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Lenses

First Impressions: Fujifilm 16-80mm F4 R WR OIS (A Great Zoom Lens!)

Chris Gampat
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09/30/2019
4 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 OIS R WR product images

Last Updated on 09/30/2019 by Mark Beckenbach

The Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS is already receiving a lot of hype as a walkabout lens!

I never thought that a lens like the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS would be made. But in retrospect, it’s one of the most sensical lens options for the company. This lens is small enough that a photographer would enjoy photo walking with it. But it’s also convenient enough to give a professional a fair working range. At f4 on an APS-C sensor, I’d argue that this lens should have been made with a faster aperture. Combined with one of Fujifilm’s camera options with image stabilization on the sensor, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS will do very well. But even on the older Fujifilm X-T2 that we used, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS produced beautiful results.

Editor’s Note: The Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS that we used is a pre-production version. As a result, Fujifilm Japan asked to see the images beforehand. They were all rendered in Acros. We are communicating to you, our readers, with the fullest transparency we can. It’s a rarity these days for publications and media.

Tech Specs

Tech specs taken from the Adorama listing.

  • Lens Mount: Lens Mount: Fujifilm X Mount
  • Lens Format: Lens Format: APS-C
  • Maximum Aperture: Maximum Aperture: f/4
  • Special Features: Aspherical, Weather Resistant
  • Image Stabilization: Image Stabilization: Yes (OIS)
  • Lens Type: Wide Angle to Telephoto Zoom Lens

Ergonomics

The front of the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS is fairly small. In fact, the lens overall is pretty portable and when paired with a flash it can be a workhorse option. It’s also a decent travel lens that translates all the way into the ergonomics.

The Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS has two primary controls: the zoom ring and the aperture ring. Both of these controls give photographers all they need.

Curiously, there is no switch to activate or de-activate the OIS (at least not on the prototype).

Build Quality

Yeah, I know. We did a thing with the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS and brought it out into the rain during our testing phase. Considering that this is a pre-production model, it probably wasn’t smart. However, Fujifilm’s gear is some of the most durable we’ve tested. We’re happy to state that this is no exception. The lens survived and outlasted the rain with ease. When combined with its super small size, you’ve got a very big winning combination on your hands. You can’t complain about how good this lens’ build quality is. The ability to grip onto it with ease is great. Quite literally, it’s built like a lens that you’ll want to bring with you everywhere.

Ease of Use

Most folks fall into two camps for Fujifilm. In one camp are the folks who don’t understand the concept of numbers on a dial or an aperture ring. Those folks will gladly turn the aperture ring on the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS to the A mode and perhaps have the ability to control the aperture via the camera. But for the most part, this system is designed with old school ergonomics in mind. To that end, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS is like an old school, constant aperture zoom lens. I’m aware that those lenses were very rare, but you get the point. There are two rings: a zoom ring and an aperture ring. That’s it. If you’re an aperture priority shooter, then you’ll feel right at home with the beautiful ergonomics here. In turn, it’s a simple lens to use if you just think a bit.

For those of us who’ve been using Fujifilm lenses for years, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS will be a piece of cake. Constant aperture zooms from the company more or less feel like suped-up prime lenses. And I genuinely adore that. Best of all, this lens is lightweight and pretty small; so it feels like a big prime that Fujifilm would put out.

Autofocus

On the XT2 and the X-H1, the Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS focused very quickly. Overall, it feels like it’s best for the X-H1. The faster autofocus system and the image stabilization working together are a flawless pairing. There were occasional misfocuses: I’d say 1 out of every 30. But in film, that translates to one shot per roll of 36 exposures if you think about it. Believe it or not, tracking autofocus also worked very well. Way to go Fujifilm!

Film: The thing that people used years ago to shoot photos on. Fujifilm produced a lot of it and it’s what the simulations and looks are based on. It’s before the days of megapickles. *written with all the sarcasm in the world*

Image Quality

First Impressions

So far, I’m really liking this lens. It’s small, versatile, and can deliver great image quality, plus it focuses quickly. Lots of folks are going to like it. But we’ll save our final thoughts for our full review.

acros autofocus build quality ease of use ergonomics Fujifilm 16-80mm f4 R WR OIS image quality
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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