I almost painted my iMac with a mouthful of cheese and wine when I read the following:

“The weather sealing suggests this lens is intended for the adventure enthusiast, however in our opinion, a plastic exterior does not portray rugged durability.”

and this:

“On the street its all about discretion. Sadly this lens is not very subtle (especially when extended / zoomed in). If there was ever a lens suited to the stereotypical tourist, camera and lens dangling around their neck, the 16-135mm definitely fits the bill.”

not to mention this:

“Catching the sail boat on the remarkably calm morning was good use of the telephoto end of the lens. Shot purposely wide open at F5.6 the image is a little soft (especially in the corners). An unfortunate property which has plagued the lens throughout all the test images so far. ”

and this:

“Once you sum up all the points from the widely varying situations we tossed its way, it has to be said, although it performed admirably, it is terribly boring and with little character. It does what it does with no surprises.”

Overall, Bokeh Monster gave the lens a pass, but with numerous, salient, provisos. As a Fujifilm X user, and reader of many reviews, this sort of article is refreshing. Yes, you could pick on Bokeh Monster for begging for less DOF in a lens that obviously won't give it, but you can't pick on Bokeh Monster for NOT pandering to Fujifilm like Zack Arias, nor shilling a product. This is an approved read, if not a perfect endorsement for this new lens.

Original article: FUJINON XF 18-135mm F3.5/5.6 WR OIS - Reviewed