Fujinon XF10-24mm F/4R OIS Review

This is the only ultra-wide-angle lens in the Fuji lineup and one of a handful of X-mount ones. Both Zeiss and Samyang make such wide lenses but none of them are zooms like the XF10-24mm F/4R OIS. While having such extreme field-of-view, this lens maintains a constant F/4 aperture at all focal-lengths. This is much more difficult to achieve for DSLR lenses than for mirrorless ones due to the longer flange-distance of the former.

While we had a pre-production version of this lens in January, the production version is superb. The XF10-24mm is extremely well-built with a smooth and luxurious finish. The metal barrel feels solid without being heavy.

There are rings for focus, zoom and aperture, just like on the XF18-135mm. The fly-by-wire focus ring turns very smoothly and good resistance. It is unlikely to be turned accidentally. The zoom ring also turns uniformly, only it requires a little more torque. Zoom creep is impossible on the lens since the entire mechanism is internal.

The aperture-ring has soft detents, exactly the same as on every other Fuji X-mount lens. This makes it possible to change aperture unintentionally, which is really too bad but we are getting used to it! A small switch at the base of the barrel toggles automatic aperture. At least with this design, one is unlikely to go from S to M exposure-mode without wanting to.

ISO 1600 - F/5.6 1/60s

The XF10-24mm F/4R OIS features built-in image-stabilization. It is effective to around 2 stops, more so towards the telephoto end. With a 15 to 36mm equivalent focal-range, this means shooting down to ¼s at wide-angle or 1/10s at telephoto which are rather slow shutter-speeds.

Sharpness is among the best. Outside of the extreme corners wide-open at wide-angle, this lens delivers excellent sharpness across its range range with remarkable consistency, Even at its brightest aperture, the XF10-24mm can produce large fine-art images without problem.

Distortion is extremely well-controlled for such an ultra-wide lens. Even at wide-angle, barrel distortion is barely noticeable. There is some complexity in the distortion though, as it is not uniform across the frame. Telephoto shows some very slight pincushion distortion which is unlikely to cause problems.

Vignetting is hidden in JPEG images by image-processing but is noticeable in RAW files. It drops off quickly though by stopping down or zooming in. One stop down or a few millimeters into the zoom is enough to minimize the problem. Chromatic aberrations are virtually inexistent on this lens.

The XF10-24mm has a very fast internal focus system which uses a linear motor in quick and precise steps. Under most conditions it locks focus in less than ½s, even below ¼s with enough light. Its very wide angle-of-view makes depth-of-field relatively deep, so focus accuracy is less critical and this lens rarely misses the mark.

Without a doubt, the Fujinon XF10-24mm F/4R OIS is among the best performers in the Fujinon lineup. For architecture and sweeping landscapes, this lens is an essential addition to a Fuji mirrorless digital camera.

ISO 2500 - F/4 1/25s