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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If you're planning to visit London or you’re a local and want to know some of the best locations for photography, this guide is for you.
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This guide is a result of years spent living and photographing London in all conditions and seasons. I have only recommended locations that have consistently delivered good photos that I have been happy with. This guide does not cover every spot, that would be impossible and a lifetimes work. This guide is there to put luck in your favour when visiting the capital.
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying this guide is the most direct way you can support my work thus allowing me to make more videos / photos / tutorials for you.
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What on earth is this and why is this so expensive?!?!
A zine is a self-published body of work and serves the following purposes:
It showcases all photos from a given trip or period of time. Think of this as a digital contact sheet. I only share about 50% of the final photos online. This has them all.
It can act as a source of inspiration.
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Between 100 and 350 photos.
Only the images, no writing.
Each zine focuses on a specific trip, location, or period of time.
When purchased, you will get a PDF document. In the document is a link where you can access all the zines. Each zine can be up to 200mb although I try to keep them closer to 100mb. This allows you to zoom in and see the images up close. However, due to this higher resolution, some older devices might take longer to load the images. For the best viewing experience, I suggest viewing on a device with a big screen, and if you have a choice between scrolling or swiping to change pages, I suggest scrolling for the best experience.
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally, I want to say another massive thank you for supporting me. This is the most direct way you can support my work.
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This Fujifilm XT5 set-up guide is designed to save you time and get your camera set up and working just like I do. You will learn what the major features do and why I chose to set them in a certain way. I will show you how to assign the buttons and custom menus in order to have the most important features at your fingertips. Finally, I will walk you through how I expose and focus.
This guide is not a replacement for your user manual and does not cover 100% of the features. It covers the features that, in my experience, 90% of the people use 90% of the time. This is based on years of personal experience.
This guide is best suited for those who want to be up and running quickly with a tried-and-tested set-up.
This is a digital download and not a physical product. The download is around 25mb.
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally, I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying this guide is the most direct way you can support my work, thus allowing me to make more videos, photos, and tutorials for you.
Thank you for your support!
This Fujifilm XT4 set-up guide is designed to save you time and get your camera set up and working just like I do. You will learn what the major features do and why I chose to set them in a certain way. I will show you how to assign the buttons and custom menus in order to have the most important features at your fingertips. Finally, I will walk you through how I expose and focus.
This guide is not a replacement for your user manual and does not cover 100% of the features. It covers the features that, in my experience, 90% of the people use 90% of the time. This is based on years of personal experience.
This guide is best suited for those who want to be up and running quickly with a tried-and-tested set-up.
This is a digital download and not a physical product. The download is around 21mb.
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally, I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying this guide is the most direct way you can support my work, thus allowing me to make more videos, photos, and tutorials for you.
Thank you for your support!
This Fujifilm X100V set-up guide is designed to save you time and get your camera set up and working just like I do. You will learn what the major features do and why I chose to set them in a certain way. I will show you how to assign the buttons and custom menus in order to have the most important features at your fingertips. Finally, I will walk you through how I expose and focus.
This guide is not a replacement for your user manual and does not cover 100% of the features. It covers the features that, in my experience, 90% of the people use 90% of the time. This is based on years of personal experience.
This guide is best suited for those who want to be up and running quickly with a tried-and-tested set-up.
This is a digital download and not a physical product. The download is around 16mb.
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally, I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying this guide is the most direct way you can support my work, thus allowing me to make more videos, photos, and tutorials for you.
Thank you for your support!