Please, Fujifilm, give us a 2.4/60 macro Mk II with fast/silent AF and WR !

Well,

I think that I am not the only one who appreciates a lot the optically very impressing performance of this fine lens.

It is perhaps one of the the most versatile xf lenses, with Macro 1:2 (which is enough for 99,9% of Macro Photography) , it weighs only about 200 g, it needs not much space in your bag, it is solidly build, it has a wonderful Bokeh and at the same time the perfect Focal length for shooting portraits.

I love this lens a lot and if you use it with newer generation bodies with 24/26 MP TransX sensors, you will see that it is indeed very sharp and a joy to use.

even the in former times slowish AF performs much better in combination with newer bodies and is much more reliable.... but this wonderful lens merits some little upgrading.

if you like Macro photography, you might like the big and heavy 2,8/80 macro as well as the „always with you“ 2,4/60 macro lens.

BUT they don’t really compete with each other, they are two different types of lenses that have each their own group of users.

And now my wish in direction of Fuji Japan:

PLEASE give us a optically identical xf 2.4/60 Mk II - just with the following little modifications:

- Silent and faster AF

- focus limiter switch on the lens

-WR sealing

That‘ s already everything we need to continue to love this wonderful lens. Since modern bodies have IBIS it is not even necessary to make it bigger, heavier and more expensive by a OIS, the in-camera IBIS is far enough.

PLEASE Fujifilm, hear our wishes and go for an AF/WR/focus limiter upgrade of the famous 2.4/60 macro!

fujifilm showed already that they understand to make very good existing lenses even better by some little modifications - for example the modification of the xf 27 with now an aperture ring and WR - so it should be possible as well with the 2.4/60 macro!

I am sure a lot of people will go for the Mk II Version, because they need something else then the nearly 4x heavier, 2x more bulky, and more expensive (but optically phantastic) xf 2,8/80 macro.

Thank you in advance

pictograph wrote:

Well,

I think that I am not the only one who appreciates a lot the optically very impressing performance of this fine lens.

It is perhaps one of the the most versatile xf lenses, with Macro 1:2 (which is enough for 99,9% of Macro Photography) , it weighs only about 200 g, it needs not much space in your bag, it is solidly build, it has a wonderful Bokeh and at the same time the perfect Focal length for shooting portraits.

I love this lens a lot and if you use it with newer generation bodies with 24/26 MP TransX sensors, you will see that it is indeed very sharp and a joy to use.

even the in former times slowish AF performs much better in combination with newer bodies and is much more reliable.... but this wonderful lens merits some little upgrading.

if you like Macro photography, you might like the big and heavy 2,8/80 macro as well as the „always with you“ 2,4/60 macro lens.

BUT they don’t really compete with each other, they are two different types of lenses that have each their own group of users.

And now my wish in direction of Fuji Japan:

PLEASE give us a optically identical xf 2.4/60 Mk II - just with the following little modifications:

- Silent and faster AF

- focus limiter switch on the lens

-WR sealing

That‘ s already everything we need to continue to love this wonderful lens. Since modern bodies have IBIS it is not even necessary to make it bigger, heavier and more expensive by a OIS, the in-camera IBIS is far enough.

PLEASE Fujifilm, hear our wishes and go for an AF/WR/focus limiter upgrade of the famous 2.4/60 macro!

fujifilm showed already that they understand to make very good existing lenses even better by some little modifications - for example the modification of the xf 27 with now an aperture ring and WR - so it should be possible as well with the 2.4/60 macro!

I am sure a lot of people will go for the Mk II Version, because they need something else then the nearly 4x heavier, 2x more bulky, and more expensive (but optically phantastic) xf 2,8/80 macro.

Thank you in advance

Agree on optical IQ, faster af and wr, but I would love to add OIS too. Macro needs a lot of light, small aperture to increase dof and OIS would definitely help to keep iso down.

I was very happy with mine.  AF was OK on my X-E2 and onwards (was poor on the X-M1) actually my 80mm doesn't seem hugely better.  I don't need WR or silent AF, I can see the latter for video, but beyond that I tend to see them as pretty unimportant.  I sold mine during a gear re-arrangement, largely because of a rash of reports of the aperture sender needing repair, which one assumes will be made differently in any new version and hopefully made better in the current manufacture (if any).  I'd also got the 80mm, but it is heavy.  I've got the Zeiss 50mm now.

pictograph wrote:

Hi pictograph

I see many of your points but personally, I definitely do not agree with this one:

with Macro 1:2 (which is enough for 99,9% of Macro Photography) ,

This is why I would not buy the XF 60 mm. I need at least 1:1 for my insects and flower details. 2:1 is perfect.

