A message landet in my rumor box, from an anonymous source (thanks!), and it shared the answer to one big question about the imminent XF35mmF2… how much will it cost?

Well, according to the source, the price of the XF35mmF2 will be very attractive. It will cost:

€399!

I also got another hint (anonmyous source with nick-name, thanks!) unveiling the price of the 1.4x Teleconverter. It should be of € 449. Not really a bargain, but I’m sure it will deliver great results !

Consider that there might be slight variations according to the EU-country. But in any case, if the information is correct, the 35mmF2 has a really interesting price tag. It will be even cheaper than the XF27mmF2.8 (regular price)!

And now spread the word… and quote the source ;)

enjoy you Sunday
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image shared here on February 12

My rumor box got a message again, and I’m glad to share it here with all of you.

According to the same source, who leaked the October 21 announcement date for the XF35mmF2, also the 1.4x teleconverter will be launched the very same day. Both will hit the market mid-November.

To the source: Thanks again for sharing the rumor… and for giving yourself a nick-name :)

Ok, sure, take the grain of salt. But as of now, for me X-Day is October 21… so stay tuned on FujiRumors. You’ll get the usual live-blogging session.
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P.S.: As shared already back in Febraury 2015, the 1.4x teleconverter will work with the following lenses: XF50-140mm, XF120mmF2.8 R Macro, XF100-400mm. And as said on October 2, unless Fujifilm was able to defy the laws of physics, you’ll lose a stop of light using the 1.4x teleconverter on those lenses.

I got a hint from anonymous source (thanks a lot!), unveiling the announcement of the long-expected weather resistant XF35mmF2.

According to the source, the lens will be announced…

… on October 21. This could fit with what rumored earlier (announcement in late October).

NOTE: Anonymous sources can use a nick-name if they want, so I can recognize them in future.

And what about the 1.4 teleconverter? No word for now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be announced on the same day. And btw, I know I’ve already shared this information several times on FR, but repetita iuvant: as shared first already back in Febraury 2015, the 1.4x teleconverter will work with the following lenses: XF50-140mm, XF120mmF2.8 R Macro, XF100-400mm. And as said on October 2, unless Fujifilm was able to defy the laws of physics, you’ll lose a stop of light using the 1.4x teleconverter on those lenses.

ORGANIC SENSOR

Back in June 2013 here, Fuji & Panasonic announced a new partnership: the goal of this cooperation? Create the first organic sensor, which should deliver industries highest dynamic range, higher light sensitive pixels, a range of incident angle expanded to 60 degrees for faithful color reproduction and more.

An ambitious project, which encountered some difficulties. The last thing I’ve heard here is that the main issue is the high battery drain and heat production.

Now, if 43rumors is right, it will still take a 2 or 3 years before it will be ready for mass production. That’s at least the information 43rumors got from a reliable source here.

This means there won’t be any organic sensor in 2016… if 43rumors sources are right.

SONY SENSOR

Just yesterday Sony officially announced that its sensor division will become a separate company. As SonyAlphaRumors says, “this will help them give autonomy to accelerate decision-making and make them more accountable for their profitability.”

What does this mean for us X-shooters?

It’s a known fact that Fuji purchases its APS-C sensors from Sony. It’s also rumored that, since now, Fuji had to wait half a year before being allowed to use the latest Sony sensor (with X-Trans CFA) for their own cameras.

But now that the sensor division had been split off into a separate company, it’s safe to assume that also the agreements could change. That could explain why my sources said, the X-PRO2 will come in January, and they didn’t seem to be worried at all about the continuous Sony A7000 delay.

I’ll try to dig up more for you…

… and in the meantime, stay tuned and don’t miss anything by following FR also on Fuji X Forum, Facebook, Google+, RSS-feed and Twitter

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4: the IQ of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 for ¼ of the price!

_ _ _

I’ve received an information from a new source, who had a conversation with Sigma. He asked them if they plan to release X-mount versions of their lenses. Well, in short, Sigma’s answer to this source was:

• The Fujifilm X-system market share is too small.
• Due the restricted market share, Sigma currently has no plans at all to release X-mount version of their lenses.
• Fuji should have adopted the M4/3 mount
• Fuji’s fault? By not using the M4/3 mount and offering their own X-mount, Fuji resigned X-shooters to a limited lens selection [Really? Take a look at that, Sigma]
  

That’s a bad news. Especially since over the last year, when Sigma managers were asked if they will offer X-mount versions of their lenses, they didn’t deny this possibility, giving answers like [quote from this video interview] “We always plan to expand our product line for mirrorless cameras. If possible, we would like to support as many systems as possible.” Also to DSLRmagazine Sigma said [google translated]: “I’m pretty sure the market for CSC will grow in the future, do not know how, but we have the belief that we must support as many systems as possible“.

After these statements, a slender hope arose amongst us X-shooters, but according to this information today, waiting for X-mount Sigma lenses is like waiting for Godot.

Now, it’s true that Fuji is not really a giant in the digital camera industry. However, over the last years the X-system grew and it now has a respectable number of followers. I’m convinced that, with the right lens offering & an interesting price tag, Sigma could make some nice money with us X-shooters, as also the Poll here could indicate:

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I do NOT agree with Sigma, when they say that, by not adopting the M4/3 mount, Fuji resigned X-shooters to a limited lens selection. Really? There is plenty of great Fujinon glass out there (and more coming soon). And manufacturers like Samyang, Zeiss, Lensbaby, SLR Magic & more have their X-mount offerings, too. As shown in the amazing complete X-mount glass overview, there are overall 56 X-mount lenses on the market and 6 more are coming soon.

Fujinon glass alone already covers most needs of photographers… and that’s maybe part of the problem for Sigma: all the great Fujinon glass that is already available on the market! It must be hard & risky to compete with it, also for Sigma.

Zeiss tried it with the Touit 12mm and 32mm, but completely failed. Those lenses were too close in FL to existing Fujinon lenses, optically great, but not superior (probably even inferior) to the XF glass and even more expensive than the Fujinons. Result: you can now get them for a fraction of their original price!

Samyang seems to be more successful when it comes to X-mount lenses. They are offering lenses that are still not covered by Fuji (like the Samyang 8mm fisheye) and their probably most successful X-mount lens, the Samyang 12mmF2, convinces with a very low price and good IQ. So no surprise that over at our Fuji X Forum, the Samyang 12mm thread now has 31,828 views and 133 comments… in just 4½ months!

So maybe we should add one more point to Sigma’s thoughts shared at the beginning of this post

• There is so many awesome Fujinon glass out there, that we are afraid to fail when we compete with it, just like Zeiss!

But competition is a good thing for us customers. C’mon Sigma, join the X-mount party and make some pressure on Fuji ;) . Combine the great IQ of your glass with an aggressive price, and you will find many X-shooters ready to invest into it.

And what do you think, should Fuji really have adopted M4/3 mount?

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