Introduction

Ease of Use

The clear selling point of the new Fujinon XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS lens is just how small and light it is, weighing in a mere 125g, which is even lighter (by 10g) than the XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, and measuring just 37.5mm when collapsed.

When extended to 33mm it does measure 57.2mm in length, an extra 2cm over the retracted position, but this is still some 5mm shorter than the XC 14-45mm at its full telephoto setting.

The obvious trade-off compared to the XC 15-45mm is the much shorter telephoto reach (50mm vs 69mm), although you do benefit from an even wider angle of view that will especially please landscape photographers and video shooters.

The other slight annoyance is the slower maximum aperture of f/6.3 at 33mm versus f/5.6 at 45mm on the XC 15-45mm - we'd have expected it be the same or perhaps even slightly faster given the reduction in reach.

Being so small and light, this new kit lens proved to be a great match for the equally new Fujifilm X-T30 II, which is the camera that we have used to test the lens. 

Now there are some obvious reasons as to why the lens is so light, not least of which is the plastic barrel, plus the lens mount is plastic too. This is not a lens to throw around and it certainly isn’t weather-sealed, not that we would expect such a thing from an entry-level lens like this.

Design-wise, the XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS lens is about as simple as it gets. You have the 13-33mm focal length marking on the top, a focus ring and a manual zoom ring. That’s it. No buttons, no switches.

The slender manual focus ring is at the very front of the lens and by default moves from near to far focusing in a clockwise rotation. There is little resistance from the focus ring, meaning it is easy to make severe manual adjustments quickly.

There is the option in most (if not all) X-Series cameras to display the focus distance scale onscreen for quick reference. It’s super useful and not many brands do this, so kudos to Fujifilm.

Directly next to the focus ring is the manual zoom ring which is about twice the size. This isn't powered like the one on the XC 15-45mm, so it's easier to use for stills photography with an electronic zoom being better for video. 

As for autofocus, the Fujifilm XC 13-33mm lens uses a stepping motor to drive the focusing elements. Autofocus certainly is very quiet and will not distract in video work or announce your presence to those around you. 

Focusing is quick too, although of course AF speed is affected by the camera’s AF system, the AF mode in use and the amount of available light.

With no switches on the lens barrel, you’ll need to swap between AF modes and manual focus through the camera menu, or depending on the camera via the front switch or live view display.

Image stabilisation is built-in to the lens (OIS) with what Fujifilm claims is 4 f-stops (EV) of effective stabilisation. Now you’ll remember the lens does not have any switches or buttons on it, which means optical image stabilisation is also controlled in-camera.

Last thing to mention here is that the lens thread accepts optional 49mm filters, although no filter is included and you also won’t find a lens hood in the box.