Testing Fuji 16-80mm, people like bricks so people get bricks

Bill 10 · Nov 20, 2019

I did some testing Fuji 16-80mm again. I used different FL, 16, 23, 50, 70 and 80 mm. Reference 60mm/2.4 macro.

I made some prints 11 x 17 inch Epson 4900, highest quality. I am not a pixel peeper and I am not a dot peeper. The rough rule of thumb is that the viewing distance is 1.5 to 2 times the diagonal length. So in this case, the viewings distance is about 34 – 46 inch.

After viewing the prints many times I can say the difference in sharpness between 80mm and 70mm in the corners is pretty small. The difference in sharpness between 16mm and 23mm in the corners is pretty small too. I doubt if everyone can see the difference.

Results 23mm, 50mm, 70mm and 60mm macro are more or less the same.

60mm Macro 8.0

80mm/8.0

70mm/8.0

50mm/8.0

23mm/8.0

16mm/8.0

Tom Schum · Nov 20, 2019

Looks good to me. You have the latest firmware in 16-80 I assume (V1.02). Were you using mechanical shutter?

Edges/corners clarity seems to fit the MTF from Fuji for this lens.

Oops, forgot to ask are these raws you processed or are they JPGs from the camera?

--
Tom Schum
Copper: Mankind's favorite electrical conductor

Bill 10 · Nov 21, 2019

Tom Schum said:
Looks good to me. You have the latest firmware in 16-80 I assume (V1.02). Were you using mechanical shutter?

Edges/corners clarity seems to fit the MTF from Fuji for this lens.

Oops, forgot to ask are these raws you processed or are they JPGs from the camera?

ES, latest firmware, electronic shutter, JPEG ooc, handhold.

This copy is just e very fine copy.

Jens Sieckmann · Nov 21, 2019

Thanks for the images. Generally I don't like brick walls but in this case :-D

The long and wide end looks rather bad to me, worse than my XC 16-50. I thought I would get rid of my plastic lens but in fact it is pretty awesome.

Jens

Karl · Nov 21, 2019

How far are you away from this wall? For me the problems began with wide angle at more than about 20 meter. Close distance photos were fine....

Pvuong · Nov 21, 2019

I love Fuji plastic lenses; They worth every penny! It looks cheap, but delivery beautiful images!

TwoMetreBill · Nov 22, 2019

Jens Sieckmann said:
Thanks for the images. Generally I don't like brick walls but in this case :-D

The long and wide end looks rather bad to me, worse than my XC 16-50. I thought I would get rid of my plastic lens but in fact it is pretty awesome.

Jens

This is probably the most underrated lens in the Fuji lineup. If used at f/11-16, it matches the sharpness of the 16-55 f/2.8. Not weather sealed nor built like a tank but for the outdoor landscape photographer, it is a steal. I paid $100 for a "used" one that had never been used by a fellow who got one as part of a X-T10 kit and didn't want it. Were I not planning to buy the 16-80, I'd have kept it.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for the 15-45 and 50-230 which are an embarrassment to Fuji, they should be discontinued. I guess Fuji has to make a couple of poor lenses, better than all the other brands where 50+% are little more than paperweights.

BTW I didn't believe the Imaging-Resource review, it couldn't be both that sharp and cheap. Was I wrong. Too bad their lens tests will be going away, would be nice if DPReview took over the site.

Bill 10 · Nov 22, 2019

I made some shots today, no bricks anymore.

sdias · Nov 23, 2019

Karl said:
How far are you away from this wall? For me the problems began with wide angle at more than about 20 meter. Close distance photos were fine....

I came across a few videos in Japanese that demonstrate the corner/edge softness clearly. Just that most reviews compare this lens against Fuji lenses ie; 18-135 and 18-55 that have the same issue, so its all relative.

Birdie55 · Nov 24, 2019

Bill 10 said:
Tom Schum said:

Looks good to me. You have the latest firmware in 16-80 I assume (V1.02). Were you using mechanical shutter?

Edges/corners clarity seems to fit the MTF from Fuji for this lens.

