FIRST LOOK: Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens

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      In summary

       While not actually filling a gap in Fujifilm’s X-mount line-up, this lens covers a wider range of angles-of-view than the standard XF 18-55mm lens (which is faster) or the cheaper XC 16-50mm lens (which covers the same maximum aperture range).

      It’s likely to appeal most to family photographers and travellers ““ and anyone else who will appreciate the convenience of having a single lens that can be used to photograph a wide variety of different subject types.

       

       

      Full review

      Shown in Fujifilm’s lens roadmap as due for release mid-year, the Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR is officially announced today (Monday, June 16). Covering a focal length range equivalent to 27-202.5mm, the XF 18-135mm will be welcomes by many owners of X-mount cameras for its versatility, particularly by owners of the weather-sealed X-T1 model, which is the ideal match for the company’s first weather-resistant lens.

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      The new Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens. (Source: Fujifilm.)

      Photo Review was supplied with one of three pre-production lenses that were brought to Australia the weekend before it was announced and we received an X-T1 body to use for our exploration of its capabilities. Being a pre-production unit, we were unable to conduct our regular Imatest tests; that will have to wait until a production unit is available.

      The new lens is relatively large and complex. Weighing 490 grams without end caps and hood, it resembles lenses from the major DSLR manufacturers with similar specifications, as shown in the comparison table below.

       

      Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR

      Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ISSTM

      AF-S DX Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF

      Max. apertures

      f/3.5-5.6

      Min. apertures

      f/22

      f/22-38

      Dimensions (Diameter x L)

      75.7 x 97.8

      77 x 96 mm

      74 x 87 mm

      Weight

      490 grams

      480 grams

      385 grams

      Optical design

      16 elements in 12 groups

      16 elements in 12 groups

      15 elements in 13 groups

      Special elements

      4 aspherical & 2 ED

      1UD and one PMo aspheric

      2 aspherical & 2 ED

      AF motor

       

      Stepping motor

      Micro-type ultrasonic

      Stabilised

      Yes

      Yes (4 stops)

      No

      Weather resistant

      Yes

      No

      No

      Filter diameter

      67 mm

      The optical design consists of 16 elements in 12 groups, with four aspherical and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements included. EBC (Electron Beam Coating) is applied to some elements to minimise back-scatter, which can cause flare and ghosting.

      This lens is supplied with plastic front and end caps, the former with a pinch-type attachment that is large and makes it easy to fit and remove the cap. The box includes a petal-shaped lens hood, which is also made from plastic and attaches via a bayonet mount. It can be reversed over the lens barrel for storage. A soft carrying/storage pouch is provided.

      Who’s it for?
       While not actually filling a gap in Fujifilm’s X-mount line-up, this lens covers a wider range of angles-of-view than the standard XF 18-55mm lens (which is faster) or the cheaper XC 16-50mm lens (which covers the same maximum aperture range). It’s likely to appeal most to family photographers and travellers ““ and anyone else who will appreciate the convenience of having a single lens that can be used to photograph a wide variety of different subject types.

      Build and Ergonomics
       Build quality is solid and substantial and the metal lens mount implies that a fair bit of metal is involved in overall construction, although the inner barrel and control rings appear to be mostly plastic. Unlike the 18-55mm lens, this lens carries a ‘Made in China’ sticker.

      Despite its size, this lens is a good match for the X-T1 body, which is large enough to balance its length and weight. The control layout is similar to the 18-55mm lens, with three rings on the lens barrel, covering focusing, zoom and aperture adjustments.  

      As far as we’ve been able to determine, focusing and stabilisation are driven by a linear motor. This makes sense as they both involve moving internal lens elements.

      The focusing ring is located about 10 mm back from the front of the lens. It’s roughly 20 mm wide and has a finely-ridged grip moulding (not rubberised).  This ring is well-damped but turns through a full circle with no well-defined stops at either end of the focusing range.

      The zoom ring is located just behind it. It’s 33 mm wide, with the front two-thirds covered a finely-ridged moulding that appears to be rubberised. The lens lengthens by approximately 60 mm as you move from the wide to the tele position with only a small amount of rotation, making it possible to fit angle-critical attachments like polarisers without needing to re-adjust them when the focal length is changed.

      Focal length settings for 18mm, 23mm, 35mm, 55mm, 70mm, 100mm and 135mm are engraved into a smooth section on the trailing edge, which steps about a millimetre in from the grip. These settings line up against a white mark on the lens barrel.

      Zooming is mechanical, allowing users to move instantly from wide to tele positions and anywhere in between. At the 18mm position, the lens covers an angle of view of 76.5 degrees, which narrows to 12 degrees at the 135mm position.

