What’s So Special About Fujifilm Lenses?
From the build quality to the internal configuration, we explore what Fujifilm lenses are comprised of and what makes them special.
Learn | By Greg Cromie
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In this Fujifilm masterclass, we discover what makes Fuji lenses so special.
Every camera brand and lens manufacturer has something unique to say about their glass products.
Photographers and brand loyalists firmly believe their chosen brand is the sharpest, fastest, or best in class.
However, not all brands can attest to being blessed by Unicorns like Fuji can!
Back in the day, I was a Canon DSLR shooter, and for a while there, Canon had me believing that their L USM lenses were the bees-knees.
Granted, they were incredibly sharp, and the USM speed was impressive. But they were big, heavy, and relatively expensive.
Carrying such big, heavy lenses nearly ruined my joy of photography. There’s nothing magical about that!
Then, I switched to the Fujifilm X Series and was delighted to find the Japanese company employed a conclave of sorcerors to add a little magic to every lens.
I was instantly swept away into a dreamland of lightweight, compact, affordable optics that inspired creativity like nothing else.
Today, I want to uncover a little of that magic and teach you everything there is to know about Fujifilm lenses.
Brief History of Fuji Glass
As a masterclass on Fuji glass, it’s essential to have a little history lesson—take notes; there may be a quiz later!
It’s widely known that Fujifilm has been in the optics and imaging business for quite some time.
The Japanese company has just celebrated its 90th birthday as one of the world’s leading innovators in photography.
I recently wrote an article celebrating the company’s history and significant milestones that led to the fantastic X and GFX Series lenses and cameras we enjoy today.
While the company began in 1934 as the Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. developing celluloid film, it wasn’t long before it developed premium optical glass products.
Fujifilm lenses are often labeled Fujinon – a brand name created in the 1940s for the optical glass division.
Fujinon glass is acclaimed for precision engineering and revolutionary technology advancements.
Fuji Lenses Inside And Out
It’s time for a little anatomical study of a typical Fujifilm lens.
I can’t afford to bandsaw a Fuji lens in half for the purpose of this lesson.
However, I’ve shot with Fuji glass for over a decade and have reviewed almost every lens.
While I’m not a wizard, witch, or warlock, I know a thing or two about Fuji magic. Plus, I know the engineering and optical design prowess that goes into every lens.
When I write a Fuji lens review, I have much to share about the build quality, lens configuration, ergonomics, and overall image quality.
While I try to keep those reviews as reader-friendly as possible, having a deeper understanding of lens jargon doesn’t hurt.
Build Quality
Build quality refers to Fuji’s overall standard when designing each lens in its range. Fortunately, Fuji has always excelled in this area.
Earlier generations of Fuji X Series lenses feature all-metal lens barrels that feel indestructible.
I often joke that you could use a Fuji lens to hammer in nails.
The quality and durability of materials should make a Fuji lens last a lifetime – if cared for properly.
Build quality also refers to external ergonomic features such as the aperture, focus and zoom rings.
Do they feel good in the hand, and are they textured for ease of use?
Do they turn freely with the suitable resistance so they’re not loosey-goosey?
Is the lens hood rigid, and does it lock into place easily?
These are all questions that I look at when reviewing the quality of a Fuji lens. Fuji lenses are relatively solid yet lightweight and compact compared to full-frame lenses from other brands.
Aperture Ring
As mentioned, the manual control rings are another critical element of all Fuji lenses.
The aperture ring controls the size of the internal aperture and the amount of light that can pass through to the image sensor.
It’s marked with f-stops to fine-tune the setting. Turning the aperture ring towards a smaller f-stop, like f/2, increases the aperture opening.
Turning the ring towards a larger f-stop, such as f/11, decreases the opening to restrict the amount of light passing through.
The aperture mechanism is a series of rounded blades that rotate inside the lens barrel to open and close the aperture.
The shape of the aperture blade also impacts how soft, out-of-focus elements appear in images.
Zoom Ring
A zoom ring allows you to control the focal range smoothly.
When you twist the zoom ring, the internal lens elements shift to create wider or narrower fields of view while still making sharp focus possible.
For example, the zoom XF 50-140mm f/2.8 lens features a focal range of 50mm (ideal for close-up portraits) up to 140mm (ideal for sports and wildlife at a distance).
