Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro Lens
In summary
Buy this lens if:
- It's offered with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.
- You require superior performance and robust build quality.
- You want a lens with excellent flatness of field.
- You like shooting with filters.
Don’t buy this lens if:
- You need true macro capabilities.
- You require fast and accurate focusing for close-ups.
Full review
The Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro lens is a fast mid-range telephoto prime lens for the X-Pro1. Being unable to provide a 1:1 reproduction ratio, it's not a true macro lens and would be better classified as a 'short telephoto'. Designed mainly for portraiture, it can provide a maximum magnification of 0.5x at a minimum working distance of 26.7 cm for close-up photography.
Angled view of the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro lens without lens hood or lens cap. (Source: Fujifilm.)
The optical design is more complex than the other FX lenses and includes 10 elements in 8 groups. A glass-moulded aspheric lens is used for the seventh element (coloured yellow in the diagram below) to prevent field curvature, while the sixth element (coloured blue) is an ED (extra-low dispersion) glass lens to inhibit chromatic aberration.
The optical diagram of the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro lens. (Source: Fujifilm.)
This design keeps the lens barrel relatively short while allowing for a high degree of correction for common optical defects, most notably chromatic aberration.
Build and Handling
Like its companions, the XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro lens is finished in black. Longer and heavier than the other lenses in the series, it's very well built, with a high-quality aluminium-alloy barrel that makes this lens robust and gives it a quality look and feel. The precision-machined aperture ring is adjustable in 1/3EV increments to a minimum aperture of f/22, a full f-stop smaller than the other two lenses.
The front element is recessed even deeper into the lens barrel than the front element on the XF 35mm f/1.4 R lens. It's protected by a Super EBC Fujinon Protector, which is non-removable and a threaded for 39 mm diameter filters. A small lens cap clips onto it, although not very firmly and it's easily dislodged with a knock.
The lens barrel steps outwards sharply behind the filter ring to accommodate a focusing ring that is roughly 30 mm wide with a finely-ridged grip. This ring turns through a full circle but is well-damped and easy to adjust in manual focus mode. The linear display on the X-Pro 1's LCD and EVF shows camera-to-subject distances, although not with high precision.
Behind the focusing ring, a white indicator mark provides an alignment point for aperture settings. The aperture ring, which is approximately 15 mm wide, sits just behind it. It has click-stop settings for eight lens apertures ranging from f/2.4 through to f/22.
The ninth position carries an orange 'A' and indicates the automatic aperture setting position. The grip on the aperture ring is approximately 6 mm wide and more deeply and widely ridged than the focusing ring, making each ring easily identifiable by touch.
The lens barrel ends in a machined aluminium alloy mounting plate with bayonet fittings surrounding the rear element of the lens. Between them and the inner barrel are 10 gold-plated contacts that provide electronic links to the camera's microprocessors.
The rear element of the lens is recessed roughly 10 mm into the lens barrel. In addition to hard plastic front and end caps, this lens is supplied with a large, cylindrical metal lens hood that attaches with a bayonet mounting.
The cylindrical lens hood provided with the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro lens. (Source: Fujifilm.)
Unlike the wider lenses, this lens does not come with an additional lens cap for use when the lens hood is attached. But it's still impossible to remove the standard lens cap when the hood is in position.
Like the other lenses in the series, the 60mm lens is packaged in a presentation case contained within a lighter cardboard box. An accompanying box (without sealed ends) contains the multi-lingual user manual, warranty papers and soft carrying pouch.
Performance
Of the three lenses supplied with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1, the 60mm lens produced the least deviations between centre and edge resolution in our Imatest tests. This flatness of field was maintained throughout the aperture range of the lens, which spanned fro, f/2.4 to f/22 (the smallest aperture setting for the trio).
Peak resolution was obtained at f/8, with a steady upward climb from f/2.4. Diffraction began to have an obvious effect on resolution at f/16, although resolution remained acceptably high at f/22. This is handy when you need extra depth-of-field for close-up shots. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Lateral chromatic aberration was extremely low throughout the lens's aperture range. In the graph below, which shows the results of our Imatest tests, the red line marks the boundary between negligible and low CA.
Slight vignetting (corner darkening) could be seen at f/2.4 but it had vanished by f/4. Rectilinear distortion was close to negligible, with a trace of pincushioning visible under close inspection.
Autofocusing was fast and accurate for well-lit subjects at least 50 cm from the camera. However, in our close-up tests, hunting was very common and many shots taken at around 30 cm from the subject were out-of-focus. (The camera lacks a shutter lock and doesn't appear to sense when focus is slightly out.)
When focused correctly, shots were nicely sharp. Bokeh at wide apertures was as pleasing as you'd expect from a fast, short-telephoto prime lens.
The large lens hood provided excellent shielding against stray light for backlit shots. Flare and ghosting were seldom encountered when it was in place.
Buy this lens if:
- It's offered with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.
- You require superior performance and robust build quality.
- You want a lens with excellent flatness of field.
- You like shooting with filters.
Don’t buy this lens if:
- You need true macro capabilities.
- You require fast and accurate focusing for close-ups.
SPECS
Picture angle: 26.6 degrees (91mm in 35mm format)
Minimum aperture: f/22
Lens construction: 10 elements in 8 groups (includes one aspherical and one ED elements)
Diaphragm blades: 9 (circular aperture)
Lens mounts: Fujifilm X-Mount
Back focus distance: 21.0 mm
Focus drive: DC coreless motor
Stabilisation: No
Minimum focus: Approx 26.7 cm
Maximum magnification: 0.5x
Filter size: 39 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 64.1 x 70.9 mm
Weight: Approx. 215 grams (without lens cap and lens hood)
TESTS
(based on JPEG files from the Fujifilm X-Pro 1)
SAMPLES
Vignetting at f/2.4.
Rectilinear distortion.
Close-up shot with f/5.6 aperture; ISO 200, 1/950 second.
Strong backlighting, ISO200, 1/500 second at f/11.
ISO 500, 1/90 second at f/11.
ISO 400, 1/80 second at f/5.6.
ISO 200, 1/240 second at f/11.
ISO 200, 1/140 second at f/8.
Additional image samples can be found with the review of the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.
Rating
RRP: AUD$749; US$650
- Build: 8.5
- Handling: 8.5
- Image quality: 9.0
