Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR lens test

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X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/1300 s, 84.0 mm equiv.

Lenses for SLR cameras, released in the film era or at the dawn of digital photography, are often recognized by the new generation of photographers as “blurry,” which means they are bad. This forces photographic manufacturers to recount optical circuits and re-release popular lenses. By the way, the two largest manufacturers of SLR cameras and optics for them over the past few years have reprinted almost all the main lenses, increasing their price compared to previous versions by one and a half, or even twice.

Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR with mounted tripod foot

Learn Price Fujifilm XF 50-140 f / 2.8 R LM OIS WR Fujifilm created its Fujifilm X system already in the digital age, and each lens was calculated taking into account current trends. In the entire line of optics, only the most budget models can be reproached for relative blurriness, and even that is not all. Nevertheless, when developing the new professional-grade telephoto Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR, the specialists clearly decided to play it safe and create a lens with outstanding optical characteristics that will not become obsolete in the coming years.

Optical design Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR

To understand this, just pick it up. This is the heaviest X-Series lens I've ever had to hold. No compromise between weight and quality! Weight without covers and a tripod leg - 995 grams. The optical scheme of the lens consists of 23 elements assembled in 16 groups. This is a huge number of lenses, while combined into a minimum number of groups. This information is enough to conclude that the novelty is highly technological. But there is another interesting detail: in this lens, five low-disperse glass lenses (denoted by ED) and one Super-ED lens are used at once, which, according to Fujifilm, is comparable in its characteristics to fluorite elements. Actually, from the first shots, the operation of these elements is visible to the naked eye: there are no chromatic aberrations in the images even in the most difficult lighting conditions.

Design

I did not keep the lens warm in the photo bag, and decided to immediately test it in difficult conditions. After all, Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR has not only dust and splash protection, but also frost resistance up to -10 degrees. The modest value for Russia of -10, we immediately stepped over with the lens: when I went to shoot, it was -19 outside the window, but gradually warmed up to -15 during the day. However, there were no problems with the lens: the zoom ring, manual focus and aperture settings (this is a representative of the XF-series, which means the aperture is set using a separate ring!) Worked correctly, their smoothness did not change. Just hands from the lens froze: most of the body parts are made of metal.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

An important point: neither during zooming, nor during focusing, the lens does not change its size. All movements of optical elements occur inside. Even the front lens does not move. Therefore, I was not particularly worried about the fate of the lens, bringing it from the cold to a warm room. After a minute, he was covered with droplets of moisture, sweating. But there is practically no chance of getting inside the water: when zooming, the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR does not absorb air.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/2400 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

Focusing

The manual focus ring used in the Fujinon XF 50-140mm is electronic. But the discreteness of its course is not felt even if you will specifically look for it. The course is smooth and long. Focusing can be done with precision precision.

Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR with tripod foot removed

I, like most modern photographers, are spoiled for progress: I prefer manual focus to automatic. There are also no complaints about the lens. It focuses really fast, especially with cameras that have phase detection sensors on the sensor (Fujifilm X-T1, for example). Autofocus speed is enough for offhand shooting.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/750 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

Three linear motors located at an angle of 120 degrees to each other are responsible for focusing here at once. Against the background of the popularity of ring ultrasonic motors used in other systems, this design solution looks unusual, but it justifies itself 100%.

Location of autofocus motors

The minimum focusing distance of the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR, regardless of the zoom position, is exactly one meter. For moderate telephoto lenses, this figure is quite good: with such a distance at maximum focal length, you can take large-scale shots.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 1250, F2.8, 1/60 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

Stabilizer

As befits a modern telephoto lens, the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR is equipped with an optical image stabilizer. The presence of a stabilizer is felt and even heard, you just need to turn on the camera. The lens rustles slightly, sometimes whistles. The sound of the stabilizer is quiet, it does not interfere with shooting. But the stabilization efficiency is immediately apparent. When you look into the viewfinder, you get the feeling that the picture is literally stuck to it. There is no habitual image jitter to the beat of the photographer’s pulse. Even intentional displacement of the camera does not lead to a sharp displacement of the picture. In this case, the image moves smoothly without jerking in the viewfinder or on the screen.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 1000, F2.8, 1/200 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

