Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4: Pros and Cons, First Looks and Thougths

Let’s try to kill the endless waiting time with a little Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 roundup.

Rico’s Coverage

Rico’s full XF16-80 coverage is online, and it has been tested also on the brand new Fujifilm X-A7.

Rico’s Conclusions (from Part 8 of his coverage)

Pros

  • Ideal focal length range for an “always on” and travel zoom lens
  • Excellent image quality over the entire focal length range
  • Low minimum focus distance (MFD)
  • Appealing Bokeh (my subjective opinion)
  • Solid build and weather-resistant
  • Constant aperture and marked aperture ring
  • Fast and silent autofocus
  • 6-stop-OIS with automatic tripod and panning detection
  • No hotspots with infrared photography (R72, X-T3)

Cons

  • Slightly larger and heavier than the XF18-55mm kit zoom: ideal for cameras like the X-T3 and X-H1, but maybe a little too bulky for the X-T30, X-T100 or X-A7
  • The pronounced digital barrel distortion correction at 16mm results in a minor but visible sharpness reduction at the edges and in the corners

Additional XF16-80mm f/4 coverage

  • bjornmoerman – Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f4 REVIEW – Comparison with XF18-135
  • ivanjoshualoh – XF16-80mm
  • billfortney – The New Mid-Range King
  • myfujifilm – Thoughts on the Fujinon 16-80mm f/4 by Anton Bosman
  • fujifilm-x – A Quick Look at XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR by Huseyin Aldirmaz

The lens itself will ship soon:

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Promo Videos

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My Top 3 Fujinon XF lenses and My Lens Dilemmas: Which one To Sell, and Which one to Buy?

Top 3 Lenses

To be clear, this is NOT a ranking from best to worst, but only a ranking from most to least used lenses. In your style of shooting, you might have completely different priorities.

I currently own 8 X mount lenses, but overall I owned more of them, but as many of you, I had to sell some to buy others.

Here are my currently most used/loved lenses:

  1. XF 35mm f/1.4 as we explained, it has the magic. It will remain on top forever, unless the Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0 comes with a reasonable price tag and a magic touch. It’s not my most used one, but surely my most loved
  2. XF 18-135mm – never without it on my travels. My copy is excellent and I snapped my favorite image of 2018 with it. However, I hear that there is a rather big inconsistency, and some samples come out not that good from the Fuji factory. Sample variation is a common problem amongst all lens manufacturers, but I hear it is particularly big with the XF18-135
  3. XF 10-24mm f/4 –  I live in the middle of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world (and also some of the most photographed), and having wide angle options is just a must for me. The XF10-24 is with me all the time in my day or weekend trips. capturing marvellously my lakes and my impressive mountains. However when I pack for a travels (which happens once or twice a year), I always have the 18-135 in my bag, and in order to save space and weight, I sometimes prefer to take the Samyang 12 with me as wide option
  4. XF 27mm f/2.8 – if I leave my apartment for a random “switch of my mind from all that work” shoot or on travels (youtube video), than the XF27mmf/2.8 is the one. It’s my lens for casual shooting
  5. Samyang 12mmF2 – my top wide solution for travels and astrophotography and often in my travel bag. It’s only on the 5th position, but it’s a lens I am happy to keep and find very useful in my lineup
  6. XF 23mm f/1.4 – a great performer, and it’s a shame I don’t use it that much anymore, but with the 35/1.4 and 27/2.8 always in my bag, the 23/1.4 finds little space in there. But I will always be greatful for this lens, because it took some of my favorite images of all time, including the image of the new-born baby of SonyAlphaRumors. SAR was photographing with his FF Sony, me with my X-T1 and 23/1.4. Then we compared the images, and we had a clear winner: the Fuji :). I passed SAR the image, and he sent it to friends and family via email. I told about this in this article.
  7. XF 18-55 – the only problem of this lens, is that the XF18-135 exists.
  8. XF 55-200 – I loved this lens so much when I bought it, and I still do. I used it mainly for photographing animals like in this image. And I also still take some candid portrait shot with it. But once again the XF18-135 is to blame that it mainly stays at home

It’s hard to justify keeping the XF18-55 and XF55-200 any longer, but it’s also so hard to sell them.

However….

… another option could be to get the brand new Fujinon XF16-80mmF4, sell my XF18-135 and XF18-55, and at that point stay with the XF16-80 and XF55-500.

I have watched through my 18-135 image EXIF data, and discovered that I hardly use it at its long end anyway. My favorite image of 2018 for example was taken with the 18-135 at 70mm.

