Whether you’ve bought an inexpensive Fujifilm X-A5 with a kit lens, or a higher-end body like the X-T3, at some point you’re going to want some new glass. Whether you’re shooting portraits or want a versatile travel zoom, we’ve got you covered.
Before we go on, keep in mind that these lenses are for X-series cameras only. Fujifilm’s GFX medium format bodies use a different mount, which we’re not covering in this buying guide.
For each of the categories below the winner was the lens which we found to offer the best combination of quality and value. In most cases, we’ve also provided a more budget-friendly option, as well as a choice for those with more to spend.
- Best kit lens replacement
- Best prime / single focal length lens (all-around)
- Best prime / single focal length lens (for portraits)
- Best wide-angle zoom lens
- Best telephoto zoom lens
- Best macro lens
- Best lens for travel
Here at DPReview we use a lot of lenses, but we can’t test every single product on the market. So if we’ve excluded your favorite lens, or if you disagree with any of our selections, please let us know in the comments below.
Best kit lens replacement
Standard (kit) zooms are just what they sound like – versatile, general-purpose lenses that start with a fairly wide angle of view and allow you to zoom in to a focal length traditionally used for portraits.
Our pick: XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R OIS LM
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If your camera didn’t already come with it, we’d suggest upgrading to the excellent 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 OIS. The 18-55mm is a significant step up from Fujifilm’s XC 16-50mm and 15-45mm kit lenses, albeit not quite as wide as either.
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Money no object:
XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s unstabilized, but more importantly, the 16-55mm F2.8 is optically excellent. It’s one of the most powerful ways to get the most out of your camera.
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For more flexibility:
XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
At time of publication, the 18-135mm is the best way of adding a lot more flexibility to your camera. Just bear in mind that it has a slightly slower aperture than the 18-55mm and doesn’t go any wider, so think carefully about what you’d gain.
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Best prime / single focal length lens (all-around use)
Removing the complexity of a variable focal length often allows for prime lenses to be smaller, lighter and sharper, while letting more light through and being more useful in dimly lit situations.
For all-around use we’d recommend a semi-wide-angle lens that can lend itself to a range of subjects.
Our pick: XF 23mm F2 R WR
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The 23mm F2 isn’t the sharpest lens in the Fujinon lineup, but it’s small, relatively fast and sensibly priced. It makes for a respectably small combination with most X-series cameras and provides decent low light performance and some control over depth-of-field. The equivalent focal length of 35mm makes this a perfect everyday lens for walk-around shooting.
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Small/light/affordable:
XF 27mm F2.8
The 27mm lens offers a 40mm equiv. field-of-view, which can be great fun to shoot with. At F2.8 it’s not going to give much of a benefit in terms of light capture or depth-of-field compared with a kit zoom. Its major appeal is size: it’s convenient and discreet when paired with most X-series cameras.
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Money no object:
XF 23mm F1.4 R
The Fujifilm 23mm F1.4 is optically excellent, making it a great do-everything prime. It’s not especially fast to focus but if you want the quality and improved low light performance it brings, then that’s the trade-off.
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Best prime / single focal length lens (for portraits)
Prime lenses are just a single focal length; removing the complexity of a zoom often allows for these lenses to be smaller, lighter and sharper, while letting more light through and being more useful in dimly lit situations.
For portraits we’d recommend a mid-telephoto lens that lets you shoot head-and-shoulders shots from a comfortable working distance.
Our pick: XF 56mm F1.2 R
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The 56mm F1.2 is designed to give the same angle-of-view and depth-of-field as a classic 85mm F1.8 lens does on full frame. It’s one of the slower-focusing lenses in the system, but it’s impressively sharp and well-matched for portrait shooting. There’s a more expensive ‘APD’ version if you need smoother background blur.
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For a bit more breathing room:
XF 90mm F2 R LM WR
The 90mm F2 isn’t cheap, but it’s extremely sharp, is faster to focus than the 56mm and gives plenty of control over depth-of-field. It also gives a longer working distance, which some people will prefer.
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The inexpensive option:
XF 50mm F2 R WR
The 50mm’s equivalent focal length of 75mm is a bit shorter than the 56mm’s, but the magnification difference is minimal in normal use and it’s much less expensive, faster to focus and still pleasantly sharp. It’s also small enough to carry with you at all times.
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Best wide-angle zoom lens
Wide-angle lenses are often useful for taking photos of interiors, landscapes and architecture.
Our pick: XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS
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The 10-24mm F4 is a mid-range stabilized zoom that extends out to a usefully-wide 15mm equivalent. It’s not cheap but the optical quality, solid build, constant aperture and inclusion of OIS help explain the price.
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Money no object:
XF 8-16mm F2.8 R LM WR
If you need to go wider or brighter than the 10-24mm, there’s the 8-16mm F2.8. It’s well-corrected and generally superb optically. Just be aware: it’s big, heavy, and cannot accept screw-in filters.
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Best telephoto zoom lens
Telephoto lenses start out being fairly zoomed-in, and allow you to zoom in even further so you can fill your frame with more distant subjects.
Our pick: XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
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Although the range makes it sound like a budget ‘two lens kit’ filler, the Fujinon 55-200mm is a well built, fast-to-focus mid-price option. We used it as our autofocus test lens for many years and were impressed with its performance.
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Budget option:
XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS II
The 50-230mm is a low-cost stabilized tele-zoom. Be aware of that F6.7 maximum aperture at the long end of the zoom: it’s not going to let in a lot of light, so your images are likely to be noisy in all but the best light.
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Money no object:
XF 50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR
The 50-140mm F2.8 makes a lot more sense when you realize it covers roughly the same range as the classic 70-200mm sports lenses do on full-frame cameras. It’s fast, well-built and offers image stabilization, and is much easier to wield than most lenses with this focal length.
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Best macro lens
Macro lenses allow you to focus very close to small subjects, which is handy for photographing flowers or bugs.
Our pick: XF 80mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
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The 80mm F2.8 Macro is sharp, stabilized and gives a useful working distance, meaning you’re not bearing-down on your subject. A flexible, attractive choice for close-up shooting.
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Money no object:
Zeiss Touit 50mm F2.8M
We’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen of the Zeiss Touit series but they’re significantly more expensive than their Fujinon counterparts. We prefer the 50mm Macro to Fujifilm’s rather slow-to-focus 60mm F2.4 if you need something wider than the 80mm.
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Best travel zoom lens
If you want a versatile lens that can handle most shooting situation, then consider a travel zoom. You still start out with a fairly wide field-of-view and can zoom in almost as much as many telephoto lenses. This is convenient, but these lenses tend to let less light through them, so aren’t as useful in dimly lit situations, and they may not always give you the sharpest results.
Our pick: XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
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The 18-135mm offers a flexible range for whatever you encounter while traveling, which is fortunate, since it’s essentially your only choice at present. It would be nice if it went a little wider, but it covers a hugely useful range, offers image stabilization and a weather-resistant design, making it a solid choice for traveling.
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Worth waiting for?
XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR
If you haven’t got a specific trip already planned, it might be worth waiting for the forthcoming 16-80mm F4. Constant F4 may not sound too exciting on an APS-C camera but the 24-120mm equivalent range may prove more useful than the 27-203mm equiv reach of the 18-135, especially if the quality is better.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
