Review Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR
This review is based on the real-life use of the lens, and I used the lens a lot in the last few months. All statements are my opinion and are based on my style of use. This review is categorized into four sections, and after that, I give you my final thoughts on the lens. Let’s get started with the lens’s build quality. Also good to know is that I don't have any sponsorship I buy all lenses or gear reviewed with my own money.
Build quality 4/5 stars.
As a Fujifilm XF lens, you can expect a high level of build quality. Fujifilm XF lenses are the premium line from Fujifilm, just under the Red Badge Pro lenses. This Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR meets expectations. The lens features a metal mount with a generous rubber gasket; when mounted on a camera, there is no slack. The lens also features an aperture ring that turns incredibly smooth and gives satisfying clicks. The zoom and focus ring turn are also very smooth with a niceNice materials are used, and the fabrication is high-quality resistance. When you zoom out, the lens protrudes, the barrel is made from high-quality plastic, and when zoomed out completely, there is some movement on the barrel. There is nothing to be worried about. This lens is weather-resistant on a good level, and yes, I have tested it. The lens is supplied with a nice plastic sun hood, which clicks firmly on the lens. Overall, this is a very well-made lens by Fujifilm. Nice materials are used, and the fabrication is on a high level. Only I think that there are even better-made lenses from Fujifilm. This lens gets a 4 out of 5 stars for build quality.
Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR
Handling of the lens and Optical performance 4/5 stars
I tested this lens on a Fujifilm XH2S and a Fujifilm XS-20, both with a demanding 26MP sensor. Should we start with the lens’s sharpness or its usage and extremely flexible focal range? Of course, most of us want to hear everything about sharpness, but to be honest, that’s not why you buy a zoom with this wide focal range. I say this with a deliberate intention: most of the time; photography is a compromise between light and heavy, big or small, incredibly sharp but limited use, or sharp and broad flexible usage. So this means that you need to choose what’s more important for you and then you know which lens is right for you. To come back on handling the Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR.
It’s a fantastic lens with many features that make it easy to use for a wide variety of genres and subjects. With the crop factor of the Fujifilm Aps-c X mount, you need to multiply the listed focal range by 1.5x. That means that this lens has an equivalent focal range of 24-120mm. The lens weighs 440 grams or 15.5 Ounces. With a common filter size of 72mm, many filter options are available. The lens features an f4 aperture, so it's not the brightest, but having the same f4 throughout the focal range is great. This makes the lens relatively lightweight and compact, hence the intro of the story. So, how does this lens perform? With some boring specifications out of the way? I can say very confident that this is a very nice lens to use; on its widest 16mm (eq24mm) it performs very well with excellent sharpness in the middle of the frame and reasonable sharpness on the edges when you stop down the lens a bit to f5.6 the corners become good and at f8 very good. But the center will always be a bit sharper. This performance will go through the whole focal range. The lens is a bit less sharp at 80mm (eq120mm). but it is still very useable, the lens is not at its peak performance on the far end. So, the sharpness of this lens is excellent, with some trade-offs. I will include some photos made with this lens from a variety of subjects, and there, you will find another strength of this lens.
Close focus capability, the close focusing distance is a mere 35 cm or 13,7 inches throughout the entire zoom range. So you can say a kind of semi-macro functionality on this lens. That makes this lens yet again more useful; while testing this lens, I felt like the lens made me more creative, I just went out and shot beautiful moments without worrying about which lens to bring. And this is the strength of the lens; it is really a jack of all trades and a master of “some” (flexibility).
The lens features O.I.S Optical Image Stabilisation, which Fujifilm claims provides 6 stops of stabilization. This allows for lower shutter speeds to support low light and keep the ISO low. With the newer Fujifilm bodies, the lens’s stabilization works together with the I.B.I.S in body image stabilization. Reminder: It only compensates for your own movement, not the subject. So, you still need to bump up your shutter speed and ISO with fast-moving subjects. Fujifilm claims that the lens is smart and detects when a tripod is used; the stabilization is automatically set off for sharper images.
Photo by Jelle Schutte Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f4 on a Fujifilm XT5
AF Performance 4,5/5 stars
I can be short; it's blistering fast. I don't see any difference between the XH2S and XS-20. Both are lightning quick to get focus from near to far. When indoors, it's less fast, and you see the maximal opening of f4, which gives you a bit less light for super-fast autofocus. Overall, it's a really great performance; there is nothing to be left for desire here.
Photo by Jelle Schutte Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f4 on a Fujifilm XT5
Video 4/5 stars
Now, we talk a lot about photography, but what about video? This lens has another strength. Together with the built-in stabilization, it produces incredibly smooth handheld video. Also, the lens doesn't suffer from focus breathing, so when you focus, it doesn't zoom in and out. The lens has a fly-by-wire system for manual focusing; in video, it is a bit tricky to make nice smooth focus pulls; in the menu from the newer Fujifilm body, you can put the focus on linear, which makes everything a bit easier. But still, a real manual focus lens is better for accomplishing nice focus pulls. A bit of a downside is that the lens is not parfocal, which means that when you zoom out or in, the focus is lost a bit, and you need to refocus. So for video is also a very capable lens with some trade-offs.
Overall 4/5 stars
Overall, it's a great and fun lens to use. It’s very flexible and great as your first lens in the Fujifilm system. That said, I think this lens is a no-brainer to buy as a kit with your camera. Separate, I think the price is a bit too steep. Nowadays, you can find this lens in mint condition second-hand for a really good price. Don't buy it separately brandnew, but buy it in your camera kit or secondhand, and you will love it.
Photo by Jelle Schutte Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f4 on a Fujifilm XT5
