Fujinon XF 16–80mm f/4 R OIS WR - A Lens that Serves All Purposes

Conchita Fernandes tests the Fujinon XF 16–80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens to see if it could possibly be the only lens you’ll need for your Fujfilm X-series camera.

- ​​​​​​​ Conchita Fernandes

Launched a little over a year ago, the Fujinon XF 16–80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens is the first compact zoom lens in Fujifilm’s lineup of X- mount zoom lenses to offer a constant aperture of f/4. The lens provides a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 24–120mm, making it a very versatile lens to have in any photographer’s kit. Let’s find out how it fares.

Features

The Fujinon XF 16–80mm f/4 lens has 16 elements in 10 groups, including three aspherical lens elements and one ED aspherical element. It has nine rounded diaphragm blades, and a minimum shooting distance of 35mm over the entire zoom range, and provides a maximum shooting magnification of 0.25x. The lens also features six stops of optical image stabilisation, making it ideal to shoot in a variety of low light situations without the risk of camera shake. When placed on a tripod or when panning, the camera automatically detects this and adjusts accordingly. The lens uses a stepping motor for fast and silent autofocus.

The lens barrel is sealed at ten locations, making it dust and weather resistant, and can also operate in the temperatures as low as -10°C. The lens, however, does not feature a fluorine or anti-smudge coating in the front element. The lens also comes with a hood.

Handling

The XF 16–80mm f/4 lens is made up of a mix of polycarbonate and metal, and weighs 440g on its own and 979g along with the Fujifilm X-T3, the camera that I tested it with. The lens barrel, when extended to its absolute tele end did not protrude too much and was very easy to carry around. I was relatively inconspicuous in a crowd, making it a good lens for street photography.