FUJIFILM FUJINON ASPHERICAL SUPER EBC XF 55-200mm 1:3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Lens (f/3.5-4.8)

Overall Rating:

The 35mm/full-frame equivalent of this lens is roughly 84-305mm. It's made in Japan and was introduced 10 years ago. Its debut price was $700 USD. This len promises to be a good companion to the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 giving a 18-200mm range.

Performance

Optics

Images are sharpest wide-open. Compare this lens to the Fujifilm Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens.

There is no color fringing. Vignetting and distortion are so weak that they are not to be concerned with. These were checked shooting raw and converting using Adobe DNG Converter so there is no chance that Fuji's software had a chance to correct these flaws. Fujifilm's stance on this is that their lenses do not need corrections because they are so perfect.

The Optical Image Stabilization in this lens does not seem to be as effective as Nikon's Vibration Reduction II (VR II). Lens Modulation Optimizer reduces the effects from diffraction (blurring from using apertures like f/11 and smaller) and this requires a compatible Fujifilm camera like the X-E3.

Any discerning photographer should be very pleased with the optics of this lens.

Autofocus

Autofocus is fast but hunts back and forth which may not be a problem with the lens rather the camera. There is no way this system can be used for action photography like that of sports photography.

Construction

This optically excellent lens is made mostly of plastic. The focus collar and aperture ring are metal. Its zoom does not creep, its autofocus motor is dead silent making it a good choice for video, and the front element does not turn when focusing or zooming. The zoom action is stiff. The lens is made in Japan.

Bokeh

The bokeh could be better. The background must be chosen carefully. The bokeh at the shorter end is particularly harsh. This is due to a double vision or halo effect around out-of-focus elements.

Infrared

The XF 55-200mm R LM OIS lens does not exhibit infrared hots spots when stopped down.

Complaints

The aperture ring has no stop to it. It just turns and turns and turns. This must be because it is a variable aperture lens. Nikon produced variable aperture zooms that didn't have aperture rings that turned endlessly. Likewise, the focus rings turns with no stop to it. It would feel better if it stopped at ∞ and 1.1 m.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
  • very sharp, contrasty performer
  • Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technology
  • Lens Modulation Optimizer (LMO) technology
  • infrared friendly
  • easy to manually focus
  • silent focus motor
  • no zoom creep
  • does not flare easily
  • features an aperture ring
  • bokeh could be worse
• Cons
  • the f/3.5-4.8 design is somewhat slow
  • large for the small Fujifilm X camera system
  • bokeh is not as smooth as it could be
  • stiff zoom
  • could use a tripod mount
  • mostly plastic construction
  • aperture ring spins endlessly
  • manual focus ring spins endlessly

Specifications

Images

Related links:

• Fujifilm Fujinon Lens Reviews
• All Lens Reviews