Conclusion
Pros
- Compact, lightweight and relatively well built for the material and price
- Good central image sharpness at all apertures and focal lengths
- Good bokeh for a kit lens
- Wide 16mm starting focal length
- Silent, quick and accurate autofocus
- Good optical stabilization
- Good color and contrast
- Low chromatic aberration and good resistance to flare
- Inexpensive (when purchased in a kit with the X-M1)
Cons
- Image edges are poor wide open and don’t ever get really sharp
- All plastic construction, including the mount
- Zoom ring is a little slippery
- No aperture ring
- No OIS switch
- Expensive (when purchased standalone)
This is the first review I’ve ever gotten to say a lens was both inexpensive and expensive at the same time. The reason for that is simple. The Fujinon XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 is a good lens with a great range, and is well worth adding to your kit if you are purchasing an X-M1 and don’t already own the Fuji 18-55mm. The $100 extra it costs to get this lens is a real bargain in the kit. On the converse side, if you simply are purchasing the lens, it is currently selling for $399. This is too expensive for a kit lens with a plastic lens mount.
However, all things considered the XC 16-50mm is a good lens. It’s not a great lens, but it is better than the average kit lens. While certainly not the sharpest lens in the world, the lens is adequately sharp over most of the frame, allowing you to capture good images in most circumstances. On the other image quality criteria, the lens is quite good. The 16-50mm has very pleasant bokeh and excellent color and contrast, providing a great overall image feel. The extra width over other standard zooms allows the lens to be a little more versatile.
Probably my biggest gripe with the 16-50mm is the loss of the aperture ring that comes standard on almost all other Fuji lenses. It’s makes the lens operate differently in the field than other Fuji lenses, which is an annoyance.
Fuji’s first consumer grade lens for the X-Series will do very well for most new shooters and will even work relatively well for serious photography as long as you aren’t demanding tack sharp images to the corners. Overall, a decent effort from Fuji and a relative good kit lens to go along with a new X-M1.
Image Samples
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