Thursday, December 11, 2014

Fuji 50-140mm Zoom Field Test

I braved the chilly temperature in NYC this afternoon to take the new Fuji 50-140mm f2.8 zoom lens onto the streets to give it a shakedown test. Yes, this lens is bigger and heavier than what a typical Fuji shooter may be accustomed to. I found that the tripod collar, even though it is quite lightweight, was an annoyance. It got in the way of being able to adjust the zoom ring, so off it came. The focus is fast and quiet, and the optical image stabilization (OIS) works quietly and is a great boon for an old guy with less than steady hands. I usually shoot with focal lengths of 10-50mm, so using this lens was an adjustment for me. As fast as the focus is, it just doesn't respond as quickly as a wide angle lens. And I found I have to anticipate shots more than I'm used to.

There was no attempt to do wonderful street shooting. The first five sets below are the same shot - first without OIS, then with OIS. Following that are thirteen random images I shot just to test the focus speed and lens acuity. The only post-processing was color balance adjustment. No exposure or noise adjustments. All shots were in RAW format, converted to jpg by Lightroom upon export. All shots were made between 5 and 6pm at the intersection of Broadway and 34th street. The focal lengths are all in APS-C format.

Set 1: 140mm, f8, 1/125 sec., the first shot at ISO 800, the second at 640. When I zoom in the second of the two is noticeably sharper:




Set 2: 140mm, f8, 1/30 sec., both ISO 200. No need to zoom in to see the second is sharper at this shutter speed.




Set 3: ISO 200, 140mm, 1/30 sec. the first is at f5 and the second is at f4.5:




Set 4: both images at ISO 200, 140mm, f6.4, 1/15 sec.:




Set 5: ISO 200, 140mm, f10, 1/8 sec.:







After those tests, I set the camera in my usual mode: Auto ISO, priority. OIS was on for all.  
ISO 6400, 140mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec:



ISO 800, 140mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec:



ISO 1600, 140mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec:



ISO 6400, 130mm, f11, 1/40 sec:

 


ISO 6400, 140mm, f11, 1/50 sec:



ISO 6400, 140mm, f11, 1/35 sec:



ISO 6400, 140mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec:



ISO 200, 140mm, f2.8, 1/160 sec:



ISO 2000, 77mm, f2.8, 1/125 sec:

 


ISO 6400, 84mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec:



ISO 6400, 140mm, f2.8, 1/110 sec:



ISO 1250, 59mm, f2.8, 1/125 sec:



ISO 2000, 140mm, f2.8, 1/125 sec:


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