The retro-styled X-T30 line has gone from strength to strength over the years, culminating in the latest Fujifilm X-T30 III. True to its heritage, it's compact, lightweight and budget-friendly, but with excellent handling characteristics, a high-performance 26.1MP X-Trans IV sensor and a new-generation X-Processor 5, unleashing the latest autofocus and video tech.
I think that the best lenses for the Fujifilm X-T30 III need to be able to do justice to its powerful stills and video performance, while being reasonably small and light, enabling a well-balanced combination that feels natural in the hand.
I also think that the reasonable purchase price of this camera needs to be reflected in the lenses that you choose for it. It’s another facet of the body and lenses being well balanced for each other.
For most shooting scenarios I tend to favor the versatility of zoom lenses, so I’m kicking off this guide with standard, wide-angle and telephoto zooms that are an ideal fit for the body. However, I also find wide and standard primes extremely useful, and I love using a short tele prime with a fast aperture for portraiture and still life, so I’ve included three perfect primes in the guide as well.
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
The Quick List
For a standard zoom with a relatively fast and constant f/2.8 aperture, this Sigma is wonderfully compact and lightweight, making it a perfect match for the X-T30 III.
The ideal wide-angle zoom companion not only for the X-T30 III but also for my choice of standard zoom, this one combines exansive viewing angles with the same f/2.8 aperture rating.
This telephoto has a generous reach that really covers the distance for wildlife and sports, and it's competitively priced for one of Fujifilm's XF-series zoom lenses.
With its weather-resistant yet lightweight build and refined handling that includes an aperture control ring, this little lens gives a big perspective and is a really smart buy.
Hordes of photographers love the natural perspective of a 50mm prime on a full-frame camera, and this XF lens delivers the same advantage on the APS-C format X-T30 III.
This high-quality Viltrox lens gives the perfect effective focal length for portraiture, along with a super-fast aperture for beautiful bokeh, and at a very attractive price.
Best lenses for the Fujifilm X-T30 III
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Best standard zoom for the X-T30 III
Fujifilm’s new 16-50mm kit lens is good, but many photographers would prefer a constant-aperture lens. Fujifilm does make an XF 16-55mm f/2.8 pro lens, but it’s relatively large and heavy, and I find it's not well balanced on the lightweight X-T30 III. It’s also expensive.
This is why I'm so excited about the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary. This too is a constant-aperture f/2.8 zoom, but it’s half the size of the Fujifilm lens and half the price. In fact, it’s no larger than the XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR.
There are a couple of downsides. The minimum focal length is equivalent to 27mm in full-frame terms, not 24mm, so it doesn’t go quite as wide. There’s also no aperture control ring. It displays a little color fringing towards the edges of the frame, but this can be automatically corrected.
Overall, this is a remarkably powerful and compact lens that I feel is the ideal premium standard zoom for the X-T30 III.
See our full Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary review
Features ★★★★☆ | The fast and constant f/2.8 aperture is the killer feature but the lens is built to be compact and lightweight so there aren’t many extras. |
Design ★★★★★ | Although small and light, the lens feels sturdy and well built. It feels right at home on slimline Sony bodies. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | There’s a good mix of sharpness and smooth bokeh, although edge-sharpness could be better at long zoom settings when shooting wide-open. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s the kind of lens that you could happily use as your ‘go to’ for everyday shooting, making it very good value at the price. |
Best wide-angle zoom for the X-T30 III
Sooner or later, every photographer needs a wide-angle zoom – whether it’s for landscapes, travel photography or interiors. Fujifilm does have the XF 10-24mm f/4, but it’s a pretty big lens that's not an ideal fit for the slimline X-T30 III body.
Sigma serves up this excellent alternative, in a smaller yet faster 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary. The Sigma isn’t just an extraordinarily compact wide-angle zoom; it also has a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture.
