Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR Review - Review 2022

The Fujifilm mirrorless camera system is congenital effectually a stiff library of lenses—we've nevertheless to use one that could be considered a bad buy. Only there are even so lenses that stand up out from the crowd, and the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR ($949.95) is one. It'south a short telephoto design, matching the field of view of a 135mm prime on a full-frame system, and captures images with border-to-edge sharpness, even at its maximum f/2 aperture. It also focuses quickly, is sealed confronting grit and moisture, and has a physical aperture ring for f-stop adjustment—it's an piece of cake pick for our Editors' Pick.

Design
The XF 90mm ($one,249.00 at Amazon) isn't the smallest lens in the world, especially when paired with a mirrorless camera. Information technology measures 4.1 by 3 inches (HD) without the included reversible lens hood—the hood adds about 3 inches to the height. It's on the heavy side at 1.two pounds, and has a front element that supports 67mm filters. The lens is solidly built, with a metal barrel and a gasket around the lens mount—when paired with an all-atmospheric condition body like the X-T1 ($318.00 at Amazon) you lot can shoot in inclement weather without worry.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR : Sample Image

The concrete aperture ring sits merely ahead of the lens mountain. Information technology can be gear up from f/2 through f/16 in 3rd-stop increments, and likewise has an A setting for automatic control. The manual focus ring occupies the bulk of the barrel. It'south metal, with a knurled texture. The manual focus experience is one disappointing aspect of handling. Turning the band doesn't physically move the lens elements, as is the case with about SLR lenses. Instead, the focus by wire system activates the internal focus motor to adjust focus. There's a lag in response, and you lot don't have the tactile feedback that y'all get with mechanical manual focus. This is an issue with most mirrorless system lenses, and tin can be a turn-off for fans of manual focus. But if yous're an autofocus fan, be happy to know that the XF 90mm is very quick to focus.

There's no image stabilization system. Fast prime lenses like this aren't often stabilized, but there are exceptions. The Zeiss Batis 85/1.8 ($1,199.00 at Amazon) , which is exclusively available for the Sony mirrorless organisation, does feature in-lens stabilization.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR : Sample Image

The Fujinon focuses to 23.6 inches (60cm). That will let you frame subjects tightly for portraits with ease, but doesn't let the 90mm do double-duty as a macro lens. At its closest focus distance it projects images at one-fifth life-size onto the paradigm sensor. If yous want a macro lens for the Fuji X system, consider the Zeiss Touit 2.eight/50M ($700.00 at Amazon) , which supports ane:i magnification, or the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro ($649.00 at Amazon) , which captures images at half life-size.

Epitome Quality
I tested the XF 90mm along with the 16-megapixel 10-T10 ($269.99 at Amazon) . Imatest shows that it'southward an incredible performer. At f/2 the lens manages 2,607 per picture height on a middle-weighted exam, exceeding the 1,800 lines we look for in a photo past leaps and bounds. Impressively, image quality is very strong right upward to the edge of the frame—the outer third shows a strong 2,450-line score. Stopping down offers pocket-sized improvements. The score improves to 2,725 lines at f/2.8, jumps to 2,861 lines at f/4, and peaks at 2,959 lines at f/v.6. In that location's a slight drop in resolution at f/8 due to diffraction, only the lens still shows 2,898 lines there.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR : Sample Image

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Baloney is a consummate non-issue. The lens is also a strong performer in regards to even illumination. I used an ExpoDisc to capture a flat gray frame and analyzed information technology using Imatest's Uniformity tool. At f/2 there is just a half-stop subtract in effulgence at the corners of the frame when compared with the heart—that'south barely noticeable in existent-world conditions. Corner illumination drops by merely a quarter-stop at f/two.eight and by less than 1-tenth of a end at f/four and beyond.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR : Sample Image

Conclusions
The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR delivers fantastic optical functioning, a stiff build with weather condition sealing, and a short telephoto reach that is a popular choice for portraiture. In that location aren't any major weakenesses here, bated from the lack of tactile feedback when focusing manually. That's going to exist an result for transmission focus fans, merely that's truthful of the other autofocus lenses available for the Fuji mirrorless organisation likewise. In all, the XF 90mm is a standout lens, and an piece of cake pick for Editors' Choice.