Press Releases agree: Fujifilm's new fast wide-angle will go for 999,95$ USD. It will be compared to lenses that cover larger image circles with the same apertures. Equivalists and optic-speed-or-deathist will argue till blue in the face.
Some of the latter can be seen at over at DPReview's press release, at Fujirumors, and at Mirrorless Rumors.
But that's subtext.
The real story is that two blogs jumped the gun, publishing advance reviews well in advance of the press embargo. Why is that you may ask. There are only two possible reasons:
1. The bloggers mixed up the dates
2. The bloggers craved advanced traffic
I mixed up the dates once, but not on a review. I misread the publish-by time, and jumped the gun by two hours.
That was one of these press release/release adverts for Ocharaku earphones: 音茶楽 Flat4-玄 - Ocharaku Flat4-Kuro or: Ocharaku Donguri-欅(KEYAKI) debut. It was a negligent error. And as a fellow negligent, I have sympathy for mistakes.
But two reviews jumping the gun because of negligence? That I don't buy.
Besides, one is a pointless festival of point-and-shoot images, the other is a thoughtful essay whose images demonstrate of what the new lens is capable.
This is the pointless review (Fuji Love)
This is the more thoughtful essay (Neill Soden)
Considering the the restraint and taste with which Neill wrote his essay (not to mention the beautiful imagery shown in this and other photo essays), I'd be surprised that he would jump the embargo on mere boner.
Which leads us to traffic:
By embargo-jumping, your review will garner every bit of waiting traffic, and possibly put your site in the eye of come-agains. And while the negative press regarding embargo jumping may incur a wrist-slap, or even the removal from further early-review queues, it turns you into an internet badass.
Neill's case, he may have hit gold. His blog is now nailed in my memory. Fuji Love, on the other hand, leaves a bad taste in my mouth- not necessarily by itself. There are a few reasons for this:
1. The blog title reads fanboy
2. The images were taken with the barest modicum of effort; and the essay wasn't worth it to read
3. In reply to a the suggestion that the article was published early to secure traffic, Fuji Love's admin, Tomasz Trzebiatowski, stated the below:
“Peter, as unbelievable as it may sound, it was really not my intention and - in fact - a communication error. Still, very happy to have you among our new readers!”
Nonsense. Fuji Love is a new site. It is updated regularly, and its strong following, has been developed, in part, by jumping on every bit of Fujifilm news. Jumping publish embargoes is part and parcel of that strategy.
Where Tomasz deserves credit is where it comes to Fujifilm themselves. Fujifilm do not send out review samples to writers that are not somehow connected to the X world, or are themselves, sponsored photographers. Low-level criticism of haptics, ergonomics, and the admonishment to quit equating X lenses to 35mm equivalents find no purchase. It is fostered 100% by Fujifilm.
Fans of X lenses have much of which to be proud. Most X lenses capture excellent images. And the lens system comprises the most-rounded APS-C lineup around. But the online world in which X reviews spawn is an opportunistic, and ever-widening circle-jerk.
Having captured a rabid group of fans is encouraging. X may stay around for a while. X is all right. X is going forward. And damned be the rules.