Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R Review
Introduction
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R is a dedicated macro lens in Fujifilm's XF line-up, offering 0.5x magnification and a close-focusing distance of 26.7cm. The Fujifilm 56mm F1.2 lens offers an angle-of-view similar to that of a 90mm lens in a 35mm system, well-suited to head-and-shoulder portraits, and a fairly bright f/2.4 maximum aperture for low-light shooting and throwing the background completely out-of-focus. Other highlights include an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades, an aperture ring on the metal lens barrel, Super EBC coating for improved optical performance, and an optical formula that comprises 10 elements in 8 groups including 1 aspherical and 1 abnormal dispersion element.. The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens is available for £599.99 / $649.99 in the UK and the US, respectively.
Ease of Use
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R weighs 215g and measuring just over 7cms in length. As you can see in the pictures below, it complements the Fujifilm X-Pro1 very well, not feeling at all front-heavy and more than matching the body in terms of its build quality.
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens attached to the Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens alongside the Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens boasts a metal mount, high-grade metal barrel and an unusually small, non-rotating 39mm filter thread. The focus ring is generously wide, smooth and well-damped in action without being loose, and has a ridged, rubberised grip band. There are no “hard stops” at either end of the 26.7cm-infinity focus range though.
Side of the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens
Front of the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens
Rear of the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens has a traditional aperture ring on the lens barrel, which allows you to set the aperture in 1/3 steps, complete with full aperture markings on the lens barrel. The aperture is also shown in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.
The rather thin aperture ring is nicely damped and makes a distinctive click as you change the setting, although it's a little too easily moved when stored in a pocket or bag. The aperture ring toggles between auto aperture control (the ring is set to A) or manual aperture control (the switch is set to one of the aperture values).
Front of the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens
Rear of the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens
In terms of accessories, the lens ships with a substantial metal round-shaped lens hood that's almost as long as the lens itself, plus a lens wrapping cloth, rather than a case.
Focal Range
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens has an angle of view of 26.6 degrees.
Distortion
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R doesn't exhibit any barrel or pin-cushion distortion, as you can see in the photo below, and vignetting is very well-controlled too even wide-open at f/2.4
Focusing
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens has an internal focusing (IF) system. In practice, we found the auto-focus to be reliable but slow, certainly the slowest X-series lens in this regard. Note that this lens also has quite an audible auto-focusing noise, something that has been addressed on most other XF lenses. The front of the lens does not rotate on focus, which is good news for anyone looking to use the lens in conjunction with filters.
Chromatic Aberrations
Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple, blue or green fringes along contrasty edges, are exhibited by the Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R lens only in very high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.
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Macro
The Fujifilm XF 60mm F2.4 R has a close-focus point of 26.7 cm from the sensor plane and a maximum magnification of 0.50x. The following example illustrates how close you can get to the subject, in this case a CompactFlash card.
Close-up Performance
Bokeh
Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. Fujifilm have paid attention to this aspect of lens use, employing a 9-segment diaphragm with rounded blades for pleasing bokeh. In our view, their efforts have been very successful - see the examples below.
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Sharpness
In order to show you how sharp this lens is, we are providing 100% crops on the following page.