The Fujifilm XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR is a versatile, everyday lens for X-mount cameras. We show you how it compares for image quality, and Jordan tells us why he thinks its a great lens for shooting video.
I've watched several reviews on this lens because I am interested in it but there are many reviews that have concerns with the edge sharpness and the stuttering video autofocus. Since this review their have been some firmware upgrades for the lens. Is there anyone out there who has owned this lens through all this that could comment on their ownership experience/performance of the lens now? Thanks!!!
I don`t know why they always mention CORNERS ... it`s the EDGES which matter far more even for landscapes .. as it happens the edges aren`t good in these samples at 16mm either even at F8 - the cheapo 16-50 plastic F3.5-5.6 kit lens (from the two I`ve had) performs better wideopen at 16mm at the far edges than this does at F8 and it`s consistently sharp edge to edge at F5.6 .. the 16-50 is soft at 50mm though even there its consistent across the frame
Had the rush to sell my fuji gears after watching this review, but after hearing rumor about viltrox 33mm f1.4 which sell for 250, i guess there are some benefits of using crop fujifilm sensor after all.
The lens is super sharp in the center and in most of the image. With some weakness in the wide end.. AF, IS, built is top notch. IMO, it's super impressive for the weight and compactness.
I'm really wondering why people are complaining so much..
PS: I base my statement not much about the current review at DPR but on my own experience.
If you want a compact APS-C zoom lens that is sharp across the frame, the Sony 16-55 F2.8 is the way to go it seems. You lose a bit of length at the long end compared to this, but you gain a stop in speed, but it's a different league IQ wise compared to this lens it seems. The Fuji 16-55 also offers improved IQ to be fair, it's much larger than the Sony
Dont Fujifilm produce an 18-135 lens that has good reviews? surely thats a decent equivalent lens? the Aperture may be variable but in most cases that isnt an issue.
It is what it is im afraid with Fujifilm, i managed to win an X-T2 and 18-55 in a competition so the initial outlay has been free for me.. since then ive carefully chosen which lenses to buy and used a mixture of Grey Market, Used and UK stock in the sales. I currently have the 10-24, 16-55, 55-200, 23, 50, 27 and Samyang 12mm. My Girlfriend uses the 18-55 on an X-E2s i picked up cheap.
but the XF 16-80 F4 is super capable and full of top notch features: AF, IS, built.. Sharpness is very good in the center, and weak at some settings. Good for a such zoom.
Moreover, you can get the Fujinon cheap bundle as kit.. so it will likely bring the second-hand price low..
Different brands apply very different pricing strategy in my county (Indonesia). Currently fuji 16-80 sell around 928 and sony 24-105mm for 1142. Because close to Singapore, i buy sony there for 1030. After claiming sell tax its around 950-970.
What about the reported "jumpy" zooming while taking video? This was not mentioned in the video we are talking about now but was reported as an issue when doing video with this lens. That is, if you zoom in or out while recording video, the image jumps in steps instead of smoothly zooming to a larger or smaller magnification. I've seen video of this and it is quite disturbing.
Maybe just me, but the images from the lens/xt3 combo seemed a little magenta rich. Maybe it is a Fuji thing. Also was wondering why some videos on the gh5/gh5s and some on the s1h. Personally, the s1h looks so much nicer both with dof and colors.
I tested this lens for a few minutes on a trade show lately, because I was considering it. But in the short time I had with it I wasn't impressed. Sharpness seemed to be ok but the AF missed a lot at the long end and the OIS was also not great. The built was very plasticy and I didn't like the response of the aperture ring. The focal range was nice and also it's pretty light weight. I wouldn't consider it worth the 850€ it costs in Europe. I also tested the 16-55 f2.8 and it was a totally different story in the built quality and AF department. It's very likely I'm getting this one instead despite the lack of OIS.
I'm disappointed. I've been watching this lens since its announcement and to find out it's no better than the much-maligned Zony 16-70, but a bit cheaper, is a bit of a surprise.
Nico--We heard you the first 20 or so times you posted the same information or same opinion on this thread. It may help you feel better about your purchase but the additional 19 or so repetitions add little to this thread.
It's dead sharp in the center and in most of the image frame. It does show some weakness in the corner at 16mm. That's it. The rest of the lens is top notch: AF, IS, built.
I only miss the AF switch.. but I guess man can live without :)
Read Lenstip review, sharpness at 80mm is below what you would expect for a lens released at 2019 at this price point. Behind what the compitition are offering for a similar class of lens
Lenstip release scientific review.. They also stated that the center sharpness is outstanding, but some corner are not that impressive.
