{"id":4341,"date":"2014-12-17T23:50:47","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T04:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=4341"},"modified":"2015-01-07T06:38:51","modified_gmt":"2015-01-07T11:38:51","slug":"review-fujifilm-fujinon-xf-50-140mm-f2-8-r-lm-ois-wr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-fujinon-xf-50-140mm-f2-8-r-lm-ois-wr\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 50-140mm f\/2.8 R LM OIS WR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fujifilm’s X-Series interchangeable lens system has only been around for a bit less than three years, and in that time, they’ve managed to put together a rather impressive lens lineup. \u00a0However, missing from that lineup until recently are pro-grade fast zoom lenses. \u00a0While the fast standard zoom is set to be released in 2015, Fuji users get the telephoto zoom just before the holidays. \u00a0Today I’ll review the Fuji 50-140mm f\/2.8 OIS WR. \u00a0This is the second weather resistant Fuji lens, and the first constant f\/2.8 zoom lens. \u00a0This is a pro-grade zoom lens with a pro-grade price, retailing for $1599<\/a>. \u00a0Can this large mirrorless lens meet the very high expectations that Fuji users demand? \u00a0Let’s find out.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f\/2.8 mounted on an X-T1 with Vertical Grip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. \u00a0You won\u2019t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. There are plenty of other sites that cover those. \u00a0I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool in real-world shooting.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Construction and Handling<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The full size of the 50-140mm can be appreciated in this side view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fuji 50-140mm f\/2.8 is an extremely solidly built lens, constructed predominantly of metal, with some high-grade plastics in use for the zoom ring. \u00a0It definitely feels like a professionally built lens. \u00a0There is an integral tripod collar that can’t be removed, though the foot of the tripod mount can be removed. \u00a0The zoom ring is extremely smooth and moderately damped while the focus ring is a bit stiffer, but also very smooth. \u00a0The aperture ring on the lens is the best of any Fuji lens. \u00a0Very firm with nice detents without being difficult to use. \u00a0The controls on the lens definitely feel top-notch.<\/p>\n

The lens stays constant in length during zooming and focusing and the included lens hood reverses for storage and stays tight to the body. \u00a0The constant f\/2.8 aperture and telephoto focal lengths\u00a0necessitate a larger lens than your average mirrorless optic, and the Fuji 50-140mm is indeed a pretty big lens. \u00a0It’s notably larger than the XF 55-200mm and it’s not particularly light either, at least compared to other XF lenses. While this is somewhat inevitable due simply due to physics, it’s worth noting because it may change how you carry around your kit if this lens is in it. \u00a0The lens is long enough that it wouldn’t fit into my Think Tank Suburban Disguise 20 bag, which is small by DSLR standards but rather spacious for a mirrorless kit. \u00a0Well, the lens itself would fit, but there was no way I was getting it in mounted to the camera. \u00a0As a result, I utilized my Domke F-803 satchel that I haven’t used since 2009.<\/p>\n

If you use a camera with a substantial grip, the 50-140 does handle well in the field, making the size and weight more a concern for transport and bag selection than an actual issue in usage. \u00a0However, I view having a camera with a grip a must for using this lens. \u00a0An X-Pro-1, X-E1 or X-E2 with accessory grip or an X-T1 are the only things I’d want to use with this lens. \u00a0For most of the review period, I used the X-T1 vertical grip as well, as I felt it made the whole combination better balanced and more comfortable. \u00a0There is a notable issue with the lens, though, in that the tripod foot really needs to be removed or swung completely out of the way if you’re using the vertical grip, as it is located too far back towards the mount of the camera, and pinches fingers when using the vertical grip. \u00a0It’s a shame because the tripod foot is well-balanced and the collar is incredibly smoothly rotating, making it a joy to use on a tripod…just not with the vertical grip.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The convenient knock-out for polarizer access in the lens hood (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens is also the second Weather Resistant lens in the Fujifilm XF lineup. \u00a0Being a constant length lens, my guess is the sealing will be a bit more robust than the 18-135mm. \u00a0I didn’t have a chance to thoroughly test the weather resistance, though I did shoot a bit in some light rain, which posed no problems whatsoever with the lens or the camera. The lens does have the same questionable design of the mount gasket found on the 18-135mm, where the rubber surrounds the mount rather than pressing flush to it. \u00a0My shooting in the rain didn’t get the lens soaked enough to see if the same issue I found on the 18-135mm was present, however.<\/p>\n