The 10-18mm zoom range is equivalent to 15-27mm in full frame terms, so although it goes very wide, it doesn’t have a lot of reach – it’s a pretty short zoom range. On the upside, its focal range does tie in perfectly with the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary to make a compact and portable twin-lens travel kit.
See our full Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN | Contemporary review
Features ★★★★☆ | The fast and constant f/2.8 aperture puts astrophotography on this lens’s ‘can do’ list, along with landscapes and the like, but there’s no optical stabilization. |
Design ★★★★★ | The lens is refreshingly compact and lightweight for an ultra-wide-angle zoom with an f/2.8 aperture. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Sharpness is superb across most of the image frame, throughout the entire zoom range, not so great in the extreme edges and corners. |
Value ★★★★★ | The combination of size, constant f/2.8 aperture and super-slick handling make the value unbeatable. |
Best telephoto zoom for the X-T30 III
If you’re into sports and wildlife photography, the XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR offers good telephoto reach (up to 450mm equivalent) at an affordable price.
There are better telephotos in the Fujifilm range, but at much higher prices – and I’d guess that while anyone really serious about sports and wildlife would gravitate towards these, they’d probably be more likely to go for the X-H2S than the X-T30 III.
The XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 is not a small lens, but I think it handles really nicely. Another bonus for sports and wildlife is that the lens is weather-sealed, so rain needn't stop play. It also has built-in optical stabilization and is compatible with Fujifim’s teleconverters, so you can increase its range even further.
Read more: Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR review
Features ★★★★★ | This lens has an ‘effective’ zoom range of 107-457mm, an aperture ring, fast autofocus and optical image stabilization. |
Design ★★★★★ | The design is much more compact and lightweight than a typical 100-400mm full-frame super-telephoto zoom, and features extensive weather-seals. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Sharpness is impressive throughout the zoom range but drops off a bit towards the extreme edges and corners of the frame. |
Value ★★★★☆ | Considering the long effective zoom range that really covers the distance, it’s a good buy for the money. |
Best wide-angle prime for the X-T30 III
The Fujifilm X-T30 III is the very definition of a 'compact' system camera, and it really needs compact lenses to set it off properly, both in appearance and general handling. This is why I’ve included one of Fujifilm’s older compact prime lenses in this guide.
It sacrifices a faster aperture in favor of compactness and affordability. While the f/2.8 maximum aperture of this XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR looks a little weak by today’s standards, that doesn't put me off.
The big upside is that this is a very sweet-handling little lens, with fast, silent autofocus, a physical aperture ring, weather-sealing and a premium-quality feel. I’d like it to be just a little sharper at the edges of the frame, but that's certainly not a deal-breaker and I love it anyway.
See our full Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR review
Features ★★★★☆ | This lens's maximum aperture of f/2.8 is on the low side, but its physical aperture ring and weather sealed construction are major plus points. |
Design ★★★★★ | The XF16mm F2.8's key attribute is its size. It's compact enough for any travel setup and balances well on any X-mount body. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | The optical performance is generally very good, but definition does fall away at the edges somewhat, and this is very noticeable on Fujifilm's newer 40MP cameras. |
Value ★★★★☆ | This is not an expensive lens, and yet the finish and the controls are first rate. The specs might be modest, but it's great value. |
Best standard prime for the X-T30 III
In full frame camera terms, the Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR offers the equivalent of a 53mm focal length, so this is a classic ‘nifty fifty’ for Fujifilm’s APS-C cameras – and makes an ideal pairing with the X-T30 III.
It’s true that the Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR offers a faster maximum aperture, and even better optical performance, but this is a bigger and more expensive professional lens, while the design and size of the XF 35mm f/2 R WR suit the X-T30 III much better.
There's certainly no shortage of optical performance , the handling is superb and it’s not even very expensive to buy. Fujifilm may have moved on since the early days of the X-Pro series and its compact prime lenses, but these old-timers are still great buys today – especially since Fujifilm has revived its compact retro camera designs with models like the X-T30 III.
