Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f/2.8 Field Test: Very good optical performance at a high cost
posted Monday, January 28, 2019 at 2:04 PM EDT
Click here to read our Fuji XF 8-16mm f/2.8 Field Test
The go-to lens for Fujifilm landscape photographers has traditionally been the XF 10-24mm f/4 OIS, offering a very-wide to wide angle focal length range in a compact, weather-sealed design. For lots of subjects, an f/4 lens is sufficient, but for those that want to shoot in lower light or capture night sky images, a brighter lens is a must-have. Thankfully, Fujifilm answered that call with the new XF 8-16mm f/2.8 WR lens. Offering an even wider focal length range, the new XF 8-16mm lens is similarly rugged in construction and filled with an impresive optical layout for excellent image quality performance. Of course, with its brighter aperture comes larger lens elements and subsequently a noticeable increase in both size and weight as well as its pricetag compared to the 10-24mm lens.
Resident lanscape expert Jeremy Gray recently Field Tested this beastly ultra-wide zoom lens and came away very impressed. The lens, mounted to the weather-resistant Fuji X-T3, managed to withstand the icy, frigid conditions of Maine in the dead of winter, and Jeremy was able to capture some fantastic images both during the day and into the night. The lens proved to be sharp, even wide open, across its zoom range -- with some corner softness and vignetting to contend with -- but the image quality was overall top-notch. In addition to the $1999 (MSRP) price tag, there are a few additional trouble spots that Jeremy ran into, namely the lack of filter threads and optical image stabilization.
For all the details into how this lens handles out in the real world, check out Jeremy's in-depth Fuji XF 8-16mm f/2.8 Field Test. And don't forget to browse through the Image Gallery for a wide array of wonderful landscape photos!