The lens hood I mentioned earlier has a nice little feature: a piece of it can be removed to allow for easy access to a polarizing filter while the hood is mounted. \u00a0The opening is on the bottom of the lens hood, so the hood will still be effective in use. \u00a0This is just a really nice design touch.<\/p>\n

Autofocus and Optical Stabilization<\/h3>\n

The Fuji 50-140mm features a new triple linear motor for fast and quiet autofocus operation, and for the most part, it’s a very nicely focusing lens. \u00a0In good light, AF is very fast and extremely accurate when used with a body like the X-T1. \u00a0Indoors, however, it slows down rather considerably, and on lower contrast subjects can hunt a bit. \u00a0If you have strong contrast, it does fine indoors, but it isn’t the holy grail of focusing.<\/p>\n

The good news is that in good light, it is definitely fast enough to be used for tracking action. \u00a0I took some shots of cyclists and joggers coming towards me and got a very high hit rate of perfectly in focus shots when using the 8fps burst of the X-T1 in continuous focus mode.<\/p>\n

Now we’re on to the 50-140’s optical stabilization. \u00a0The 50-140mm uses a similar stabilizer to that used in the XF 18-135mm, with a claimed effectiveness of 5 stops. \u00a0I found the 50-140’s to be even slightly better than the outstanding stabilizer on the 18-135mm. \u00a0While I didn’t regularly achieve the full five stops on the 18-135mm, I was able to get sharp shots somewhat consistently at 1\/6 second at 140mm on the 50-140mm. \u00a0Simply put, the stabilizer on the 50-140mm f\/2.8 is the best on any lens I’ve used, by any manufacturer.<\/p>\n

Continue: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Image Quality<\/h3>\n

Sharpness<\/h4>\n
\"This<\/a>
This shot, taken at f\/4, shows very good cross-frame sharpness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The XF 50-140mm f\/2.8 OIS is frankly an extremely impressive lens when it comes to optical quality, and that begins with image sharpness. \u00a0The lens starts out very sharp over the central 75% of the frame, with still very good edges and corners right from f\/2.8 throughout the entire focal range. Stopping down brings the center into outstanding territory and the edges to excellent. \u00a0 Surprisingly, the lens performs nearly as well at further focus distances as it does closer up.<\/p>\n

While the corners at f\/2.8 won’t match the very best primes available, frankly it’s not very far off. \u00a0I have no hesitation whatsoever shooting at any aperture at any focal length with this lens, even when the subject is near the edges of the frame. \u00a0 Click on the image to the right to enlarge, then click on the green arrow at the bottom to view the image at full size.<\/p>\n

Bokeh<\/h4>\n

The Fuji 50-140mm generally produces very pleasing out of focus renderings, but there are definitely situations where the worst of the lens comes out. \u00a0In the majority of situations, the lens produces smoothly rendered blur with evenly illuminated specular highlight discs and lovely falloff. \u00a0However, a very close examination of specular highlights shows a slight double dark edge around the outside. \u00a0In most situations, this has no negative impact on the image. \u00a0However, when shooting at wider focal lengths on further subjects with busy backgrounds, it can combine to produce very nervous bokeh. \u00a0Given what I saw in most of my images, I’m very pleased with the lens’ performance in this area.<\/p>\n

The only real negative regarding bokeh is that the specular highlights do take on a cat’s eye appearance due to mechanical vignetting. \u00a0Any highlights that are outside of the center of the image will have this visible to varying degrees. \u00a0I personally never mind this look, but if you don’t like it, you probably won’t enjoy that characteristic of this lens.<\/p>\n

\"Scioto<\/a>
Scioto Mile – Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 50-140mm f\/2.8 @ 140mm, f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Color, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration<\/h4>\n

The XF 50-140mm produces images with excellent contrast and rich color at all image settings. \u00a0The images aren’t overly contrasty but provide real depth to the files and lots of latitude in post. \u00a0I really like the way the lens draws in this regard.<\/p>\n

