Waiting for! Owners of the Fujifilm X system finally have a full-fledged macro lens and have been quite happy about it for six months, because before they could only make do with a “half-blood”: the Fujinon XF 1:260 mm f/2 macro lens.4 R Macro, released back in 2012. Why a “half-blood.”? It’s very simple: the magnification scale of this macro lens is only 1:2 one to two! , which was pretty weird for Fuji’s top-of-the-line mirrorless cameras.
Photo and video: Sergey Razin and Alexei Sorokin.
Having received the new macro we have not taken pictures with the camera for more than a month and we are ready to report our main impressions at once. The long-awaited macro lens actually turns out to be not only an excellent subject glass, but also an excellent portrait glass: at an open aperture of f2.8 you get pretty decent bokeh and the smallest of details are clearly visible in the portrait itself. For a tough-looking face with stiff bristles – just right! Besides, the ability of Fuji full-fledged macro to catch objects with autofocus and make the picture extremely sharp and contrast is beyond praise! Let’s stop here with the emotions and begin with the hard evidence of our impressions.
There is an opinion that 80 mm APS-C sensor is a non-standard focal length for macro genre, because 90 mm and 100-105 mm are considered classics. However, even the 80mm focal length gives enough space to the subject, which allows you not to disturb an ant or a ladybug caught in the frame close-up for nothing. And in the studio, with normal flicker or steady light, this macro would be no problem at all.
By the way, on the cropped format APS-C the actual focal length of the Fujifilm XF 80mm f/2 lens.8 is 120mm. If that isn’t enough, you can buy the XF 1-5 teleconverter.4XTC adds another 112mm at f4 or -171mm at f4 in 35mm equivalent or XF 2XTC WR adds 160mm at f5.6 or – 244 mm at f 5.6 in 35mm equivalent .
And now for the main point. To gather evidence in one direction or another of Fuji’s new lens, we will test it on the following areas: build quality, stabilizer performance, autofocus speed and precision, sharpness, chromatic aberration, vignetting performance, backlight performance and bokeh softness. This is when any user can give their verdict on the claimed performance of the lens. And then we’ll show our gallery shot with the new macro lens.
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Wow, the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2 lens seems incredible with its LM OIS WR Macro capabilities! I’m curious to know if anyone has tested this lens for portrait photography and how it performs in terms of sharpness, bokeh, and overall image quality? Would you recommend this lens for professional use?
Is the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 LM OIS WR Macro lens the best in its category?
The Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 LM OIS WR Macro lens is highly regarded in its category for its exceptional image quality and versatile macro capabilities. With its fast aperture and optical image stabilization, it delivers sharp and detailed close-up shots. However, whether it is the best lens in its category is subjective, as it depends on individual preferences and needs. Factors like price, compatibility, and personal shooting style may influence this designation. It is recommended to compare it with other lenses in the same category to determine which one suits the specific requirements and budget best.