Good Bye Made In Japan: Fujinon X-Lens Production Moving To Philippines. New Product Number Reason for “NEW” 18-135 and 27

Fujinon XF 27mm now made in Philippines
Fujinon XF 27mm now made in Philippines

shared by FR-reader Kris here

Good Bye Made in Japan

In the last 2 days, we have seen stores like AmazonUK saying that a new version of the XF18-135 and XF27 is coming.

Well… I have an update for you, that could explain why all these “new versions” pop up on stores.

A kind source (thanks) informed me that Fujifilm is moving the production of some X-mount lenses (maybe even ALL X-mount lenses), to the Philippines.

This has been also proven by a FR-reader, who shared with us the images of his XF27mm made in the Philippines. And by moving the lens production to another country, Fujifilm has changed the product number… hence now stores are listing it as “New”… but it’s just a new product number.

And when the Spanish store earlier today shared the XF27mm II “PH”, well, PH could stand for “Philippines”. But even if it does not stand for Philippines, it’s not really relevant at this point. Fact is (oh sorry, I should say “rumor has it”) that X-mount lens production is moving to the Philippines.

So… what once was made in Japan, or China (27mm) or Thailand, is now (or will soon be) made in Philippines, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as the quality remains the same (and let me add: also the fair treatment of workers… treat your workers well, and the products will be better, too)

For the complete picture: 27mm, 18-135, XC lenses and cameras like the X-M1 and so forth, are already made in China and Thailand. But the lens production is moving all to Philippines now… even the Japanese XF lenses.

As some of you might remember, I reported about Fujifilm opening factories for lens production in the Philippines back in 2013.

Fujinon X-mount factory in Philippines
Fujinon X-mount factory in Philippines

New “Fujifilm XF 27mmF2.8 II” listed at Spanish Store

Just yesterday I reported, how several stores are saying that a new XF 18-135 and XF27mm are coming.

Well, here is another one.

A Spanish FR-reader told me that his local store is listing both, the classic XF27mmF2.8 and a mysterious New XF27mmF2.8 II PH.

The specs listed at the store for both lenses are identical (so evidently copy & paste from the original 27).

Maybe all this means nothing… or maybe where there is smoke there is fire ;).

Anyway, wouldn’t it be nice to have a XF27mmF2.8 MK II with aperture ring, just like Fujifilm’s first XF27mm mock-ups displayed at official events years ago?

  • The American West & Route 66, shot with a Fujifilm X-T20 and a XF27mmF2.8 pancake lens at Rico’s flickr here…. I wonder if it’s the Mark I or Mark II :-)

take care, fellow Fuji shooters… and stay tuned for updates
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Amazon UK (and More Stores) Says: “There is A Newer FUJIFILM XF 18-135 and XF 27mm Coming”

 

Let’s talk about the Fujinon XF 18-135 lens, one of my favorite travel lenses ever, and about the XF27mm.

Back in March, Fujifilm said here that they are having some production issues with the XF 18-135 “[google translated] due to lack of procurement of some parts” and that the situation will be solved “around summer“.

But something strange is happening in the last few weeks. Some stores seem to indicate that a newer version is on the way, of both, the 18-135 and the 27.

Here is what they say:

18-135 mm: AmazonUK: “There is a newer model of this item → This item has not yet been released.”

27 mm: AmazonUK: “There is a newer model of this item → Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.”

Fotokoch: This German Store marked the XF18-135 as well as the XF27mm as as “Neuheit“, which in German does not mean simply it’s a new, unused item. It means it is a completely new product on the market. That’s why I got many emails from German FR-readers pointing me to this store. I don’t know if there is a equivalent English word for “Neuheit“. Foto Koch says they will ship the new 18-135 in the end of July but they don’t give any shipping indication for the new 27mm.

Other stores just mark the 18-135 as back-ordered, whereas the 27mm is usually in stock.

BHphoto: “Back-ordered. Expected availability: Jul 17, 2017”
Adorama: “Back-ordered”
AmazonDE: “This item is not yet available
WexUK: “Awaiting Stock”

 

 

Phottix Hints Again Fujifilm Support :)

Phottix continues to be quite enigmatic, regarding their Fujifilm support.

When they launched the Ares II flash trigger back in February, when asked about Fuji support, they answered: “You never know what the future holds” (article here)

Well, recently they gave another hint on their facebook page here. They shared a video of a Fuji user using the Phottix Indra 500 and Indra 360, and in the comments they said:

“No dedicated Fuji trigger, yet.”

When asked more explicitly if they plan Fuji support, they answered:

“Fujirumors says we do” [here is the article with the rumor]

The flash problems for Fuji users will soon belong to the past. Godox & Co are all working on support. And how else could it be, given that in the last 5 years the Fuji X (and now also G) system exploded. The Fuji X (and G) user market can’t be ignored anymore.

Fujifilm EU Deals Start Tomorrow… Save Up to € 329

A trusted source anticipated it to us here (thanks again)… and now I have a few more details  for you from a fellow FR-reader.

Here is the deal:

Starting from tomorrow, at least in some EU countries (for example Germany), you will be able to get

  • € 200 Instant Rebate on X-Pro2
  • € 329 discount on X-T2 (you get the Vertical Grip for Free)

And the lenses? I have no information for now, but let’s hope they will be included too.

Graphite Silver Fujifilm X-T2: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, AmazonITA, AmazonFR, AmazonESP, PCHstore, WexUK
Fujifilm X-T2:AmazonDE, Calumentphoto DE, AmazonUK, AmazonITA, AmazonFR, AmazonESP, PCHstore, WexUK
Fujifilm X-Pro2: AmazonDE / AmazonUK / WexUK / PCHstore / AmazonITA / AmazonFR / AmazonES