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First Look: XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

UPDATE (18APR2013): Added more llama shots and a new flower shot.

UPDATE: US readers can already preorder the brand new Fuji 55-200mm lens at BHphoto (Click here).

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (questions & feedback)Rico’s XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Prototype Samples

Fuji’s XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS “kit zoom” was one of last year’s most pleasant surprises, offering very good image quality in a portale package at a quite affordable price. This May, it will be complemented by a telephoto zoom that was officially announced today. The new lens starts off exactly where the kit zoom ends: at 55mm, going all the way to 200mm. According to Fuji, that’s 84-305mm in 35mm (“full-frame”) equivalence terms.

The telephoto zoom’s full name is FUJINON XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS, and it’s supposed to sell for USD 699.– (plus sales tax) in the U.S. or EUR 649.– (incl. VAT) here in Germany. I have been able to work with an early prototype of the lens for more than a week, so let’s have a closer look, shall we?

Same, same, but different…

If you already know Fuji’s 18-55mm kit zoom lens, the new telephoto zoom will immediately feel familiar. It’s obvious that Fujifilm wants you to buy this zoom as an extension to your already existing standard zoom. Both lenses offer the same key features: a manual focus ring, an aperture ring without engravings, a zoom ring, an optical image stabilizer (OIS) and fast/silent linear autofocus motors. Everything is located in the same place: There’s one switch to turn the OIS on and off, and there’s another one to toggle the lens between automatic and manual aperture settings. Design, build quality and used materials appear to be quite similar, as well.

Would you like to know more about what all those letters and numbers in XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS actually mean? If that’s the case, you may want to read my article Decoding XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS here on Fujirumors. Pretty much all information on the kit zoom lens is also applicable to the new telephoto lens.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Battles: X100S vs Nikon Coolpix A + X-E1 vs OM-D vs GH3

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X100S vs Nikon Coolpix A

Mike Kobal posted a “mini-review” where he compares the [shoplink 10075]X100S[/shoplink] (with [shoplink 10069]wide angle converter WCL-X100[/shoplink]) and the [shoplink 8820]Nikon Coolpix A[/shoplink] (both feature an APS-C sensor and don’t have an optical low pass filter).

Among the others, Fuji “scores” because its faster AF, better handling and ergonomics, while the Nikon has a better battery life and lens (“This lens/sensor combo delivers the sharpest shots I have seen from an APSC sized sensor. Scary sharp, really.“) And which sensor is better? Hard question. “I love the X trans sensor and I love the D800e sensor and now I also love the Coolpix A sensor :) where will this end? Getting rid of the AA filter paid off again, mind blowing detail, if you like your images ultra sharp, then this sensor is for you. My personal choice is the X trans. 1:1 Fuji/Nikon (subjective)

Check out Mike’s whole review here. Here is his bottom line… and keep up the good work Mike!

Anyone who needs to pack light and small for whatever reason (expedition, extreme sports, etc), can live with the 28mm equiv FOV, has no choice, the Nikon A is the one. Unlike us purists, with both feet solid on the pavement, we do have a choice, Leica or Fuji X100s. :)”

Fuji X100S: [shopcountry 10075] Nikon Coolpix A: [shopcountry 8820] Fuji WCL-X100: [shopcountry 10069]

And who’s the winner for you? Just vote this poll:

Should Fujifilm postpone the XF120mm launch and release the XF23mmF2 WR first?

View Results

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 X-E1 vs OM-D vs GH3

Admiring Light compared the Panasonic GH3 (with [shoplink 8220]Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink]) with the Olympus OM-D and the Fuji X-E1. As we already heard from other reviews, they conclude that:

“Well, the X-E1 is a camera with fantastic image quality, that much is certain.  Not surprisingly, it produces cleaner images throughout the ISO range and retains great detail. Is the Fuji the best of these three cameras then? In pure image quality from the sensor? Yes. In other ways? Not so fast.”

Read it all and see ISO comparison here at Admiring Light.

Fuji X-E1 [shopcountry 8215] Panasonic GH3: [shopcountry 8219] Olympus OM-D E-M5 [shopcountry 8520]

image courtesy: Admiring Light

X100s + X20 test shots

We are all hungry for real X100s and X20 reviews. I check the web every day!

The good thing is, I’m not alone in my daily search. Fujirumors reader Jonti spotted this webiste (translated version) that seems to compare x100 and x100s shots.

thanks Jonti

_

Click here to see X20 sample shots on Flickr or click here for another X20 Flickr photostream.

P.S.: you can preorder the X20 in Belgium, at the PCH store in Brussels. They received a sample of the X20 and took some images of the camera here. For the unboxing video click here. Preorder in silver here, and in black here. They were told by Fujifilm Belgium, that the delivery estimation in Belgium would be March.

P.P.S.: FR-reader M. received an email from the main Fuji Dealer in Ireland. According to the dealer, they will get the X100s on Friday or Monday. Also at AmazonUK the X100s should be released on the March 1. And FR-reader G. emailed me this: “My mate is a fuji dealer and speaks to fuji uk a lot…he told me today that fuji wants us in the uk to have our x100s in our hands in time for the focus on imaging show.. That show runs march 3-6, he says this Friday they should ship and he would be surprised if I did not have cam for Monday.”

image courtesy “just zis guy” on Flickr: “Noise is also pretty good up to ISO 3200 and 6400 is not great but usable if you crank the noise reduction up to the max (+2). 12800 is unusable and only offered so they had say they have it.