Turning the zoom ring changes the focal range and what appears within the frame of the image.
In some lenses, turning the zoom ring extends the overall length of the lens barrel.
In others, the zoom function is contained within the barrel, and no extension is necessary.
Manual Focus Ring
The manual focus ring is the third manual control on all Fuji lenses.
When your Fuji X camera is set to auto-focus, the camera controls the alignment of the lens elements to achieve sharp focus.
Linear motors move and align the focusing lenses to achieve sharp focus instantly.
When the camera is set to manual focus, you turn the focus ring to obtain sharp details on your subject.
The aperture, zoom, and focus ring all feature ridged surfaces, enabling you to quickly locate them without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.
Over time, working with these control rings becomes second nature.
Weather Sealing (WR)
Weather sealing refers to the steps a manufacturer takes to protect the lens from moisture, dust, and humidity.
Given that you need your lens to take sharp, clear images, getting dust and moisture inside it is a sure way to ruin great photos.
Most Fujifilm X Series lenses feature sealing, making them weather-resistant.
I have stood in the pouring rain taking shots with a weather-sealed Fuji XF 23mm f/2 on the equally sealed X-T4.
Weather-sealed lenses feature a rubber ring or gasket that, when correctly mounted, acts as a barrier between the camera and the lens.
Fuji also ensures that all gaps in a lens body are engineered to prevent moisture and dust from entering the lens.
Knowing that your Fuji kit can take a little harsh weather gives you peace of mind.
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Optical Image Stabilization doesn’t appear on every Fuji X lens.
Image stabilization is a feature primarily found on zoom and telephoto lenses, where a longer focal range requires additional stability. It reduces the impact of shakes typically experienced in longer lenses.
Without OIS, the scene tends to bounce around when you look through the EVF and slightly adjust your composition.
With OIS activated, the lens actively compensates for lens movement to deliver a stable composition.
OIS is also a great feature when shooting lower shutter speeds in low light conditions.
Lens Configuration
While a Fuji lens’s build quality and external functionality are magical, wait until you see the wizardry on the inside!
Lens configuration refers to the order and placement of the lens elements inside the barrel. Lenses are more than just glass discs floating around.
When you turn the focus ring, extend the zoom, or use autofocus, the glass elements shift to optimize the image sharpness and light intake through the lens to the camera sensor.
A typical lens configuration features several glass lens elements arranged in groups.
The Fujifilm XF 50mm f/2 houses nine elements in seven groups (including one aspherical element). On the other hand, the XF 50mm f/1 houses 12 elements in nine groups (including one aspherical and two ED elements).
Lens configurations often include unique elements such as aspherical and extra-low dispersion (ED) that reduce distortion and aberrations and sharpen image quality.
The Best Of The Best
When it comes to deciding on the best Fuji X lens, it’s a tough call!
Having tested almost every lens in the range (still trying to get my hands on the monolithic XF 200mm f/2), I can honestly say I love them all.
That’s another part of Fuji’s magic – there’s a level of consistency and accessibility with every Fuji lens.
No matter what lens you pick up, you instantly feel at home with it.
Every photographer has different needs to suit their genre, style, and approach to the craft.
Below is a handful of the best Fuji lenses I’ve owned or, at the very least, thoroughly tested.
XF 56mm f/1.2
One of the sharpest primes lenses in the Fuji range, the XF 56mm f/1.2 also offers one of the widest apertures.
Fuji has produced four generations of the 56mm f/1.2 lens to suit the needs of enthusiasts and professional portrait photographers.
With a 56mm focal range (85mm full-frame equivalent) and ultra-wide max aperture, the lens delivers outstanding subject separation, background bokeh, and guaranteed low-light performance.
While it’s not quite Fuji’s version of a nifty-fifty, it’s a fantastic piece of glass.
XF 50-140mm f/2.8
The Fuji XF 50-140mm f/2.8 zoom is a sharp, fast, versatile workhorse.
Given the 50-140mm (75-210mm full frame equivalent) focal range, it handles almost any situation. It’s ideal for portraiture, wildlife, sports, weddings, events, and environmental landscape work.
