Oops I did it Again: I Bought my Dream Lens and Here is Why

image taken with Fujifilm X-T4 and XF80mmF2.8
image taken with Fujifilm X-T4 and XF80mmF2.8

I Failed

I tried, but I failed.

And I failed in less than 48 hours.

I am afraid too many of you guys know what I talk about: try to resist to G.A.S!

It all started February 1st, when Fujifilm launched new deals here in Italy (and all over Europe). And to my surprise, the deals included one of my top 3 Fujifilm items on my 2022 wishlist.

Less than 48 hours after the launch of deals, I found myself at my local photography store, my credit card flying over the sales counter and in my bag a box containing the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5.

And don’t worry, my wife approved this purchase… now all I need is her to approve also my other two Fuji-dreams gear 2022, meaning this camera and this lens ;).

I am Happy I Failed :)

Here is why I bought it, and I am so excited about this lens.

As you know, last year I bought into the Fujifilm GFX system by treating myself with a Fujifilm GFX100S and Fujinon GF32-64mmF4.

My main application for this wonderful combo is landscape photography.

So how is that working out?

Well, my go-to bag for hiking is my Camslinger Outdoor. I love the practicality of it to a point, that I won’t buy gear (for landscape photography) that does not fit in there. And despite having a sensor about 70% larger than full frame, the GFX100S with GF32-64mmF4 still fits!

So, for me, this combo is compact enough, and I can easily make my usual 4 to 6 hours hike with the GFX100S and GF32-64 on my hips.

Why do I say this?

Because I want to make clear that I don’t perceive the GFX100S with GF32-64 as too big for the purpose of landscape photography, especially considering what it is: a 100 megapixel medium format system that I can carry around all day on my hips. It’s frankly amazing.

But while it is a surprisingly compact combo for the purpose of landscape photography, the GFX100S combined with the GF32-64mmF4 is not small enough for my taste to bring it with me for more casual shooting, may it be for my street photography or to document my family life.

By getting the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5, though, the whole combo gets substantially smaller and lighter, making it much more portable and easier to pick also for casual photography.

And to be clear: my well-equipped APS-C system is and remains king when it comes to flexibility, performance and value for money. I still take my X system with me on hikes, on my travels, on my day trips with family and I also blindly trust it in crucial moments like when I had to photography my first wedding.

But owning the GF50mmF3.5 simply gives me more options and opportunities to pick up my GFX100S more often if I want to.

I am very happy with my purchase and I can’t wait to use use it comprehensively starting with this weekend.

We (my family and me) are probably going to the town of Sirmione this Saturday. I have never been there and can’t wait to test my new lens in such a wonderful little lake town.

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Top 3 Fujifilm Gear I’d Love to Buy in 2022

I think I can say that in 2021 I’ve done a decent part in supporting Fujifilm with my hard earned money, as here is the Fujifilm gear I’ve purchased:

For as much as Fujifilm made medium format accessible to the masses, buying into the 100 Megapixel GFX system still requires a significant investment. It’s worth every penny, but it’s not cheap.

So in 2022 I will try to contain my GAS as much as possible and be cautious with my purchases (do I hear you guys laughing?? ;) )

And yet, there is some gear I’d love to buy in 2022. And I mean gear that is either already announced, available or at least on the Fujifilm roadmap for 2022. So this is not about rumored gear.

