Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Preview

April 2013 | By Andy Westlake

Preview based on a pre-production Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

Over the past few years, the digital camera market has been transformed by the arrival of mirrorless system cameras. Freed from film-era design constraints, these can provide image quality to match SLRs in a much more portable form factor. Entry-level models provide compact-camera like handling and simplicity, while high-end cameras such as the Sony NEX-7, Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Fujifilm X-E1 are able to offer a full set of enthusiast-friendly manual controls in smaller, more discreet systems, and with relatively few compromises. However to persuade buyers to forsake their SLRs, the camera companies also need to offer lens lines that will cover their needs.

While most manufacturers have attacked the mirrorless market from the bottom up, Fujifilm's approach has been the opposite, starting with the unashamedly top-end X-Pro1 followed up by the more enthusiast-oriented X-E1. The company's lens line reflects this - instead of starting out with entry-level kit zooms, it took the decidedly unusual step of launching with three fixed-focal length primes. The first zoom appeared with the X-E1, but the XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS is no ordinary 'kit' lens, offering premium optics and a faster than usual maximum aperture.

The XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom follows in the same vein - according to Fujifilm the aim is to provide premium optical quality and construction alongside class-leading image stabilization. Like the 18-55mm it features a relatively fast maximum aperture, gathering half a stop more light than most similar zooms for SLRs, and it uses a pair of linear stepper motors for near-silent autofocus. As with the other XF lenses, it offers all-metal barrel construction and an on-lens aperture control ring. The overall picture is of a decidedly premium lens, that's quite unlike the inexpensive 55-200mm F4-5.6 telezooms for APS-C SLRs.

Headline features

55-200mm focal length (83-300mm equivalent)
Relatively fast F3.5-4.8 maximum aperture
Optical image stabilization; 4.5 stops claimed benefit
Aperture ring on lens
X mount for Fujifilm X system mirrorless cameras

Updated lens roadmap

Alongside the announcement of the XF 55-200mm, Fujifilm has also updated its roadmap for upcoming lens launches. The main addition compared to the previous version is the mouth-watering XF 56mm F1.2 R portrait prime, which is half a stop faster than previously projected and slated for arrival at the start of next year (as far as we're concerned it can't come soon enough). Also notable is the appearance of the Carl Zeiss lenses first shown at Photokina 2012, suggesting an unusual - and welcome - degree of cooperation between the two companies.

The upshot is that by January 2014, just two years after the system's launch, Fujifilm is promising to have available image-stabilized wideangle, normal and telephoto zooms providing a total range to 10-200mm (15-300mm equivalent), along with seven primes covering the wideangle to short telephoto range. This looks like a pretty capable lineup that should meet the needs of many photographers. Long telephotos are notably lacking, but this is one area where SLRs generally work much better anyway.

Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS specifications

Maximum format size	APS-C
Focal length	55-200mm
35mm equivalent focal length (APS-C)	83-300mm
Diagonal angle of view	29.0° - 8.1°
Maximum aperture	F3.5-4.8
Minimum aperture	F22
Lens Construction	• 14 elements in 10 groups • 2 extra low dispersion (ED) glass elements • 1 Super ED glass element
Number of diaphragm blades	7, rounded
Minimum focus	1.1m / 3.67ft
Maximum magnification	Approx. 0.19x
AF motor type	Two linear stepper motors
Focus method	Internal
Zoom method	Rotary, extending barrel
Image stabilization	• Optical IS • 4.5 stops
Filter thread	• 62mm • Does not rotate on focus
Supplied accessories*	• Front and rear caps • Lens hood
Weight	580g (20.5 oz)
Dimensions	75mm diameter x 118mm length (3.3 x 4.7 in)
Lens Mount	Fujifilm X