Using this lens in real world and making some pixel peeping test (also at 80mm f4), I'm quiet impress with the lens. It's always dead sharp in the center.. and the rest of the features (AF, IS, Built) is top notch..
That's fair enough Nico, and I'm glad you enjoy the lens, after all photography is only a hobby for most on this forum.
I can only go on what the independent review sites say which test the lenses in a uniform manner, and at a risk of repeating myself, the overall IQ performance of this lens is below par being a 2019 design and the price point it's at. The other systems have lenses without the IQ compromises
I own this lens and for my purposes, I don't care at all about corner sharpness. I have primes for that job. I don't give a fig about bokeh either.
This focal length of this zoom is my 'dream' lens as it fits (for me) the best compromise amongst size, price, maximum aperture, constant aperture and zoom range. I never expect outstanding optical performance in a zoom as they are by default, very much an optical compromise.
One thing this review did not cover, the relatively short throw of the manual focusing ring. Compared to the other "Wheel of Fortune" style, electronically coupled rings, this one is fantastic. It's about as close as we can get to a manually coupled ring.
I use mine for video and the one thing I did find is that the distance shown in the EVF when on MF, is not accurate as the distance scale is well off. The good thing though, the face detect on my X-T3 actually works well, so I flipped it on with AF and got great results.
Anybody has a comparison of the sharpness say with Sony Zeiss E 16-70mm f4?
I would say that I would prefer IQ and sharpness over the reach. Basically what I was longing for was and WR travel zoom that would be better and WR compared to 18-55 and not that heavy as 16-55 f2.8
When I'm hiking, I always take my 18-135 which is fairly heavy and lacks the really wide end and my xf 14, which lacks weather sealing and adds bulk to the kit. My 15-45 on the other hand lacks WR but more importantly PZ sucks. I was really hoping, the 16-80 would deliver on both ends. As it seems, it's really not too bad a lens, but also not worth the investment of 800€ given my existing selection. So I'll give it a miss for now. 16-55 looks more appealing to me, given that I use it on X-H1.
A lot of us are in the same boat. The 18-135mm is fine if all you do is shoot f/8. Based on just about everything I read, the 16-80mm isn't the solution many were seeking.
@j tokarz--I own one as well--purchased as a part of an X-T1 kit a few years ago. The one Fuji lens that I regret purchasing. Soft compared to every other Fuji lens I own. It is very built. There are some, such as yourself who apparently have good copies.
Bokeh is a matter of opinion, sure. The other things (resolution, vignetting, distortion) are measurable--objectively worse than most lenses in this price range.
The bokeh has pretty severe ringing--probably from the aspherical element. That's pretty normal for a zoom, though.
Notice how the reviewers repeatedly praise the Fuji 16-80 as a great "kit" lens. It is not a kit lens! It is designed like a mid-range lens and, more importantly, PRICED like a mid-range lens. Seriously, what other kit lens costs $800US? How many kit lenses cost even HALF that? "Great as a kit lens" means sub-par for what the lens is sold as. DPReview should have had the guts to come out and say that.
Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8, Olympus 12-100mm f/4, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4, Canon RF 24-105mm f/4, Nikon 24-70mm f/4, Panasonic 12-60mm, and many others are sold as "expensive kit lenses.
What makes a lens to be a kit is if it is sold or not with a camera. It is increasingly common for high-end models to get premium lenses in attractive SKUs. Long gone are the days at "kit lenses" were the cheap plasticy 18-55mm by Canonikon.
i thought the term "kit" refers to the kit of focal lengths, i.e. primes like 24+35+50+70mm combined in one "kit lens". But that's probably just me, lol :-)
So now it makes it hard to pick between fuji's kit choices of 16-80 f4 and the 16-55 f2.8. The brighter and optically better wide end or the longer reach all the way out to 120mm eq. I think I'd still prefer the faster, shorter range but it is also more money, but not a ton.
I think it's nice to have choices but I don't think this is a lens I'd ever buy. Still, it would be a top choice on nearly any other system, fuji just has lots of other great choices (like the amazing for it's even cheaper price 18-55 f2.8-f4.0).
It's not that hard. I won't be buying it. I will continue to use the 18-135mm for travel and vacation where the IQ is up to the task and the 16-55mm for serious work.
I was hoping that Fuji would come forward with a travel lens worthy of a "red badge" instead of just a pretty good kit lens. Yes, it would cost a few bucks, but the idea is a premium travel lens. Olympus did it right with the 12-100mm. Fuji should have followed this example.
You're not going to beat M43's reach for it's size. That's the crop. You're also not going to mistake the 12-100 at it's wide end for the new fuji sensor and the 16-80 at the wide end in terms of image quality that's a decent sized step.
