Sigma announces a deliberately soft 50mm, Thypoch's X-mount 23mm f/1.4 goes up for pre-order, FX5 slips to January in the UK

Thypoch Sculptor AF 23mm f/1.4 — An autofocus f/1.4 prime for Fujifilm X, 34.5mm equivalent, leaked in full and then made official: 12 elements in 10 groups, 10 iris blades, 25cm minimum focus, 52mm filters, no stabilisation. If you shoot X-mount and have balked at the price and heft of Fujifilm's own 23mm f/1.4, this is the lighter third-party route to the same angle of view. It weighs 283g, around 100g under the XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR and slightly slimmer and shorter, and pre-orders are open at B&H Photo and Adorama. Fuji Rumors

Tamron 16-50mm F2.8 A — A fast, small standard zoom for crop sensors, sold in Sony E, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and a Nikon-licensed Z version, with internal focusing driven by a voice coil motor that DPReview found quick and silent on an EOS R7. For a weekend shooter it is the cheapest way to get two stops over the dim end of a kit zoom without changing bodies. It is roughly 5mm longer than Sigma's 18-50mm F2.8; close focus runs from 15cm at 16mm to 29cm at the long end, and vignetting at f/2.8 is clearly there unless you apply the profile. DPReview

instax mini Evo 2 — Fujifilm's hybrid instant camera returns with a 4.5-inch screen — the first touch panel in the instax range — alongside an analogue instax SQUARE 2 whose switchable warm and cool filters sit in front of the lens. Instax is the business funding everything else at Fujifilm, so these launches say more about the X series' quiet spell than any patent filing does. The Evo 2 ships November 27 at about ¥42,900; SQUARE 2 arrives November 13 near ¥16,500, with a new SOFT HAZE film at roughly ¥1,430 for ten shots. Digital Camera Watch

DK-Optic CHIARO 75mm f/1.9 — A manual-focus Leica M mid-telephoto, rangefinder-coupled and reconstructed from the British Dallmeyer Super Six 3-inch f/1.9, using six elements in four groups of unused old-stock glass and a 16-blade aperture in an aluminium barrel with brass internals. Pure rangefinder exotica rather than a working lens, but it shows how far the character-glass trade has gone: even the raw glass is period stock now. On sale in Japan since October 23 at ¥323,000 blue-coated, limited to 250 pieces, or ¥347,000 uncoated, limited to 50. Digital Camera Watch

Sigma FP2 — Amateur Photographer's columnist argues that the idea of compact full-frame finally adds up, because the FP2 pairs a tilting screen and a quicker partially stacked sensor with Sigma's existing family of small I-series primes. A useful corrective if the FP2 is on your shortlist: the case being made is about the weight of the whole bag, not the body's spec sheet. Amateur Photographer

Thypoch 24-50mm f/2.8 — Math Photographer has reviewed the Thypoch 24-50mm f/2.8, billed as the first Chinese full-frame autofocus zoom, and comes away calling it an exceptional budget-friendly lens. Worth a look if you have been following this lens as it spreads across mounts: the verdict is that build and imaging sit near Sony's G Master line for a fraction of the outlay. It is listed at $649 at B&H, Adorama and Thypoch's own store. sonyalpharumors

Samyang AF 60-180mm F2.8 — Phototrend's review, summarised by Asobinet, finds a sealed f/2.8 telezoom whose strengths outweigh its faults: 730g and 149mm long, 17 elements in 14 groups, smooth bokeh, but soft corners at 60mm and pincushion distortion at the long end. This is the trade you make when you want a fast tele you can actually carry all weekend — it is not a sports or wildlife lens. Its STM focus falls behind fast subjects, there is no optical stabilisation (around four stops from body IBIS on an α1 or α7 IV), and Kenko Tokina lists it at ¥159,800. Asobinet

Tamron 16-30mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 — Digital Camera World's review, rounded up by Asobinet, rates the replacement for the 17-28mm f/2.8 as better across the board: wider and longer at once, with faster, near-silent VXD autofocus and improved handling. The sensible alternative to a trinity wide-angle if you walk a long way from the car and still want f/2.8 and weather sealing. 450g and 75×104mm, with the barrel staying the same length through the zoom range; Kitamura lists the Sony E version at ¥124,740 and the Nikon Z at ¥128,700. Asobinet