for printing on it.

That’s why we quite often get the same boring lenses from China: it’s the same stuff, made by one company and sold under a different name.

And while in the past I’d say “the more, the merrier“, I feel like this saying has no value anymore in cases like this one.

Please come up with something more original and unique!

Anyway, I’ll happily stick with my Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR, which has an aperture ring btw ;).

Because in my little world, no aperture ring, no buy!

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7Artisans AF Lenses for Fujifilm X Mount Leaked

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7Artisans is going to launch several AF lenses for APS-C cameras including for Fujifilm X mount as reported by the Chiense social media account CameraBeta here.

  • 7Artisans AF 27mm F2.8
  • 7Artisans AF 35mm F1.4
  • 7Artisans AF 25mm F1.8
  • 7Artisans AF 50mm F1.8

One of them, the 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.4 has actually already been teased months ago here.

The other lenses, as far as I can remember, are new entries in terms of rumors.

Once again, while I find it great that more companies make X mount autofocus lenses, I wish they would come up with something more unique and original than lenses that have been proposed in all possible and minimal variations by many other brands already.

Also, as far as I can see, none of them has an aperture ring, so none of the lenses is of interest for me.

But that’s as usual just my opinion. Let me know in the comments what you think about.

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Reframing the Debate: Fujifilm Film Simulations as a RAW Photographer’s Ally

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Stop Hating Film Simulations

When we posted the rumor about the Fujifilm X-M5 having the film simulation dial, there were again some who just snubbing the concept of using Fujifilm Film Simulation overall. For example here:

I’m the Maestro I shot RAW files and make art from them.

I get the point. Shooting RAW opens up lots of creative possibilities in post processing.

But here is the thing: Fujifilm Film Simulation are not necessarily intended to stop you from using RAW files, but they can be a helpful (and extremely time saving) starting point when editing your RAW files.

Here is a real life example from my own shooting experience.

When I shot my best friend’s wedding, I captured everything in RAW (+JPEG). Out of countless photos, I chose 129 to edit. My first step was setting the right vibe by adjusting the colors. Some images called for a vintage look (Classic Chrome), others needed vibrant colors with good skin tones (Astia), some looked best in black and white (Acros), and for tricky indoor lighting, ProNeg Standard or High worked perfectly.

Choosing the right Film Simulation in Capture One was quick and easy – just a few seconds per image – and then I could move on to other edits like cropping and sharpening. This made the color correction process fast and efficient, even with RAW files.

So, it’s a misconception that Film Simulations are only for JPEG shooters. They can speed up RAW editing significantly.

At the end of the day film simulations are just a tool that can be super helpful also for RAW shooters, if they want to save time editing. And of course they are a true blessing for JPEG shooters, as you get the best colors of any digital camera with just a click of a button… or a turn on the dial, if you use the X-T50 or the upcoming X-M5.

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TTartisan AF 14mm f/3.5 APS-C Lens to be Launched in Autumn

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TTartisan will launch the TTartisan AF 14mm f3.5 autofocus APS-C lens similar to TTartisan AF 27mm f2.8 in size and design for Fujifilm according to reports at the Japanese website asobinet.

So far it leaked for E mount, but since it is an APS-C lens, I guess it’s not too far of a stretch to assume it will also come for Fujifilm X mount at some point.

Release date unknown but likely by Autumn.

These are the specs so far shared by asobinet:

  • Distribution time in Japan: Unknown
  • Format: APS-C
  • Mount: E
  • Focal length: 14mm
  • Aperture: F3.5-F16
  • Aperture blades: 7 pieces
  • Lens composition: 8 lenses in 7 groups
  • Shortest shooting distance: 0.25m
  • Maximum magnification: Unknown
  • Filter diameter: 39mm
  • Size: Unknown
  • Weight: 98g
  • Dustproof and splashproof: –
  • AF: Correspondence
  • Image stabilization: –
  • Other functions:
    ・Aperture ring
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Viltrox New Firmware Download Page is a Joke… and Firmware Updates for 56mm f/1.7 and 85mmf/1.8 II

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Viltrox has released firmware updates for a few X mount lenses.

But before I share the details, let me say this to Viltrox (who hopefully will read this, but probably not).

Dear Viltrox, your new firmware download page is a joke. It was already bad before, but you were able to make it even worst. Congratulations.

For fellow FR-readers: this is the Viltrox firmware page.

Check it every now and then, open up the page for your lens, and see if the firmware number has changed. If a new number is up, download the zip file, unpack it, open it and see what changes it brings. But beware: sometimes the details of the firmware change are written only in Chinese, so you better use machine translation to understand what the update brings.

Viltrox does not offer any way to be notified about changes, they do not write the date of firmware release on the page (except in rare cases, but also with completely wrong dates), nor do they list their firmware from newest to oldest.

Viltrox also won’t inform you on their social media about new firmware updates. At least not immediately. They might (if you are lucky) make a post on Instagram about new firmware at some point, but that post (if it comes) could be shared weeks if not months after the firmware had already been released.

That’s how things are right now. I hope they will improve the page and understand that good customer experience and service looks different.

Anyway, here are the firmware updates.

Viltrox 56mm f/1.7 ver. 1.0.2 – details here
1. Fixed the problem of lens deviating from the focus at close range at F1.7 aperture. (google translated)

Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II ver. 1.1.0 – details here
1. Adapt to X-T5 X-H2 X-H2S
2. Optimize AF-C speed

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