This is why I’m worried about Fujifilm’s lens line-up

Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR: a great lens, but scarcely lighter than the equivalent full frame Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)

I can't fault Fujifilm's ambition, and I'm impressed by how hard it's working to produce a professional APS-C camera system to rival bigger, heavier and more expensive full frame systems. The 40MP Fujifilm X-H2 and X-T5 out-resolve all but a handful of full-frame cameras, while the X-H2S is just blisteringly fast.

If you're looking for the best camera for professionals, and especially the best hybrid cameras, I'd say Fujifilm is right up there. My issue, if I have one, is the lenses. I'm not worried about the specs, the range or the performance, but just how darned BIG Fujifilm's professional 'trinity' lenses are.

Just about every pro goes for a constant-aperture f/2.8 standard zoom, an f/2.8 ultra-wide zoom and an f/2.8 short-medium telephoto zoom. And Fujifilm has that covered very well with the three excellent lenses below. 

What worries me is that some of the best Fujifilm lenses are practically as big as their full-frame rivals. To illustrate this I've picked equivalent full-frame Sony FE lenses and compared the weight. I had a feeling Fujifilm's pro lenses weren't a whole lot lighter and it's even closer than I thought:

Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR – 655g
Sony FE 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II – 695g

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f2.8 WR OIS – 995g
Sony FE 70-200mm f2.8 G Master OSS II – 1045g

Fujifilm XF 8-16mm f2.8 R LM WR – 805g
Sony FE 12-24mm f2.8 G Master – 847g

That's not great. One of the reasons for buying into a smaller APS-C system is to save size and weight, but it doesn't look as if you're saving a lot of either here. True, you are saving money. A LOT of money. These Fujifilm pro lenses cost less than half as much as their Sony equivalents.

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Rod Lawton
Contributor

Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com