The Ultimate Fujicron
Fujinon XF90mm F2 R LM WR stands as the Ultimate Fujicron, and it is the final f2 aperture Fujifilm lens completing my gear arsenal. This lens set foundation for the f2 weather-sealed line of prime lenses, widely known among Fuji photographers as Fujicrons, which are popular for their compact size, portability and great optical performance. The XF90mm F2 become the starting point of design philosophy that focused on sharpness, fast autofocus, weather resistance and beautiful bokeh paved the path for future lenses, setting the new standards in both optical performance and build quality. As the originator of the Fujicron line, the Fujifilm 90mm F2 is optically perfect lens, with its edge to edge sharpness even at largest aperture. It also delivers stunning subject separation due to its long focal length and large aperture, creating very creamy background and smooth bokeh. It’s not only just the final lens in my kit, it is the one that perfectly rounds it out.
Fujinon XF90mm F2 R LM WR
SPECIFICATION
Fujinon XF90mm F2 R LM WR
Focal length: 90mm (equivalent to 137mm full frame)
Weight: 540g
Filter size: Ø 62mm
Aperture: f/2 to f/16
Miminum focus distance: 60 cm
Build quality
Build quality of this lens is great, even though this is a decade old design. This design set the foundation for most of the future Fujinon lenses. The lens body is made of metal that feels premium in the hands and there is high quality rubber gasket around the mount and several sealing points in the body, that provides weather and dust resistance. The aperture ring is firm, accurate and responsive, and couldn’t be accidentally turned, which I always appreciate. Focus ring is also sufficiently wide and precise for manual focusing. This is the largest Fujicron lens, the size and weight are significantly larger and heavier compared to other f2 lenses, although it is not unbearable for usage for a longer period of time during the intense photo sessions. It weighs 540g and I always prefer to use a handgrip on my X-T series cameras when taking photos with it. There is floating linear motor autofocus mechanism, which floating sound is noticeable while handling the lens, although not as much as in XF 80mm Macro, which is clunkier. Overall, I am very pleased with XF 90mm build quality, it has decent portability and its weight is acceptable for such lens. It is versatile to certain extent taking into account that this Fujinon lens is made without compromise to deliver the perfect image quality and to obatin fastest autofocus performance possible in the system. The only additional thing that might be missing is built in optical image stabilisation - OIS, although most of the newer generation Fujifilm camera bodies have implemented in body image stabilisation - IBIS, so there is no need for stabilisation mechanism in lens nowadays, which will probably made this XF 90mm bigger, bulkier and heavier.
autofocus
Autofocus is silent, very accurate, reliable and snappy, thanks to linear autofocus mechanism. It is the fastest autofocus performance in the Fujifilm X system, and this lens delivers fantastic speed and accuracy even paired with older camera bodies from previous generations.
IMAGE QUALITY
Optically XF90mm f2 lens is one of the sharpest lens in the system. The level of sharpness and details straight from the widest aperture that this lens renders is very high and comparable to the new XF56mm f1.2 WR and XF80mm f2.8 Macro. In my opinion they all belong to the same highest category when it comes to the optical clarity. XF 90mm f2 produce very warm and rich colour saturation, strong but not overpowering punchy contrast, which is perfect for any type of photography including primary genres such as portrait and product, as well as travel and action photography in my use case. Also I always like to mention that this glass produces incredibly crystal clear images without looking too digital and artificially over sharpened. Beside warm, contrasty and crystal clear character, the lens provide feeling of pretty natural looking photos, basically the same as other highest quality Fujinon glass.
The Bokeh is on pair with new XF56mm f1.2 WR, which is the best we can get in the system. At largest aperture value the bokeh is very soft, creamy with rounded circles until f2.8 aperture, which introduces hexagonal shape of the bokeh circles, that sometimes could be interesting, although I prefer the round look of them. Compared to XF80mm f2.8 Macro that has very unique character of bokeh, which is swirly and reminds me of vintage lenses, the XF90mm f2 is more modern, cleaner, softer and somehow more pleasing on the same background. Other optical characteristics such as vignetting, distortion, chromatic aberration are minimal to non existent, and also they could be easily corrected in post production, so for my use case optical quality of this lens is basically flawless.
final note
Fujinon 90mm f2 is lens that completely won over me with its incredible maximum sharpness, beautiful soft and pleasing bokeh, and excellent colour rendering. Also, I enjoy visually flattened subject proportions without distortion and background compression on the images. The perspective of this focal length is unique, it brings depth and separation of the subject, although it is challenging to master such long lens and tight perspective. I have grown to appreciate this tight telephoto field of view because it is incredibly flattering for my photographic style.
One of the key advantages of this lens is minimum focus distance that is 60cm, which is suprisingly useful for product photography and semi-macro close-up work where I could capture the subject details, when I do not have macro lens with me. It can definitively serve as solid substitute in such scenarios, and it is important to note that this distance is measured from the camera’s sensor plane, so in real world use this means that actual working distance, the physical space between the front of the lens and subject is closer to around 40mm, which is awesome for tight compositions and details.
Some lenses earn their place slowly, like this one, yet I can confidently say that it fits perfectly in my setup. For me this lens is more than just glass and metal, it is creative companion that helps me to see the scene differently and open new chapter in my creative journey.
