Rapid view: Fujinon XF30mm F2.8 R LM WR Macro
A small workhorse
Disclaimer
I generally don’t do product reviews. But since I moved from Canon to Fujifilm, I want to share what I‘m learning from the new equipment. And this includes articles like this, that, yes, look like a review :-)
The new FUJINON XF30mmF2.8 R LM WR Macro from Fujifilm is an interesting lens. Not only because it is in a crowded group of 30 to 35 mm lenses but because Fujifilm decided to include their top autofocus system, weather resistance and Macro capability.
Specifications
The WR in the name stands for Weather Resistant, the R for manual aperture ring and the LM for Linear Motor.
It's a tiny lens weighing 195 grams. It covers the equivalent of a 46mm full-frame lens. The filter size is 43mm. It has nine blades creating a rounded diaphragm opening.
At f2.8, it is not the fastest lens (for APS-C systems), but with the new cameras pushing above ISO 64000 without losing much quality, this will be fine for most situations.
It can have a maximum magnification of 1:1, making it an actual macro lens. The minimum focus distance is a ridiculously 10 cm. This is measured from the sensor plane resulting in an almost 1 cm minimum distance from the front glass of the lens.Â
The reproduction ratio changes depending on the focus range:
10 cm = 1:1
11 cm = 1:1.5
13 cm = 1:2
16 cm = 1.3
22 cm = 1.5
1:1 means that the image captured by the sensor has the same size as the actual subject. Hence the one-to-one ratio.
1:2 means that the image captured by the sensor is half the subject's size.
The reproduction ratio is the ratio of the size of the image on the image sensor to the actual size of the subject. For example, if the length of a 5 cm object on the image sensor is 1 cm, the reproduction ratio is 1:5 (0.2 ×).
Impressions
The lens handles very well. It's very sharp corner to corner and very good from f2.8. If you stop down, sharpness slightly increases as expected. The autofocus is fast, moving from close focus to infinity and back without hunting.
Its f2.8 aperture, equivalent to an f4 in full frame, allows for good performance in low light. But I have to bump the ISO quite often. However, this is fine on my XT-4. On the newer HS2 or XT-5, it will be even better.
As stated above, the 1:1 true macro magnification happens at a very close focusing distance, and since this is 10cm, you must place the camera and lens almost touching the subject. If I compare the macro shots of this lens with my previous Canon 100mm F2.8 L, I have to recognize it beats the Fujinon. But this comparison is unfair, a $1,900 versus an $830 lens.
Overall, the macro functionality is entirely usable and produces excellent results.
The bokeh does not possess the quality of its siblings like the 56mm f1.2 or the 33mm f1.4. At f2.8, the bokeh is good, depending on the background. I recognize that opinion about bokeh is subjective, and what I find not to my liking might be perfectly good for you.
This lens is small, covers the full-frame equivalent of 46mm, has macro capabilities, fast focus, and it's weather resistant. All of this makes this lens a perfect fit for what I need now.Â
What's that noise?
When I took the lens out of the box, I immediately noticed something moving inside the lens. I can even hear it bumping back and forth. When powering on the camera, this bump does not happen. The lens functions well, and the autofocus, aperture, and image quality seem fine.Â
I learned this is the way the linear focus mechanism works. When turned off or not attached to the camera, it will move back and forth, making that noise. Nothing to be worried about :-)
This is the explanation from the lens manual:
Acronyms
R
Indicates a dedicated aperture control ring in the lens
WR
Weather Resistant construction.
LM
Linear Motor autofocus system. It is the new autofocus system from Fuji.
Sample Images
These are JPEGs straight from the camera. The colours have Velvia film simulation, minimal sharpening, no noise reduction and a gentle curve setting for contrast.
