abzeal's reviews

  • Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Excellent at 55mm, OIS works well, Low CA, Vignetting, Distortions, Silent auto focus, Build quality
    Weaker performance at 200mm, Autofocus not always the quickest, Barrel extends a lot

    If you want a telephoto for your Fuji then you don't have much choice, but don't despair this is a decent piece of kit. Perhaps a little overpriced, but excellently made, its a mostly hit from fuji.

    It takes stellar photos at the shorter end of its range, with even some smooth out of focus areas and wonderful colour reproduction. It'd make a decent portrait lens until the 56mm comes next Jan.

    I found performance all round a bit weaker at the 200mm end, sometimes it struggles to focus a bit more. Bit disappointing its not a constant F4, but you can work around that limitation at the far end.

    It's not going to be great for sports as the auto focus is not super fast but not painfully slow, but then you probably didn't buy you Fuji for that.

    All in all, a good lens and something I'm sure you'll enjoy having in your kit bag.

    reviewed August 11th, 2013 (purchased for $700)

  • Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Build quality, Excellent OIS, decent aperture, Low CAs, Vignette and Distortions
    Picture quality not quite up to the primes, auto focus is better with new firmware but still not as fast as other CSC rivals.

    I got this lens with my Fuji X-E1 kit and I have not been disappointed. Past experience was primarily with Pentax DSLRs and SLRs for reference.

    It's very well made, not quite like a rock but definitely very sturdy. The plastic lens hood is perhaps the only disappointing part. It's not heavy, and fits nicely on the front of the X-E1.

    Picture quality is generally excellent but not quite as good as the primes I have used, though the versatility of the zoom range is definitely a benefit in the field. I have had slight problems with some lens flare, but all other boxes (CA, Vig, Distortions) have been covered successfully. It's probably the nicest kit zoom i've ever handled.

    The auto focus started out to be passable, but was improved with the latest firmware. It's still not always super fast but it is pretty much silent. OIS is excellent for at least 2.5 stops.

    In short, if you are getting one with a kit, its an excellent lens and you won't be disappointed. It probably nudges out the primes as the starting point for x-mount. If you have the primes already, it'd only be worth it for the convenience factor and whether you think that is worth the cost!

    reviewed August 11th, 2013 (purchased for $600)