Fujifilm fans startled by new picture of XF 16-55 f/2,8 R

DPReview user, Robert Garcia NYC, posted the above photograph in this thread at the Fujifilm X System / SLR Talk forum. 

Reader reaction has been mixed. Readers disappointed by the lens quote its ostensible lack of OIS (optical image stabilisation), its size, and more. 

My thoughts go like this: what were you expecting? With the notable exception of the 18/2, current Fujifilm X lenses aren't small. They fall perfectly in line with APS-C lenses and FF equivalents. My hope is that Fujifilm install focus helicoids in their most expensive lenses, therefore enabling real-time manual focus override, and that that switch on the left, in the shadow of the man's palm, is for OIS. 

Bokeh Monster: Fujifilm XF 18-135 OIS review

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

JR Photography: Helios 44m-5 58/2 review

Some lenses eschew raw line performance in favour of beauty and draw. My favourite Canon 35/2 LTM is one of those. The Helios 44m-5 58/2 in M42 looks to be another. In his review, Jonas Rask does a fine job of relating to what photography it is best suited. All photos in his review are shot on a Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 review

Dave Dillon Photo: Rokinon/Samyang 14/2,8 on the Fujifilm X-E1

Dave Dillon Photography has upped short but sweet review of the just-released but impressive and ridiculously-named Samyang 14mm F/2,8 ED AS IF UMC ultra wide lens for Fujifilm's X mount.

KeithLowPhoto: quick and dirty with the X-T1 and XF10-24

If either Fujifilm's next-to-market X-T1 camera or XF 10-24 ultra-wide zoom lens interests you, head very quickly over to KeithLowPhoto for an idea of how the two perform. 

size comparison: Fujinon 35 F1,4 - Nikkor 50 F2 - Summicron 50 F2

Yesterday, I opined that the 35mm F1,4 Fujinon was a 'monster'. It is.

One of the reasons I've been slow to pick up digital-age lenses is that, generally, they are much, much larger than their film-age equivalents- at least when comparing depth-of-focus equivalence. The 35mm F1,4 Fujinon covers the smaller APS-C image circle, but is longer, wider, and more voluminous than either the Nikkor 50/2 or the Summicron 50/2, both of which cover image circles roughly 2,25x the size. Of course, neither of the other two autofocus. And while neither the Leica nor the Nikon lenses have as fast a maximum apertures, their effective DOF is the same as the Fujinon wide open.

Despite its size, the Fujinon is lighter than the Nikkor by nearly 40g, and than the Summicron by nearly 13g. Of course, because it lacks focus helicoids and hardware-controlled aperture gears, for all practical comparisons, it is largely a hollow tube. 

I've had very little time to test the Fujinon, but I can say that its out-of-focus rendering is, at least to these eyes, more pleasant than either the Summicron or the Nikkor. The Leica tends to over-sharpen highlight points, drawing halos and other aberrations around distant highlights. The Nikkor is much the same. (It's little surprise: the 50/2 Ai Nikkor has been called "the Japanese Summicron".) The Nikkor, however, is one of the centrally sharpest lenses I have ever used and has been the secret lens behind a number of HiFi product advertising photographs.

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