Introduction

So Fuji now has 3 telephoto zoom lenses with a maximum reach of 200mm or more. The only one I have is the XC 50-230. I'm not sure what XC stands for, but I'm going to assume it's extremely cheap. I bought this lens for less than $200 if memory serves, and I'm actually quite pleased with my purchase, with a few caveats.

Benefits of the lens

The benefits of this lens are numerous. Some are obvious, and some aren't. The most obvious benefit is the price. Less than $200 for any Fujifilm lens is a bargain in my book. These guys don't know how to make bad glass as far as I can tell. This lens is a long reach telephoto zoom with a maximum equivalent reach of 345mm. It also has a multi-stop image stabilization system built in, which means that you can use the lens handheld in lower light conditions than you would ordinarily feel comfortable. Additionally, while this lens doesn't set the world on fire, I think the results are beyond acceptable. Take a look at the shots below, all of which were taken with the XC 50-230. I think the image quality is really pretty great. These are all obvious, but more interestingly are the not so obvious features.

The price is an obvious positive feature, but so is what the cheap price affords you the ability to do. I kayak a lot in the summertime here in Houston, and just because I'm hitting the water in a tiny boat doesn't mean I don't want to take pictures and bring a serious camera with me. Because this lens is so cheap, I slap it on my old Fujifilm X-E1 and throw it in a cheap-o waterproof Plano case and hit the water. If the camera or lens ends up sinking to the bottom of one of Houston's manny bayous, then I'm not out that much. Weather resistance is nice and all, but the ability to not worry about your equipment opens up all kinds of photographic opportunities.

Downsides of the lens

Plastic. Plastic. Plastic. This lens is made of plastic. Plastic is what this lens is made of. Yoda would say, "Plastic this is, lens" or something like that. This lens is super cheap feeling. Considering the build quality of Fuji's cameras, screwing the 50-230mm onto the X-T1 is kind of like sitting down to an exquisitely prepared gourmet meal and then setting the table with plastic cutlery. Its just cheap and plastic and out of place, but it still gets the job done. It's purely a feel thing with this lens, I don't want to give you the impression that this is optically crap, it's just physically crap.

The other major downside of this lens is that it is sloooooooooooooooooooooow. It is slow in terms of aperture and autofocus. This lens is slow. It's not unusable on either count, but it is slow. Aperture is tougher to deal with than the autofocus for me. It's tough to get usable shutter speeds in low light or with moving subjects.

Having that extra stop or two of light would be extremely useful in low light conditions. However, in order to get that you have to give up an additional 45mm equivalent focal length. To me, for the type of subjects I'm shooting, extra reach is more important than faster performance. I usually use this lens to shoot wildlife. I usually shoot wild life during the day, so the slow performance isn't as much of an issue to me.

Lastly, this lens is made in China rather than Japan. To many people, this won't be a huge thing, but to me this is important. If I'm going to buy something that isn't American-made, I'd prefer it to be made in a country where workers are treated like the human beings they are rather than the way they tend to be treated in China. I will be the first to admit that I have no idea about the working conditions in the Fuji factories in China, but this is something that matters to me a great deal.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think this lens is great bang for buck. Sure it's plastic and probably not as nice optically or in build quality as the other Fuji zooms, and these are obvious downsides to the lens. However, it is cheap in price, adequate in image quality, and the plastic actually makes the lens relatively light to carry around. Again, my preference is to sacrifice the faster aperture for the extra reach considering the type of subjects I'll be shooting. Obviously, I'd prefer to have the 100-400mm that Fuji just announced, but I don't have the cash to justify that lens. I'd also be less likely to take that lens out on my kayak for fear it would wind up in the drink; something else to consider.

Check out the samples below and I think you will find that the lens performs admirably. I highly recommend it to anyone in the market for an affordable long range zoom for the Fuji X-Series.

Examples