Fujifilm 90mm f2 Long Term Lens Review
It’s now been around 6 months since I got my hands on the 90mm f2 lens and in this blog I will share some thoughts on what this lens is like to live with and more importantly what is the primary use case for it.
As always with these gear blogs it is worth stating that I am not affiliated with Fujifilm and I have no interest in selling their products. Matter of fact for most people this lens is simply overkill and is not needed. A compact zoom like the 55-200 or an equivalent prime from one of the third party people will do the job. Finally I am not a tech person so expect actual photos to showcase this lens as opposed to a 400% zoomed in shot of a brick wall. Now that you know I’m not here to make commission, bore you with spec sheets or suck up to a manufacturer, let’s get into the rest of the blog.
Why This Lens?
Let’s start with why did I buy this lens. As you know I travel a lot and there have been plenty of times where a telephoto would have been really useful. Not to mention I love shooting with longer lenses and the look they can achieve. I already own a Fuji 50-140 that I had for years. It’s an amazing lens but given it’s weight and size, it’s not suitable for all trips. Most of my photography is in urban environments so walking around with a giant telephoto zoom is not fun. The 90 is therefore my compact long lens for backpacking and shooting in cities. Not to mention it easily fits into my sling. However the reason I went of this over the compact 55-200 for example is the f2 aperture. It allows for low light photography without needing to boost ISO or drop the shutter speed too low. Also it’s one of the sharpest Fuji lenses out there. When paired with an XH2 or an XT5 that has the 40mp sensor, I can crop it down to 140 if I wish and still maintain ample resolution and detail.
Why This Focal Length?
Having a telephoto in your kit can really expand the types of photography you can do and the sorts of images you can get. If we start with nature photography, typically you’d want to shoot wide and tight. The 90 allows you to get close enough to distant subjects and pick out interesting details within a grand scene. If we look at street photography, a telephoto lens allows you to get details that most people would simply miss. It also allows you to go after abstract photos that will really complement your other images from the day. Furthermore having that compression in a city environment does look really good. Of course that’s a personal preference but I like it. Finally you can simply reach subjects from further away. Perhaps you hate being in the middle of the action with a 28mm lens and you prefer a fly on the wall approach. Or perhaps you’re somewhere where you physically can’t get too close. All the reasons I just mentioned mean that a solid telephoto lens is pretty useful for many photographers.
Build Quality
Let’s start with build quality and all I can say is that from my experience it’s great. I’ve never had any issues, weird behaviours or anything to cause alarm. The body can scratch a little too easily I find but it’s not something to worry about. I haven’t dropped this lens nor has it been totally soaked in a thunderstorm. The glass elements are scratch free despite me not using any UV filters.
Ergonomics
Although this lens is half the size and weight of the bigger 50-140 zoom, it’s not exactly pocketable. I personally feel this lens is most suitable on an XH style body however it does also work on an XT. Anything smaller than an XT I don’t think will be too comfortable. The aperture and focus dials are both precise and feel solid too. Overall this lens feels good in the hand, it feels premium but it’s far from compact.
Image Quality
This is where this lens really shines. It’s incredibly sharp at all aperture values and produces clean and crisp images. Colour rendering is perfect and the out of focus elements even at f2 look pleasant. There isn’t much else I can say so here is a little collage of photos using this lens.
Autofocus
Autofocus is pretty good especially with the linear motors however if you’re focused on something really close to you and then quickly want to shift it to infinity, it will take a little longer than some other lenses. Focus tracking is good, silent with no vibrations into the body and overall the AF system is very good. As always with these lenses, manual focus leave a lot to be desired. You simply can’t replicate a true manual focusing experience with a fly by wire system. So it works in a pinch but it’s just not intuitive or nice to use.
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