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

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Comments

Total comments: 67

The Fuji lineup looks wonderful but a tad expensive.
Maybe it could be compared to the Nikon 70-200mm F4 ?
On the D600 the combo is 1606 grams ~3,5 pounds vs. the 2 pound Fuji-combo.
Maybe somebody would make a 1,4x TC for the Fuji ? Then it would be near F6,7 at "420mm". Maybe sharp - maybe not - there is no TC in the Fuji roadmap - just speculating :-)
With the D800 + zoom + Nikon 1,7x TC I get a "340mm" F6,7 lens and yes it is sharp-sharp at effective F8. Now I have double the weight of the Fuji lens+camera but obviously I have chosen the full frame because I have "double the fun". The full frame offers more flexibility in terms of high-iso sensitivity and plenty of pixels for landscape shots. Today I shot mousetits and blue tits in the garden. After seriously cropping to these tiny birds this is what I get: http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/6268509557/albums/mousetit-w-70-200mmf4-tc1-7eii

0 upvotes

The Fuji X-series cameras and lenses are mirrorless compact cameras, not full-size / full-frame DSLRs, so why you'd be looking for a comparison between this lens and a $2000 Nikor 70-200 f2.8 is bizarre. And how exactly is having a full-frame camera "double the fun"? You mention pixels for landscape shots then shoot birds. I know bird photographers that prefer APS-C DSLRs for the extra magnification as opposed to buying 400 - 800 mm lenses -- such as you'd need on a full-frame camera.

4 upvotes

Frankly, I do not understand with what many are comparing the Fuji 55-200 to? In terms of sharpness, are they comparing it to the 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikon? In terms of weight, is it being compared to the 3x as heavy (at ~1450g) 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikon? At ~1.25 lbs, the Fuji lens is light, especially with that zoom range. If the optics is as good as reported, I'd take it over the Nikon most of the time.

2 upvotes

Reviews usually have cutouts of body construction, e.g. An outline of where the titanium shell. I would like to know on this one as well as the Nikon D7100.

0 upvotes

Roadmap on this page is very helpful. I await with much anticipation the 10-24mm lens.

0 upvotes

I dont understand what you would use the 10-24mm for. I am fairly new to photography. What sort of things would you shoot. I personally cant wait for the 27 pancake to make it nice for day to day walk around stuff and the 56mm/1.2 sound pretty good

0 upvotes

Why anyone buys such slow glass I have no idea.

0 upvotes

If I might be so bold as to reply to your comment, please indulge me. Fast glass was necessary in the film days because the fine grain films were slow (ASA 50). Today, the high resolution cameras can achieve low-noise pictures up to ASA 25K, which really makes fast glass a luxury. Besides, fast glass are bulky, e.g. the 14-24mm Nikkor I will be getting rid of soon. However, I have found use for fast glass in shooting wildlife (as in safaris) because the animals are out either very early or very late in the day. And even then, the longest lens I could afford is a 200-400mm Nikkor. I hope my reply sheds light on your puzzlement.

2 upvotes

Why some people carry f/2.8 dumbbell zooms & still take crappy pictures, I have no idea too!

while other manufacturers usually roll out 55-200mm f/4-5.6, this fuji zoom is actually considered fast for it's class.

4 upvotes

Well... yes.
Me.
In fact for everyday heavy duty photojournalism in Barcelona.
I hope I do have an idea...

3 upvotes

Because it works fine for the purpose it's intended for, and ends up being much smaller, lighter, and cheaper than some humongous f2.8 image stabilized full-frame lens. I think that's a good reason to buy it.

3 upvotes

I agree! Fuji stuffs are overpriced !

0 upvotes

I acknowledge in advance that the lens will probably be of excellent quality, but I can't help but think that a lens of this size is getting away from the concept of a very small neat package offered by a mirror-less body with prime lens...... As one accumulates a few lenses, the small size of the body is going to become less relevant in limiting one's kit size. It's going to start heading for small DSLR scale. The 18-55 is my limit for lens size I think - I'll complement it with a legacy glass 100mm/2.8.

