6 3 August 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
FUJIFILMis toopena ‘concept
experiencecentre’(akaa bigstoreand
productshowcase)thiswinterin London’s
CoventGarden.Spreadoverthreefloors,
thecentreis designedtopromoteFujifilm’s
photographyandimagingbrands.
Thecentre’s‘zones’willfocusonInstax
instantcamerasandprinters,anincreasingly
importantareaforthecompany,plus
specialistareasfortheGFXmedium-format
rangeandthemoremainstreamX-series
of mirrorlesscameras.Therewillalsobea
‘WonderPhotoShop’,wherevisitorscanget
ideasforphotoprintingandphotogifting.
‘Fromrewritingtherulebookonlarger-
formatcameraswiththeGFX100,to
launchingthesmallestandmostinnovative
Instaxinstantcameratodate,anincredibly
excitingyearforFujifilmhasjustgoteven
bigger,’saidFujifilmUK’sTheoGeorghiades,
shownabovewithAPeditorNigelAtherton.
Seeamateurphotographer.co.ukforan
exclusiveinterviewwithTheoGeorghiades
onthethinkingbehindthenewstoreand
whythecompanyis openingonenow,
duringtoughtimesforthehighstreet
and wider economic uncertainty.
MajorFujifilmstoreto
open in Covent Garden
New Fujifilm lenses forX-system and GFX rangeFUJIFILMhasannouncedtwonew
lensesforitsX-systemandmedium-
formatGFXcameras.Firstupis theFujinon
XF16-80mmF4R OISWR5xzoom.
Offeringanextremelyversatile24-120mm
equivalentzoomrange,thislensis relatively
lightandcompact,weighinga mere440g
andjustunder89mmin length.Aswellas
a constantf/4aperturethroughoutthefocal
lengthrange,it hasa minimumshooting
distanceof 35cm.Thereare 16 elementsin
12 groups,includingthreeasphericallens
elementsandanEDasphericallensthatis
saidtoavoidaberrationsandcurvature.It
alsoofferssixstopsof imagestabilisation.
Durabilityis anothersellingpoint;thelens
is water-anddust-resistantandcanbe
usedin temperaturesaslowas-10°C.The
XF16-80mmF/4R OISWRwillgoonsale
fromSeptemberfor£769.
TheGF50mmF3.5R LMWR,meanwhile,
is designedforthemedium-format
mirrorlessGFXrange.It is thelightest
GFlenssofarat 335g,whichmakesit
well-matchedtotherelativelycompact
GFX50Rcamera.It is alsodust-and
weather-resistantandabletocopewith
temperaturesaslowas-10°C.Aswellas
havingnineelementsin sixgroupswithone
asphericallenselementsaidtokeep
aberrationanddistortionat bay,thelenshas
verylowfocusbreathing,Fujifilmclaims,
makingit alsosuitableforvideorecording.It
willarrivein mid-September,priced£949.Visitamateurphotographersubs.co.uk/44AB,or seep54. For the latest newsvisit http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
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USEDcameraandlensspecialistretailer
MPBhassecuredanextra£9min venture
capitalfundingtosupportitsinternational
expansion.‘Thereareover 20 million
photographersandfilmmakerswhoareour
potentialusers,in EuropeandtheUSalone,’
saidMattBarker,founderandCEOof
theBrighton-basedcompany.‘These
photographerslookfortheperfectbitof kit,
butfacea highlyfragmentedmarketwhich
lackstransparencyandtrustin sellers.With
thenewcapital,wewillopenthefirstMPB
operationalcentrein Brooklyn,US,andare
planninga Germansitetofollowin 2020.We
intendonbecomingtheleadingglobalplatform
forphotographersandfilmmakerstotrade
professionalequipment.’MPBsaysit already
has a community of 135,000 active users.MPB sets out on international expansionMPB’s Matt Barker plans US and German centres© W O O K I E PHOTOGRAPHYBoththe16-80mmX-systemlensand50mm
GFX lens will be available in SeptemberTheo Georghiades with Nigel Atherton