Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 II vs I: Is the New Version Worth the Switch?

I guess the question these days for those, who already own the “old” XF16-55mmF2.8 is: should I upgrade the new XF16-55mmF2.8 II or stick with the old one?

In order to try to help you to find the right answer, I’ve searched for comparisons, but I was surprised to find that this particular comparison hasn’t been adequately addressed by reviewers at launch. If I missed them, please let me know in the comments, so I can add them to this article.

But now a new video has been released by FujiFanBoys that provides a quick comparison between the new Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 II and the previous XF16-55mmF2.8.

I will sum it up in bullet points for you, but if you want to see the sample images and get a few more details, check out the video above.

  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 II is a bit sharper and has a bit more contrast
  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 has a bit better bokeh
  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 has a bit better autofocus
  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 as virtually no focus breathing (the old one was good there too, but not as good as the new one)
  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 is lighter and smaller
  • the new XF16-55mmF2.8 has a de-clickable aperture ring

So who is this lens for?

Well, if that’s your first XF16-55mmF2.8 lens, then go for the new one. It’s a lot lighter and smaller, it’s a bit better optically, and costs the same as the old one.

Things get more complicated if you already own the old XF16-55mmF2.8.

In this case, FujiFanBoys says that if you shoot mainly primes and already own the old XF16-55mmF2.8, then there is no need to upgrade. But if you rely a lot on the XF16-55 for your work, then size and weight alone are a good reason to upgrade.

And what was your decision? Feel free to let us know by voting the survey:

As an owner of the old XF16-55mmF2.8, I decided to...

View Results

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Fujifilm X-M5 has Better Autofocus than X-S20, but New Firmware is Coming REPORT (+VIDEO)

 

It’s difficult to gauge how well the autofocus of the Fujifilm X-M5 truly performs.

Why?

The real issue is that performance depends on which Beta firmware version reviewers are using.

In the lead-up to launch, Fujifilm frequently updates the firmware for pre-production models, sometimes even multiple times a day.

So, someone testing the camera in mid-September may have significantly different results from someone testing it in mid-October.

And since reviewers aren’t able to re-test everything after every update, any autofocus performance assessment right now should be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s unclear which firmware version was used.

So we can come to a situation in which some might claim that the X-M5’s autofocus is on par with other X series cameras, while others might say it offers the best autofocus performance of any X series camera.

With that disclaimer out of the way…

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LIVE BLOG: Fujifilm X-M5, XF16-55mmF2.8 II and XF500mmF5.6 Reviews and Pre-Orders Now

Fujifilm X Summit Launch Blog
(refresh for latest updates)

Now Real:

Pre-Orders

Official Fujifilm Info

First Looks

  • BH Explora – FUJIFILM Announces Creator-Friendly X-M5 Camera and X Series Lenses
  • gizguide – X-M5 introduction
  • thephoblographer – Fujfilm launches X-M5 and new lenses

Pre-Orders

↓ Launch Videos ↓

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The Perfect Dials for Future X-Tx Cameras? – Concept

In response to my article The perfect dial is…?, FR-reader Luigi replied to me with an idea: what if Fujifilm would still use the dial, but instead of printed markings they would consist in ink-displays?

So how would it work?

Well, you can read more about below.

Guest Post by Luigi – LuicaPhoto Flickr

My Fujifilm history began 2012 with X-E1, 2, 3 and X-T1, 2, 5 and I belong to the group of enthusiast photographers. And I started already in the film era of the 70-90-ties. Therefore I like the Fujifilm vintage design with dedicated dials. But I am also aware of PASM design advantages.

Here I propose a dial design which could combine the advantages of both design worlds:

Dedicated rotating mechanical dials, same size and with central lock button as known from the X-T series. But instead of the small engraved numbers for shutter speed or ISO – which looks crowded and have poor readability – the dial top plate should become a circle shaped ink display. And each dial would always display two assigned settings (at 12 and 6 o’clock), but now in much larger figures.

Circle shaped displays can show their their settings when rotating the dial as we are used.

The dial itself consists therefore of an outside ring, rotating around the circle shaped display inside .The existing levers of the X-T could be transformed into push levers: when pressed, the upper or bottom halve of the display becomes the active section.

The Dials Explained

You can see the PDF below or download the PDF at my Dropbox here.

Before the PDF, I will share it also in JPEG format as gallery for you to quickly scroll through.

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7Artisans AF 27mm F2.8 Review (Sony E Mount)

image courtesy – nikolaus-burgard.de

A fellow FR-reader (thanks for sharing) stumbled on a review made half a year ago of the upcoming 7Artisans 27mm F2.8 which we reported about here.

The review, for the Sony E mount version, is in both languages, German and English (the red text is in English) and you can read it at nikolaus-burgard.

His summary:

7Artisans has also achieved a very good “autofocus debut” in the APS-C-Sensor camera-range with the AF 27mm f2.8.

I will briefly summarize the objective test results again:
Very good sharpness in the center of the image from open aperture, excellent from f4.
The edges are sharp from an open aperture of f2.8, but for perfectly sharp corners you have to stop down to f4. The slight midzone dip has also completely disappeared at f5.6.
The microcontrasts are always very good.
The vignette is clear at wide open aperture, but completely negligible from f5.6.
Unfortunately, the distortion is clearly barrel-shaped with a mustache, but hopefully there will be a correction profile from the manufacturer soon.
When it comes to color errors, lateral chromatic aberrations are not a problem at all,
the longitudinal chromatic aberrations can appear in the form of slight green bokeh fringing, but are never problematic.
The lens isn’t bad in backlight, but if you overdo it you’ll get flares and reflections here, too.
The autofocus was “unremarkably good” in my test. The eye autofocus for portraits was also very snappy and fast.

Subjectively speaking, the technically clean, “modernly rendered” images without any annoyances such as outlining or bokeh bubbles really appeal to me; that’s what I expected from a modern “40mm” (fullframe-equivalent). Of course, with these technical parameters of a slight wide angle at “only” f2.8, you shouldn’t expect any shallow depth-of-field miracles.
I particularly like taking photos of people with the 7Artisans AF 27mm f2.8 – and they are easy to achieve because of the good eye autofocus.

Given the price of €149 / $129, 7Artisans can be said to have made a really successful debut in the autofocus world of APS-C sensor cameras – because the performance speaks for itself and the price is sensationally cheap in relation to this.

It might not be a bad lens optically, but sadly the fact that it lacks of an aperture ring is a dealbreaker for me.