What's your experience with Fujinon 18-135mm zoom lens?

[gk fotografie]

Is there a Fuji user who has experience with the Fujinon 18-135mm zoomlens? Would like to hear more about ease of use (also with 4K video recordings) and what it's like to walk around for a longer time with this 490 gram zoom lens. If possible, I'd like to view some sample photos and I'm also very curious about the combination 4K video + 18-135mm lens.
Thank you.

Gerard

 

[SquarePeg]

I haven't tried that one but thought I'd bump your thread because I'm curious as well.

 

[jcdeboever]

I rented one prior to buying the 55-200. I really liked the weight. The image quality was very good, if not excellent for a zoom. It was just a little short for me. I was looking for a lens I could travel with and opted for the longer reach. For the way I shoot, if I'm going wide, I just use a wider prime because I am used to primes. Having said all that, this really is an excellent lens optically and a very useful focal range for most shooters. The AF is very fast, good micro contrast, and excellent color render. I did notice it is stellar when the subject is close and you zoom in tight. The wide end is impressive, exhibiting excellent corner sharpness for a zoom. No vignette on wide end that I could see. Minimal distortion. I liked it but opted for the longer range of the 55-200 for light travel (zoo & wildlife).

I think it boils down to how you shoot. I will almost always shoot a prime over a zoom unless I want to experiment a little to really get a feel for what the zoom can do. A good example is using my 100-400 to shoot flowers. Not a typical choice but found it to be incredibly useful for a different look. I am not a video shooter but I assume it would be excellent for that due to the excellent image stabilization, quick AF, and silent nature of the lens.

Check out flickr and the x photographer website for samples. The lens reviews are rather mixed but I think it boils down to how you shoot. In other words, I don't expect a zoom to be like a prime so I wouldn't compare it to one. In comparison to the other fuji zoom offerings (55-200, 50-230, 18-55) it is excellent and on par.

 

[SquarePeg]

I rented one prior to buying the 55-200. I really liked the weight. The image quality was very good, if not excellent for a zoom. It was just a little short for me. I was looking for a lens I could travel with and opted for the longer reach. For the way I shoot, if I'm going wide, I just use a wider prime because I am used to primes. Having said all that, this really is an excellent lens optically and a very useful focal range for most shooters. The AF is very fast, good micro contrast, and excellent color render. I did notice it is stellar when the subject is close and you zoom in tight. The wide end is impressive, exhibiting excellent corner sharpness for a zoom. No vignette on wide end that I could see. Minimal distortion. I liked it but opted for the longer range of the 55-200 for light travel (zoo & wildlife).

I think it boils down to how you shoot. I will almost always shoot a prime over a zoom unless I want to experiment a little to really get a feel for what the zoom can do. A good example is using my 100-400 to shoot flowers. Not a typical choice but found it to be incredibly useful for a different look. I am not a video shooter but I assume it would be excellent for that due to the excellent image stabilization, quick AF, and silent nature of the lens.

Check out flickr and the x photographer website for samples. The lens reviews are rather mixed but I think it boils down to how you shoot. In other words, I don't expect a zoom to be like a prime so I wouldn't compare it to one. In comparison to the other fuji zoom offerings (55-200, 50-230, 18-55) it is excellent and on par.

Great review jc. Renting to try it out is a great idea. I’ve been wondering about this lens too as an alternative to the 18-55 since I rarely use that one but don’t want to give it up due to its flexibility.

 

[jcdeboever]

I rented one prior to buying the 55-200. I really liked the weight. The image quality was very good, if not excellent for a zoom. It was just a little short for me. I was looking for a lens I could travel with and opted for the longer reach. For the way I shoot, if I'm going wide, I just use a wider prime because I am used to primes. Having said all that, this really is an excellent lens optically and a very useful focal range for most shooters. The AF is very fast, good micro contrast, and excellent color render. I did notice it is stellar when the subject is close and you zoom in tight. The wide end is impressive, exhibiting excellent corner sharpness for a zoom. No vignette on wide end that I could see. Minimal distortion. I liked it but opted for the longer range of the 55-200 for light travel (zoo & wildlife).

I think it boils down to how you shoot. I will almost always shoot a prime over a zoom unless I want to experiment a little to really get a feel for what the zoom can do. A good example is using my 100-400 to shoot flowers. Not a typical choice but found it to be incredibly useful for a different look. I am not a video shooter but I assume it would be excellent for that due to the excellent image stabilization, quick AF, and silent nature of the lens.

Check out flickr and the x photographer website for samples. The lens reviews are rather mixed but I think it boils down to how you shoot. In other words, I don't expect a zoom to be like a prime so I wouldn't compare it to one. In comparison to the other fuji zoom offerings (55-200, 50-230, 18-55) it is excellent and on par.

Great review jc. Renting to try it out is a great idea. I’ve been wondering about this lens too as an alternative to the 18-55 since I rarely use that one but don’t want to give it up due to its flexibility.

Thanks. I would rather have it than the 18-55. I don't use mine all that much either. I am currently obsessed with the 56mm now that I figured out how to use it, which is in manual focus for me. I didn't rent the 56, I just bought it after I sold my 60 and initially had buyer remorse. So I tried it in manual focus and that was the ticket, for me anyway. Amazing isolation and OOF rendering.

 

[jcdeboever]

I rented one prior to buying the 55-200. I really liked the weight. The image quality was very good, if not excellent for a zoom. It was just a little short for me. I was looking for a lens I could travel with and opted for the longer reach. For the way I shoot, if I'm going wide, I just use a wider prime because I am used to primes. Having said all that, this really is an excellent lens optically and a very useful focal range for most shooters. The AF is very fast, good micro contrast, and excellent color render. I did notice it is stellar when the subject is close and you zoom in tight. The wide end is impressive, exhibiting excellent corner sharpness for a zoom. No vignette on wide end that I could see. Minimal distortion. I liked it but opted for the longer range of the 55-200 for light travel (zoo & wildlife).

I think it boils down to how you shoot. I will almost always shoot a prime over a zoom unless I want to experiment a little to really get a feel for what the zoom can do. A good example is using my 100-400 to shoot flowers. Not a typical choice but found it to be incredibly useful for a different look. I am not a video shooter but I assume it would be excellent for that due to the excellent image stabilization, quick AF, and silent nature of the lens.

Check out flickr and the x photographer website for samples. The lens reviews are rather mixed but I think it boils down to how you shoot. In other words, I don't expect a zoom to be like a prime so I wouldn't compare it to one. In comparison to the other fuji zoom offerings (55-200, 50-230, 18-55) it is excellent and on par.

Unfortunately it's absolutely impossible to rent "amateur" photo stuff here and there are hardly any photo shops with skilled staff nowadays. After 9 years with a Nikon bridge camera my wife wants to buy a new camera with a 200mm (35mm equivalent) range and 4K video. Her Nikon has a zoom range of 624mm, but due to a cerebral infarction several years ago she can no longer keep such a zoom lens under control. I'm thinking of a Fuji XT-20 with 18-135mm lens, because she doesn't like to change lenses. We'll be getting there, I'm sure, within a few weeks.
Thanks for the info, JC.

Gerard

Sounds like a wise choice if within the budget.