A milestone lens from Fujifilm, the quiet end of an era for Pentax, and a genuinely absurd vintage lens worth knowing about.
This week in photography: Fujifilm announces a serious new 609mm equivalent super telephoto prime, OM System teases a new Pen camera, Pentax DSLRs officially end production in Japan, and Metabones makes a comeback.
Fujifilm Announces the XF400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR
Fujifilm has announced the Fujinon XF400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR, a new super telephoto prime lens with an equivalent full frame focal length of 609mm, promising some of the highest optical performance in the entire XF lens lineup. This is a genuinely significant release for wildlife and sports photographers working on Fujifilm’s X mount system, where serious super telephoto options have historically been thinner on the ground than on the larger full frame systems. A lens at this reach with weather sealing and image stabilization gives X mount shooters a real professional grade option they have been asking for.
OM System Teases a New Pen Series Camera Launching September 9
OM System has published a short teaser tracing the Pen camera line back to its 1959 origin as the first half frame film camera produced in Japan, celebrated at the time for its extremely small size, before revealing a silhouette of a 2026 iteration. The Pen name carried through decades of film cameras and into the Digital Pen released in 2009. A full reveal is expected September 9, just days from now. Worth watching closely for anyone who has appreciated OM System’s compact, travel focused design philosophy in recent releases.
Pentax DSLRs Quietly End Production in Japan
Ricoh Imaging’s Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR, originally announced back in 2018, has reportedly been discontinued across all major Japanese retailers, which means there are now no Pentax DSLRs remaining in active production in Japan. This is a quiet but genuinely significant milestone, marking the effective end of an era for one of the last manufacturers still meaningfully supporting the DSLR format. For photographers who have held onto a Pentax DSLR system out of loyalty or preference, this is worth noting as a signal of where the company’s remaining attention and development is headed.
Westcott Announces the Photography Wagon
Westcott has announced the Photography Wagon, a collapsible cart for photographers featuring a patent pending boom pole mounting system that lets it function both as a way to haul gear and as a rolling light stand or tripod. A genuinely clever piece of practical equipment for anyone doing studio or location work who has ever wished their gear cart could also double as part of the actual lighting setup once they arrive.
Metabones Returns With Refreshed Speed Boosters and Smart Adapters
After a long quiet period, Metabones is back with its second major announcement in just a couple of months, unveiling refreshed versions of its EF-X Speed Boosters and Smart Adapters. For photographers with older EF mount glass looking to adapt it onto newer mirrorless bodies without losing light gathering ability, this is a welcome sign that Metabones is actively continuing to support and update its adapter lineup rather than letting it stagnate.
A Japanese Retailer Tests a Genuinely Absurd 1000mm Lens
Japanese photo retailer Map Camera, best known for its monthly and annual camera sales charts, recently tested a truly extreme lens, the Contax Mirotar 1000mm f/5.6, a vintage mirror lens design. Worth a look purely for the novelty and the genuine engineering ambition behind a lens this extreme, the kind of gear curiosity that reminds you how much has been tried in the history of optics long before modern super telephoto zooms made this kind of reach commonplace and comparatively practical.