p.1 #2 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I purchased it this year to get into wildlife photography, specifically songbirds and the like.
Results are mixed. The focal length is just a bit short for capturing little birds out in nature — you really have to get in a lucky scenario to capture a bird without cropping the image so small that resolution is noticeably low.
Image quality is a mixed bag. Contrast and colors are typically a bit dull compared with Fuji’s best lenses. It seems best at 50mm, where I have been quite impressed by its sharpness, even wide open. Zooming in to its middle focal lengths, I’ve found optimal sharpness lives about a stop or two down, so somewhere in the f7 range. If you’re shooting in sub-optimal light, and you want fast shutter speeds, you may need to just stay at the widest aperture.
Zoomed to 230, maximum sharpness isn’t achieved until about f9. The majority of my wildlife photography has been at 230mm, and it’s quite difficult to find proper lighting for fast shutter speeds (1/200th of a second or faster) at f9 with low enough noise that a crop of a small bird still looks acceptable.
Autofocus is acceptable in most conditions, but can slow down in bad lighting. I’ve had a few scenarios where poor lighting has caused the lens to hunt around for focus for multiple seconds at a time, causing me to lose the shot. But most of the time, I have no complaints. Image stabilization is a welcome addition to the lens, and really helps counteract its somewhat-narrow aperture range.
All that said, I purchased the lens for about $200, and I do not regret it. What a value! The XF 55-200 goes for perhaps twice this or more, and that lens doesn’t reach quite as far. I don’t need to tell you the price of the 200mm f2 or the 100-400mm — if you want a cheap tele, this is your best deal.
The 50-230 is lightweight, but that comes at the cost of a plastic body and mount. I can’t help but be a bit spoiled by the metal XF lens bodies, but this wins on weight.
And perhaps I’ve undersold its image quality. I’ve captured some lovely, sharp photos, both of wildlife and other subjects. Birding pushes the lens to the edges of its abilities, but under most circumstances, this lens is an admirable performer, especially for the price. Under most circumstances, I would choose this over the 55-200, simply for the low carry weight. Especially in bright outdoor scenes, where you can afford to stop down a bit, this lens really shines.
p.1 #4 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I sold mine a while ago, but can confirm everything written above.
It’s superb value for money and very lightweight, but I also was never 100% satisfied with the image quality >150mm. It is extremely sharp from 50-100mm though.
p.1 #5 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
It's a solid lens in good light. Plastic construction aside, I am very happy with it's performance. For me, it over-performs at the price point. I use it and the 16-50 on my X-E1 to create an inexpensive super-lightweight rig.
p.1 #6 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I just noticed this morning that 2 of the 3 images from my Japan trip that I’m intending to print were shot with the 50-230mm. One at 50mm the other at 120mm..
The other image was shot with the 16-80mm at 52mm, so could also have been shot with the 50-230mm and (at this focal length) it would probably been a bit sharper than the 16-80mm.
Lessons learned:
The 50-230mm is fantastic value for money & I should re-buy a telephoto lens before my next trip 😅
p.1 #7 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
Given the inherent limitations, it is an excellent lens. I have had no complaints about its performance, though the light weight does end up requiring higher shutter speeds than I might guess, even with OIS on. I do get more consistent results at lower shutter speeds when using it with the XH1 IBIS.
The 50-230 on one body with a 10-24 on another has been a killer lightweight travel setup for me in the past, when focused on taking outdoor shots.
p.1 #8 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I thought 55-200mm has slow af... I just got 50-230mm lens and af is very slow on XT-50, didn't af a couple times even indoors during day time... It balances well with XT-50 and all the firmware on camera and lens are latest... Fuji really needs to update these old zooms...
p.1 #9 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I had one for a while, at the shorter end it seemed very good, at the long end just OK.
It was a wonderfully compact and light package for the focal length on offer.
I sold it to get a 70-300 for better reach and quality and the long end (I was trying to do bird photography, which wasn't why I bought the 50-230 in the first place).
p.1 #11 · What is your view of the Fuji XC 50-230 lens?
I haven't tried the XF 50-230mm, but the XF 70-300mm is very good, including wide open at the long end. It's definitely the best of the 'consumer' tele zooms.