I'm with whoever suggested that Fuji should offer very small telephoto primes in native X mount, say like the old 100mm/2.8 lenses from Olympus and Pentax.

1 upvote

Samples viewable here: http://tinyurl.com/cap77zw

Will be available on Amazon Japan starting may 25th for ￥ 69,801
Cf: http://tinyurl.com/ceustux

1 upvote

Where's a vertical grip option for either of the bodies? Who wants to heft something like this around without a comfortable vertical option?!

0 upvotes

Reallyrightstuff.com has the grip you want but pricey, in my opinion, though.

Comment edited 29 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I have the RRS grip for my X-E1, manufactured with no compromises, super comfortable, definitely worth the cost.

0 upvotes

Thanks for the recommendation. I have the original FujiFilm grip which I find small to my medium size hand (only two and a half fingers rest on it, the pinky finger has no room). However it is nice to the touch with 'rubbery' type grip.
How does the RSS compare?
Is there a vertical grip available?

0 upvotes

"It's never going to come close to a similar-priced SLR setup for focus tracking on moving subjects,"

Never say never. Absolutely nothing in principle prevents a mirrorless system (especially with on-sensor PDAF, but not even necessarily given the further development of CDAF and image-recognition algorithms) from OUTPERFORMING a DSLR at tracking because its tracking sensors (which is the main sensor in mirrorless) receive 100% of the light/information from the lens, while tracking sensors (both PDAF and color) in DSLRs receive only the small portion of the light, routing the rest to the optical viewfinder.

8 upvotes

Anyone know if this is tripod mountable on the X-E1 without additional support? If it is, I will pre-order.

0 upvotes

Wouldn't you prefer to find out if it's actually any good first?!

1 upvote

of course it is, assuming you're ballhead is rated for something more than just a point-n-shoot camera. the combined weight of this lens and a XE-1 or X-Pro1 isn't more than a few pounds, and any modern lightweight ballhead can accomodate this combo.

0 upvotes

I am certain that lens will be great optically, but I will not be buying it. The size and price are factors, but the main one is that I have to consider what I would be using a telezoom for: sports and wildlife mainly. Both of these need a fast autofocus and, if possible, some weather resistance. So, instead of this lens, I will be buying a DSLR with a telezoom, probably a Pentax.

However, if Fuji would release a fast 90 to 100mm prime lens (135 to 150mm equivalent), I would buy it in a second.

3 upvotes

But the news of that 56mm f1.2 is oh so welcomed!

2 upvotes

56/1.2 will compete directly with Nikon 85/1.8G which is an awesome lens at 500 US (a little bit expensive but no big deal).

a 135/2 equivalent should be 88/1.3 for a grand.

2 upvotes

Except that the Fuji is a full stop faster in terms of light gathering capabilities ! I wouldn't call that direct competition. The 85mm f/1.4G is 1800$ and still slower but with a bit shallower DOF. But both are much bigger lenses for a bigger camera...

If you want to compare apples & oranges might as well compare it to the 50mm f/1.8G @ 230$ on a DX body... Then the Fuji really looks expensive !

Or compare with the old 60mm f/1.2 Hexanon that sells for 5-6K (used) and Fuji's a bargain !

The point is that it doesn't compete with anything else directly, it'll be the only fast short tele prime on this system that can auto focus (for what that's worth).

1 upvote

Andy, the kit zoom is F2.8-4, not F2.8-4.5 like you state in the article. ;)

2 upvotes

Thanks, corrected.

0 upvotes

Meanwhile, at the SONY camp... errr never mind...

8 upvotes

At the Sony camp, WA zoom is already released, supertele zoom is already released (3 times), some power zooms are available (for video and smooth transition to digital zoom). Meanwhile, Fuji caters to retirees without anything to do and nowhere to hurry but change one prime to another prime, and no grandkids who would appreciate the time and money wasted.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 27 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Meanwhile at Sony they have conventional sensors which output usable raw files. ZING!

