With Fuji's X Series sensors now reaching 40 megapixels, having a kit lens that can handle the increased demand for sharpness and detail is crucial. The XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR makes that promise, but can it deliver?
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this thorough video review puts the Fuji XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR lens through its paces, examining everything from build quality to image sharpness. The lens is lightweight, at just 240 grams, but doesn’t compromise on durability. With a metal rear mount and full weather-sealing, it’s built to withstand various shooting conditions. The rubberized zoom ring and manual focus ring are smooth and responsive, making the lens easy to handle. However, Frost notes that the focus motor’s response can be a bit jerky, which might be a drawback for some users.
The image quality is where things get interesting. Tested on the Fuji XT-50’s demanding 40-megapixel sensor, the lens shows impressive sharpness in the center of the frame, especially at the wide end of 16mm with an aperture of f/2.8. However, the corners tell a different story. At wider angles, the corner sharpness lags behind, only showing improvement when stopped down to f/5.6 or narrower. This issue persists across various focal lengths, although it’s less pronounced when zoomed in to 50mm, where the corners perform better even at wider apertures.
Distortion and vignetting are also significant factors to consider with this lens. At 16mm, the lens exhibits strong barrel distortion and dark corners, which only start to improve when stopped down. Zooming in to 50mm, the distortion shifts to pincushion, and the vignetting remains present, though it becomes less noticeable. These issues highlight the reliance on Fuji’s in-camera corrections, which do a decent job but aren’t perfect. For those shooting in raw, these imperfections will require additional post-processing to correct.
For bokeh lovers, the Fuji XF 16-50mm can produce lovely out-of-focus backgrounds, especially when shooting at wider apertures and closer distances. However, chromatic aberration is noticeable, although it diminishes when stopped down further. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Frost.