Oops, forgot to ask are these raws you processed or are they JPGs from the camera?

Click to expand...

ES, latest firmware, electronic shutter, JPEG ooc, handhold.

This copy is just e very fine copy.

Hi Bill, would you mind providing the serial number of your copy?

Many thanks, Birdie

Bill 10 · Nov 24, 2019

number 9CA04762

yrc4 · Nov 24, 2019

A couple of shots with the 16-80 from a morning walk yesterday. I just got it the day before and tried it on a cold morning after a snow storm. These are minimally processed in C1 and I didn't exactly pay much attention to either the camera settings or the composition because I was too busy chatting with my walking partner. No doubt the 16-55 is a better lens, but this one seems perfectly fine for my needs and will nicely complement the 10-24 and 50/2 that I already have. Lens arrived with FW ver 1 and I updated it to 1.02 before using it.

Garden of the Gods...

Birdie55 · Nov 24, 2019

Bill 10 said:
number 9CA04762

Thank you, Bill.

Birdie

Clive99 · Nov 24, 2019

EXPERIOR SD said:
Karl said:

How far are you away from this wall? For me the problems began with wide angle at more than about 20 meter. Close distance photos were fine....

Click to expand...

I came across a few videos in Japanese that demonstrate the corner/edge softness clearly. Just that most reviews compare this lens against Fuji lenses ie; 18-135 and 18-55 that have the same issue, so its all relative.

Which is the comparison that should be made..

sdias · Nov 24, 2019

Similar lenses in its price class: Nikon DX 16-80, Nikon 24-120, Canon RF 24-105, Sigma 24-105 etc. I do have the Nikon 24-120 and rented the DX 16-80, both are priced lower here. I do have the XF 18-55 but I only paid AUD300. Sold the XF18-135 as it was not usable.

DocetLector · Nov 24, 2019

For $ 300 I´m shure you bought the 18-55 second hand. Here in Europe the price for a new one is EUR 650.-

sdias · Nov 24, 2019

DocetLector said:
For $ 300 I´m shure you bought the 18-55 second hand. Here in Europe the price for a new one is EUR 650.-

I only buy brand new. Current retail price=AUD479 (EUR 295) Every three months retailers have a 15% off sale, then every 6 months Fujifilm has a cash back promotion. So if you time correctly you get both. I actually paid less than 300AUD, back in Easter Fuji had a $150 cash back on the 18-55, I bought as it was the last Made in Japan copies around. For Christmas I expect the retail price to drop to around AUD400 (EUR240) before any Fujifilm promotions.

quintana · Nov 25, 2019

That doesn't look too bad after all.

If the edges were a little better at 16mm this lens would probably be a nobrainer for me.

But then again sometimes the edges of my XC15-45 look worse (sometimes they don't, I guess it's caused by field curvature) and still the images look perfectly fine when viewed full screen on my 27" 4K monitor. One should probably not get too obsessed with the 100% or 200% views.

99% of the time I use the photos that I like best only as a wallpaper on my aforementioned 4K monitor and rarely make a larger print.

Maybe I will give the 16-80mm a try when the prices come down a bit. I rarely need more than 80mm so I might even sell my 55-200mm if I get a decent copy of the 16-80mm.

DocetLector · Nov 25, 2019

Veryy strange, I just checked Amazon`s Black Friday price and it was EUR 605.-

Normally what I have seen here from Australian posters the prices are quite a bit higher in your country.

sdias · Nov 25, 2019

DocetLector said:
Veryy strange, I just checked Amazon`s Black Friday price and it was EUR 605.-

Normally what I have seen here from Australian posters the prices are quite a bit higher in your country.

Loading…

www.camerapro.com.au

Loading…

www.digidirect.com.au

These are the largest pro camera shops in Australia.

Fujifilm Australia does not sell via Amazon Australia yet.

As I indicated, you can by the XF 18-55 today for AUD 409 from Camera Pro. All other camera stores in Australia will match this anyway. The Black Friday Sales usually start Thursday midnight.

Testing Fuji 16-80mm, people like bricks so people get bricks

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