Fujifilm's Perfect Lens

I'll keep this short. This is a great lens! 
Optically perfect
Awesome bokeh (better than the 56mm)
great minimum focus distance
Extremely sharp! (but not 80mm macro sharp which is good)
I don't use it often but I'm glad I have it for the times when I need it.

I agree about the optical quality. I just never bonded with the focal length. Too long for most portrait work, too short for some of the editorial images I make. I wound up selling it and going for the 50-140, which is far more useful for me, and optically very nice.

Lack of OIS killed this lens!

Murdoko wrote:

I'll keep this short. This is a great lens!
Optically perfect
Awesome bokeh (better than the 56mm)
great minimum focus distance
Extremely sharp! (but not 80mm macro sharp which is good)
I don't use it often but I'm glad I have it for the times when I need it.

As a speciality lens, it's great but I find the 50-140's versatility much more to my liking. You can use it many scenarios where the 90 simply does not work.

I decided to buy the 80mm macro for three reasons.

1) I enjoy macro

2) OIS

3)Works with the TC 1.4X to give me a 120mm macro.

I thought 80mm to be slightly short for macro, so when I need more length I can pop on the TC.

One more awesome feature is the fast AF. It is really good for sports. Possibly my most loved (but definitely not most used) lens. It's magic.

Murdoko wrote:

mrgooch2008 wrote:

Lack of OIS killed this lens!

Have you used it?

Do you really want to shoot this FL handheld in low light on an X-T3

Love the 90mm but it definitely pairs better with my X-H1 with IBIS than it does with my X-E3.

Hi,

I agree - it's an excellent lens in most respects.  The wonderful thing is just how sharp it is at wide apertures.  It's only weakness is flare.

I ended up selling mine - it was a lens that was just heavy enough to leave at home and so didn't get used often enough to warrant the expense.  There are also smaller and cheaper adapted alternatives if you're happy with MF and middle apertures.

The other thing that I found was  that once the light fell, the extra speed didn't offer enough advantage over the lack of OIS - my 55-200 would deliver better results at slow shutter speeds.  No doubt an XH1 would have helped.  Or an XT4 (This was for static subjects.  Both OIS and IBIS deal with camera movement, not subject movement.)

Regards, Rod

All Fuji lens are perfect, or at least close to perfect, just need to use it for the style of photography it was mean for. Unlike most other companies, Fuji has no bad lens.

dccberry wrote:

I agree about the optical quality. I just never bonded with the focal length. Too long for most portrait work, too short for some of the editorial images I make. I wound up selling it and going for the 50-140, which is far more useful for me, and optically very nice.

What are your thoughts on a potential 70mm being in the works?  I know I haven't seen too many people predict that as one of the three unannounced lenses in the works, but I find it intriguing.  I have a 35 Mitakon and 50 Kaman... both of which I love... and an 85mm Viltrox, which I find a bit long, especially indoors.  I would certainly be interested in a 70mm...

As it is, I'm stuck in a holding pattern.  I would have bought the 56mm already, but for the 50mm 1.0 that's coming.  And want a 23mm 1.4, but am afraid a mk ii is coming.  I wish we had a road map.

Murdoko wrote:

I'll keep this short. This is a great lens!
Optically perfect
Awesome bokeh (better than the 56mm)
great minimum focus distance
Extremely sharp! (but not 80mm macro sharp which is good)
I don't use it often but I'm glad I have it for the times when I need it.

I agree with everything you say. I use it rarely, but when I do, it produces a much higher rate of stunning images than any of my other lenses.