Fujifilm has said it will boost its production capacity for interchangeable lenses by 70% by 2020 in order to meet increasing demand for mirrorless cameras.
Fujifilm will set up new production facilities at its Taiwa Factory in Japan beginning in September 2018.
Among new facilities to be installed are a large-scale cleanroom featuring a cleanroom analyser, as well as other facilities that use AI and IoT to improve accuracy in optical adjustments.
Fujifilm says this will enable the company to “produce lenses at high quality and efficiency, resulting in advanced productivity in manufacturing ultra wide-angle lenses and large-diameter lenses, which require a high level of image resolving performance.”
After the upgrade, the Taiwa Factory will combine the state-of-the-art facilities and production technology of skilled workers to manufacture not only the GF lenses, which draw out the advanced resolving performance of the GFX 50S, but also other interchangeable lenses which require highest manufacturing skill.
They include an ultra wide-angle zoom lens announced today with a maximum aperture of F2.8 and focal length range equivalent to 12-24mm*, addition to the lineup of XF interchangeable lenses for the X Series, as well as a large-diameter telephoto lens, being developed for anticipated demand during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a maximum aperture of F2.0 and focal length equivalent to 305mm. Interchangeable lenses with “Made in Japan” quality, manufactured at the Taiwa Factory, will be distributed worldwide.