  1. Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5
    One of the main declared goals by Fujifilm is to make the GFX system smaller. A huge step in this direction was made with the Fujifilm GFX100S, which is already smaller than some full frame mirrorless cameras out there (see the Panasonic S1R) and about as big as the Canon R5. Sure, the GFX lenses are usually bigger, just as Full Frame lenses are usually bigger than APS-C lenses. Well, the Fujinon GF50mmF3.5 serves exactly the purpose to make the system smaller and mounted on my GFX100S, it could give me a very nice combo that I would probably end up carrying with me more often also for casual family stuff. And hey, I need 2 more GFX lenses to reach the average GFX shooters’ lens attachment rate* ;)
  2. Fujifilm X100V
    I mean, just look at it. It’s of a beauty matched maybe only by some Leica cameras. The only problem here is that I own the Fujifilm X-E3 with XF27mmF2.8 R WR, so the Fujifilm X100V would become a bit redundant in my lineup. And yet, it would not only be about its beauty. It also has the pull-up ISO dial from the X-Pro line that I totally love. Combined with WCL-100 II and TCL-100 II it would give me a compact and versatile leaf shutter mini-system. And just like the X-E4 it has that “invisible” tilt LCD screen that I could make good use of every now and then.
  3. Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
    You might know how much Iove my XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6, especially when mounted on my X-T4 (you can see the combo here on the Dolomites). But in 2022 I’d love to get a bit more into a photographic territory I haven’t explored much yet, wildlife photography. That’s why a bit more reach could come in handy then the one the 18-135 can offer me. There are some options here: from the XF200mmF2 to the XF100-400 to the XF150-600mm that is on the roadmap. And why not, also the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 could be a nice option. But taking into account prize and size, I think the  XF70-300mm f/4-5.6 could be a reasonable choice to start with. And for even more reach I could couple it with the XF 1.4x TC WR Teleconverter.

Bonus

Related Article

The Gear

*From the Interview “Fujifilm Manager: GFX Triumph and Full Frame Attack Strategy, Shrinking IBIS, AI Future, Fuji X-H2 Needs Breakthrough, COVID and More”

  • 70-80% of GFX customers were coming from non-Fuji cameras. Most probably from full frame DSLR cameras
  • GFX sells 50% better than Fujifilm predicted
  • GFX lens attachment rate: about 3 lenses per 1 GFX camera
  • Fujifilm X system has a lower lens attachment rate than GFX system
  • read more in this article

Fujinon 2019: Which one Was Fuji’s Most Important Lens in 2019? POLL

Fujinon Lenses 2019

BHphoto has published an article about all 4 new Fujinon lenses released in 2019.

You can check it out here.

As you can see, the release perfectly fits with what FujiRumors told you years ago, meaning that Fujifilm will NOT release more than 2 or 3 XF and 2 or 3 GF lenses a year. So a total of 4 to 6 lenses.

But in my opinion, 4 lenses are not enough!

There should be more, and I hope in 2020 will will see at least a total of 6 new X/GFX lenses. We need:

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Top 3 Selling Cameras, Lenses, Software and Accessories for September on FujiRumors

Here is the list of top selling gear and software on FujiRumors for September 2019.

TOP 3 SELLING…

Top Accessories

Top Fujifilm Series Cameras

The crazy X-H1 rebate is over, so I guess that’s the last month, where we will see the Fujifilm X-H1 on the top of the ranking.

Top Fujinon Lenses

The brand new Fujinon XF16-80 takes the first spot. It’s apparently a best seller, since Top Manager Toshihisa Iida said at the recent Fujifilm X Summit, that pre-orders are high, and the factory is working hard to try to match initial demand as fast as possible.

Top X Mount Third Party Lenses

Top Software

  1. Luminar 4
  2. Capture One Pro 12
  3. Adobe Creative Cloud

Fake sky replacement and automatic intelligent selective clarity seem to be features people love, since they catapulted Luminar 4 at the top selling position, dethroning Capture One Pro 12.

LEAKED: Fujinon XF16-80mm f4 Press Release: 6 Stop OIS and Priced $799

Fujifilm USA pulled the trigger a bit too early, and published the full press release of the Fujinon XF 16-80mmF4.

It’s all copied down below, so do not panic even if they remove it :).

Please note the nice feature:

“The OIS can also automatically detect when the camera is being used with a tripod and adjust its performance to provide optimum image quality.”

The official annoucnement is tomorrow, July 18, at 1AM New York time

Full XF 16-80mm F4 Press Release

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Updated Fujifilm 2019/2020 Camera and Lens Release Timeline

Fujifilm Timeline

It’s high time to update our older Fujifilm 2019/2020 camera and lens release timeline.

This is just an approximate timeline and expect to see updates to this list over the next few weeks and months.

For now, this is mainly just an update to the list we shared back in January.

