Exciting times in September for Fujifilm GFX medium format shooters, with the announcement of no less than five brand new Fujinon lenses. Headline attractions included the Fujinon GF 55mm F1.7 R WR premium fast prime, GF 500mm F5.6 telephoto, a GF power zoom for videography and two new tilt & shift lenses in the shape of the GF 30mm F5.6 T/S and GF 110mm F5.6 T/S Macro. The moderately wide-angle was soon to become one of our favorite GF lenses.
It was an exciting month for Nikon Z owners too, with the news that the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena would be imminently available. Designed to give the utmost quality of bokeh, it’s a lens that we were certainly keen to test and much less keen to give back afterwards. Tamron went on to set an October launch date for the Tamron 17-50mm F4 Di III VXD that we first reported the previous month.
Meanwhile, Sigma had its eyes set on Fujifilm shooters, with the launch of its first ever X-mount telephoto zoom. The Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary was originally designed for Canon and Sony DSLRs, then reworked for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, on its way to the X-mount version. More suitable for a shoestring budget, there was also the announcement of a full-frame compatible TTArtisan 500mm F6.3 prime for Canon EOS R, Nikon Z and Sony mirrorless cameras, with X-mount and GFX mount options to follow.
On the reviews side, September’s standout attraction was undoubtedly the fabulous Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, which we thoroughly enjoyed testing. It’s Nikon’s first ‘affordable’ super-telephoto zoom for Z-system cameras and well worth the money. We also tested the Nikon Z-mount version of the Laowa Argus 28mm F1.2 FF, a fast and wide full-frame and fully manual lens, and gave that one a more mixed review.
