Ultra wide-angle lens review: Fujinon 8-16mm F/2.8

Fuji 8 16mm 2.8 X H1 Side 02

The Fujinon 8-16mm F/2.8 is a lens that has long been missing in the X-lens lineup. The 10-24mm wide-angle has been around for a few years and is certainly a good lens but the biggest downside has always been the aperture of F/4 which made it a good daylight lens but not so much of a good choice for low light or night shoots. Watch our video review below:

The 8-16mm is big and heavy compared to the 10-24mm which is not surprising considering the optics and constant aperture of F/2.8. But because of the size and weight it can be quite front heavy when using it on the X-H1 or X-T3 without a battery grip.

The auto focus is pretty fast and most of the time accurate but I often ended up focusing manually to be sure that I wanted to be in focus was actually sharp which is not always an easy task when shooting so wide.

Fuji 8 16mm 2.8 X H1 Side
A good fit: The 8-16mm on the X-H1 with battery grip

The lens is meant to be used for landscape and architectural photography and has no distortion, color fringing or vignetting even when shooting wide-open both at 8mm and 16mm. The detail and sharpness are amazing not just when shooting photos and but also videos.

Fuji 8 16mm 2.8 Sample Downtown Frankfurt
Sample photo at 8mm captured with the X-H1 with an aperture of F/11

While this lens is a good choice for photography it’s not an ideal choice for video. The lack of image stabilization could be considered a downside but it’s not a big deal because the lens is ultra wide so little shakes won’t be visible especially when combining it with the IBIS of the X-H1. The bigger issue is a rather unexpected one: The filter thread or in this case the lack of it. Because of the lens design it’s not possible to screw on a circular variable ND filter. This is less of an issue for photo shoots because there are mounts available for rectangular filters but it’s unfortunate for video shoots that require the use of variable ND filters. The upside of this construction is that the sun hood is integrated and doesn’t need to be taken on and off for each shoot.

Fuji 8 16mm 2.8 Front Filter Thread
Good for photographers, bad for filmmakers: The front design of the lens

At around 2000 USD this is one of Fujifilm’s most expensive lenses but it’s also one of the sharpest ones and it is weather resistant. Is it worth it? Sure, if you are a professional how needs a technically perfect image this is the lens to go for but if you mainly shoot video, I wouldn’t recommend getting this lens.

There are a couple of cheaper and video friendlier options for filmmakers out there: If the aperture of F/4 doesn’t bother you then the Fujinon 10-24mm is still the best choice because it has a great focal range, no distortion, internal image stabilization plus it’s only half the price. The other, cheaper option would be the Venus Laowa 9mm F/2.8 which also has no distortion but some vignetting when shooting wide-open. The lens is manual only which means it doesn’t have auto focus which depending on what you film isn’t too big of an issue.

Fuji 8 16mm 2.8 Vs Laowa 9mm 2.8
Fujinon 8-16mm F/2.8 + Venus Laowa 9mm F/2.8: Big, heavy and expensive vs. small, lightweight and affordable

You can purchase the Fujinon 8-16mm F/2.8 by clicking HERE from B&H Photo!

Written by filmmaker Moritz Janisch, March 8, 2019

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