Last Updated on 07/09/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
These Fujifilm lenses offer ridiculous levels of value for the money.
A lot of people think switching to Fujifilm is financially out of their reach because of the assumption that the lenses are too expensive. Just like any other platform, yes, some of the Fujifilm lenses can be pricey, but there are also some cracking lenses under $500 for those who choose to shoot Fujifilm. In fact, I think there are more quality lenses under $500 on the Fujifilm platform than there are on competing systems. Join us after the break to take a look at eight Fujifilm lenses under $500 that perform like they should cost twice as much.
If you love prime lenses, you are seriously spoiled for choice when it comes to Fujifilm lenses. That’s not to say there aren’t some spectacular zooms too. Fujifilm users are well taken care of when it comes to quality lenses on the cheap. Most of these lenses that cost under $500 are weather sealed, and all of them offer levels of sharpness that’s usually found in lenses with significantly higher price tags. Color reproduction, bokeh, and autofocus performance in these budget lenses also defy belief. It’s hard to go wrong with any of these choices if you shoot with any Fujifilm X Mount camera.
Fujifilm 16mm F2.8 R WR
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Small
- Lightweight
- Weather sealed
- Fun to use
- Affordable
- Good for documentary work and travel
- Incredibly fast autofocus
Cons
- Not sure why there isn’t an effective manual focus distance scale for hyperfocal length shooting
- It’s a wide angle lens with a relatively slow aperture for an APS-C camera system
Buy now ($399): Amazon
Fujifilm 23mm F2 R WR
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Good image quality
- Seriously and surprisingly fast focus. This lens is officially Fujifilm’s fastest.
- Fast focus on the X Pro 2, X-T2, and even the X Pro 1. The latter completely shocked me.
- Nice colors
- Compact size
- Weather sealing
- Turning the aperture ring feels nice and smooth until the clicks come in. It’s a tactile experience that’s just lovely.
- Sharp images
- Fairly nice bokeh
- Affordable price point
Cons
- Something about this lens just simply doesn’t have the magic that the 23mm f1.4 R does
Buy now ($399): Amazon
Fujifilm 27mm F2.8
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Compact size
- Sharp image quality
- Low profile look
- Fast to focus
Cons
- An aperture ring would have been preferred
- Macro focusing doesn’t really work out so well
Buy now ($399): Amazon
Pro Tip: If you want to ensure that the images you capture are the best they can possibly be, and if you want to extend the life of your lens, one thing you absolutely must do is clean your lenses. There is nothing worse than getting into post only to see your images covered in dirt spots. And trust me, there is no worse feeling than when your lens decides to quit working due to dust or grime accumulated on the contacts. Keep a basic lens cleaning kit with you at all times so you can clean as you go, and so that you can do a deep clean every once in a while.
Fujifilm 35mm F2 R WR
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Great sharpness
- Nine aperture blades make the bokeh as good as it can be
- Small size
- Weather resistance
- The fastest focusing lens that Fujifilm has offered as of the publication of this review.
Cons
- Just f2…a refresh to the 35mm f1.4 actually would have been more appreciated and pushed the system ahead overall
Buy now ($349): Amazon
Fujifilm 50mm F2 R WR
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Weather sealing
- Fast autofocus performance on the newer cameras (sorry X Pro 1 users)
- Sharp optics and image quality
- Nice bokeh
- Only gets sharper when you use a flash
- Pretty compact
- Nice build quality
Cons
- Not much, honestly
Buy now ($349): Amazon
Fujifilm 60mm F2.4 Macro
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Very sharp, though isn’t as sharp as the 35mm f1.4 despite what many folks say
- Great color
- Minimal distortion
- Amazing feel in the hands
Cons
- Slow to focus
- Don’t focus as closely as Zeiss’s 50mm f2.8 Touit option
Buy now ($399): Amazon
Pro Tip: Fujifilm cameras are absolutely fantastic, but they sure do like to eat through batteries rather quickly. Fortunately, there are some great third party battery options on the market that work just as well as the OEM batteries from Fujifilm, yet cost half as much. Be sure to keep a few extra batteries with you when you head out the door with your Fujifilm camera so that you can shoot with your new Fujifilm lenses as much as you want.
Fujifilm XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Aperture ring
- Optical Image Stabilization
- Sharp images
- Smooth bokeh
Cons
- No depth of field scale
- The aperture ring is unmarked
Buy now ($369): Amazon
Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Large rubberized zoom ring makes for smooth operation
- Gorgeous bokeh
- Affordable at $699 (at the time of writing) considering what this lens is
- Faster aperture than its equivalent zooms across companies which usually come in at f4.5-5.6
Cons
- It is massive for any X-series camera
- It would’ve been great to see with this with a constant aperture, though that would jack up the price considerably
Buy now ($499): Amazon