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Home โ†’ Reviews โ†’ Cameras and Lenses โ†’ Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Review

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Review

By Nasim Mansurov 56 Comments
Last Updated On September 2, 2020

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Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 WR vs Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II Comparison

Let’s take a look at how the pro-level XF 16-55mm lens compares to the consumer-level Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II, which covers a similar focal length range:

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 16mm

Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II MTF Performance 16mm

Whoa! Now I expected to see some differences, but didn’t realize that they were so drastic. The XF 16-55mm f/2.8 is significantly sharper compared to the 16-50mm, that’s a huge difference in sharpness there. Let’s take a look at 23mm:

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 23mm

Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II MTF Performance 23mm

Although the 16-50mm performs a tad better at 23mm than at 16mm, it is still nowhere close to what the 16-55mm can do.

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 35mm

Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II MTF Performance 35mm

35mm looks pretty similar as other focal lengths, with the 16-55mm clearly dominating at every comparable aperture. And lastly, let’s take a look at the longest end of the zoom range:

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 55mm

Fuji XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II MTF Performance 50mm

Both lenses perform the worst zoomed in all the way, but the 16-55mm is still noticeably sharper.

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 Image Samples (6)
X-T1 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 19.4mm, ISO 800, 1/5, f/4.0

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 WR vs Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 OIS

Although the super wide angle XF 10-24mm f/4 OIS is for different needs and does not cover similar focal lengths, there are a couple of focal lengths that we can actually compare between the two lenses and analyze. Let’s compare the XF 16-55mm at 16mm, vs the XF 10-24mm at 14mm:

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 16mm

Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS MTF Performance 14mm

Without a doubt, the Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 OIS is a very sharp lens and you can see that it certainly does challenge the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 at such a wide focal length. At similar apertures, both lenses perform about the same in the center and the mid-frame, but the corners on the 16-55mm f/2.8 look a little sharper. Stopped down to f/5.6, there is practically no difference between these two lenses. What if we were to look at the longest end of the 10-24mm f/4? Let’s take a look:

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR MTF Performance 23mm

Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS MTF Performance 24mm

And unfortunately, that’s exactly where the 10-24mm is weak. As you can see, the 16-55mm f/2.8 is still rocking, giving overall both better center and corner performance.

Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 Image Samples (7)
X-T1 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 25.7mm, ISO 200, 1/110, f/5.6

Lens Comparison Summary

While going through my test data for Fujinon lenses, the only lens under 50mm that came close to the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 in sharpness was the XF 10-24mm f/4 and I have presented the data in the above comparison. Whether I was looking at some of the older primes or other zoom lenses like the 18-55mm f/2.8-4, none of them were able to get to comparable sharpness, particularly in the center of the frame. Looks like some of the older designs (maybe with the exception of the XF 14mm f/2.8) cannot come close in sharpness to the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 – and that’s a given, especially when we look at the size and the optical design of the 16-55mm. In short, the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 sets a new sharpness record compared to other Fujinon lenses and deserves high praises for its stellar performance.

Table of Contents

  • Overview and Specifications
  • Focusing
  • Optical Features
  • Lens Comparisons
  • Summary
  • More Image Samples
  • Reader Comments
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