Furthermore, it delivers stunning sharpness and low-light performance thanks to its constant f/2.8 maximum aperture.
As a result, the wide f/2.8 aperture is possible regardless of whether the camera is zoomed in at 140mm or out at 50mm.
XF 23mm f/2
While Fuji offers an XF 23mm f/1.4 standard prime, the smaller, lighter, and cheaper 23mm has won my heart.
The Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 is a genuinely magical lens.
It’s part of a series of Fuji compact primes ideally suited to some of the smaller Fuji X camera bodies.
However, the XF 23mm f/2 pairs and balances effortlessly with flagship bodies like the Fuji X-T5 or new X-T50.
The magical appeal of this lens is the fantastic image quality and sharpness achieved with one of the smallest lenses in the Fuji lineup. It’s fast, weather-sealed, and is pocketable.
Fuji Lens Glossary
When you look at the front of a Fujifilm lens or the side of the box, you’ll notice a lot of descriptive letters and numbers.
Here’s how to understand what Fuji’s lens abbreviations mean:
XF – This indicates the Fujifilm lens series for any Fujifilm interchangeable lens camera featuring the X Mount.
#mm – The focal range is represented in millimetres (yes, even in the USA). Prime lenses list a single focal range, while zoom lenses list the minimum and maximum focal range, for example, 8-16mm.
F – The number following the F represents the lens’s maximum aperture. Prime lenses and zooms with a constant max aperture will list a single value—for example, f/2.8. However, many zooms, such as the Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8, feature variable apertures. At the 16mm focal range, the maximum aperture is f/2.8. However, as you zoom out to the 50mm focal range, the maximum aperture decreases to f/4.8.
R – The lens features an aperture ring to control how narrow or wide the internal lens aperture opens.
WR – The lens is weather-resistant and features sealing to prevent moisture and dust from entering it.
OIS – Optical Image Stabilisation is used to control the stability and actively prevent shaky images.
LM – Linear Motor autofocus system that’s fast, near-silent and highly responsive.
Super EBC – A big part of Fuji’s magic is the proprietary Super Electron Beam Coating. It’s a multi-layer lens coating applied to the glass elements that minimizes flare and ghosting while optimizing light transmission to the camera sensor.
APD – A handful of Fuji lenses, such as the older XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD, feature a unique apodization filter that delivers softer background bokeh effects and sharp subject separation.
Fujinon Aspherical Lens – An aspherical lens directs the rays of light from all its points to a central point for optimal image sharpness.
⌀## – The ⌀, followed by numbers, refers to the filter diameter suited to the lens. The front of most Fuji lenses features a screw thread allowing you to fit a wide range of filters for visual correction or effect.
Always Invest In Glass
A phrase often heard among photographers is “Always invest in glass.”
It’s simple advice that encourages people to spend their money on high-quality lenses over anything else.
If you’re considering upgrading your 2-year-old camera, it’s far better to keep it for a couple more years and buy a new lens or two instead.
An enthusiast landscape photographer shooting with a Fuji X-T4 and kit lens should stop to think before buying that new X-T5!
Instead, look at the Fujifilm wide-angle lens range and see if you can achieve more with a higher-quality lens.
For around the same price as a new X-T5, you could grab the exceptionally sharp Fuji XF 8-16mm f/2.8 or versatile XF 10-24mm f/4.
There’s far more to gain from grabbing a higher-quality lens or one with a focal range you’ve not yet tried.
Magic, Sorcery, And Unicorn Blessings
It’s often hard to explain or quantify what makes something truly magical.
If we were to cut open a Fuji lens, we wouldn’t be able to spot the magical dust swirling inside!
Fujifilm refuses to admit they have all sorts of magical folk working behind closed doors in Japan.
I’m a pretty straight-laced guy and not prone to flights of fancy, superstitions, or the power of make-believe.
However, I’m willing to go on the record to declare that I believe there’s something magical about Fuji glass.
Of course, there’s a lot more to Fujifilm lenses that makes them magical to shoot with.
A lot of credit goes to the mere mortals who design, develop, engineer, and craft every Fuji lens so you can optimize your joy of photography.
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I’m a Melbourne-based street photographer and blogger. I love to travel to Japan to photograph and document its dynamic people and culture.