Fujifilm's new teleconverter doubles your focal length without quality loss

Fujifilm’s X-series has along been one of the more popular mirrorless camera brands, and with styling that mimics old film SLRs and a stellar lineup of XF lenses, it’s not hard to see the appeal. Keeping the momentum going, Fujifilm unveiled a new 2x teleconverter that should please sports and wildlife photographers who could benefit from the extra reach.

The new Fujinon Teleconverter XF2X TC WR is the second teleconverter Fujifilm has added to the lineup, following the 1.4x that hit the market a few months ago. The two teleconverters extends the native reach of select XF lenses.

The new 2x teleconverter, along with its 1.4x sibling, is only compatible right now with two lenses in the XF lens lineup, the 50-140mm and 100-400mm. When paired with the 50-140mm the 2x teleconverter will produce a field-of-view equivalent to that of a 100-240mm lens (or a full-frame equivalent of 150-360mm) at f/5.6 aperture, while producing a 200-800mm f/9-11 FOV when paired with the 100-400mm.

According to Fujifilm, the 2x teleconverter is constructed of nine elements in five groups, and is able to double the effective reach while maintaining the optical performance of the original lens. Photographers will also be pleased to hear that when paired with the 50-140mm the 2x teleconverter maintains phase-detect autofocus capability, though it limits the camera to contrast-detect AF when paired with the 100-400mm (due to the severely limited aperture values of f/9-11).

The XF2X TC WR is also fully weather resistant, so it can be used out in the elements without having to worry about damage to the lens or camera, and is designed in such a way that when connected to a lens, it appears to just be a part of the lens – a nice touch for those who care about aesthetics. It is expected to be available in June and will retail for $449.

The other piece of Fujifilm’s announcement is much less exciting: a new lens hood design for their 23mm f/1.4 lens.