Should Fuji release Premium Manual prime lenses?

Hello to all the Fuji X Passion readers,
FXP has always been in a special place in my heart. Starting as a reader to a contributor to the FXP community is something I have never dreamed of. Due to personal matters since the beginning of the year, I have not been contributing at all. So today, I am contributing something that may not be possible, but what if…

Every now and then, even though Fuji has opened up its X-mount protocol, there are manufacturers still releasing manual lenses. Hence, my friends and I always take the opportunity to discuss this possibility and share our thoughts on whether Fuji should ever release manual lenses. It is still a good topic to discuss over the coffee session and let the imagination go wild but within practical means.

I do not know when the first-ever manual lens made for the Fuji X-mount was released, but when I noticed it, it was the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f0.95 II in 2016. It was an expensive manual lens back then, and it is still an expensive one compared to other manual lenses today.

From there onwards, I started to learn about another brand from China, 7Artisans, releasing some affordable manual lenses for X-mount. This was also when I bought my first ever fisheye manual lens.

I think the traction for manual lenses was good because I got to witness more and more new brands coming up with more manual lenses in the next few years. Brands like Rokinon, Meike, TTArtisan, Laowa, etc. The X-mount manual lens market also slowly evolved along the way, splitting into basically 2 different categories: premium ultrafast/fast and compact/affordable. The price is typically well associated with the categories to which the lens belongs.

In the latest release from Voigtlander, the Nokton 35mm f0.9 is nothing but the finest masterpiece from the manufacturer. Of course, it is slapped with a high price tag. A price that is even more expensive than Fujifilm’s very best XF50mm f1 and also the Kipon Ibelux 40mm f0.85.

The release of this lens makes me wonder if it is ever possible for Fuji to release manual lenses for the Fuji Fanboys & Fangirls.

To answer whether there is any possibility of launching manual lenses in this day and age. Allow me to share my point of view.

First, with the release of the X-mount specifications in 2020, manufacturers can access the Fuji X-mount autofocus system. Manufacturers can invest more time and money in their R&D with the autofocus lenses for the X-mount bodies. We actually also witness the rise of manufacturers announcing or releasing their very own autofocus lenses for the X-mount. For example: Sigma, Tamron, Sirui and TTArtisan. So is there still demand for manual lenses in the coming years? (I am aware of the Zeiss Touit series of autofocus lenses. But it’s a special treatment from Fuji for sharing the protocol with Zeiss.)

I think yes. First of all, it comes with cheaper production cost to produce the lens because it spends less hardware material to produce and also eliminates the need to have the engineers improve on the performance of the lens further since the “performance” relies on photographers’ eye power and the speed and accuracy of the fingers. Some examples of hardware material such as the need to include the electronic contact for information exchange between the lens and camera body, lens hood*, autofocus motor (i.e. Linear motor and Stepper motor), and USB port for potential firmware upgrade for better performance.

(*Yes, lens hood. I have discussed this with many manufacturers, and they mentioned that although it is insignificant to the whole of the production cost, manufacturers still want to remove it. But recent new manual lenses released by TTArtisan and Meike, do come with a lens hood. But both lenses are ultra-wide focal lengths, so it might make sense to provide the lens hood for protection from anything.)

Secondly, I believe it also saves a lot of time for the engineers to work on one manual lens and then proceed to the other manual lens (same thing for the assembly line workers), which makes them more effective for the manufacturers.

Lastly, while it is subjective to respective manufacturers, the “cost-saving” gives the photographers a cheaper alternative to access the focal length and aperture value that he/she needs to fulfill the shooting desire. We do have an exceptional brand that does it differently and they do have a market for this. For example, the Voigtlander Nokton series.

I think these 3 reasons should hold for quite a while.

Back to the main point of this post, should Fuji release premium manual prime lenses?

If Fuji wishes to set a new benchmark in the world of manual lenses, first, they can make a trinity of lenses with typical focal lengths of 23mm, 35mm, and 56mm. These focal lengths may be flooded in the market with choices but these focal lengths for sure still are the favorite among photographers.

Secondly, to justify the “premium” tag, the aperture value should be as large as either f0.9 or f0.95. Of course, together with other things like aperture rings and weather resistance are a must-have (it will be even better if the lenses come with square lens hoods).

Today, most manual lenses with such large aperture values suffer some level of vignetting and chromatic aberration. Also, the image quality has some sort of characteristic results like dreamy and soft. I know some photographers love this result, but unfortunately, I do not belong to this group. I prefer sharper, contrasty, and usable results. Fujifilm improved their new generation of lenses with very usable results with wide open and I believe Fujifilm can do this if they ever release their own manual prime lenses.

Lastly, probably design the lenses as compact as possible, like pancake lenses. But here is the thing, the grip of the aperture ring and the heavy reliance on the focus ring have to be comfortable and spaced well apart. Seems like I am pretty demanding on this and I can’t deny that. I have been reviewing quite a few manual lenses, and the experience with the aperture and focus rings is very important for me.

While I am not familiar with Fujifilm and their marketing strategies, this is something I can think of if Fujifilm does not want to streamline these lenses:
Making these lenses limited edition. Fujifilm every now and then does have some special or limited edition product up for the Fanboys and Fangirls to grab, for example: the X100V Disney edition.

Or simply pair them up with the same concept, like X-Pro 2 with XF23mm f2 graphite edition.

Enough of sharing my point of view. I thank everyone who has clicked this post and read it till the end of it just to read another fanboy’s wishlist. But who knows someday this might ever come true.

Thank you for reading.