Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Lens Review

Handling and Features
Performance
Verdict
Specification



This ultra-wide angle zoom lens for Fujifilm X-series interchangeable lens cameras provides a field of view equivalent to 15-36mm lens on a 35mm camera, sports a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and costs around £850. This lens also includes optical image stabilisation, which may help to aid the taking of hand-held longer exposure shots than would otherwise be possible without the system.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Handling and Features

Similar retro styling to other lenses in this range has been applied and the combination of metal and high quality plastics, has resulted in robust build. The lens is considerably lighter than it looks, weighing only 410g. As a result it complements the Fujifilm X-Pro1 used for testing very well.



Focusing and zoom are performed within the lens, so the filter thread does not move during operation. As a result, the 72mm filter thread does not rotate, making it perfect for use with polarising and graduated filters. A petal-shaped hood attaches to the bayonet around the front of the lens. The manual focusing ring is well damped, making fine adjustments a pleasure to apply.

To complement the retro styling of Fujifilm's X-series cameras, this lens has a manual aperture ring for selecting your desired setting in a more traditional way. The aperture ring has no values marked on it, so the screen needs to be referred to, to find the aperture setting. The aperture ring provides control in third stop intervals and only requires a light touch to move through the aperture range. This is great for making quick adjustments. Auto focus is quick and precise, with little hunting for focus.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Performance

At 10mm, sharpness is already outstanding in the centre of the frame at maximum aperture and the clarity achieved towards the edges of the frame falls just short of excellent levels. Stopping down just one stop to f/5.6 results in peak performance across the frame, with outstanding sharpness from edge to edge.

Zooming to 18mm results in increased sharpness across the frame, with outstanding sharpness in the centre complimented by excellent clarity towards the edges of the frame. As is the case at 10mm, peak performance is realised at f/5.6 with outstanding sharpness being produced across the frame.

Finally, at 24mm, the lens still performs very well. At maximum aperture, sharpness in the centre of the frame is excellent and towards the edges of the frame it is very good. Stopping down to f/8 at this focal length results in peak performance across the frame. Sharpness is excellent from edge-to-edge at this setting.

MTF@10mm

MTF@18mm

MTF@24mm

How to read our charts The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple. For this review, the lens was tested on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 using Imatest.

Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled, with fringing only just exceeding half a pixel width at 10mm and f/4, plus when the aperture is stopped down below f/11 at this focal length, towards the edges of the frame. This low level of CA should be very difficult to spot, even in harsh crops from the edges of the frame, or in large reproductions.

CA@10mm

CA@18mm

CA@24mm

How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 using Imatest.

Falloff of illumination towards the edges of the frame although quite strong, is typical for such a wide angle lens. At 10mm the corners are 1.7 stops darker than the image centre at maximum aperture and at 24mm the corners are only 0.9 stops darker. Visually uniform illumination is achieved with the lens stopped down to f/8 or beyond at 10mm or at f/5.6 or beyond at 24mm.

Distortion is typical for a lens sporting a field of view as wide as this. Imatest was able to detect 5.03% barrel distortion at 10mm and 1.46% pincushion at 24mm. There is a slight wave to the distortion, which may make applying corrections manually in image editing software a bit of a pain. Automatic correction of distortion in camera is very good though, and this information can be read by many popular raw image converters.

With, or without, the petal-shaped hood attached, this lens is quite resistant to flare, coping admirably with harsh backlit situations. Contrast levels remain good when shooting into the light also.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Sample Photos

Value For Money

This 10-24mm lens from Fuji costs around £850, which is quite expensive given alternatives available for other camera systems.

There are currently no comparable lenses available for Fuji X-series cameras, as currently Fujifilm has a monopoly on lenses for their own lens mount. The closest equivalent available for other camera systems is Sony's 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens, which sports a slightly shorter zoom range, but costs only £590.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Verdict

Yet again, Fujifilm has produced an excellent quality lens that should exceed the expectations of even the most discerning photographer. The sharpness delivered by this lens is outstanding, focusing is quick and precise and the robust build helps to assert that this is a quality piece of equipment.

The price of £850 may seem a little high when compared to alternatives available for other camera systems, but in this case, quality is probably worth paying extra for.

	The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is an excellent quality lens that should exceed the expectations of even the most discerning photographer.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Pros

Outstanding sharpness
Robust build
Lightweight
Retro design
Low CA

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Cons

Possibly a touch expensive at launch
Falloff at 10mm

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Specifications

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