If you've been waiting years for Sigma to release its lenses for Fujifilm X-series cameras, your patience should soon be rewarded – fresh speculation suggests its debut X-Mount glass will finally arrive on February 21.
That's according to the reliable Fuji Rumors, which says that "according to information we have received, Sigma will announce its first autofocus X mount lenses on February 21".
Which lenses will it announce? According to the site, it'll be three primes: the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary, 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary, and 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary.
On full-frame cameras, those focal lengths work out as 24mm (good for travel and street snapping), 45mm (close to a 'nifty fifty') and 84mm (a mid-telephoto view that's ideal for portraits). Sigma certainly has more exciting lenses in its lineup, but hopefully these are the ones it's using to test the Fujifilm waters.
What isn't yet clear is whether or not the lenses or their optical formulas have been tweaked for the X-Series. One of the key characteristics of Fujifilm lenses is their aperture rings, which help give its cameras a tactile shooting experience.
None of those Sigma lenses, which are currently available for Sony E-Mount and Micro Four Thirds, have aperture rings, so it remains to be seen if the Japanese lens maker has tailored its primes for Fujifilm fans.
The lack of a scheduled launch event, at least at the time of writing, has also cast a little doubt over whether that February 21 date is accurate. But it's possible that the 'Sigma Stage' presentations are reserved for brand new lenses, rather than adaptations like these new launches.
Sigma has also said on its CP+ 2022 page that it will "introduce a number of new products just announced" at the trade show, which starts on February 21.
Analysis: X-series primes hopefully just the start
For Fuji fans, the most interesting new lens from that rumored trio of Sigma primes is probably the 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary. Fujifilm currently offers the older XF56mm f/1.2 R and compact XF50mm f/2, but Sigma's lens should slot nicely between the two in terms of price and size.
All three of those rumored lenses are pretty affordable options, collectively costing around $1,000 / £1,000 on other mounts. But it's a shame Sigma doesn't appear to be launching its new Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN for the X-Mount, at least in this first wave of adapted lenses.
That lens is arrived for Sony E-Mount and the L-Mount (supported by Panasonic and Leica cameras) in October and is the smallest and lightest zoom of its type. This would make it a great companion to Fujifilm's cameras, which are mostly pretty compact compared to their full-frame rivals.
It seems we'll have to wait even longer for more premium, niche lenses, like Sigma's Art collection, to arrive on Fujifilm cameras. But if these first rumored primes sell well, perhaps that'll give Sigma the impetus to flesh out its range for the X-Mount.
With the recent arrival of the OM System OM-1, and upcoming Panasonic GH6, photography fans who prefer more compact mirrorless cameras are finally getting some improved alternatives to full-frame bodies, and Fujifilm is expected to add to that list of options in May with the launch of the Fujifilm X-H2 at its X Summit in May.
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