Believe it or not, some of the best lenses aren’t the super expensive ones. For years, photographers have used more affordable lenses and loved the results they could produce. Luckily, Fujinon makes a whole swathe of affordable lenses. So, we’re rounding up the best affordable lenses for Fujifilm cameras. Check out our list below!
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How We Test and Choose Lenses for Professional Photographers Using Fujifilm Cameras
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they create.
Our Choice for The Best Lens for Professional Photographers Creating With FUJIFILM Cameras: FUJINON XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR
This should really come as no surprise. The Fujinon XF16-80mm F4 R WR OIS lens has a lot going for it. First off, it feels like a prime lens — that’s one of the most important things about the system overall. It’s weather resistant too, which means it will resist dust and rain if you end up in those conditions. The lens also boasts image stabilization, good image quality, and some of the most useful focal lengths any photographer would need.
If we were going to get just one zoom lens, this would be the one that we choose. It can do pretty much everything that most working professional photographers would need.
Why It’s The Best
- Versatile focal range
- Great image quality overall
- Reliable autofocus
- Excellent chromatic aberration mitigation
- Features optical image stabilization
- A dedicated aperture control ring
- Weather-resistant construction
- Good value at USD $799
In our review we state:
“When it comes to image quality, the Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f4 delivers on almost every front. Sharpness is the only area that we can truly find faults with this lens, and that’s if we’re being extra critical. It’s a solid performer that will make for a fine addition into most X mount shooter’s arsenals.”
The Other Lenses Professional Photographers Will Love!
Professional photographers creating with Fujifilm cameras will most likely constitute a few different segments. We’ve mostly seen and interviewed those who shoot portraits, landscapes, and do photojournalistic work. There are lenses that best suit the needs of those folks. So we’re rounding up the best ones that we’ve tested — and we’ve used them all. Here are two others that we consider to be our favorites.
FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR
In a Nutshell
- Useful zoom range from ultra-wide to a standard wide-angle
- Weather resistant
- Stabilized to 3.5 stops, or 6.5 stops with FujifilmX-T4
- Compact and lightweight
- Great color and barrel distortion correction
- Full of character
In our review, we state:
“The 10-24mm zoom isn’t unheard of, and weather-sealed lenses are thankfully becoming more common. But what’s unique about this lens is the stabilization. Yes, there are plenty of stabilized lenses out there. But, those stabilization systems tend to go to the telephotos and mid-range focal lengths. Packing the stabilization into a wide-angle creates more opportunities for a walk-around lens for nighttime street photography or even shooting brief long exposures handheld. I was able to shoot a two-second exposure without a tripod.”
FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R OIS WR
In a Nutshell
- Ergonomic
- Versatile
- Fast autofocusing from 5m to infinity in well-lit environments
- Image Stabilization
- Weather resistant
In our review, we state:
“If rich in detail is the objective, the Fujinon XF 70-300mm will not disappoint. This lens is sharp, especially when paired with the Fujinon 26MP X-Trans sensor. Chromatic aberration was not an issue with this lens, and if it was, any fringing was barely noticeable. Lens flares and stars appear to be minimal. The custom JPEG user profiles make it easy to nip this in the bud. The lens compression also allows it to create a velvety background. The built-in image stabilization yields impressive imagery at longer focal lengths and shutter speeds.”
What to Know About The Best Affordable Lenses for FUJIFILM Cameras
- Fujifilm X Mount (which we’re focusing on here) has many lenses available. And so, we’re choosing the best lenses for professional photographers with Fujifilm Cameras from the ones that we’ve reviewed. Luckily, we’ve reviewed the vast majority of lenses for Fujifilm X Mount. You can find them in this guide here.
- Professional photographers need zoom lenses. They also need great image quality, fast focusing, durability, and of course — a lens that they want to carry around. Considering this, these are the lenses that we most recommend to photographers.
- Why did we choose these lenses over some of the company’s older f2.8 lenses? Well, these lenses are sharper, smaller, and feel better to us. Those older lenses serve many photographers very well. But if you really want the fastest autofocus available, consider the newer lenses.
- We’ve reviewed nearly all of Fujinon’s X Series lenses. You can take a look at this guide.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Can you live without the best quality?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.