I’ve Traveled the World with Fujifilm’s ‘Worst’ Lens and I Loved it – The Only Flaw, and the One (Fujifilm-Teased) Lens That Could Replace It

I have recently asked you what you consider the best and worst Fujifilm related gear announced in 2025 (third party AF lenses included).

Well, a fellow Fujifilm X-H group member declared here the XF18-135mm as the worst announcement.

Now, besides the fact that the Fujinon XF18-135mm was announced in mid 2014, hence it was not really part of our big survey, I thought it was an interesting comment and that maybe it was time to talk a bit about this lens.

A lens I own by the way, and that made me sell these two lenses for it.

Now, as we said, the Fujinon XF18-135mm was announced in 2014, hence at a time when the Fujifilm X system was relatively new on the market.

So while it is reasonably to expect that the most modern Fujinon lenses perform better than those launched 11 or 12 years ago, I’d dare to say that anyway the Fujinon XF18-135mm is actually a pretty decent performer. I’d say an even very good performer for what it is.

The true problem of the lens is another one: I think it is the one Fujinon lens that suffers most from sample variation, meaning you might get an excellent copy — or a noticeably weaker one — simply due to manufacturing tolerances.

While Fujifilm has drastically improved this aspect of manufacturing over the years, at the time the XF18-135mm was released — and particularly with that lens — sample variation was a real concern for early buyers.

This explains why some are very happy with this lens (for example me), while others are not.

In my case, here are some pictures I took with it:

As you can see, the Fujinon XF18-135mm has been a loyal companion to me for over a decade. It has traveled with me all over the world, and I’ve always appreciated both its flexibility and its image quality.

That said, I probably ended up with a particularly good copy.

So if you’re thinking of buying one — especially second-hand — I’d definitely recommend trying it first and taking a few test shots.

But with that said, for every person who had a less-than-ideal experience with this lens, there are many more who genuinely appreciate it.

In fact, the Fujinon XF18-135mm was even used to shoot the official stills for the blockbuster Dunkirk.

And we have had some interviews with fellow X shooters, who declared it their favorite lens:

So I call myself a very happy Fujinon XF18-135mm owner.

But if I had to pick — or better, nitpick — one aspect that occasionally bothered me just a little, it would be the range. If only it were a touch wider on the short end, and offered just a bit more reach on the long end, it would come very close to perfection.

In short: make it a true, awesome superzoom!

And you know what?

Fujifilm has already revealed the estimated main specs and size of exactly such a lens in their “10 lenses under consideration” survey.

And here on FujiRumors we already made a specs and side-by-side size comparison between the XF16-200mm and XF18-135mm.

If Fujifilm manages to keep the XF16-200mm on the smaller and lighter side of their current estimates, then that might be the one lens capable of replacing my XF18-135mm.

But until that day comes — if it ever does — I’ll proudly call myself a very happy XF18-135mm owner.

If this lens is good enough to shoot professional stills on the set of a multi-million-dollar blockbuster, then it’s certainly good enough for my far more humble needs and modest skills.

There’s just one important note: especially if you’re buying an older, second-hand copy, make sure to test it first. No other Fujinon lens is known to exhibit sample variation quite as strongly as the XF18-135mm.

Black Friday at B&H Photo

Black Friday at Amazon USA

Black Friday at Amazon CANADA

Black Friday at Adorama

7 X Mount Lenses Left: Vote What You’d Like Next

Back in 2024, Fujifilm disclosed a list of 10 possible lenses.

The list included vague hints on focal length, size and weigt.

Fellow FR-reader Hiergeist (the guy who create an ultra-accurate render of the XF500mmF5.6 ahead of its announcement) created a chart showing all those lenses side by side, each represented in grey and mounted on an X-T5. The lens shapes are based on Fujifilm’s official spec estimates.

You can see it above or click here.

Fast forward end of 2025, and we got 3 of those lenses.

So now the question is: out of the 7 lenses left on that list, which one would you like to get next?

I have already expressed my top wish: since I am a lover of this lens here, I’d go for the XF16-200mm. But what about you? Feel free to vote the survey below.

Which lens do you want next? - max. 1 selection

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I’m Looking for a Nice Toy Camera for my Son (Suggestions?)… and Other Photography X Mas Ideas

Today I’d like to make shameless use of this blog for a 100% private matter.

I decided to gift my 5 year old son a toy camera, and there are so many options I just wanted to ask you if you ever bought one for your kids and which one you’d recommend. If you have any, feel free to drop the link to it in the comments below.

To give an idea: something like the ToyZoom from YunLone.

Your suggestions are highly welcome :).

Updated with Your Recommendations:

More Gift Ideas

I also already wrote a letter to Santa (a.k.a my wife) in which I expressed my wish to own this T-shirt which would just 100% fit my personality :).

Also nice, the Kodak Charmera Key Chain Digital Camera, which should come early December according to BHphoto.

Photography books are always a great gift. Here are the current best sellers, some of them in Black Friday offer.

The Top Selling Photography Books on Amazon:

Other Recommended Photography Books

Fujifilm related books:

Thames & Hudson Photofile, a mini collections from names like Bill Brandt, Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Josef Koudelka and others.

Meet FRGMT BW – Fujifilm’s First ‘Official’ Film Simulation Recipe

We reported how Fujifilm announced the limited release of the Fujifilm GFX100RF Fragment Edition.

You can check out all details in this article.

Interestingly, the camera will not have the known “monochrome” film simulations, but it will be launched with an all new film simulation recipe built into it. Fujifilm calls it FRGMT BW (Fragment Black & White).

I guess this makes it the first ever ‘official’ Fujifilm film simulation recipe.

If you want to dial it into your camera too, then here are the settings.

  • ACROS
  • grain effect: strong/large
  • tone curve (highlight): +4
  • tone curve (shadow): +2
  • sharpness: -4
  • high sensitivity Noise reduction: -4
  • clarity: +5
  • exposure compensation: +1/3

Basically: a vivid, grain-kissed, high-contrast black and white aesthetic.

By the way: the regualr monochrome film simulation is not available on the Fujifilm GFX100RF Fragment Edition, but all other film simulations will be there.

Black Friday Pages

This Chart Shows You the Full List of Fujinon XF/XC and Third Party X Mount Autofocus Lenses

With the announcement of the Fujinon XC13-33mmF3.5-6.3, fellow FR-reader Hiergeist has updated his fantastic chart, showing the complete lineup of native Fujinon X lenses along with all third-party autofocus X-mount lenses.

It’s such a well-made and convenient list — offering a quick yet comprehensive overview — that I felt it deserved its own dedicated article.

All autofocus lenses are neatly organized by type (small primes, fast primes, etc.) and focal length. Also, the chart lists lenses that have been officially announced (or rumored) but are not yet available on the market. All lenses are mounted on the Fujifilm X-T5, giving you an instant and clear idea of each lens’s size relative to the others.

You can check out the full chart here.

Moreover, I have added all those lenses on one single dedicated Amazon page here, so you can see them all as well as the price.

Feel free to check out the full chart (Amazon Page here – JPEG chart here).

The Fujifilm community truly is the best one! :)

If you want to know what I personally own, you’ll find it listed here: