Review on 📷 Fujinon XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens by David Dober

To be honest I had no intention of buying this lens. But I really needed a good all round zoom for my X-T1 as the only lens I had (had) was a 56mm f/1.2 (an amazing glass gem). I was hoping to get a 16-55mm f/2.8 lens by summer/fall 2014, but when Fuji's plans recently changed and some additional specs were announced and photo samples of this 18-135mm lens were released, decided me to try . Coincidence as my lens for traveling light. FOCUS RANGE is quite wide and certainly useful. Sure, it could be wider and longer, but it's still a decent wide-angle (27mm) and telephoto (206mm). Personally, I'd prefer more degrees on the wide end at the expense of the long end (like a 16-55 would). 16-120mm (24-180) at least a constant f/4 would suit my needs better. Yes, it's a little SLOW. And I'm known for using and loving fast primes (25 years as a photojournalist) so I wasn't even interested when I first saw the specs of this lens. Since I shoot professionally with the D4, my X-T1 is more my personal (fun/art) camera. But for professional work it's great and for some things I would prefer it. 5.385mm 5.3100mm 5.6135mm 5.6 The lack of lens aperture is compensated by the Vibration Reduction System (OIS). And the OIS in this lens is really amazing, I really think it's the most useful I've ever used. Better than my Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8. To be honest, for most of my professional work, VR or OIS are not very useful to me. I'm more concerned with subject movement than my ability to hold my hand, so I prefer (need) very fast glass. I regularly hold a 300mm 2.8 and have never used a 70-200 2.8 with a monopod - I just use a higher ISO and shoot wide open. But the ability of this lens to maintain image sharpness 4-5 stops slower than normal is amazing. And the system is quiet, unobtrusive and does not wobble. This is very useful for a compact, versatile lens like this, which (in my use) is more suited to landscapes, still life, nature, portraits, travel and vacations. I also don't like vari-aperture lenses for my professional work, but as a travel zoom it's fine. This lens is also very useful for simple video work (home videos) due to its large zoom range and very effective vibration reduction. The SHARPNESS is actually quite good for this 7.5x focal length range. A bit soft in the corners at wide open, especially at 18mm (I almost wish the corners were less sharp on the long end than the wide end), but it's still very useful. In fact, the resolution seems to be sufficient at ANY focal length, which is really impressive. Don't expect it to match your primes, but I haven't found such a lens. There are too many variables to calculate to make this wide range of focal lengths ideal. I would definitely say that this is the sharpest general purpose lens I have ever owned. A few ED/asphere elements will probably help with that. The CONTRAST is consistently very good, which increases the impression of sharpness. The highlights seem to be well controlled and the star formation looks decent too. Can such a fast lens have BOKE? Well, that's perhaps what impresses me most about this lens. With careful study of the background/highlights, it CAN! It's fairly smooth and creamy for slow orifices. Guess the aperture holes stay pretty round throughout the range, helping with OOF highlights for pretty decent bokeh for a slow lens. The minimum focusing distance (MFD) is another important point for me. This makes this lens more useful as an all-round lens when you can get close to a flower and almost fill the frame. No, it's certainly not a 1:1 macro, but it's more useful than most primes with a more constrained MFD. When shooting in the real world, the distance to the front element appears to be around 10 inches (from filter to subject). That 10-inch or so is comparable across the zoom range, allowing you to shoot from wide-angle (27mm) to telephoto (206mm) at the same distance. This is very useful, and tight focusing is useful for macro bokeh. One of the main advantages is WATER RESISTANCE and that certainly interested me. It's nice not to have to worry about ruining your lens/camera when you're in the shower or want to go hiking, and still get good nature shots in all conditions (which is sometimes more productive on overcast and drizzly days) . Well, if you're looking for an accurate water resistance test, I won't be a guinea pig just for the sake of testing! Winking smile As I use the lens more often, I'll try to add a few more observations. I think dustproof is almost as important, albeit not as heavily advertised. Preventing dust particles from getting through the back of the lens and onto the precision sensor is very helpful. But the ability to use a single lens system and not switch lenses in the field is very important to weather performance. resistance characteristics. I definitely think this lens is great for capturing fall landscapes and waterfalls in particular (as you usually want a slow shutter and don't need a fast lens) - the range will be great. It's pretty LIGHT in weight. also, which makes it even better for on the go. Despite the lightness, the CONSTRUCTION QUALITY still seems to be high. The ZOOM ring is mechanically very smooth and does not creep. I would have preferred the zoom to be fully internal, but with such a wide focal range it probably would have been difficult. My example only feels a bit tight on the last few millimeters of zoom, say 128-135mm, but it can loosen with use. The included lens hood somehow seems a bit small for the scope of the lens, and the plastic has a lighter tint (grey vs. deeper black lens) which strikes me as a bit inconsistent but not a big deal. Unfortunately, the hood also lacks a secure "click" stopper, making it somewhat loose and prone to falling off. AUTOFOCUS is internal, so you can easily use SFX filters (especially polarizers). The autofocus system is FAST and hits the target well! To be honest I'd say it's better than my 56mm with less hunting. It's also very quiet and smooth. Very happy with focus. In summary, this is a very USEFUL lens, albeit a slow one. If it were faster with an even wider focal range, it would also be very heavy, very large, with a huge front element (requiring 77mm or larger filters). This makes it ideal for small mirrorless cameras (like the X-T1) as a versatile camera system with many options.