Ask most pros and you will probably find they have a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens as one of the two main staples in their DSLR lens kit. This focal length, along with a 24-70mm f/2.8, covers the majority of situations we are likely to encounter. Such lenses by Nikon and Canon are legendary for their quality optics and semi-fast, fixed aperture. A pro who shoots weddings or lifestyle probably relies on an f/2.8 long zoom. Photographing animals, sports, or even travel, same thing. Since its inception in the 1980's, an 80-200mm (now 70-200mm) zoom lens has been a required item on any equipment list.
Fuji's addition of these f/2.8 zooms to the Fuji XF lens lineup demonstrates its intent to raise the X-series cameras to true pro-grade use.
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| Seems like most of the time I spent outdoors testing the new Fuji 50-140mm lens this week with my X-T1 the weather contrived to help me also test the weather resistance of both. At the end of the week both lens and camera continued functioning normally, which says it all. I once trashed an X-E2 camera body (non-weather resistant) in far less rain than I encountered this past week. |
As you can see from the photo above, I decided to trust the weather resistant claims for this lens and took it out to test in the rain. The lens has 20 weather seals across the barrel to offer protection from moisture and dust. It is also claimed to be operable in conditions as low as -14°F (- 10°C) -- something I (thankfully) did not have to test.
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| A Nikon D750 with 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens sits on my studio equipment cart next to a Fuji X-T1 with the 50-140mm f/2.8.. The photo illustrates the overall size difference of camera+lens. |
There has already been talk of the bokeh of this lens not being on par with the Fuji primes, such as the 56mm f/1.2 and perhaps not even equal to that of full frame f/2.8 equivalent lenses. That is going to be a given coming into this. Photographers who need exaggerated bokeh need to use fast aperture primes. Period. Plus, bokeh is dependent upon other factors as well as aperture. Distance from the subject, distance of the subject from the background, and focal length are also important. Rack this lens out to its full 140mm extension and get in tight for a head shot and the bokeh of this lens at f/2.8 will be quite pleasing. As good as the 56mm at f/1.2? Of course not. That is why pro photographers will often have both types in their lens kits -- a fast prime for extreme low light and bokeh, and a long f/2.8 for the speed advantage of being able to switch focal lengths on the fly in fast changing situations. Plus, when you consider the big price difference between the Fuji lens and its full frame rivals, you have enough left over to pick up a fast prime as a bonus.
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| A size comparison to two other Fuji XF zoom lenses. On top is the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 weighing 1.08 lb (490 g) , middle the 55-300 f/3.5-4.8 weighing 1.28 lb (580 g), and bottom the 50-140mm f/2.8 weighing 2.19 lb (995 g). On the left the lenses are in their shorter, closed position; on the right their longer open position. |
Initially, I kept checking the lens to see if it was focusing. After awhile I realized the reason I was doing this was because the lens was so silent. The 50-140mm has a Triple Linear Motor (world's first) autofocus system. It delivers a smooth, pretty much silent performance. Anyone shooting video or working in quiet locations will appreciate this.
I'm sure there will be complaints about the appropriateness of the larger size and weight of this lens on a smaller, APS-sized mirrorless camera. But, if Fuji is going to move its X-camera system to where pros can not only use it, but can replace DSLR cameras with it, they need to include a lens such as this. It is the workhorse of many pro photographers,and the size is simply what you get when you add an f/2.8 fixed aperture to a lens of this focal length.
Actually, I did not find this lens to be too bulky for the camera. Quite the contrary, I found it to be quite comfortably balanced and much smaller than I expected it would be. In fact, I found myself considering adding this zoom to my carry-around travel outfit where I could benefit from the extra aperture speed.
The 50-140mm zoom uses an optical construction comprising 23 glass elements in 16 groups, with five ED lens elements and one Super ED lens element comparable to a fluorite lens. This maximizes the reduction of chromatic aberrations and delivers high resolving power. On top of this Fujifilm's HT-EBC (High Transmittance Electron Beam Coating) is applied to the entire area of the lens surface and ensures ghosting and flare are minimized or eliminated. Also, a newly developed Nano-GI (Gradient Index) coating technology, which alters the refractive index between glass and air, further controls ghosting and flare by effectively reducing diagonal incident light.
The lens is sharp everywhere -- center, corners, and all apertures. The
Fijifilm MTF charts on it are really impressive, among the best results I've ever seen. Is it as good as the rival, full frame equivalent zooms from the big two. Easily, and maybe even better.
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| The tripod collar is removable with two thumb screws. One thing that surprised me was the shape of the foot. I am so used to Fuji thinking of everything and including Arca Swiss plates for its cameras, I thought for sure this foot would have had at least an inch of the Arca mount before it tapered off in the front. No such luck. Third party companies are probably already at work on a replacement for this foot, just as they have done for Nikon and Canon. |
The vibration control mechanism has an enhanced gyro sensor and unique algorithms to minimize camera shake and enable sharper imaging when working with longer focal lengths and/or slow shutter speeds. It claims a 5-stop vibration reduction. The image of New York below was taken handheld at 1/10 second. I did employ my normal slow-shutter technique of holding down the release for several exposures to ensure one of them will come out sharp, and this helped. Nonetheless, shooting at 1/10th of a second with a zoom of this focal length is an impressive accomplishment. I wouldn't even try it with the 70-200mm on my Nikon.
Below are some images to download as full res versions and judge the lens ability for yourself.
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| One of my favorite uses of the 70-200mm (full frame) f/2.8 zoom range is for grabbing quick portraits during lifestyle shoots. The wide open aperture of f/2.8 is pretty much a perfect balance of sharp focus plus good bokeh with the zoom set to its longer lengths. This available light portrait was taken at f/2.8, 126mm focal length, and ISO 800. |
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| Bokeh is more that just a fast aperture. For a shot like this I used the lens at a long focal length, wide open at f/2.8, and in close to throw the foreground and background out of focus while still retaining story telling detail. Click here to download a high res version of this file. |
Conclusion:
With this lens Fuji puts the pressure on decision-time for anyone who has been sitting on the fence wondering whether a mirrorless camera could truly replace a DSLR system. Not only does the Fuji 50-140mm meet the optical and build quality of the big two DSLR zooms, it does so with mechanical improvements that put it squarely in the lead of the race.
Is it larger and bulkier that other, similar zooms Fuji already has in its lineup? Certainly. Don't expect the light weight carry-around package of a variable aperture zoom. That is not what a fast aperture, long focal length zoom is all about. The extra bulk goes with the territory.
At $1599 it is at the higher price end of Fuji lenses, but when compared to comparable full frame zooms it is quite a bit less.
Bottom line: this lens does exactly what you would expect from a zoom in its class and in some cases even goes beyond. And when you consider the big price difference between the Fuji lens and its full frame rivals, the results are even more impressive, although, admittedly, it is less expensive to achieve f/2.8 when the longest focal length is capped at 140mm instead of 200mn -- but isn't that what going mirrorless is all about?
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The Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 lens can be ordered from: BH-Photo Amazon 
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