Also, a photography genre I have basically ignored until now, is macrophotography. I think it could give me a creative and motivational boost to try out something completely new. So I could sell two lenses and get the XF60mm or XF80mm (but I am afraid the 80 is a bit too “Pro” for my skills)

Decisions… :)

But something must go, since I have to start funding my still very meager XF33mm f/1.0 piggy bank, which has been drained recently due to my marriage.

Which brings me to the next problem: any idea guys how I can convince my wife that we need more lenses? ;)

take care,
Patrick @ Fuji X Forum, Flipboard, Facebook, RSS-feed, Twitter and Instagram

The Travel Trinity: Fujinon XF 16-80mmF4 vs XF 18-55mm vs XF 18-135mm Specs Comparison

The Travel Trinity

Two of the most popular and loved travel lens options for Fujifilm X shooters are the Fujinon XF18-55mm f/2.8-4 and XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6.

But there is one lens, that might rule them all: the just announced Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.

The XF16-80 sits nicely between the XF18-55 and XF18-135 in terms of size and price, but it stands out from the rest by offering 6 stops of OIS and a new feature, where the lens automatically detects if you are shooting on a tripod, and automatically adjust OIS accordingly.

Optically it’s all still to evaluate. But initial impressions as well as full size samples can be found in our live blogging.

In this post, we are going to just compare the mere specs of the travel trinity. So, if you want to compare filter size, weight, size, minimum focus distance and more, access this dedicated BHphoto specs comparison page.

Personally I am very happy with my XF18-135mm, which snapped my favorite image of 2018 and makes it hard for me to replace it with anything, unless the XF16-80 has some significant image quality advantage.

Time will tell how the XF16-80 stands up against the other zooms, and of course you’ll be the first to know, if you follow FujiRumors on Facebook, Instagram, RSS-feed, Youtube, Flipboard and Twitter.

Rumors and Discussions

Stay in the Loop

ANNOUNCED: Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 and GF 50mm f/3.5 – Hands On Reviews, Samples, Pre-Orders LIVE BLOG

Live Blog
(refresh this page for latest updates)

Pre-order Options

XF16-80mm f/4: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama, FocusCamera

GF 50mm f/3.5: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama, FocusCamera

Official Fujifilm Info

XF 16-80mm f/4

GF 50mm f/3.5

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XF 16-80 Reviews/Hands-on/More

GF50mm Reviews/Hands-on/More

XF 16-80mm f/4: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama
GF 50mm f/3.5: BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama

Videos

XF16-80mm f/4 Videos

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LEAKED: Fujinon XF16-80mm f4 Press Release: 6 Stop OIS and Priced $799

Fujifilm USA pulled the trigger a bit too early, and published the full press release of the Fujinon XF 16-80mmF4.

It’s all copied down below, so do not panic even if they remove it :).

Please note the nice feature:

“The OIS can also automatically detect when the camera is being used with a tripod and adjust its performance to provide optimum image quality.”

The official annoucnement is tomorrow, July 18, at 1AM New York time

Full XF 16-80mm F4 Press Release

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2020: A Fuji Odyssey Ends with the Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0, but Do We Really Need it?

Do We Need Super Fast Lenses?

Five years ago, in April 2015 here and May 2015 here, we shared the first Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.0 rumors, and in 2020, this long rumor-odyssey will finally end.

Thanks to the XF33mm f/1.0 we will soon:

  • stop complaining that APS-C does not deliver enough shallow depth of field
  • start complaining that the DOF at f/1.0 is too shallow and we will stop down at f/1.4 or f/2 anyway :)

And, although I am a bit scared about the recently guessed price tag, I am looking forward to this lens.

However, many of you argued in the comments, if such a fast lens really makes sense.

Tony Northrup thinks its makes sense, and in a recent video he even suggested Fujifilm should focus on making even more super fast lenses.

Others think that Fujifilm should focus on smaller, slower, and more affordable lenses.

So the question today is: do we really need the Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.0 R WR?

Today I will go against my own believes, and give you two reasons, why we do not need this lens (and yet I want it badly ;) )

REASON 1: ISO

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujinon XF 33mm f1.0 and XF 16-80mm f4 Hands On Video

At Photoforum 2019 in Moscow, a Russian youtuber went hands on with the Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.0 R WR and XF 16-80mm f/4.

The youtuber had a chat with the Fuji rep, that the automatic google translation tool has a hard time to tranlsate, so if any Russian FR-reader has some spare time to do something good for the FR-community, feel free to drop your translation in the comments down below.