I should clarify, I was speaking to the quality of the lens. A 12-100mm would not be practicable as a travel lens on the APS-C format. Something better than a kit lens should have been possible.
More coffee--Something akin to the 12-100mm (24-200mm equivalent) would not be practical. Fuji has the right focal length, but could have produce a better lens.
Has there been a lens released in the last 3 years that has worse corners than this lens? I don't think there has been, like I said you don't really get it anymore which is why it's strange
Thanks for the review of this lens - keep them up, lenses are important! That been said, tough to find the 'perfect' lens. Looks good, but not great. Kinda like my EF 24-105. It can produce good results between about 35-80mm, but at the wide and tele ends, useful, but not for 'keepers'. I am again(!) looking at lighter gear to go with my FF kit. This probably wouldn't cut it so a bit disappointing from 'the' dedicated APS-C manufacturer.
I'm also stunned by Fujifilm's marketing department constant shameless exaggeration of facts, which borders with outright lies at times. Read their presentation on XF 16-80:
"The lens consists of 16 elements in 12 groups, including three aspherical lens elements and one ED aspherical lens. The aspherical lens elements are controlled at high precision to reduce field curvature and spherical aberration, resulting in an advanced level of image sharpness across the frame. By using an ED aspherical lens as a OIS lens, aberration fluctuation due to image stabilization is suppressed. In addition, This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 35 cm close-up photography over the entire zoom range. The lens has very little breathing making it suitable for movie shooting."
It's almost definitely sharper than both the 18-55mm and the 18-135mm, even in the corners. I don't see why it wouldn't replace those lenses.
When was the last time anyone here actually looked at how the 18-55mm performs on the 26MP sensor? Good lens for the 16MP Fujis, but it just doesn't hold up to the newer sensors.
According to reviews and tests, the 16-80 is consistently sharper in the center than the 18-55, however softer in the corner both wide open or closed down. So it really depends. I also wanted to replace my 18-55 with it, however i'm not sure anymore, i might keep the 18-55 and pay the little extra for the 16-55/2.8 and use it when i don't mind the extra bulk.
Also the very good IS, coupled with no breathing etc make it a great video lens, probably better than the 16-55, so for people shooting lot of video it might be the best single-lens option for Fuji. Also in video the corner softness doesn't really matter, as Jordan underlined, so yeah an excellent video (or mixed) lens.
I admit i am rather deeply disappointed by the corner performance, but overall looks like a decent lens. Not the replacement of the 18-55 but rather an alternative for different priorities.
So this lens sounds great for shooting 4k youtube content. I wish it was a bit cheaper though. Well there is the Fuji X-A7 with 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 for us scrubs.
The only real competition are the Sony APS-C cameras but from what I understand their aps-c lenses are worse.
Been using 16-55, 10-24 and 18-135, so unlikely to add this one.
Every time, beside the nicely-presented review, photography by Chris and videography by Jordan never disappoint. And, yes, this clip has “the Jordan posture”!
Theses lenses are also bulkier and heavier for a shorter reach. Overall the XF 16-80 F4 offers an excellent compromise optically in a robust body with great AF and IS..
And the Fuji is bulky and heavier than the Panasonic Leica 12-60mm F2.8-F4. You can spin that circle forever but that doesn't mean those are comparable lenses
It has 6 stops image stabilization (not 5) and it doesn't have have an image stabilization switch because the lens will turn it off automatically when it detects it's stable enough (e.g. on a tripod).
As an avid Fuji user, I'm torn on this lens. Why? Because I'm also a M43 user and both their Panasonic 12-60 F3.5-5.6 OIS and Panny Leica 12-60 F2.8 are superb performers at their price-points. I'm more impressed with the Panny version of the 12-60 because it's weather proofed and is quite sharp in the corners, specifically stopped down - and (now get this) can be had (separated from the kit) on eBay for as little as $250 - go figure.
And Canon has their equivalent 24-105 lenses that are quite sharp. Then there is Nikon who also has some great copies of this 24-120 focal equivalent.
So in coming back to this Fuji 16-80, I know I desperately want this within the Fuji lineup, but the edge scenario (I shoot many scenics and landscape) is troublesome - but any suggestions here would help. Now if this lens was priced at let's say $599 or at the most $699, then I'd consider it strongly - but at $800 - wow, I'd have to think long and hard about it. I'm primarily a stills shooter.
