Testing Fujifilm's two f2.8 Zoom Lenses

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Taken on the XF16-55mm f2.8R LM WR
For the past week I have been in Japan working on the FIA World Endurance Championship event at Fuji Speedway and also attending an X-Photographers meeting and filming at Fujifilm HQ in Tokyo.  Since June I have been using the Fujinon XF50-140mm f2.8 and this week I have been given the XF16-55mm f2.8 to test.

 I will be producing a full test report for this blog  next week when I get back from the European Le Mans Series season finale in Portugal but my first impressions of the 16-55mm f2.8 is this is am impressive lens and worthy of the excellent coverage and awards it has been receiving in the photographic press and online.  

 The 16-55mm is a big lens, but to get a f2.8 constant aperture it was never going to be small.  However, unlike the 50-140mm, the lens increases in size as you zoom, where the zoom movements are internal on the 50-140mm.

 Another difference between the two lenses is the inclusion of an Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) system on the 50-140mm where as this has been omitted on the newer lens.  The reason is size and weight which would increase significantly if an OIS system was included.  
For me this isn't a problem as I have never used an f2.8 standard zoom fitted with an image stabiliser but for other photographers it may be an issue.  All I can say is that the most important area for me as a working photographer is the quality of the images the lens produces and in that respect the XF16-55mm cannot be faulted. I will do some tests in low light and see if the lack of an OIS becomes an issue and i will include this in the full test report next week.

 Certainly the focal lengths of both lenses compliment each other with a slight overlap in the middle.  Adding the 10-24mm f4 zoom, and the soon to be launched 1.4x converter, will give any photographer a lens kit covering a focal range of 10mm to nearly 200mm (equivalent of 15mm to 300mm) all at either f2.8 or f4.
Taken on the XF50-140mm f2.8R LM OIS WR
Travelling back to Tokyo to conduct a video interview with Fujifilm Japan we stopped at a shrine near to Fuji Speedway that I had been meaning to visit for the past three years. Tucked away in the trees near to the road that leads to the circuit the contrasty light from the bright sunshine certainly made for a good test of the two f2.8 lenses.

 Here are some of the images I took using both lenses.

 IMAGES TAKEN ON Fujinon XF16-55mm f2.8R LM WR (equiv 24mm-84mm f2.8)










IMAGES TAKEN ON Fujinon XF50-140mm f2.8R LM OIS WR (equiv 76mm-213mm f2.8)











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Comments

  1. David Queenan20 October 2015 at 10:42

    I currently have a D610 with 16-35mm / 50mm / 70-200mm lenses but last year I got the Fuji XE2 with the 18-55 and 10-24mm lenses for travel. I'm now considering my next purchase and originally was going to go for the Nikon 24-70mm - however, I'm really liking my XE2 and now wondering if I should go more down that route - upgrade my 18-55mm to the 16-55mm and swap my Nikon 70-200 for the Fuji 50-140mm with a view to adding the X-Pro 2 when it comes out next year (hopefully) - I shoot mainly landscapes and a bit of commercial - any thoughts?

    www.dqphotography.com

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