All rumors are as always exclusive FujiRumors.com information. When I just make some guess, I will highlight that for you in the notes.

  • IMPORTANT NOTE: We are talking about release timeline, not announcement timeline.

How Many Lenses a Year?

  • as we told you here, at the current pace and current resources, Fujifilm can release about 2/3 GF and 2/3 XF lenses a year
  • the list below contains 1 XF and 1 GF lens
  • hence we can expect to see 1/2 more XF and 1/2 more GF lenses to join the list
  • Fujifilm has given up options to vote which lenses should come next

Fall 2019

Coming 2020

Expect 1 or 2 more X as well as GF lenses. My guess:

  • GF 21mm F4 Tilt Shift
  • XF 10mm F2

Probably NOT Coming 2019/2020

* our sources say it will not be released in 2019, and probably not even in 2020. But Fujifilm managers confirmed here, that the X-H line will continue

Top Possible Bonus Gear in 2020

* based on this old rumor rumor
** wishful thinking based on XF10 disappointment
*** no rumors. but please, FUJI, PLEASE!!!
**** no rumor, just a mere wild guess

BREAKING RUMORS on FujiRumors Facebook, Flipboard, Youtube, Instagram, RSS-feed and Twitter

Rumors and Discussions

Stay in the Loop

Fuji Guy Billy: Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.0 Development Challenge, XF 16-80mm f/4 very silent AF, X-H1 Market Misunderstanding and More

Fuji Guy Billy Interview

Fuji Guy Billy joined the Fujilove podcast. For those of you, who are right now on the road or at work and you can’t listen to it all at iTunes, Stitcher or on fujilove, here are the key points:

Fujinon X Mount Lenses

Fujifilm X100, X-E3, X-T20 and X-T3

  • Fujifilm X100 was the game changer and started the X series success
  • When developing the X100, Fujifilm wondered who is going to buy a fixed lens camera at this price point, but it turned out to be a success
  • Fujifilm X-T3 is balance of size, weight and quality in a good price point, but for Billy even the X-T3 is big
  • Billy’s go-to camera is the Fujifilm X-E3, paired with XF35mmF2, XF23mmF2 and occasionally the XF50mmF2 because of portability
  • Fujifilm X-T20 with no joystick is a dealbreaker for him

Fujifilm X-H1

  • Fujifilm X-H1 latest firmware introduced lots of improvements and the new lower price makes it very tempting
  • The Fujifilm X-H1 maybe has been misunderstood by the market. It had a lot of new video features, so people considered it more a video camera. But it is also a better and more robust camera, and facilitates handling of bigger lenses. For Professionals weight is sometimes not a problem, but more durability. That’s why Fujifilm launched the Fujifilm X-H1. It should also appeal to DSLR customers, who were on the fence of switching to mirrorless. IBIS is quite nice also for photography, especially in low light
  • Shutter has an S1 (half press) and S2 (full contact to release shutter) position. Regarding the Fujifilm X-H1, you can contact your Fujifilm service and see if they have an option to adjust the S1 and S2 position to your taste (low, medium or high). There might be a charge for that service, depending on your country

IBIS

  • Fujifilm wanted to make an excellent IBIS system, and it is one of the best on the market. But the size of the system was too big to put it into other X-series cameras. At this moment, it can’t fit in other cameras, but hopefully one day IBIS can be designed smaller and make it fit on other cameras

Fujinon G Mount Lenses

  • Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5 coming in 2019 and Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4 in 2020
  • Fujinon GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR: If you look to move into medium format, you don’t have many lenses initially to choose from, so zoom lenses can cover various focal lengths. The GF100-200 is compatible with teleconverter. It’s a little bit heavier, but very sharp. At that focal length with medium format sensor, you can isolate your subject very well

External Battery Packs

Navigate Menu

  • Tips and Tricks: Best way to navigate the menu is using the front and rear command dial. Front dial jumps from page to page, and rear dial jumps from item to item

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Fujifilm 2019 Camera and Lens Release Timeline (and a bit of 2020)

Fujifilm 2019 Timeline

It’s time to put some order in the myriad of rumors, and give you guys a timeline of the Fujifilm products that will come in 2019, as well as give a quick glance at 2020.

