Fujifilm announces 200mm f/2 lens and puts 33mm f/1.0 lens on roadmap

Fujifilm has announced a bright telephoto lens for its system cameras. It is a 200mm f/2.0 lens with image stabilization, which is bundled with a 1.4x teleconverter. Furthermore, the manufacturer plans to make a 33mm f/1.0 lens.

With the Fujinon XF 200mm F2 R LM OIS WR lens, which is sealed against dust and moisture, Fujifilm targets sports and wildlife photographers. The lens weighs 2.3 kg and has an optical design consisting of nineteen lens elements. The glass on the front has a fluorine coating that is water-repellent and should also keep out finger marks.

Fujifilm bundles the lens with a 1.4x teleconverter. Using it results in a 280mm f/2.8 lens. Combined with the 1.5x crop factor of the aps-c sensor on Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, this results in a full-frame equivalent of 420mm. Like the lens itself, the teleconverter is sealed against dust and moisture. The manufacturer will release the bundle at the end of October for a suggested retail price of $6000. Converted with VAT, that is about 6230 euros.

Fujifilm also announces a new ultra-wide angle lens, the XF 8-16mm F2.8 R LM WR. This lens consists of twenty lens elements and has a minimum focusing distance of 25 centimeters. The wide angle is also sealed against dust and moisture. Fujifilm expects to release the 8-16mm in November for $2,000, about $2,077 with VAT.

Fujifilm has also adjusted its roadmap with future lenses on it. The most notable addition is the XF 33mm F1. That very bright lens should be on the market in 2020. In addition, the manufacturer is working on a 16mm f/2.8 lens and a 16-80mm f/4 zoom with image stabilization, both should be ready in 2019.

To accelerate the production of new lenses, Fujifilm is expanding its factories in Japan. The first expansions should be operational in September this year and when everything is ready, Fujifilm expects to be able to increase production capacity by 70 percent in 2020 compared to the current situation.