Fujifilm Weatherproofs Compact Ultra-Wide Lens

2020.10.15

During a live presentation this morning, Fujifilm released the long-expected refresh of their first ultra-wide zoom for the X-mount. Shortly after launching their entirely new mirrorless platform with a handful of prime lenses, Fujifilm started expanding the lineup and on the second year, they added the XF 10-24mm F/4R OIS. This ultra-wide zoom delivers exceptional image-quality in very light form-factor but in hindsight missed weather-sealing since Fujifilm had not introduced any weatherproof mirrorless yet.

The X-platform turned into one of the biggest successes among mirrorless and was quickly adopted by professionals which prompted Fujifilm to create the X-T1, their first weatherproof mirrorless, in early 2014. With almost 2 years of lenses already in the lineup, they produced new lenses at an unprecedented pace. The first weatherproof ultra-wide came as the spectacular and unrivaled XF 8-16mm F/2.8 LM WR which is also huge and heavy for an APS-C lens.

Today, a revised weatherproof Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm F/4R WR OIS lens was launched to deliver an ultra-wide field-of-view in a light yet professional-grade lens. Although just 2 letters in the name separate it from its predecessor, the new WR model includes a number of improvements over its predecessor in addition to being fully weatherproof and freezeproof down to -10C. The builtin image-stabilization now provides compensation for 3½-stops of shake, one stop more than the original. Although this number seems low, it was typical almost 7 years ago. Additionally. Fujifilm now started incorporating stabilization into camera bodies which can provide the new XF10-24mm F/4R WR OIS with 6½-stops of stabilization.

Nearly the same dimensions and overall design were kept which is understandable given how successful the original 10-24mm is. Internally though, the optical and mechanical construction has been completely reworked to deliver the level of performance demanded by recent X-series cameras. A new silent motors and mechanics allow the XF10-24mm F/4R WR OIS to be even lighter, at 385g, than its predecessor.

Fujfiilm switched the aperture-ring to one with a marked scale and locking mechanism to avoid accidental mode changes. This lens and its predecessor are among the view ultra-wide zooms which support standard front-mounted filters. Even with all these improvements, the price of the new XF 10-24mm F/4R WR OIS is surprisingly low at $1000 USD or $1350 CAD. It is expected to ship in November.

Reputable Adorama and B&H Photo are already accepting pre-orders for what is a guaranteed success, so pre-orders yours now to get it as soon as it becomes available.

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