      The third ring is the aperture ring, which is about 8 mm wide, is made from hard plastic and has slightly wider ridges than the other rings. This ring has soft click-stops at intervals of 1/3 EV and rotates through 180 degrees, although all aperture settings are covered within about 90 degrees of rotation. Because apertures vary as you zoom, there are no aperture marks on the lens barrel, although apertures are displayed on the camera’s monitor and in the EVF.

      Two sliders are located on the lens barrel behind the aperture ring. The top one is used for selecting between automatic and manual aperture control and has an ‘A’ marking for the former and a blade icon for the latter.   The lower one switches the built-in image stabilisation on and off. Fujifilm claims compensation of up to four f-stops against camera shake.

      Comments
       As well as being a pro-production unit, the lens sample we received required new firmware, which wasn’t available when the lens was delivered. This prevented us from running our normal technical tests.

      Fortunately, we were able to take a number of test shots in order to provide some examples of how it performs under different shooting conditions and explore the zoom and aperture ranges. These samples are shown below.

      Fujifilm advised us that the zoom ring on the pre-production unit was tight between the 100mm and 135mm focal lengths. However, we found this had a minimal impact on actual usage. The remainder of the zoom range moved smoothly and the zoom felt solid and comfortable. We found no zoom creep with the lens when it was carried pointing downwards.

      The pre-production lens was very quick to lock on to subjects and focusing was almost silent. Stabilisation was also generally effective. We were able to use shutter speeds as long as 1/3 second with the 18mm focal length, 1/6 second at 60mm and 1/15 second at 135mm with minimal camera shake.

      Angle-of-view coverage was similar to other 18-55mm lenses on APS-C sensor cameras but the weatherproof sealing makes this lens ideal for the weather-sealed X-T1 camera. The sensor in the X-T1 we used for test shots delivered crisp, colour-accurate images and handled high ISO   settings competently.

      Backlit subjects were also well exposed, thanks to the camera’s built-in auto dynamic range optimisation. Flare and ghosting were minimised by the combination of effective coatings and a well-designed lens hood.

      Although its attractiveness to photographers who want a single lens that can cover a multitude of subjects, competitive pricing will be crucial to the selling potential for this lens. Rumours suggest a starting price of 108,000 yen in Japan, which equates to just under US$1000. Australian pricing has yet to be disclosed.

      Fujifilm already offers a very affordable pair of lenses, the   XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS and  XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS lens, although the 16-50mm isn’t sold separately in Australia. The XC 50-230mm is available for about AU$550 and together the pair would cover an even wider focal length range.

      XC lenses aren’t as robustly constructed as the XF lenses and lack weatherproof sealing. But, for price-sensitive photographers, their performance is certainly good enough, if the 16-50mm (INSERT LINK) is representative.

      Purchasers of the lens who want to use it on most X-mount cameras will need to download a firmware updates from http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/#firmware.

       

      SPECS

       

       Picture angle: 76 degrees 30 minutes to 12 degrees
       Minimum aperture: f/22
       Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groups (including 4 aspherical and 2 ED lens element)
       Lens mounts: Fujifilm X-mount
       Diaphragm Blades: 7 (circular aperture)
       Focus drive: Linear motor
       Stabilisation: Optical
       Minimum focus: Normal: 60 cm; macro mode: 45 cm
       Maximum magnification: 0.27x
       Filter size:   67 mm
       Dimensions (Diameter x L): 75.7 x 97.8 (wide position)

      Weight:  490 grams
       Standard Accessories: Front and end caps, petal-shaped lens hood, soft carrying pouch

      RRP: t.b.d.

      SAMPLES

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      18mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/8, ISO 100.

       

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      35mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/8, ISO 100.
       
       

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      50mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/8, ISO 100.
       
       

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      70mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/8, ISO 100.
       
       

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      100mm focal length, 1/105 second at f/8, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length, 1/75 second at f/8, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/5.6, 1/120 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/8, 1/52 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/11, 1/28 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/16, 1/28 second, ISO 200
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/22, 1/28 second, ISO 400
       
       

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      Close-up at 18mm, 1/500 second at f/3.5, ISO 100.
       
       

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      Close-up at 135mm, 1/250 second at f/5.6, ISO 100.
       
       

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      Strong backlighting; 18mm, 1/350 second at f/11, ISO 100.
       
       

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      Stabilisation test at 18mm; 1/3 second at f/11, ISO 1600.
       

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      Stabilisation test at 60mm; 1/6 second at f/6.4, ISO 1600.
       
       

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      Stabilisation test at 135mm; 1/15 second at f/6.4, ISO 3200.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/11, 1/100 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/8, 1/90 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      135mm focal length at f/7.1, 1/100 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      23mm focal length at f/8, 1/200 second, ISO 100.
       
       

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      44mm focal length at f/10, 1/20 second, ISO 200.
       
       

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      116mm focal length at f/13, 1/100 second, ISO 200.
       
       

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