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Tamron has announced the 16-50mm F2.8, a fast standard zoom for all the most popular APS-C mirrorless mounts.

The compact, unstabilized lens arrives in the lineup alongside the existing 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD and will be available for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Sony E and Nikon Z mounts. This makes it one of the few instances of a lens Nikon has lisenced that competes directly with one of its own lenses.

Richard Butler

Elsewhere, the 16-50mm offers a wider alternative to Sigma’s 18-50mm F2.8 and, while it’s physically longer, it takes the same 55mm diameter filter.

The lens delivers a 24-75mm equivalent range on Sony, Fujifilm and Nikon bodes, or a 26-80mm range on Canon RF bodies, making it a useful fast everyday lens as a kit zoom replacement.

At 80mm (3.2″) long and with a diameter of a little over 64mm (2.5″) maximum diameter, it is around half the volume of the stabilized 17-70mm F2.8 VC. And with a weight of 305g (10.8oz), it’s 42% lighter. It’s only 4% longer than the Sigma 18-50mm in their retracted states and around 5% heavier, despite covering an appreciably wider range.

Richard Butler

The new lens features 14 elements in 10 groups, these include one LD low-dispersion element, two molded glass aspherics and two hybrid aspherical lenses. It can focus as close as 15cm (6″) at wide angle, giving 0.22x magnification. Its 7 aperture blade design is the main area you can see costs being cut, vs the 9 blades on the more expensive 17-70mm.

Sadly, we’ve not had a chance to shoot with the 16-50mm yet, but we hope to in the coming weeks.

Richard Butler

The Tamron 16-50mm F2.8 A benefits from the company’s simplified naming system, with “A” indicating that it’s for APS-C and a code number (B091) to distinguish it from any future lenses with similar specs. The Canon, Sony and Nikon versions include a USB-C port, to allow firmware updates. We’re told this is not present on the X-mount version.

The 16-50mm F2.8 will arrive for Sony E-mount and Canon RF users in late October, with Fujifilm X following a month later and Nikon Z hitting the shelves just before the end of the year. It will sell with a list price of $529 for the Sony E and Fujifilm X versions and $549 for Canon and Nikon users. These are at least $170 less expensive than the larger, stabilized 17-70mm F2.8 VC will set you back.

It’s also significantly less than the camera makers’ own-brand 16-50-something F2.8s, which range from $900 for the Nikon 16-50mm F2.8 VR to $1700 for Sony’s 16-55mm F2.8 G.

Fujifilm has announced a new Instax camera, the Square 2. As its name suggests, it takes the company’s square instant film, and it offers some new ways to change how your photos look.

The headline feature of the Square 2 is what Fujifilm is calling “Mood Filters.” With the flick of a switch, you can change “the overall color, tone, or mood” of your photo, putting it into “Warm” mode for a “subtle golden tone” or “Cool” mode for “crisp, blue-toned color.” Of course, you can also shoot without a filter, to get the familiar standard Instax colors.

The Square 2 has also been redesigned. Somewhat ironically, it now features a more rounded design than the boxy SQ1, which was essentially all right angles. However, it comes in the same mix of colors, just with updated: white, red and blue.

Fujifilm

It retains several features from its predecessor, including a selfie mirror mounted to the lens, landscape, close up and standard shooting modes, and automatic exposure and flash settings. The 32mm F6.2 equiv. lens and flash also appear to be unchanged; the camera can focus as close as 0.3m (11.8″), and will take around 7.5 seconds to recharge between flash photos.

The Square 2’s electrical system, however, has been redone. Rather than requiring two somewhat specialized CR2 lithium batteries, it now runs off of four standard AA cells. Fujifilm says you should still be able to get through around 30 packs of film before having to replace them, but, when you do, it should be a bit easier and a lot cheaper.

Alongside the Square 2, Fujifilm has announced a new variant of its square Instax film. While the company will typically tweak the borders around the image, the new variant, called “Soft Haze” changes how the photo itself will look. Fujifilm says it features “color tone with reduced saturation and contrast” and “glowing highlights and warm, diffused shadows.”

The Square 2 will retail for $120 when it launches in late October, and will include a hand strap and batteries. The Soft Haze film, which will work with any camera that shoots the Instax Square format, will be launching around the same time for $18.99 a pack.

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For years, Pelican has dominated the arena of hard-sided roller cases meant to keep camera gear safe while traveling across land, air and sea. And while several competitors have started to crop up, none have really had the same brand recognition.

That may change today, though. Yeti, a company made famous by coolers that has branched out to other outdoorsy gear, has introduced its LoadOut GoBox cases, the smallest option of which is aimed squarely at photographers and videographers.

Yeti

Like most of these kinds of cases, the GoBox is focused on durability. Yeti says it’s designed to withstand “serious impact” and that it’s IP65 and IP67 rated to withstand even total immersion. It also has points that let you lock it closed, and tie-down slots for securely mounting it. Interestingly, Yeti has opted for a segmented, telescoping handle for use when rolling it around.

Unlike Pelican, Yeti isn’t offering a foam insert that you can customize to fit your exact gear. While the case comes empty by default, you can equip it with the company’s “Kor” protective insert, which basically vacuum seal into the shape of your gear. This makes them substantially more reconfigurable than foam, though they cost a pretty penny: Pelican demands about $40 for a roller-bag-sized foam insert (when you purchase it with the case), while the Kor will run you $250.

Yeti

Of course, you can also fill the case with more traditional packing and camera cubes. Yeti sells its own, but they don’t really seem to have the padding you’d want for valuable camera gear.

Like Pelican, Yeti is selling other accessories, too, including multiple organizers for the top lid, which let you keep small bits and bobs oriented.

The GoBox 28 is slightly heavier than the Pelican Protector 1510, which has a similar size and volume: Yeti’s is 6.1kg (13.5lb), versus 5.4kg (12lb). Both companies promise the cases will fit as a carry-on for most airlines, though obviously both will eat into any weight budgets that might exist.

Yeti

Photographers aren’t the only market Yeti’s targeting with the GoBoxes, but with this latest product (and its recent, smaller boxes) the company is clearly starting to take an interest in protecting people’s cameras. It’ll be interesting to see if these start showing up on sets, rather than their Pelican or Nanuk counterparts, though getting people to trust you with their most valuable gear can sometimes be an uphill battle.

The LoadOut GoBox 28 costs $350 by itself, and comes in tan, black and orange. The company also makes much larger 68 and 88 options, but they’re larger than most photographers and videographers would use.

Yeti

Yeti LoadOut GoBox 28

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