So I decided for the Laowa 65 mm f/2.8 APO 2:1. Very happy with it. But of course it is a manual lens, so it is not a direct competitor to the XF 60 mm.

I also have the Laowa 2.5:1-5:1 but it is nearly useless without taking the effort of stacking. Definitely a very special lens I use very rarely.

BR,

Martin

fujifilm showed already that they understand to make very good existing lenses even better by some little modifications - for example the modification of the xf 27 with now an aperture ring and WR - so it should be possible as well with the 2.4/60 macro!

The new 27 does *not* have better AF than the previous version, it just has aperture control and sealing added. I'm pretty sure that a new AF motor for the 60 (as with the 27) would require a complete lens redesign.

Gary Martin wrote:

fujifilm showed already that they understand to make very good existing lenses even better by some little modifications - for example the modification of the xf 27 with now an aperture ring and WR - so it should be possible as well with the 2.4/60 macro!

The new 27 does *not* have better AF than the previous version, it just has aperture control and sealing added. I'm pretty sure that a new AF motor for the 60 (as with the 27) would require a complete lens redesign.

I know that the new xf 27 does *not * have a better AF motor, and I therefore *never claimed so*.  

I know that perhaps a better AF for the 2.4/60 will demand more modifications of the lens - but I cannot judge about it because I am neither an engineer nor a lens designer.

I just *hope* that a better AF Motor could be implemented without (!) changing the wonderful optical quality and character of this lens.

BUT: if it would not be possible to implement a faster and more silent AF motor I would be happy enough if they just installed a focus limiting switch for 2 or better 3 limits.

one for macro only (minimum to about 1 m) , second for maybe 0.8 to 3m and third for above 1,5 m. ( or other, helpful limits)

this would be very helpful even with the old motor.

an alternate way could be  a new firmware for both, the 2.4/60 and all X-bodies:

user-programmable limits for this lens by using the „Q“ button and the „Q“ menue.

the latter could be the most easiest way to make old Users VERY or even more happy with this lens and could lead to more purchases of this wonderful all-round lens.

so: PLEASE FUJIFILM, give us at least a „soft“ focal limiter for the 2.4/60 by new firmware - the very best would be a free choice of three limits by the user himself in the  menue.

cheers

Hi,

I too would like to see an upgrade to the 60mm.  I really like the lens, but it's AF is a bit dated.  The difficulties would lie in the details of any re-design.....

• The 60 uses a combination of internal and external focus.  I would like the lens to stay at 1:2 because it keeps it small and light and there are other options for 1:1 and closer.  (I've got three other macro lenses. All are heavier than the 60mm.)
• I'd like to see faster AF and focus limiters.
• I'd like also to see sealing, but this is difficult with a lens that focuses externally.  I hope they don't go to IF - this always seems to reduce working distances in macro lenses.  (The 60mm with both tubes has a slightly longer working distance at 1:1 than the 80mm at 1:1, despite the longer FL and the high magnification,  because it uses extension not optical trickery to get there.)  NB that the Signa 70 Art macro is an external focus lens.
• And by no means least.....  Fuji can we please have a decent sized filter thread (say 52mm) rather than fiddly little 39mm filters.  Some macro accessories aren't made in 39mm.  Using step-up rings with the 60mm requires an extra spacer to avoid lens errors when you turn the camera off -  otherwise the step up ring hits the recessed  face of the lens.

Regards,

Rod

Talking about my wish for a firmware-based AF- Limiter for the 2.4/60 with a friend (a pro-photographer) he told me that there is already a way to choose this: fujifilm has already a focus limiter in their cameras build-in their software.

I did not know, I must confess... well, purchased my XT-4 just some weeks ago...

later I found a very good YT video which explains this possibility.

it is not easy to establish this in the menue, but once you know....

you can even fix this in „my Fuji“ menue... so it would be easy to switch this „soft“ limiter on and off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4LWYtFJz1A

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