Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Review

The Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is an ultra-wide angle lens designed specifically for the Fuji X cameras with APS-C size sensors. Announced in December of 2013, the lens is aimed for landscape and architecture photographers who are looking for a compact and lightweight lens with great image quality. Although it is one of the earlier releases by Fuji and does not come with weather sealing features, the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is equipped with excellent optical image stabilization that can work in conjunction with in-body image stabilization.

In this review, I will be taking a closer look at this lens, which I have owned and enjoyed shooting with since it was originally released.

Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Review: Introduction

When Fuji first announced its X system, the widest lens in the line-up was the compact XF 18mm f/2 R. Although the company followed up with the wider XF 14mm f/2.8 R later that year, many photographers including myself, were really hoping to see an ultra-wide angle zoom that would cover the 14-24mm full-frame equivalent range. So when the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS was finally released a year later, I bought a copy for myself right after acquiring the Fuji X-T1. I did it without hesitation because I found the lens to be exactly what I needed – it coupled extremely well with my X-T1, and unlike my Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G, it could take filters. So it became a part of my “go-to” kit for travel photography needs.

As I reveal on the next page of the review, Fuji did a great job with the optical design of the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS. Sporting a total of 14 elements in 10 groups (four of which are aspherical and three of which are extra-low dispersion), it is an impressively sharp lens, especially on its wide end. The optical image stabilization is particularly useful for handheld shooting – I have shot a lot of images hand-held, even in relatively dark conditions in which I would normally resort to tripod use. What’s impressive, is that Fuji has been able to make the optical image stabilization system to work in conjunction with in-body image stabilization (IBIS), providing up to 6.5 stops of compensation.

The biggest weakness of the lens for me personally, has been the lack of weather sealing, something we commonly see on many modern Fuji XF lenses today. While my sample has survived all kinds of weather conditions (as I have been careful with it, especially in rainy weather), others have not been as lucky. A few of my photography friends ended up damaging their copies when shooting in very humid and rainy weather, which is unfortunate.

Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Specifications

Detailed specifications for the lens, along with MTF charts and other useful data can be found on the Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS page of our lens database.

Handling and Build

Similar to other high-quality Fujinon lenses, the build quality of the Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is excellent. The lens barrel is made from a combination of tough plastic and metal. The focus and aperture rings, along with the rear mount and the front part of the lens (including the filter thread) are all metal, so the lens is built to last.

The focus ring is very smooth to operate. Since the lens features a stepping motor, it uses a focus-by-wire system, so there are no hard stops on either side of the focusing range. The zoom ring is quite large in size and has a rubber cover. When zooming in from 10mm to 24mm, the lens does not change in size – only the front element moves in a little. The aperture ring sits closest to the mount, and unlike some other XF series lenses, it is electronic and does not have any aperture markings. If you choose to manually focus with the XF 10-24mm f/4, a focus scale is provided inside the viewfinder or on the rear LCD of Fuji cameras.

There are two switches on the side of the lens. The first switch allows turning the optical image stabilization (OIS) on and off, while the second switch allows switching from full aperture control (A) to manual aperture control.

The lens mount does not feature a rubber gasket. There is a rear lens element that stays in place, which does a nice job of keeping dust from entering the lens when it is dismounted. The front lens element is bulbous but reasonably small relative to the lens.

The petal-shaped lens hood is quite large in size. It is plastic and attaches securely to the lens without any wobbling.

All three samples I used in the past, including my copy, were made in Japan.

As I have already pointed out earlier, unlike its modern counterparts, the lens is not weather-sealed. This means you have to be extra careful when using the lens in extreme conditions, especially when it is very humid. When shooting in very rainy conditions in New Zealand, the front element of my lens fogged up a little. I put it away and let it dry up, and the moisture disappeared. So keep this in mind when shooting in the field – you might end up permanently damaging the lens.

Overall, the Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is built very well and handles great in the field. I wish Fuji re-released it with a weather-resistant (WR) design though – something many of us Fuji shooters have been asking for a while now.

Autofocus Performance

Although Fuji initially had some focus issues in its X-series cameras (especially at launch), most of the issues were related to the autofocus system on the cameras, rather than the autofocus motor on lenses. Having handled the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS on a number of different cameras since 2013, I never encountered any serious focus issues with this lens. The autofocus motor is fast and quiet, and autofocus accuracy is excellent, especially when used on modern Fuji X camera bodies.

Focus accuracy obviously goes down when shooting in extremely low-light conditions, and when there isn’t enough contrast on the subject. In such conditions, switching to manual focus and tweaking the focusing ring a little while zoomed in to 100% on the LCD or EVF can help in getting sharper images.