Fuji photographers finally get a superb super-telezoom
Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.
The Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR should please X System sports and wildlife specialists with its all-weather construction, internal zoom design, and tip-top image quality.
The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR ($1,999) is an appealing lens for Fujifilm X system photographers who have an eye for sports, wildlife, and other traditional telephoto subjects. A tight angle of view, carry-friendly weight, and all-weather construction are all strong points. And sports-friendly features like a preset focus button, an internal zoom design, and an Arca-Swiss tripod foot only improve its versatility. Put it all together and it's easy to see why the XF 150-600mm earns our Editors' Choice award for the X system.
A long lens comes in handy for subjects that don't let you get close. If you're trying to get the headline shot for a Friday Night Lights level football game or snap an image of a skittish warbler in a nearby tree, you need as much reach as you can get. The XF 150-600mm covers the APS-C sensor area, which is equivalent to a theoretical 225-900mm lens on a full-frame camera.
We don't expect telezooms to be small (long focal lengths demand larger lens barrels) but the XF 150-600mm is at least more manageable than similarly-sized full-frame options because of its lighter carry weight. It's also large for a good reason—the zoom action is all internal, which means the lens doesn't ever change in length unlike more common super zooms.
By the numbers, the XF 150-600mm comes in at 12.4 by 3.9 inches (HD) without a hood, but weighs just 3.5 pounds. Compare that with the full-frame Sony FE 200-600mm (12.5 by 4.4 inches, 4.7 pounds) and you can see the weight advantages of a made-for-APS-C lens.
If you prefer a lighter telezoom, don't forget about the $799.99 XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 (5.2 by 3.0 inches, 1.2 pounds) or, if you need a little extra reach, the $1,899 XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 (8.3 by 3.7 inches, 3.0 pounds). Those lenses are lighter but extend when you zoom in closer. The 70-300mm is downright small for a telezoom, but the XF 100-400mm is not that far off from the XF 150-600mm in length at its telephoto end.
X system owners don't have many prime options in this focal range but can look to the XF 200mm F2 as an alternative for low-light environments. That high-end lens demands a staggering $6,000 but at least it comes with a custom-made 1.4x converter that turns it into a 300mm F2.8. The XF 200 F2 is not compatible with Fuji's 2.0x XF teleconverter or the standard 1.4x XF converter. However, you can use either the 1.4x or 2.0x teleconverters (both cost $449) with the XF 70-300mm, 100-400mm, and 150-600mm.
The $1,499 Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 (8.3 by 3.7 inches, 4.1 pounds) might also tempt budget shoppers who want lots of reach. The zoom was originally available only for Sony cameras but Tamron recently announced it for the Fuji X system. We haven't tested it with a Fuji camera yet, but we were very happy with its performance on the 60MP Sony a7R IV. That full-frame model has the same pixel pitch as 26MP APS Fuji models, so we expect similar results.
Fuji chose a magnesium alloy build and a metallic off-white finish for the XF 150-600mm, which distinguishes it from other lenses with a more typical black barrel. One advantage of the barrel's lighter color is that it absorbs very little sunlight and keep the lens cooler during long shoots. This is just one of Fuji's weather-conscious design choices for the lens.
The XF 150-600mm also resists dust and splashes, and its front element sports an anti-smudge fluorine coating. You can still add an 82mm protective filter if you prefer, but the fluorine coating is effective at repelling grease and water droplets by itself. The included hood adds some physical protection against bumps and scratches, too. Notably, the hood sports a cut-out window with a sliding plastic door; this lets you adjust the orientation of a variable ND or circular polarizer without removing the hood.
The XF 150-600mm offers more on-lens controls than either the XF 100-400mm or the Tamron 150-500mm. It also opts for an internal zoom design, which some photographers might prefer. There's less mass for you to move when you set the focal length compared with an extending zoom lens, which means you don't need to apply as much torque.
Four function buttons ring the front of the barrel. You can configure them via a toggle switch with AF-L, Preset, and AF drive settings. The AF-L and AF options respectively lock focus in place and bring a target into crisp view, but the Preset setting requires further explanation. Engaging it allows you to save a focal distance (via the appropriately named Set button) into memory. Then, you can snap the lens back to that focus point using any of the four function buttons.
The Preset mode is a plus for field sports with fixed positions of interest, like baseball. You can snap the lens back to target second base with a single push of the button, for example, skipping the need for the camera's autofocus system to find the point of focus. It's something that saves only a split second in the field but can make or break a sports photo. I've used a similar feature on other lenses to capture hummingbirds at a feeder, for instance.
Fuji integrates a rotating tripod collar into the lens design. The collar has a pair of lugs to handle a carry strap and isn't removable. You can take the foot off, if you prefer, however. Even though I handheld the lens for most of my testing, I left the foot attached for a simple reason: It makes the lens and camera easier to carry between photo ops. Because of the collar's rotating design, it's simple to position the foot at the top where it functions as a wonderful handle. The only feature missing here are detents to click in at 90-degree angles—turn on your camera's digital level to ensure straight horizons when you equip a tripod.
For tripod use, the foot includes Arca-Swiss dovetail cuts, which enables it to attach to compatible tripods without an additional quick-release plate. I used it along with the Peak Design Travel Tripod for some video clips without issue.