I took one to Japan for a 2 week trip in November on an X-T2 and a couple of primes (16 and 32). I bought it to take in lieu of my 18-135 which was on the heavy side. No complains as a travel lens, I didn't notice significant issues with corners and it practically doesn't show any distortion at any focal length. Having also recently travelled in Ireland with an Oly E-M10 II and the panny 12-60 I would say the Panasonic has overall better corner to corner sharpness, but obviously different sensors, image circle etc make a difference. If you already have the Fuji 18-135 and don't mind the weight, I'd keep to that one. (and to add the 16-80 Fuji lens wasn't that much lighter in the end).
Sheesh Guys, calm down ! Everybody who knows, or at least visits his homepage, does read that. It doesn't matter - if he's Fujifilm Ambassador or not. Cruel world.
At least, he's a professional Photographer, and he can create his work with <insert your brand here> any camera. It doesn't matter. Jonas is no keyboard warrior, not being a pixel peeper, but a photographer. So gear doesn't really matter.
Well, he does previews and reviews on his blog. Those are simply commercials, no more no less
And you didn't say, look here are some sample images, you said look here is a preview. That's why I noted that you should maybe warn people that he is a brand ambassador.
Marc - As a matter of fact he is not a photographer but a doctor. He is actually an amateur photographer that has a good eye for photography.
Also he is part of the marketing of Fujifilm as he does not only show us images, but his blogs are written in a way that he never ever shall tell us what he really thinks - It is all good and well, while the perfect camera does not exist. Also not from Fujifilm.
I like Jonas. I can relate to his take on photography. It's calming and punchy at the same time. Fact that he gets his camera bodies and lenses before everyone else makes you want to check him out and see what's up.
Trust has nothing to do with it. Nobody exchanged vows with him in the presence of a rabbi. Your kids are safe and sound.
Nowhere in the independent reviews is anyone else saying this, that's what I mean by trust. I'm not saying Jonas is a bad person, and he's clearly a talented photographer, however from my experience I would not trust brand ambassador reviews to be anything more than a marketing peace. This is a forum for a review site, and we want it told as it is.
-Sharp center -Corners soft at 16mm and 80mm at all apertures -Well corrected for LoCa -Impressive IS -Well suited for video, no breathing, great IS, great focus ring -Bokeh is ok, nice round shape but onion rings
I would guess that the soft corners at all apertures at 16mm & 80mm is due to distortion correction. Perhaps the 18-55 would be better for landscape work.
Owners have been complaining about shutter shock issues at around 1/160th, would have been nice to see this tested (ideally with the 1.02 lens firmware).
You "can" actually kind of work around a bit the corner softness by disabling distortion correction. For some subject (aka not architecture) it's fine, and it allows you to recover the corners.. Moreover, CaptureOne will likely support this lens in a near feature. So it will possible to sharpen accordingly the corner. For me a close to perfect lens - all around.
I doubt the corners are just soft because of distortion correction. The Fuji 16-55 F2.8 has nearly the same distortion @-5.59% , while the 16-80mm has -6.39%. And that lens has sharp corners. So it is probably distortion correction in combination with "unsharp" corners that creates these soft cornes.
as fuji users (5 lens, 2 bodies) for 4 years, i know i need to wait until discount price to purchase any fuji product. Still fuji really asking too much for this average lens with mediocre performance.
I quess the lack of competition or third party lens make fuji think they can ask for any price from its consumers.
Look how Sony Open Mount Policy make Sony beat Canon and Nikon. Competition also push Sony to produce great product like 135mm f1.8 and 24mm F1.4 GM.
i have watch the whole video before commenting. 5 stops ois and low focus breathing really are great features for hybrid shooting like myself.
But from my experience, with good techniques, you dont need superb ois or x-h1. How often do you need focus pull? and are you sure its manual focus ring good or smooth enough to achieve that effects? i doubt it very much.
This lens almost crossing sigma 24-70mm f2.8 territory of pricing. i shouldnt had buying marketing gimmick like color science, kaizen forward update and others gibberish talks.
only positive benefit of this lens for me is it may push used price of 16-55 f2.8 to around 600 us in my country.
"I don't know if you know, NicoPPC, but paying a premium for a subpar product makes you a snob."
Paying "premuim" (it's not that expensive), for a great product. Again, sharpness is great but in the corner at edge focal, super AF, super built, super IS, (rather) compact.
A $20 Minolata 50/1.7 lens has better picture quality. The lens was marketed as great travel zoom, but it's subpar at tele and wide angle - both of which are runed by bad IQ. Also, F4 is too slow for creative portrait, maybe OK-isk for studio work, but you don't need 16mm there. Bottom line - when optical quality is flawed, does the rest really matter? They just ask too much for something, that other manufacturers sell you for half the price or give you something substantially better for same money, like every other Fujinon lens!
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