New Fujinon XF8mm f/3.5 R WR ultrawide prime lens for Fujifilm X-mount APS-C cameras leaked with May 24 announcement likely

Fujifilm will hold a Fujifilm X Summit on May 24, where we will see several new announcements from the camera brand. The most recent leak suggests that Fujifilm will release an ultrawide prime lens for its X-mount mirrorless APS-C cameras by way of the Fujinon XF8mm f/3.5 R WR rectilinear lens, according to Fuji Rumors. 

The new ultrawide will be the widest rectilinear APS-C lens, with a field of view equivalent to a 12 mm full-frame lens. Leaked images of the lens suggest it will be quite a compact affair. What makes it truly special, though, is that, despite the wide angle, the lens will have corrective optics to straighten out bowed lines near the edges of the frame.

Nothing has been revealed yet regarding pricing, but there's no indication in the leaked images that the Fujinon XF8mm f/3.5 R WR will be part of Fujifilm's red-badge premium optics lineup, meaning it should be a little bit less expensive than the currently-available wide-angle options for the same system.

The less-than-premium price-point might also mean the lens misses out on features, although the WR in the name indicates that it will at least have weather sealing. Still, it seems unlikely that a quality, compact, rectilinear 8mm prime with a reasonable f/3.5 maximum aperture would be cheap.

Buy the Fujinon XF8-16mm F2.8R LM WR lens on Amazon.