There is still one more little announcement left for this year! Fuji will release the XF 10-24mm zoom on November 20. The next lens announcement will follow soon after: The XF 56mm is coming on January 6. Great Fuji! But where is our X-PRO2 with new sensor? :)
Today Pentax announced the release of a new Q-mount wide anle zoom. It’s the smallest and lightest ultra-wide angle zoom of any mirrorless system. It’s 17.5mm-27mm (FF equivalent) and has a f/3.7-4 aperture.
Press text:
RICOH IMAGING U.K LTD. is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX-08 WIDE ZOOM ultra-wide-angle zoom lens, designed exclusively for use with super-compact Q-mount digital lens-interchangeable cameras.
The latest model in the high-performance Q-mount lens series, the PENTAX-08 WIDE ZOOM is the world’s smallest, and lightest ultra-wide-angle zoom lens on the market.* When mounted on the PENTAX Q7 camera body, it provides focal-length coverage from 17.5mm to 27mm (in 35mm format), making it suitable for a wide variety of subjects including snapshots, architecture and sweeping landscapes.
* The world’s smallest, and lightest ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with a focal length of 20mm (in 35mm format) or shorter at its wide-angle end, as of November 1, 2013 (based on RICOH IMAGING research).
1. Super-compact, ultra-lightweight design
The incorporation of three molded-glass aspherical elements in its optics, means that this zoom lens has the shortest overall length (approximately 38mm) in the Q-mount zoom lens range and features a super-compact body weighing a mere 75g. With its pocket size and unique focal-length coverage from 17.5mm to 27mm in 35mm format (with a Q7 camera body), it can be used for a wide range of subjects and applications — especially for shooting in confined spaces where the subject is close to the camera, and for scenic photography with exaggerated perspectives. Its machined-aluminium barrel cam assures a smooth, comfortable zooming operation.
2. Exceptional visual description
The incorporation of a moulded-glass DSA (Dual Super Aspherical) element in the first optical group means this lens reduces distortion to a minimum. By incorporating two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and one super-low-dispersion glass element in its optics, it delivers clear, high-resolution images with edge-to-edge sharpness, while effectively compensating for chromatic aberration over the entire zoom range.
3. Other features
RRP: £429.99
Availability: TBA
Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and Fuji are fully pushing their mirrorless system while big companies and Samsung, Canon and Nikon seem to not have a clear vision about their future strategy. This is the situation:
Samsung: They should announced the NX20 successor in January-February. In general Samsung will focus on new High End Camera and Lens products.
Nikon: The Nikon 1 system isn’t selling as expected and the future seems uncertain. With the new Nikon DF announcement they once again confirm that DSLR is their present and future strategy. There is no rumor about any APS-C or FF mirrorless camera release in 2014.
Canon: DPP (Digital Photo Professional) already had listed the EOS-M2 but it seems like Canon is delaying the camera release. Like Nikon also Canon sees the mirrorless camera industry as a “non-serious” market.
Of the three companies Samsung is the only company really investing and believing in mirrorless. But it looks like they still didn’t find the way to make their system successful.
The last announcement of the year will be that Nikon DF DSLR camera (yep, it’s not a mirrorless!). The next bunch of mirrorless cameras will be announced in late January, early February 2014. And according to some trusted sources there will be certainly a new Olympus MFT camera (not a PEN!) and a couple of Sony cameras. This should include the long overdue NEX-7 successor.
P.S.: I still don’t know if that Nikon looks good, bad, weird or what :)
Samsung NX 60mm ƒ/2.8 Macro lens review at SeriousCompacts.
Fuji X-M1 review at ThePhoBlographer.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 (Admiringlight).
Using Manual Focus Lenses on Mirrorless Cameras (Admiringlight).
Pentax Q7 review at Trustedreviews.
First Impressions: Leica X Vario (ThePhoBlographer)
Fujifilm X-M1 review at Dpreview.
Samsung NX300 review at Sonyalphalab.
Carl Zeiss Touit 12 mm f/2.8 review at Lenstip.
Fuji X-A1 image samples at ePhotozine.
Fujifilm X20 review at CameraLabs.
Review: Pentax Q7 SR (ThePhoBlographer).
Samsung Galaxy NX review at ePhotozine.
Sony E-Mount Lenses Field Test (Riflessifotografici).
Leica C type test at Digitalversus.
Fuji X-E2 first look by Ron Mart.
Nikon 1 AW1 Review at ePhotozine.
Nikon 1 Nikkor 10-100 mm VR f4.0-5.6 lens review: Ultimate travel companion? (DxOmark).
Leica M type review at ThePhoBlographer.
It took four years to get a first non Leica and affordable Full Frame camera. And now that we have the A7 and A7r Sony will not stop at all! Egami found that Sony patent describing an ultra compact Sony NEX-5 Full Frame camera! And according to one of our sources Sony will indeed launch more bodies 2014 including some that will be cheaper and smaller than the A7. It almost sounds like Full Frame and not APS-C will become the mainstream mirrorless system sensor. If Sony can keep the price down than this makes sense to create a clear advantage over the competition. The one big issue is that FF lenses will be big. On the other side you can use smaller APS-C lenses in crop mode if you care about size. Sounds intriguing!
Image courtesy: Camerasize.
Now I am 100% sure that Fuji will likely be the first company to challenge the Sony FF mirrorless cameras!
1) Next year (2014) they will launch a new X200 Full Frame fixed lens camera that will compete against the Sony RX1. But unlike the RX1 the X200 will have a built-in hybrid viewfinder.
2) In early 2015 Fuji will then launch a complete new Full Frame mirrorless and interchangeable camera. It will compete against the Sony A7-A7r (and future A9) series.
It’s also 100% clear that Fuji will develop their own Organic sensor for these cameras. They will not borrow the sensor from Sony!