This is just an approximate timeline, that I will update as soon as I get new information.

January/April 2019

  • Fujifilm X-T30*
  • Fujinon XF16mm f/2.8 R WR*
  • Fujinon GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR*

* based on our rumors

May/August 2019

  • Fujinon GFX100*
  • Fujinon XF16-80mm  f/4 R LM OIS WR**
  • Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5 LM WR***

* based on our rumors
** our sources say XF 16-80 will not come in early 2019
*** just an educated guess by FujiRumors, but it could make sense to announce it along with Fujifilm GFX100

September/December 2019

  • Fujifilm X-Pro3*
  • Fujifilm X100F Successor*

* based on reports at techardar. I place them in the second half of 2019, because I do not think their release is imminent (if techradar is right about 2019 release)

Top Possible Bonus Gear in 2019/2020

  • Fujinon GF 80mm f/1.4 R LM WR*
  • Fujifilm X80**
  • older XF lenses refresh***

*based on rumor
** wishful thinking based on XF10 disappointment :)
*** no rumors. but please, FUJI, PLEASE!!!

Coming 2020

  • Fujifilm X-H2*
  • Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0 R LM WR**
  • Fujinon GF 45-100mm f/4 R LM OIS WR**

* our sources say it will not be released in 2019, hence must be sometimes in 2020, since I don’t think Fuji will wait until 2021
** based on official Fujifilm roadmap

Probably Not Coming in 2019/2020

  • Fujifilm X-E4

TOP DEALS

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First Used Fujifilm X Half Cameras Available, Fujifilm X100F and More Used Fujifilm Gear

The first used Fujifilm X half cameras are now listed at BHphoto.

There is also a used Fujifilm X100F available as well as the Fujifilm X100V (but the V is overpriced)

But there is a lot more Fujifilm gear listed used at BHphoto. For example:

Digital Fujifilm XPan in 2028? Fujifilm’s Latest Lens Patent Points to the Fujifilm TX-3 Panoramic Camera

A while ago, we shared that Fujifilm was considering launching a digital successor to the legendary XPan/TX series in 2028.

For now, let’s just call it the Fujifilm TX-3 — the spiritual digital follow-up to the Fujifilm TX-2 panoramic film camera.

Back in 2024, when we first reported on this, we clearly said it was just something Fujifilm was considering. If they decide to move forward, the plan would be to launch it in time for the 30th anniversary of the original Fujifilm TX-1 — a true 65×24 format panoramic camera introduced in 1998.

The last update I received dates back to September 2024, and it hinted at the possible sensor details. Since then… silence.

Until now.

Today, we may have a new clue to add to the Fujifilm TX-3 puzzle.

We just reported on a Fujifilm lens patent. And in this patent FR-reader Mistral spotted something interesting — something that might relate to the upcoming digital TX/XPan camera.

In fact, looking at all the examples included in the patent, Mistral noticed that they might be actually indicating lenses for a panoramic camera.

  • very large angle of view: 90° to 110°, except for the last of the 21 examples, which is an outlier (35mm f/1,6 with a back focus of 21mm, designed for a 24×36 sensor)
  • too short back focus for an interchangeable lens: 9mm to 13mm
  • odd image circle diameter: 50mm, too big for a 24×36 sensor, too small for a 33×44 sensor but suited to the 24:65 crop of a 33×44 sensor.

Looking at the patent, we’d get something like a 21mm f/2.8. If you want to know the in-depth calculations and observations, make sure to check out Mistral’s post at the French forum chassimages here.

So will we really get a digital Fujifilm XPan in 2028?

Well, that would be a dream come true for many of us. And personally, I hope the rumor becomes reality.

And if anyone can pull this off, then it’s Fujifilm, because it’s a company that thinks differently.

A company with such a massive photographic culture that it understands that cultivating a niche means cultivating the true passion for photography.

If anyone can bring back the spirit of the XPan for a new digital age, it’s Fujifilm. And I truly hope they do.

But what about you? Happy about it or do you consider it a waste of resources?

Fujifilm TX-3 Rumors