When Fujifilm launched its new X-series in January 2012, it released
three Fujinon lenses alongside the X-Pro1 and promised to quickly build-up a complete
interchangeable camera and lens system. At the same time, the company provided its camera users with
a roadmap of lenses under development, so that photographers knew what was in the pipeline
and did not have to rely on guesswork or rumors
to trace out their photo gear future. Six years later, we can say that Fujifilm delivered on the projected
expansion of its lens line-up, with more than 20 X-mount lenses, ranging from ultra-wideangle to super-tele, being for sale.
Nevertheless, Fuji continues to update its Fujinon roadmaps to guide its customers in the refinement
of their camera and lens portfolio.
The latest roadmap was unveiled in July 2018.
It shows two new Fujifilm camera lenses for release in 2019: A XF 16mmmm f/2.8 R WR wideangle prime,
as well as a XF 16-80mmmm f/4 R OIS WR standard zoom. In addition, the company promises
an ultra-fast XF 33 f/1 standard prime for 2020.
Moreover, in an
interview with dpreview.com,
Fujifilm executives stated that the
company is aware of remaining gaps in the XF line-up with respect to specialty applications, such as tilt/shift optics and fisheye lenses
(the long rumored Fujinon XF 8mm f/2.8?). So there is hope that we might see some of these type of optics in the
not too distant future.
Fujifilm lens roadmap, July 2018
The X-mount has also been supported by several third-party lens manufacturers. Zeiss already released three
Touit lenses with autofocus functionality for Fujifilm cameras between 2012 and 2014. Samyang is
offering a sizable range of manual focus primes with native Fuji mount, while China-based Handevision and Meike
have equally been selling their lenses in a Fujifilm configuration.
Given the success of the X-series among enthusiast photographers, we
can reasonably expect that third-party support will get even stronger going forward.
Concerning adapted lenses, Fujifilm is selling an M-mount adapter that makes it possible to use
lenses with a Leica M-bayonet
on X-series cameras. Hence, many of the excellent rangefinder primes from Leica, Voigtländer or Zeiss
can be mounted on an X-mirrorless. There are also third-party solutions to adapt other brand's lenses to Fujifilm,
so that one can fill any remaining gaps in the Fujinon line-up with, for example, a
Leica R tele,
but these DSLR optics tend to be a bit larger and heavier than native lenses.
The table below lists the core specifications of native Fuji-mount lenses for ease of comparison. Fujifilm
defines two main lens lines: the XF-series provides "highest quality and technologies", while the
XC-line is "compact and casual". Indeed, XC zoom lenses are often bundled with X-mount cameras to
offer attractively priced kits. The second (2015) versions of the XC 16-50mm and the XC 50-230mm are cosmetically and optically very similar
to the first (2013) version releases, but offer better build quality, smoother operation, and more effective image
stabilization.
Headline Specifications of X-Mount Lenses
Wide-angle Zooms
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR
AF
n
Y
3.5 x 4.8 in
28.4 oz
2018
1,999
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS
AF
72
n
3.1 x 3.4 in
14.5 oz
2013
999
Wide-angle Primes
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fish-Eye
MF
n
n
2.4 x 2.2 in
7.7 oz
2012
299
Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fish-Eye II
MF
n
n
2.4 x 2.6 in
9.7 oz
2014
299
Samyang 8mm f/3.5 UMC Fish-Eye CS II
MF
n
n
3.0 x 4.0 in
18.2 oz
2012
329
Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8
MF
49
n
2.4 x 2.1 in
7.6 oz
2018
499
Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS
MF
n
n
3.4 x 5.2 in
22.0 oz
2013
599
Samyang 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS
MF
67
n
2.9 x 2.3 in
9.2 oz
2014
349
Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8
AF
67
n
3.2 x 3.4 in
9.5 oz
2012
699
Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS FISH-EYE
MF
n
n
3.0 x 3.9 in
19.9 oz
2014
499
Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D
MF
n
n
3.0 x 3.3 in
21.5 oz
2016
979
Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC
MF
n
n
3.4 x 4.8 in
20.3 oz
2010
399
Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R
AF
58
n
2.6 x 2.3 in
8.3 oz
2012
899
Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro
MF
77
n
3.3 x 2.6 in
14.5 oz
2015
529
Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR
AF
67
Y
2.9 x 2.9 in
13.2 oz
2015
999
Samyang 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS
MF
77
n
3.3 x 4.6 in
21.7 oz
2013
399
Fujifilm XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR
AF
49
Y
2.4 x 1.8 in
5.5 oz
2019
399
Fujifilm XF 18mm f/2 R
AF
52
n
2.6 x 1.6 in
4.1 oz
2012
599
Samyang 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC
MF
77
n
3.3 x 4.5 in
19.9 oz
2016
599
Samyang 21mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC CS