There is a very simple way to test the effectiveness of the stabilizer. This is a shutter speed shot longer than critical. In the telephoto position, the equivalent focal length of the lens is 213 mm, which means 1/200 s will be critical for handheld exposure for it. At slower shutter speeds without the use of a stabilizer, there is a good chance of getting grease.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/100 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 250, F2.8, 1/50 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F4, 1/25 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F5, 1/15 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F7.1, 1/6 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

I took a series of shots with the stabilizer turned on, gradually increasing shutter speed. Shooting was carried out with no hands. The first blur was a frame with a shutter speed of 1/6 s. Shorter shutter speeds, including 1/13, the stabilizer worked on a solid five! Shutter speed 1/13 is the four exposure levels relative to the critical shutter speed. A very good result.

Equivalent focal length 160 mm

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 1000, F2.8, 1/30 s, 159.0 mm equiv.

Image quality

With questions of sharpness, we started our test. Now is the time to demonstrate how things really are with her. At 50 mm, the lens is almost perfectly sharp already at the open aperture. A slight difference in detail between f / 2.8 and f / 4 is still present, but noticeable only in pairwise comparison of images enlarged to 100%. However, further aperture does not affect sharpening: the lens already at f / 4 reaches its maximum performance.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F4, 1/2200 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/1250 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/550 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F11, 1/280 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F16, 1/150 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

Absolutely the same picture is observed at a focal length of 140 mm. The lens is sharp on the open aperture, but a slight difference between f / 2.8 and f / 4 is noticeable when we carefully compare the enlarged fragments of the picture. Further, you can not close the aperture to increase sharpness: the maximum has already been reached.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F4, 1/2400 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/1250 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/600 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F16, 1/140 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

When shooting in telephoto on an open aperture, a slight vignetting is noticeable, which goes away with aperture up to f / 4.

There is vignetting on the open diaphragm in the teleposition

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/3200 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

Chromatic aberrations are interesting. We already know that the lens is literally crammed with glass lenses with low and ultra-low dispersion. In practice, this results in the complete absence of chromatic aberration in the images. I assume that some of the aberrations can be suppressed by software, including in RAW. But be that as it may, even in the most difficult lighting conditions, the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR shows a picture without color borders around contrasting objects.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/12000 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F4, 1/5400 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/2500 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/1300 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

A massive hood is supplied with the lens. And this is no accident. Minor glare when shooting in backlight is the only formal minus of image quality that we were able to identify with the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8. Glare appears only when the sun illuminates the front lens at an acute angle. When shooting with a hood, the likelihood of catching such a glare is significantly reduced. The lens holds the backlight on a solid five: contrast does not lose, does not form flare.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F4, 1/1900 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F5.6, 1/950 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F8, 1/480 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F11, 1/240 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F16, 1/125 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 200, F22, 1/60 s, 75.0 mm equiv.

The bokeh of the lens is soft, not mottled. Glare in the blur zone is uniformly filled without rims along the edge. Doubling is not formed. So lovers of portraiture may well use the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 as a portrait: blurring the background will be close to perfect.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 1000, F2.8, 1/30 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

X-T1 / XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Settings: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/60 s, 210.0 mm equiv.

conclusions

The Fujifilm X system has replenished with another lens, about which we can say: this is a real masterpiece of optics. Sharp with an open aperture, devoid of chromatic aberration, perfectly holding backlight telephoto with a pleasant blur - there are not so many such lenses today. However, the mechanical and electronic parts of the Fujinon XF 50-140mm F / 2.8 R LM OIS WR match excellent optics. This TV set has splash protection and an insulated structure without retractable parts. Internal focusing is very fast. The effectiveness of the stabilizer is high by modern standards. During our test, it was possible to get sharp shots from the hands at shutter speed, four steps faster than the critical value for a given focal length. The formal disadvantages of this model include the ability to catch glare when oblique rays hit the front lens. However, the use of a hood in this case helps to avoid trouble. The second relative drawback can be considered a large weight (about a kilogram) and the size of the lens, somewhat hiding one of the main advantages of the system - compactness. But this is an inevitable fee for high image quality and aperture.