The Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR is hailed as one of the sharpest Fuji lenses for its size and very affordable price tag, so how does it match up to the Fuji X-T5 with its 40mp sensor? This is one of a list of lenses that Fujifilm recommends to use to get the most out of the sensor, and if that’s the case, it certainly works. I was looking for a fixed focal length lens that could cover the fields of landscape and travel photography while being compact and lightweight, and after switching between this and a 23mm lens, I was choose to buy this second hand lens from Ffordes Photography. The reason I chose this one is because most of the reviews mentioned that it’s a bit sharper than FUJIFILM XF 23mm f/2 R WR . Lenscertainly not much but when I consider that I can also use this lens for landscape photography, I wanted to see how good this lens really is.
Construction and Quality
This fixed prime lens is very light and compact considering the image quality it produces. Featuring a weather-resistant all-metal construction rated to operate in temperatures as low as -10 degrees, this lens offers remarkable value for money with its retail price of $399.
It’s a full frame equivalent to 24mm and hoodless, measures 45.4mm with a diameter of 60mm and has a filter thread size of 49mm. The petal-shaped lid is plastic and compact again to keep the whole setup compact and discreet, and weighs just 155g.
The focus and aperture rings are less than a thumb apart, and there’s a distinct difference in notches so you won’t make any mistakes while your eye is on the viewfinder. Soft clicks come from the aperture ring and it actually feels better than some of the other Fuji lenses I’ve had. The aperture ring ranges from f/2.8 to f/22 with the letter A for Auto included on Fuji lenses allowing control via the camera’s command dial. The focus ring is moist and sweet in that you feel the controllable drag it delivers without being too heavy. The autofocus on this lens is fast and accurate and does not seek focus in any lighting conditions.
There is no image stabilization with this lens, so depending on whether your camera has IBIS you will have to take your requirements into account. On the X-T5, I had absolutely no problem taking any handheld shots thanks to the camera’s IBIS.
Efficiency
This lens is the next in the lineup from FUJIFILM XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR . Lens has a retail price of $849. With a savings of $450 for FUJIFILM XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR . Lens you have to ask yourself what are you going to use it for and is it worth sacrificing 2 stops for? Because this lens works great. It’s sharp in the middle at g/2.8 with a bit of softness in the corners, which can happen, and when you stop at f/4 – f/8, the lens will show you its quality. I’ve noticed at g/11 it starts to show diffraction with certain objects but only occasionally, so, therefore, I’m assuming it’s user error.
I’ve shot a variety of subjects with this lens, and it always returns sharp, clear images with the exception of the anomaly at g/11. Since I’m primarily concerned with sharpness, the subject matter is as varied as you’ll see in the gallery below. I haven’t actually had a chance to try it out just as a landscape lens yet due to the current weather conditions, I’m impressed with how it handles things so far. All images are handheld and some, thanks to IBIS, are taken at 1/20th of a second and again it gives sharp images.
accidental
As an additional note, some of the images for this article have been processed with Adobe Lightroom and the images look sharp, but after reading Ivor Rackham’s recent excellent article article I chose to download and try Capture One for Fujifilm and the difference was immediately noticeable, so I edited the rest of the images with Capture One. The original sharp image became even sharper, which I could only match between this lens and the X-T5’s 40mpx sensor and how the software handles Fuji files. The images in the gallery have been resized to a 2000px long side.
What I like
Everything about the lens appeals to me, from its compact size, weather resistance, and sharp images it produces. This lens is fun to use, which is one of the most important things to me after quality. I never found myself wishing it could do more or have extra features like image stabilization, as I can shoot at rather slow shutter speeds thanks to the camera’s IBIS.
What I don’t like
So far, I have not seen anything detrimental to the performance of the lens, it handles great, autofocus is super fast and produces sharp images.
Conclusion
I shoot most of my landscapes with a 10-24mm lens and wanted to see if this would produce sharp images on the X-T5 as it is one of the lenses that Fujifilm recommends to take advantage of. 40mp sensor max. I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison to see how much of a difference it makes, but based on what I’ve seen so far it seems.
This is a great lens and if you’ve used it, I’m sure you know what I mean. The prime wide-angle lens may not be to everyone’s taste due to its fixed focal length, but combined with the X-T5’s 40mpx sensor allows for a bit of a crop of maneuverability. This lens will also be great for travel and street photography and if you combine it with FUJIFILM XF 23mm f/2 R WR . Lens and FUJIFILM XF 56mm f/1.2 Lens LOW I think you’ll end up with a great all-in-one travel kit that’s light, compact, and relatively inexpensive for the quality of the glasses.
This is a top-of-the-line lens that produces amazingly sharp images and if you can sacrifice 2 stops while saving quite a bit, you can buy this lens here.