The biggest surprise to me with the lens was the total absence of any chromatic aberration. \u00a0I don’t do test charts or measurements, so it’s possible there’s a small amount a testing instrument could pick up, but looking at the images (developed from RAW), I saw absolutely none. \u00a0No lateral CA, and even more surprising, no longitudinal CA, even when shooting white text at an angle…just smooth tonal transition and pure black and white in those instances. \u00a0Likewise, on high contrast subjects like chrome or backlit dark objects, I saw absolutely zero purple fringing. \u00a0I’m truly stunned by the performance of the lens in this department.<\/p>\n

Distortion, Flare and Vignetting<\/h4>\n

The 50-140mm also turns in outstanding results in these three categories. \u00a0There’s really no field relevant distortion from the lens, and vignetting is very mild at f\/2.8 and negligible by f\/4. \u00a0I was similarly impressed by the performance against bright light. \u00a0Even with the sun in the frame at a slight angle, only minimal loss of contrast occurred and no major ghosting or flare artifacts were visible in the shots I took. \u00a0The lens uses a new ‘Nano-G’ coating from Fuji that may be helping turn in this impressive performance.<\/p>\n

Overall, if you couldn’t tell by now, the 50-140mm f\/2.8 is an optically stellar lens. \u00a0Only some imperfect bokeh (that I still generally like) and some very minor corner softening at f\/2.8 keeps it from being essentially flawless. \u00a0It’s easily the best zoom lens in the Fuji lineup, and\u00a0by a rather wide margin. \u00a0The lens really competes on the level of the excellent high-end primes in the XF lineup.<\/p>\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

\"50-140_front\"<\/a>Pros<\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Solidly built, weather-sealed lens with great feel on the zoom, focus and aperture rings<\/li>\n
  • Handles well considering size and weight<\/li>\n
  • Fast and accurate autofocus in good light<\/li>\n
  • Truly excellent sharpness throughout the zoom range right from f\/2.8<\/li>\n
  • Very pleasing bokeh in most situations<\/li>\n
  • Exceptional control of lens aberrations, with essentially zero field relevant chromatic aberration<\/li>\n
  • Very nice performance against bright light<\/li>\n
  • Low distortion and vignetting<\/li>\n
  • Excellent color and contrast<\/li>\n
  • The best optical stabilizer on any lens I’ve ever used<\/li>\n
  • Super smooth tripod-collar and great hood design for access to a polarizer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Cons<\/h4>\n
      \n
    • Large and heavy for a mirrorless lens<\/li>\n
    • Autofocus slows down in low light and can hunt on low contrast subjects in dim conditions<\/li>\n
    • Tripod foot is too close to the rear of the lens, causing conflict with the X-T1’s vertical grip<\/li>\n
    • Bokeh can get nervous in certain situations and has a cat’s eye shape to highlights away from the image center<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      If you couldn’t tell from the rest of the review, the Fuji 50-140mm f\/2.8 OIS WR is a simply outstanding optic. \u00a0The lens is very sharp, has nice bokeh in most situations, is amazingly adept at controlling lens aberrations, is built extremely well, focuses fast in good light and has absolutely incredibly good optical stabilization.<\/p>\n

      On the flip side, the lens doesn’t focus that fast in lower light and the bokeh can get ugly in the right circumstances. \u00a0I also don’t understand the lens designers opting to place the tripod foot far enough back to cause problems when using a vertical grip. I’m sure I’ll get comments on the other (and first listed) ‘con’ in the list above, as I received many comments about the same ‘con’ when I reviewed the excellent, but also fairly large Olympus 40-150mm f\/2.8. \u00a0The lens is big and heavy.<\/p>\n

      I get it: you can’t cheat physics, and those who are looking to use this lens are going to use it in the situations they’d be carrying even larger gear with a DSLR. \u00a0I understand all that. \u00a0It’s still a big lens with regards to the Fuji X series, and it’s important to bring it up for this reason:\u00a0You’re likely going to need a different bag to carry this lens in your Fuji kit.<\/p>\n

      While the size can cause some issues in transport and carrying with the rest of the kit, it’s fine once you start shooting with it. And I have to say, I really liked this lens. \u00a0I review and use a LOT of gear, and most of the time when it’s time to return the review sample, I’m OK with it and move on. \u00a0However, I miss this lens already. \u00a0It’s truly\u00a0an outstanding lens, and I am likely to start socking away some cash to pick one up sometime in the future. \u00a0It’s a brilliant optic\u00a0with a few minor faults, but when taken as a whole\u00a0it’s one of the very best zoom lenses I’ve ever used.<\/p>\n

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