See our full Fujifilm XF35mmF2 R WR review
Features ★★★★☆ | Typical of up-market XF lenses, this one features an aperture control ring but the f/2 aperture isn’t particularly fast. |
Design ★★★★★ | An upside of the modest aperture rating is that the lens is compact and lightweight, and it nevertheless features weather-seals. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Autofocus is brisk and image quality is nice and sharp but you can struggle to get a tight depth of field. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s pretty close to the equivalent of a 50mm f/1.8 lens for full-frame cameras, and a bit pricey compared to most. |
Best portrait prime for the X-T30 III
Compared with full-frame cameras, APS-C models like the X-T30 III can struggle to deliver a tight depth of field. That’s because depth of field is more dependent on the ‘actual’ focal length rather than the ‘effective’ focal length after the 1.5x crop factor is applied.
To compensate, I love that this lens has an ultra-fast f/1.2 aperture, which is capable of delivering a really tight depth of field at typical shooting distances for portraiture.
Making the most of the tight depth of field, the Viltrox combines superb sharpness with beautifully smooth bokeh in defocused areas, with a natural-looking roll-off between the two. It’s a great portrait lens that enables you to really isolate the main subject within a scene by blurring fussy-looking backgrounds.
Handling is excellent and, although the lens is necessarily a bit chunky due to the super-fast aperture rating, it’s well stocked in features.
See our full Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 E Pro review
Features ★★★★★ | Top-ranking features include great glass, a click/de-click aperture ring, AF/MF switch and AF-hold button. |
Design ★★★★★ | Up-market build quality includes a full metal casing and metal mounting plate, complete with extensive weather-seals and great handling. |
Performance ★★★★★ | The lens fulfils all the aspects of image quality that you want from this kind of lens, including excellent sharpness, beautiful bokeh and minimal aberrations. |
Value ★★★★★ | It’s twice the price of some of the most inexpensive Viltrox lenses but worth every cent, being a top-class optic. |
Lab data and comparisons
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. The Viltrox 56mm prime lens comes out on top for sharpness and also performs very well in terms of color fringing and distortion. The distortion figures flatter the zoom lenses, as the scores are averaged out across the entire zoom range.
Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion.
Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
How to choose the best lens for the Fujifilm X-T30 III
Which lenses fit the X-T30 III?
The X-T30 III uses the Fujifilm X-mount, which means it works with all lenses designed for X-series cameras. The model names of Fujifilm’s own X-mount lenses begin with XF or XC (as well as MKX for cine lenses). If you are buying a third-party lens for the X-T30 III, check that it is made for the Fujifilm X series.
The X-T30 III has an APS-C image sensor, so it doesn’t capture the entire picture coming through the lens in the way a full-frame camera does. To get a sense of the type of photo a given lens should capture on the X-T5, multiply its focal length by 1.5.
For example, the Viltrox AF 56mm lens has roughly the same field of view as an 84mm lens on a full-frame camera,
How do I know which lens to get for my X-T30 III?
The reason there are so many types of lens in the first place is that different scenes demand different lens designs, particularly when it comes to focal length and aperture rating.
Usually, you will decide what you want to photograph, then get a lens with the focal length that suits the situation. For example, to shoot landscapes you will need a wide-angle lens, while for sports and wildlife you will need a telephoto.
You can watch this video that explains focal length: it helps you work out what kind of lenses you need for different genres of photography.
How we test lenses
The lens experts in our testing lab run a range of tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.
We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the centre of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths.
There's more to it than just the technical side, though! Beyond the lab, our reviewers test lenses in real-world environments – and sometimes on professional shoots! We work with lenses both indoors and outdoors, in studio conditions and in natural light, with as many different subjects as is possible (or appropriate – there's no point testing a landscape lens' ability to shoot a portrait!).
We take into account everything from handling and ease of use to speed of autofocus and the overall quality of the images produced.
Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World
