Sirui's $499 24mm f/1.4 lands, Fujifilm counts the cost of the missing X-T6, R8 II tops Japan

🔥What's hot

🛠New gear

• Sirui Aurora 15mm f/1.6 and 24mm f/1.4 — are fast full-frame autofocus wides, now on pre-order in Sony E and Leica L, both weather-sealed with 11 aperture blades and a click/de-click aperture ring. This is cheap access to apertures that normally carry G Master or Leica pricing, and the ultra-wide takes ordinary screw-in filters instead of a bulky holder system. The 15mm is $599, with a 77mm front thread and 17 elements in 12 groups; the 24mm is $499; Nikon Z and Fujifilm X versions are scheduled for Q1 2027. Photo Rumors

• XTRA Muse 2 and Muse 2 Pro — are two pocket gimbal cameras due to launch globally on 10 November: the Muse 2 with a 1-inch sensor and 10-bit X-Log 2, and the Muse 2 Pro, which carries a wide and a short telephoto on one gimbal head. The specs mirror DJI's Osmo Pocket 4, which DJI cannot sell in the US; availability is the open question. XTRA asks $699 and $869 for the Pro combos but ships to Canada only; the FCC has proposed a $25,000 fine against Xtra Technology LLC. CineD

💬What people are saying

• Sirui 24mm f1.4 Aurora — earns a thumbs-up at The Phoblographer, whose reviewer puts it above Nikon's equivalent and would happily leave it mounted all day, while warning that it is physically chunky for the class. If the launch price tempted you, this is the first hands-on caveat: the saving is in money, not in bulk. He benchmarks it against Sony's 24mm f/1.4 G Master; Japanese listings give 550g, a 62mm filter and an ¥86,900 launch price. The Phoblographer

• Nikon D500 — gets a defence from The Phoblographer a decade after launch, on the grounds that Nikon never replaced it with a high-end APS-C mirrorless body. Worth reading before you spend on any crop flagship: the writer's conclusion is that a full-frame body used in crop mode covers most of what the format promised. The argument runs that a high-end Z-mount DX camera would amount to a Z8 with a smaller sensor. The Phoblographer

  “Unless you're shooting wildlife, I don't see the point.”

• Viltrox L-mount lenses — are the subject of a review that the L-mount rumour site points readers to, under a headline about glass for the mount that finally isn't expensive. L-mount shooters have long paid Leica, Panasonic or Sigma money for native autofocus primes, so a cheap third-party set changes the sums if you are considering the system. The same site is also tracking Panasonic patent drawings for three pancake primes — a 22mm at f/5.6 plus slower f/8 designs at 24mm and 28mm. L-rumors

📰Industry news

• Canon EOS R8 Mark II — took first place in Map Camera's October 2026 chart, ending the Sony A7 V's nine-month run at the top of Japan's ranking.

• Ricoh FY2026 Q2 — credits the GR series for higher camera earnings, with segment sales up ¥5.1 billion, or 20%, and operating profit ¥2.9 billion higher year on year.

• Tamron Q3 — posted photographic sales of ¥17.0 billion, up 12.4%, with operating profit of ¥4.5 billion, and says it plans more than 10 new lenses a year.

• Sony WW491229 — is a newly registered Sony body using the NP-SA100 battery from the FX5 and a7RVI; any link to a rumoured a7S IV is unconfirmed.

• Nikon country-of-origin list — now has the Z5IIC built in Thailand and the 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S in Japan, with some lens work shifted from China to Vietnam.

• Sigma 28mm f/1.4 FE — was discounted by $480 at B&H for one day only, flagged on 9 November alongside the retailer's wider holiday deals.

💡One takeaway