Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens Review

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Handling and features

Weighing only 310g, this lens is reasonably lightweight. The high quality  construction provides a robust impression. The compact size and light weight make this lens a perfect companion for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 body used for testing.

Focusing is performed internally and the 58mm filter thread does not rotate, making it perfect for use with polarising and graduated filters. A petal shaped hood is supplied, which attaches via a bayonet fitting on the front of the lens, which extends by around an inch at maximum telephoto. The focusing and zoom rings are well damped, making fine adjustments easy to apply.

As with other X-series lenses, a manual aperture ring is provided, although the way it is implemented is different to that found on fixed focal length lenses. Aperture values are not marked on the ring and it can be rotated all the way around. A separate switch for selecting automatic aperture control is provided instead of the 'A' setting being on the aperture ring.

Thanks to the linear focusing motor and improvements to camera firmware, autofocus is quick in good light, only hunting as the light levels become too low. When the lens was first mounted on the X-Pro 1, the camera prompted for a firmware update to be completed. The process for completing this is fairly straightforward, so long as you have a USB card reader to copy the update to a formatted card.

Optical image stabilisation is included on this lens, which promises to allow sharp hand held images to be taken at shutter speeds up to 4 stops slower than would be possible without this feature. With care and allowing a pause for the system to catch up, sharp images are possible around half the time at shutter speeds as low as 1/8sec at 55mm, which is around three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb for shooting hand held allows.

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