Viltrox’s New Conversion Lenses
- The Magazine For Photographers
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Viltrox has announced two new conversion lenses for Fujifilm’s X100-series cameras: the WCL-X100VI wide conversion lens and the TCL-X100VI telephoto conversion lens. Both are designed to mount directly to the fixed 23mm f/2 lens used across the X100 lineup, including the latest X100VI, and are intended to expand the camera’s effective focal length options without changing the core shooting experience of the system.
All X100 cameras use the same built-in 23mm f/2 lens, which produces a 35mm-equivalent field of view due to the APS-C sensor’s 1.5× crop factor. This focal length has long been a defining part of the X100’s identity, offering a natural perspective suited to street, documentary, and just everyday photography.
However, for photographers who want either a wider or tighter framing without resorting to digital crops, conversion lenses have historically been the only way to do so optically. Fujifilm introduced its own wide and tele conversion lenses years ago, with the most recent updates arriving alongside the X100F in early 2017.
The Viltrox WCL-X100VI is a wide-angle conversion lens that applies a 0.8× multiplier to the built-in lens, reducing the effective focal length from 35mm equivalent to 28mm equivalent. This change increases the diagonal angle of view from approximately 64 degrees to roughly 75 degrees, bringing the perspective closer to a classic wide-angle prime.
The lens is designed to maintain autofocus performance and metering behaviour identical to the native lens, with no need for manual adjustments. On fourth-generation and newer X100 models (including the X100F, X100V, and X100VI) the camera automatically detects the wide conversion lens and applies built-in distortion correction and vignetting compensation.
From an optical standpoint, the WCL-X100VI consists of five elements arranged in four groups. Two of these elements use high-refractive-index glass, which helps control distortion and maintain edge sharpness when expanding the field of view. Viltrox states that the design aims to minimise degradation in contrast and resolution, particularly toward the edges of the frame, which is a common challenge with wide conversion optics.
The front element features a coating intended to reduce flare while also repelling water and dust. Physically, the lens adds approximately 36.6mm (1.44 inches) of length to the camera and includes a 49mm front filter thread, matching the filter size commonly used on the X100 series when paired with Fujifilm’s adapter ring.
In parallel, Viltrox has released the TCL-X100VI telephoto conversion lens, which applies a 1.4× magnification factor to the built-in 23mm lens. This results in a 50mm-equivalent field of view, providing a tighter, more traditional short-telephoto perspective. As with the wide converter, the telephoto lens is compatible with all X100 models and is automatically recognized by newer cameras for correction profiles. This ensures that distortion and light falloff are addressed in-camera without requiring post-processing intervention.
The TCL-X100VI also uses a five-element, four-group optical design, but with a slightly different material mix. In addition to two high-refractive-index elements, the telephoto converter incorporates an extra-low dispersion element to help control chromatic aberration, particularly along high-contrast edges.
The telephoto unit is larger and heavier than the wide converter, weighing 230 grams (8.1 ounces), and increases the overall length of the camera by approximately 45mm (1.8 inches). Unlike the wide converter, it uses a 67mm front filter thread, which allows for larger filters but also represents a step up from the X100’s native 49mm size.
One aspect worth considering is how the TCL-X100VI interacts with the X100VI’s updated digital teleconverter modes. The X100VI’s 40-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor enables in-camera crops that simulate 50mm and 70mm equivalent focal lengths at 20MP and 10MP resolutions, respectively.
When the 1.4× telephoto conversion lens is attached, these digital teleconverter modes extend further, effectively providing 70mm and approximately 100mm equivalent fields of view while maintaining the same output resolutions. This combination offers a broader range of focal lengths without additional optical changes, though image quality will still depend on both the optical converter and the digital crop.
Both the Viltrox WCL-X100VI and TCL-X100VI are available in black and silver finishes to match the aesthetic of the X100 cameras. The WCL-X100VI wide conversion lens is priced at $159, while the TCL-X100VI telephoto conversion lens is priced at $189.
