Fujinon XF80mmF2.8: Sharper is Impossible. Better Than XF90mm… but is it Too Sharp for Portraits?

November 5, 2017
News, Reviews
0 Comments

Up to date, the XF90mmF2 and XF16mmF1.4 are considered to be Fujifilm sharpest lenses on the market. But the Fujinon XF80mmF2.8 is going to raise the bar even higher. That’s at least what we can hear at the German ishootyou youtube, where they already had the opportunity to test the lens.

Interesting to note is that they consider the XF80mm to be too sharp for portraits. Really, how can sharpness be a problem? The reviewer compares it to spicy food. If you make your meal too spicy, you don’t get a nice well-balanced organic taste. A too spicy meal distracts your attention from the real taste of the meal to its spiciness only.

Watch it all here (with image samples), but if you are in a hurry now or do not understand German, you know… I’m a kind guy… so I translated the main points for you down below :)

Macro lenses are great allrounders, also for filming, and the XF80mm has great OIS
OIS is so good, that you can shoot Macro handheld. Fujifilm has the best OIS that the reviewer knows of
Extremely Sharp. Maybe even too sharp for portraits
Bokeh on XF90mm is better (round bokeh bolls). On XF80mm it’s has more an egg-form bokeh
The clinical sharpness and not optimal bokeh, make the XF90mm still the better choice for portraits. But it’s excellent for Macro, video and still a flexible tool
The 80mm raises the bar… and one can only look forward to the performance of future XF lenses

And here are a few more XF80mm reivews and hands on.

I get emails from readers linking to this Fujifilm PDF about the Fujifilm Macro extension tubes. I know, we already reported about it back October 12 here :) . The XF 80mm Macro is in the table for MCEX-tubes. With MCEX-16 magnification will be x1.27 at minimal 8cm distance between lens and object.
Fuji XF 80mm f/2.8 Macro Hands On First Impressions: PhotoPlus 2017 at Eric Rossi youtube
Fujifilm XF 80mm F2.8 (it’s a Beast!) at Damian Brown Youtube

Fujinon XF 80mmF2.8 Macro: USA: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, FocusCamera EU: AmazonDE, AmazonUK, WexUK, PCHstore AUS: CameraPro

XF Lens Deals

XF18mm (save $50): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF27mm (save $50): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF60mm (save $50): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF35mmF1.4 (save $50): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama

XF14mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF 16mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama
XF23mmF1.4 (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF56mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF90mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF10-24mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF55-200mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF18-135mm (save $100): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama

XF56mmAPD (save $150): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF16-55mm (save $150): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF50-140mm (save $150): BHphoto, AmazonUS, FocusCamera, Adorama
XF100-400mm (save $150): BHphoto, AmazonUS, Adorama