Autofocus speed is quick for the most part, but the lens can occasionally hunt for focus in dim light, especially at f/8 (the maximum aperture at 600mm). In practice, this behavior caused me to miss an occasional photo on wooded nature trails, a type of environment that calls for ISO 12800, a 1/500-second exposure time, and an aperture of f/8. It's frustrating when it happens but, among thousands of frames, I missed only a couple of shots. In ideal conditions, the linear focus motors are quite swift, driving focus from close-up to distant in a split second.
The lens features a five-stop optical stabilization system, so you don't need to use a tripod all the time. I paired the lens with the 26MP X-H2S for the most part and found the combination quite effective. I had no issue pushing the shutter down to 1/100-second to photograph a chipmunk eating some lunch and was happy to see details just as sharp as at 1/500-second. For static subjects, I got good results at exposures as lengthy as 1/30th of a second at 600mm, but noticed some blur when pushing to 1/15th-second, a result that matches up with the 5-stop rating.
Subject motion is an issue, though, so you should still stick with a fast shutter to freeze motion reliably. Keep in mind that high-speed capture modes (15fps and beyond) can improve your keeper rate for animals and other uncooperative subjects when you opt for longer shutter speeds.
For video work, you are likely to get better results with a tripod, but it's not absolutely necessary for every Fuji camera. The X-T4, X-H2S, and X-H2, for instance, all include an IS Boost mode for static video shots. It doesn't keep everything as steady as a tripod when I tried it at 600mm, but it's not too far off.
A focus limiter switch on the lens allows you to set it to cover its full range or to look only for subjects further out than 16.4 feet (5m). The limiter comes in handy for times when you know you're chasing a distant shot and don't want passing foreground subjects to distract the autofocus system. For macro work, the XF 150-600mm delivers very good, 1:4.2 reproductions. It's not quite the 1:3 level we like to see for the most macro-capable zooms but is still sufficient for smaller subjects. At the very least, it lends some versatility to the 150-600mm for nature work.
The XF 150-600mm exhibits a little bit of focus breathing (a change in angle of view when you rack focus between subjects) but not to a degree that causes concern.
I tested the XF 150-600mm's resolution with Imatest(Opens in a new window) software to check its performance. It puts up outstanding resolution numbers with the 26MP X-H2S throughout its zoom range. At 150mm and f/5.6, we see around 3,500 lines of resolution, and the score doesn't change much after we zoomed to 600mm at f/8 (3,350 lines). The lens is sharp right up to the edges, so you have some freedom to frame your shots creatively.
We haven't yet performed formal tests with this lens and the 40MP X-H2, but Fujifilm says it tuned the optics for the high-resolution sensor; the lens certainly gets as much detail out of a 26MP sensor as possible. In any case, I noticed sharp results with the combination of the X-H2 and the 150-600mm in field tests.
The lens sidesteps other optical imperfections, too. For instance, we don't see any evidence of chromatic aberration in test shots. It also effectively suppresses both lateral CA (typically appears as false purple color in high-contrast portions of a scene) and longitudinal CA (visible as false color in transitions from sharp focus to background blur).
Distortion isn't an issue, either. We see a slight pincushion effect in uncorrected Raw files, but it's only something you are likely to notice when you view corrected and uncorrected files side-by-side. JPG and Raw image processors with support for lens profiles, such as Adobe Lightroom Classic, compensate for distortion automatically.
The lens generally controls flare well, though you can see some ghosts in photos if you point the lens directly at the sun. This likely won't be a concern for the photos you make with a long zoom, however. I was very happy with how the lens handled strongly backlit shots, like the one of the nuthatch below.
Background blur is highly achievable with the lens, too. Pay no attention to the narrow aperture; the long focal length more than makes up for it and enables you to capture photos with a shallow depth of field. Defocused highlights are generally circular and have soft edges. There's no sign of the hard-edge bokeh that can create busy, distracting backgrounds here.
The XF 150-600mm is an easy lens to recommend for Fuji X system owners in search of a telephoto zoom with more reach than the XF 100-400mm. It's ideal for snapping photos of birds and other creatures in their natural habitat, as well as for sports photography. The 150-600mm also notably adds function buttons and a preset focus option that are absent from the 100-400mm.
Optical performance is as good as it gets for most of Fuji's current lineup, with results that are outstanding throughout the 150-600mm focal range on a 26MP camera body. First impressions with the 40MP X-H2 are positive as well, though we've not had a chance to run proper lab tests with that pair.
If we had to lodge a complaint, it's the relatively slow aperture. We would have liked Fujifilm to push the envelope a bit in light gathering, even at the expense of a heavier design or slightly softer results at maximum apertures. Image stabilization certainly helps for low-light work, but then you still have to contend with subject motion. Likewise, brighter optics would likely reduce how often the autofocus struggles in dim settings.
But that complaint doesn't stop us from giving the XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR our Editors' Choice award. Teleconverter compatibility makes it viable for photographers who need excessive zoom power, and its all-weather construction means it can survive the outdoors. You shouldn't count out the Tamron 150-500mm if you're on a tight budget (it's much more affordable at $1,499 and also an excellent performer), but Fuji's internal zoom design and lighter weight make it the more premium option.
The Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR should please X System sports and wildlife specialists with its all-weather construction, internal zoom design, and tip-top image quality.
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Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.
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