Fujifilm Macro Master
Fujinon XF80mm F2.8 R WR is the Ultimate product photography lens in my gear arsenal that I’ve added recently. It is a true 1:1 reproduction ratio macro lens, with very short close focusing distance, and obviously I use it for dedicated detail close up photos of the products, or for a very small and tiny objects, which can not be photographed with other lenses. Combination of focal length and magnification ratio makes this lens unique in Fujifilm lineup and I am very glad that I have found intended use for it in my photography, because this lens has fantastic character that compliments my photographic style.
Fujinon XF80mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR
SPECIFICATION
Fujinon XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
Focal length: 80mm (equivalent to 120mm full frame)
Weight: 750g
Filter size: Ø 62mm
Aperture: f/2.8 to f/22
Miminum focus distance: 25 cm
Build quality
Build quality of this lens is great, the body is made as a combination of metal and high quality plastic that feels nice in the hands and there is high quality rubber gasket around the mount and several sealing points in the body, that provides weather and dust resistance, although I do not intend to carry this bulky lens very often at the moment as part of my travel gear. The aperture ring is firm, accurate and responsive, and couldn’t be accidentally turned, which I appreciate. Focus ring is also sufficiently wide and precise for manual focusing. As far as size and weight goes, this lens is a beast in Fuji X system. It is one of the bulkier and heavier Fuji X mount prime lenses. It weighs 750g and I always use handgrip on my X-T series cameras when using it. There is also a clanky noise due to floating autofocus mechanism, which is absent only when camera power is turned on. Overall, I am pleased with its build quality, although portability and weight are only two constrains, when it comes to versatility of this lens, but this Fujinon is made without compromise taking into account image quality and autofocus performance, so I am willing to accept bulk and weight factor. There is also built in optical image stabilisation - OIS, which makes great addition for making video footage and recording. For photography OIS allows me to take sharp images at lower shutter speeds, which is really helpful when shooting handheld.
autofocus
Autofocus is quite, very accurate, reliable and snappy, thanks to linear autofocus mechanism. On the external part of the lens body there is one switch with three positions that sets the focusing range, which is helpful when shooting very close to the subject to limit the focus plane and exclude focus hunting.
IMAGE QUALITY
Optically XF80mm f2.8 macro lens is one of the sharpest, if not the sharpest lens in the system. The level of details that this lens render is very high. The clarity and micro contrast of this lens is right as it should be when it comes to product photography. There is rich colour saturation, strong punchy contrast, and combined with peak sharpness and high level of details, even straight from the widest aperture, these characteristics makes the lens perfect for any type of product photography. Also this glass produces stunning crystal clear images without looking too digital and artificially over sharpened. Despite that punchy character image quality feels pretty natural and this is where the highest quality of Fujinon glass shines. There is also unique character of this lens, which is swirly bokeh, that reminds me of vintage Helios lens with which my father use to take photos on his analogue film cameras.
final note
Fujinon 80mm f2.8 Macro despite being heavy and bulky piece of equipment, it is one of my favourite lens in camera gear bag. It is a lens built without compromise…image quality, autofocus speed and accuracy, close focusing distance, weather sealing, OIS makes this telephoto macro lens worth to own. This Fujinon aligns with my needs for product photography and maybe even beyond that, and these photographic genres still needed to be discovered where I could also start using it. Since I’ve got it there wasn’t any new product which isn’t photographed with this lens. Every single image taken with this glass makes me to study and enjoy its qualities even more…from high level of detail rendering and maximum sharpness obtained on my cameras, to the compression and perfect proportions of the subject, or unique vintage bokeh as a swirly out of focus area which surrounds the subject. It seems that this lens has a singular purpose in my photography at the moment, however in the future I will start using it for other projects and hopefully share the results.