0 upvotes

for those that use LR, the raw support has been updated. I have no issues with files from my X-E1. Also, I have the 35 1.4 and the 18-55 and have been nothing but impressed with the 18-55, great quality zoom, looking forward to this longer capable zoom, will be nice to have when needed.

0 upvotes

Nice writeup! As usual, Andy seems to see things very much like I do.

I was actually able to test the prototype lens with a pre-release copy of the new firmware, here's my article including many sample images: http://www.fujirumors.com/first-look-xf55-200mmf3-5-4-8-r-lm-ois/

It will also tell you what the OVF is doing in the X-Pro1.

8 upvotes

I saw your flickr image but they are down sampled to 1/4. would appreciate native resolution at 200mm, center and 3/9-o'clock, open and f/8. thanks.

0 upvotes

It's pretty useless to pixel peep with unfinished prototype lenses, as the results (good or bad) will certainly differ from production lenses. I need to get my hands on at least a pre-production copy of the lens. This will hopefully happen soon enough.

1 upvote

I was curious but you did give useful info by refusing to answer the question. thanks.

Comment edited 57 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Nice write up on Fuji Rumors Rico - I can't imagine this will be a dog given the optical quality of the lenses thus far (only the 18 is a bit weak IMO). I know you can't comment on image quality and you did comment on handling, but are we talking a front heavy lens or not? It's not necessarily a problem, I used the sony 18-200 on a NEX-5N for a while, but wouldn't mind hearing your views.

0 upvotes

"It's pretty useless to pixel peep with unfinished prototype lenses, as the results (good or bad) will certainly differ from production lenses."

...if that's true then any review of a pre-production lens is useless, since all that matters is the final image.

2 upvotes

Pancake lens in the roadmap

0 upvotes

The Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH has been a very popular pancake lens, given the aps-c x-trans benefit this Fuji could end up being just as popular with enthusiasts.

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

...benefits? Mushy raw files? Odd new forms of moire? Unfixable color artifacts? Low color resolution? Slow AF?

0 upvotes

If the image quality is in the same league as the other zoom, Fuji will have a popular lens - for those who really need the reach. On the other hand, it does look like a giant on the x-e1.

Fuji, now get working on that wide zoom please! :)

4 upvotes

it looks like a Sigma 70-300 with SpeedBooster.

1 upvote

No, really it doesn't.

14 upvotes

it doesn't have a SpeedBooster built in but effectively the same result. these zoom lenses have quite similar designs and if we "SpeedBoost" Sigma 70-300/4-5.6 one stop we can get a faster lens than this XF, a lens of 50-210/2.8-4.

btw, Sigma 70-300 are good popular lenses and a non-stablized version is sold as Oly ZD70-300.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 11 minutes after posting

1 upvote

This camera system is a niche system to begin with. Why not expand into a lens category and make it available to those who want to use such a lens. After all the system is interchangeable, it's not like you have to but this lens. If it is too big and bulk for your taste...don't buy it! Stick with the primes.

As for me, if it works well enough, then I am who they are marketing it too, and I can finally say good by to the Nikon.

2 upvotes

It seems to me that this is a "niche" lens. There are times that I wish I had a long telephoto in the bag. But the idea of carrying my D700 around for just that occasion is a much worse option than just grabbing one of these. I just hope that the focus is fast enough to be used the way a lens like this will require.

I say if you want and need a lens like this then get it, if you don't well then stick to the awesome primes available.

As for the guy who stated that maybe this will be the first XF lens that can be called good...you must not have ever used one, and probably drool from far off!

4 upvotes

I think Fuji will give us two very good tools: for photographers that need a telephoto for wildlife and sports the XF 55-200 is perfect! For someone who needs a (short) tele for portraits, the XF 56mm F1.2 might be the better choice.
In the end, having options is great.

5 upvotes

Make it three,
A great macro when coupled with a canon 500D!

