The XF 16-55 f2.8 - What I Love and Hate 2+Years Later (2023)
This is the XF 16-55mm and it’s widely regarded as one of Fujifilm’s best lenses, but after 2 years of use, there are things I love about this lens…and things I hate.
Today we’re going to go over all of that, everything from image quality to build quality, from real life usability to practicality.
So if you’re looking to buy this lens or maybe you already have this lens and you just wanna hear someone talk about it…lets get started.
Good Features
We’ll talk about the good first.
This lens is great for all the reasons you know. It’s got great image quality and is sharp throughout. It’s one of those lenses where the glass really shines and you can notice the difference from other lenses when you punch in. The build quality is also amazing. It’s got a design that feels robust and nice to hold and it has weather sealing meaning you don’t have to worry much about rain. A linear motor focusing system means that autofocus is fast and quiet, although I find it much more useful for photo than video. Sometimes it does hunt in video but I usually autofocus lock just in case.
There are two main situations where I can use this lens with confidence: portrait sessions and making prints.
During portrait sessions or any paid gig I’ll bring this lens in combo with the X-T4. Sometimes I get a bit nervous when doing anything paid because it feels like I have to perform. I do know a lot of it is in my head and its probably something that just requires more practice. This lens though does give me a lot of confidence that I’ll at least get some good images. So it’s ironically a lens I like to bring out to to act as a bit of a buffer for quality.
The 16-55 is also quite reliable when making prints. Sometimes I get slight imperfections when printing photos from other cameras or lenses - not enough to ruin the image but things I take note of. This lens rarely has that because the optical quality is so good and I know much of the image will be sharp and still preserve those details even if I’m making a larger print.
So if you’re someone who’s looking for the best of the best in terms of Fujifilm’s lineup, I’d recommend this lens. I can definitely notice the difference between this lens and some of the other lenses, and image quality is where this lens shines.
“Tempest Cityscape - H”
Problems
Now lets talk about the main problem I have with this lens.
2 years ago I made a review talking about how big this lens was. And 2 years later…it still is. Not like I expected the lens to magically shrink, but I was kind of hoping I’d get used to it. Now I know for some of you who are used to bigger dslrs and lenses this lens might actually seem quite small. But I’m a guy who’s favorite camera is the x100v. I value size maybe even more than pure optical greatness and I prefer a camera I can sling around, go through my daily life and still take photos when I feel like it.
I’ve learned that photography for me is most enjoyable when it’s less of a task, not a chore, and just part of my life. I take pictures when the moment is there and with whatever camera I have. So this lens is something I bring out when I’m intentional about taking pictures. When there’s a photoshoot, a gig, etc and the purpose is to be seen and get a good result. But it’s often that many of my best images come from when I’m not trying to get a good result, I’m just living life.
And so I learned that despite this lens being so good, I don’t actually use it much because it’s less convenient to bring out than other lenses. And for me, the value of a camera body or lens is all about whether you use it or not. Does this camera incentivize me to take pictures? Am I motivated to use this? Is this something I can’t keep my hands off?
And at the end of the day, the photography projects I’m working on currently don’t even require the best of the best. I’ve noticed this while working my upcoming photo zine is that for something like this it’s more about the photos I use, how they relate to one another, the story I’m telling, how that’s portrayed, and if others even get it. And the images I use for that could have been captured with a rock for all I care.
So I may soon let this lens go, because using a lens and camera that work well with me is more important than having the best quality. It’s too damn big!
So if you’re in the market for the 16-55 I’d first recommend to figure out what you’d use it for. Why am I buying this lens in the first place? Am I looking for the best image quality or do the photos I take even require that? If you’re looking for the best, size doesn’t matter, or you’re doing professional work this lens will be a great tool in your kit. However if you’re more like me where how you create plays a bigger role in what you create than simply pure image quality then this lens might not be for you. Ultimately it’s about understanding your use case scenario and not to simply buy something because everyone praises it.
So these were my conclusions after using this lens for the past 2 years. I hope these insights could help you out along your own photography journey.
Thanks for reading.