Until then, all I could get is that apparently the youtuber, after handling the XF33mm f/1.0, says:

  • “it feels like around 800g weight“.
    Update with translation by FR reader
  • 33/1.0 dummy represents weight and size for now. Guess it will be pretty expensive. Awaiting next year
  • 16-80 will be affordable lens with extendable barrel (dummy shows folded state only). Also said that 16-80 will be lightweight lens for travellers and videographers

Of course the unit shown is just a dummy (the lens is on the roadmap for 2020), but dummies are usually accurate representations of the lens in terms of size, look and weight.

With that said, it’s still a long way, so there might be changes in size and weight until the final Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0 hits the market in 2020, and dummies we see later on this year might look different than the early ones we see now.

Regarding the Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4, I remind you that Fujifilm said it will come this fall.

Check out the video above, which will skip the initial part of X-T30 and 16/2.8 introduction and jump straight to the XF33mmF1 and XF16-80mmF4.

Rumors & Community

Stay in the Loop

Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.0 Resources

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Fujifilm Manager: “Full Frame? Users Want Choice, and We Chose APS-C and MF. Smaller IBIS Needed”

Fujifilm Manager Interview

Just yesterday DPReview published their Fujifilm CP+ interview, with lots of interesting topics to discuss. Make sure to check it out here (including the hundreds of comments).

Now the Thai youtube channel กล้องกล้วยกล้วย interviewed Fujifilm manager Mr. Makoto Oishi.

It’s a 49 minutes interview in Thai and constantly translated into English. Too cumbersome and no time? Don’t worry, it’s all summed up down below for you :)

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujinon XF 8-16mm F2.8 and XF 200mm F2 Compared to Equivalent Full Frame Glass, Owner Manuals, Reviews and More

Fujinon APS-C vs Equivalent Full Frame Glass

The Fuji year 2018 saw the arrival of two high-end, fast and top quality lenses, the Fujinon XF200mm f/2 LM OIS WR and the Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 LM WR.

Both Fujinon lenses are still smaller, lighter and cheaper than perfectly equivalent full frame glass, as you can see in this comparison, where we compare the Fujifilm XF200mm f/2 (with 1.4 TC) versus the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L and the Fujinon XF8-16mm f/2.8 with the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM.

Check out the comparison here.

Price and size is one of the advantages of an APS-C system. For more advantages, read this article.

And as soon as the Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0 hits the market in 2020, Fuji’s APS-C system will have also an equivalent to something like the Nikkor 58mm f/1.4G and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4.

So, that was the fast glass.

But many people, who buy into an APS-C system, probably do it because they look for the best balance between size, weight, price and performance.

Lenses like the Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 (which will come soon) and the Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 (which will come later), perfectly fit into the philosophy of the “balance“. Great performance in a compact, flexible, portable and affordable package.

My prediction: Fujifilm will sell the XF16mmF2.8 and XF16-80mmF4 like hot cakes, just like they do with their f/2 trinity, the XF23mmF2, XF35mmF2 and XF50mmF2.

Good that Fujifilm is boosting up its lens production by 70%.

But today’s roundup is all for the big and fast guys, the Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 LM WR and Fujinon XF200mm f/2 LM OIS WR. Enjoy it.

Fujinon XF 8-16mm F2.8: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, Focuscamera
Fujinon XF 200mm F2: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, Focuscamera

Fujinon XF 200mm f/2

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Tony Northrup Fujifilm 2019 Predictions: Fujinon XF 400mm2.8, 70mm1.0, 16-55mm1.8, 50-120mm1.8 and 16mm1.0

MEGA DEALS
(Save $900 on Fuji X-H1)

Fujifilm 2019 Predictions

It’s time for gear predictions!

Techradar started here, by predicting the Fujifilm X-Pro3 and maybe also the Fujifilm X100F successor in 2019.

Now it’s time for Tony and Chelsea Northrup to predict new gear.

Tony says he noticed a trend at Fujifilm, which is making full frame equivalent fast lenses (XF200mmF2, XF8-16mmF2.8, XF33mmF1.0). Hence, according to his predictions, Fujifilm will launch:

Over a year ago, I told you that Fujifilm will NOT launch more than 2/3 X and 2/3 GF lenses a year (at least not until they finish to expand their lens factories).

And since Fujifilm already has 2 lenses scheduled for this year (the XF16mmF2.8 and XF16-80mmF4), I’d not expect more than 1 “surprise” lens to come (if any).

You can see Tony’s full video at the top of this post or on their youtube channel here, and follow FujiRumors at Facebook, RSS-feed, Twitter and Instagram