0 upvotes

Guess I am the odd one out, I have just bought into to the X-System for the premium quality and extraordinary value, not the size and weight.

My new X-System beginning is on its way across Australia now, this new lens road map has made me even happier - especially the 56mm revised f1.2 aperture. If the 55-200mm is as sharp as promised I can see myself nailing that one too.

Life is cool, it just got cooler. :-D

Comment edited 40 seconds after posting

11 upvotes

Nothing in the camera tech industry is forever. This is a highly consumer-oriented lifestyle we live in, and bodies as well as lenses are purchased and sold VERY frequently. Lenses "could" last longer but people sell them at almost the same rate...

0 upvotes

And why would people do that? Either they gave up photography, or they found something better. In other words, what they bought the first time around wasn't good enough to satisfy them.

Practically everything I read from those who own an X-Pro1 or X-E1 sounds like the description of someone who has just gotten involved with a new lover. And for the last 3 months I fit into that category with my X-E1 and "kit" 18-55mm zoom lens.

Sure it's a honeymoon, and we tend to spout off about our lover's qualities and assets that might not seem so obvious to those who have to listen to us. But even with its quirks and shortcomings, the camera is a joy to shoot, the images captured by the new Fuji glass are spectacular, and I can pack my camera, zoom, and spectacularly performing XF 14mm in a bag that's 6" x 8" x 3" and spend the afternoon coming and going as I please. The results outperform the ability of my computer or Hi Def television to display.

Ten years from now it will be the same.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

And to me here is the dilemma which I think will come with all APS-c mirrorless camera's and zooms: this is getting really big. It is heavier than my 100-300 mm zoom for my m43 cam and it is about the same size. It is only slightly faster.
The Fuji most likely is an excellent lens and the XE1 as a cam is a step up in IQ over any m43 cam out there.

Personally, I think like this: that lens is forever, that body is exchangable. And m43 sensors will get there soon enough. Also, the Sony sensor in it still has very good IQ, better than any Canon APS-c for example. So I go for the clear size and weight advantage.

Very good to sdee Fuji delivering constantly with their lenses for APS-c. As I said: I have little doubt this one will be very very good and for those who prefer APS-c mirrorless, Fuji seems to be the system you want to get.

4 upvotes

a good point that G100-300 should be near 50% heavier than XF55-200 by simple calculation. the extra size usually means peripheral quality so let's wait and see.

if 55-200 will become the first XF lens that can be called good.

Comment edited 6 minutes after posting

1 upvote

First XF lens that can be called good??? Why don't you give us some examples of what you call good as a comparison. Seems to me you might not have actually ever used one of these.

3 upvotes

Exactly. The lens is too big (if it is really good) or the camera too small for APS-C mirrorless camera. Not a whole lot of size advantage from the smaller APS-C DSLRs. Otherwise this Fuji-X is fine and a better system than NEX for people who have to have the best mirrorless IQ, especially as more lenses, quality lenses are released for it.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

@Conrad567,

you could ignore the last sentence.

0 upvotes

...and you might as well DELETE the last sentence...

4 upvotes

Typo: "Focal length 55-500mm" in the specifications table...

1 upvote

Fixed, thanks

0 upvotes

the rebirth of the Bigma, now in Fuji clothes :)
("Bigma" was the unofficial name for the Sigma 50-500, a monster lens)

2 upvotes

I'm curious about the price...

1 upvote

XF lenses are usually 2-3 times more expensive and this one looks the same (500-600 US).

an exception may be the XF18-55/2.8-4 which is nearly 1 stop faster and slightly better in resolution than EF-M18-55/3.5-5.6. I think the price is justified if EF-M18-55 can be used as a standard.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

$699.00 U.S.

0 upvotes

If I get this lens, I'm going to have to rename my X-E1 'Atlas'.

2 upvotes

John Holmes might be more appropriate.

4 upvotes

Hah!

0 upvotes

Total comments: 67