MF
58
n
2.5 x 2.7 in
10.2 oz
2015
499
Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R
AF
62
n
2.8 x 2.5 in
10.6 oz
2013
899
Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR
AF
43
Y
2.4 x 2.0 in
6.3 oz
2016
449
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS IF UMC
MF
77
n
3.3 x 4.9 in
22.2 oz
2011
599
Mitakon Freewalker 24mm f/1.7
MF
49
n
2.4 x 2.2 in
8.7 oz
2014
349
Samyang 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC Tilt/Shift
MF
82
n
3.4 x 5.4 in
26.3 oz
2012
999
Meike 25mm f/0.95
MF
55
n
2.5 x 4.0 in
19.0 oz
2016
659
Standard Zooms
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Fujifilm XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ
AF
52
n
2.5 x 1.7 in
4.8 oz
2018
299
Fujifilm XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS
AF
58
n
2.5 x 2.6 in
6.9 oz
2013
199
Fujifilm XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II
AF
58
n
2.5 x 2.6 in
6.9 oz
2015
199
Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR
AF
77
Y
3.3 x 4.2 in
23.1 oz
2015
1,199
Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS
AF
58
n
2.6 x 2.8 in
10.9 oz
2012
699
Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
AF
67
Y
3.0 x 3.9 in
17.3 oz
2014
899
Standard Primes
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8
AF
39
n
2.4 x 0.9 in
2.8 oz
2013
449
Meike 28mm f/2.8
MF
49
n
2.4 x 1.1 in
3.6 oz
2016
89
Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8
AF
52
n
2.6 x 2.4 in
7.4 oz
2012
499
Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95
MF
58
n
2.5 x 3.2 in
24.0 oz
2013
749
Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 II
MF
55
n
2.5 x 2.4 in
16.2 oz
2016
599
Samyang 35mm f/1.2 ED AS UMC CS
MF
62
n
2.7 x 3.0 in
15.3 oz
2016
499
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC
MF
77
n
3.3 x 5.4 in
27.5 oz
2011
599
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4 R
AF
52
n
2.6 x 2.2 in
6.6 oz
2012
599
Meike 35mm f/1.7
MF
49
n
2.4 x 1.6 in
6.2 oz
2016
89
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR
AF
43
Y
2.4 x 1.8 in
6.0 oz
2015
399
Handevision Ibelux 40mm f/0.85
MF
67
n
2.9 x 5.0 in
42.3 oz
2014
2,080
Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6
MF
62
n
2.8 x 3.7 in
14.1 oz
2015
499
Tele-photo Zooms
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR
AF
72
Y
3.3 x 6.9 in
35.1 oz
2014
1,599
Fujifilm XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS
AF
58
n
2.7 x 4.4 in
13.2 oz
2013
399
Fujifilm XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS II
AF
58
n
2.7 x 4.4 in
13.2 oz
2015
399
Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
AF
62
n
3.0 x 4.6 in
20.5 oz
2013
699
Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
AF
82
Y
3.7 x 8.3 in
48.5 oz
2016
1,899
Tele-photo Primes
Focus System (type)
Filter Type (size)
Weather Sealing (y/n)
Lens Dimensions (dia x len)
Lens Weight (net)
Product Launch (year)
Launch Price (USD)
Street Price (USD)
Samyang 50mm f/1.2 AS UMC CS
MF
62
n
2.7 x 3.0 in
13.4 oz
2015
549
Samyang 50mm f/1.4 AS UMC
MF
77
n
3.2 x 4.0 in
21.3 oz
2014
499
Meike 50mm f/2.0
MF
49
n
2.4 x 1.6 in
6.6 oz
2016
89
Fujifilm XF 50mm f/2 R WR
AF
46
Y
2.4 x 2.3 in
7.1 oz
2017
449
Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8
AF
52
n
2.6 x 3.6 in
10.2 oz
2014
999
Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R
AF
62
n
2.9 x 2.8 in
14.3 oz
2014
999
Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD
AF
62
n
2.9 x 2.8 in
14.3 oz
2014
1,499
Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro
AF
39
n
2.5 x 2.8 in
7.6 oz
2012
649
Venus Optics Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro
MF
62
n
2.8 x 3.7 in
17.7 oz
2014
429
Fujifilm XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
AF
62
Y
3.1 x 5.1 in
26.5 oz
2017
1,199
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC
MF
72
n
3.1 x 4.0 in
21.5 oz
2013
399
Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.8
MF
67
n
3.0 x 3.5 in
18.7 oz
2017
499
Samyang 85mm f/1.8
MF
62
n
2.7 x 3.2 in
12.1 oz
2018
399
Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR
AF
62
Y
3.0 x 4.1 in
19.0 oz
2015
949
Samyang 100mm f/2.8 ED UMC MACRO
MF
67
n
2.9 x 5.9 in
27.2 oz
2015
599
Venus Optics Laowa STF 105mm f/2.0
MF
67
n
3.0 x 3.9 in
26.3 oz
2016
729
Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC
MF
77
n
3.2 x 5.8 in
31.0 oz
2015
599
Fujifilm XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR
AF
105
Y
4.8 x 8.1 in
79.9 oz
2018
5,999
Samyang 300mm f/6.3 ED UMC CS
MF
58
n
2.6 x 2.9 in
11.3 oz
2013
299
Further Reading
One of the advantages of mirrorless cameras is the short flange to focal distance that
makes it possible to use a variety of legacy lenses via adapters. Thus, the excellent
Leica R-lenses, for example, can be mounted on to an X-series camera, as can most
Leica M-mount optics. Or, if you just want to experiment with some unusual focal length without
spending too much, what about some of the legacy lenses in the Soligor catalog?