Lenses, like cameras, are purchased for a variety of reasons:

1. There are lenses out there that are impeccable, that deliver maximum image quality (loads of sharpness, great contrast, minimum distortion and excellent color reproduction) and are lightning fast (generally f/2.8 is considered fast, though with primes sometimes f/1.8 is considered sluggish), but those lenses tend to come with a few caveats also: they are heavy and expensive.  These lenses are specialists’ tools; their purpose is to be the best in the game for the pros that need them.

2. There are lenses that are the optical equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife, they cut, they saw, they open cans, but they’re often clunky and inefficient when compared to tools dedicated to those tasks.  They are your 18-400’s of the world.  These zoom lenses are generalists’ tools; their purpose is utility and convenience for the enthusiast.

3. There are lenses that you form an emotional attachment to.  These lenses can be zooms or primes, slow or fast, cheap or expensive, but they are always at your side.  These lenses are the ones you pick up when you are going out to take pictures for the day when there is no pressure on you for what you’ll bring back.  They make photography fun. They get out of your way, and let you think about composition and subject.  These lenses are seldom the first ones photographers buy. In fact, they almost always come into the bag after years of shooting, when you realize finally that what is truly missing from your kit isn’t its ability to cover fisheye to super telephoto or to be able to pixel peep every shot at 100%.

This Fujinon 16mm is the third category of lenses for me. Yes, there is a bigger, technically better IQ and more expensive 16mm by Fuji, but the portability and still excellent image quality of this guy makes him really sing.

Full Name: Fujifilm XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR X
Max/Min. Aperture: 2.8/22
Diaphragm Blades: 9 rounded
Lens Configuration: 10 Elements in 8 Groups
Filter Size: 49mm
Magnification Ratio: .31x
Focuses Beyond: 6.69″

Durability: The lens is rock solid feeling. It is mostly metal with some plastic, and has a nice heft to it for its small size.

As mentioned in my review of the Rokinon 12mm f/2, my decision to move away from Nikon required that I find a Fuji world replacement for my much loved Tokina 11-26mm.  My Rokinon now represents the wide end of that Tokina zoom range, and this 16mm, the other.

My primary concern buying this lens was exactly how much quality could Fuji pack into such a small lens? I knew that it couldn’t quite reach the level of the doted on 16mm f/1.4, but I was surprised at how much it does deliver.

The 16mm f/2.8 is a VERY good lens. It’s noticeably sharper than my 23mm f/2, which is another favorite for me in this Fuji lineup, and it just blows my mind that it is also weather sealed. I now have two walking around setups, the 16mm and 35mm, and the 23mm and 50mm. For traveling though, I have found that the 16mm, 35mm and 55-200mm lenses can get just about anything done that I’d need to do while away from my full kit.

So just how does the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 lens perform? Check out the images below to see for yourself.

Gear used for product shots:

Fuji X-E3

Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 Lens