Fujinon Zoom Lenses - XF 55-200 vs XC 50-230

Ryan5Zulu · 19 Sep 2020 at 15:13

I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has had the opportunity to use these lenses. Is the extra 30 mm offered by the XC lens a big difference? I am looking for a lens to very basic wildlife photography and airplane photography. These are the two lenses within my budget.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 22 Sep 2020 at 19:21

I have the latter lens and whereas for aircraft photography the extra reach would be useful, due to the newer flight safety rules,it has some issues. It's not the fastest focusing lens and it's small maximum aperture at the 230MM end makes the XF a better choice IMHO.

Ryan5Zulu · 22 Sep 2020 at 20:08

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I have the latter lens and whereas for aircraft photography the extra reach would be useful, due to the newer flight safety rules,it has some issues. It's not the fastest focusing lens and it's small maximum aperture at the 230MM end makes the XF a better choice IMHO.

Thanks for your input. What is your opinion on the build of the XC? Ideally I'd like to get demo versions of the two lenses to try myself but it doesn't look like either are offered for demo on the Fuji website.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 22 Sep 2020 at 20:17

Ryan5Zulu said:
Thanks for your input. What is your opinion on the build of the XC? Ideally I'd like to get demo versions of the two lenses to try myself but it doesn't look like either are offered for demo on the Fuji website.

The XF is similar to the 16-50MM standard lens - its all plastic. Its reasonably solid for an all plastic lens,but the XC is much better built,ie,metal lens mount,a combination of metal and plastic for the lens barrel. I bought the XF as it was reasonably light for use on holidays,but you need to be more patient with it. Its a shame Fuji doesn't have an intermediate 250~300MM optic,as that would be better for airshows. 200MM on an APS-C camera would be the minimum I would use for an airshow.

BTW,what camera are you using it on??

Ryan5Zulu · 22 Sep 2020 at 20:57

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
The XF is similar to the 16-50MM standard lens - its all plastic. Its reasonably solid for an all plastic lens,but the XC is much better built,ie,metal lens mount,a combination of metal and plastic for the lens barrel. I bought the XF as it was reasonably light for use on holidays,but you need to be more patient with it. Its a shame Fuji doesn't have an intermediate 250~300MM optic,as that would be better for airshows. 200MM on an APS-C camera would be the minimum I would use for an airshow.

BTW,what camera are you using it on??

I am using an XT-30.

GMac11 · 22 Sep 2020 at 21:32

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
The XF is similar to the 16-50MM standard lens - its all plastic. Its reasonably solid for an all plastic lens,but the XC is much better built,ie,metal lens mount,a combination of metal and plastic for the lens barrel. I bought the XF as it was reasonably light for use on holidays,but you need to be more patient with it. Its a shame Fuji doesn't have an intermediate 250~300MM optic,as that would be better for airshows. 200MM on an APS-C camera would be the minimum I would use for an airshow.

Forgive me but the way I read your comment it seems you have 'XC' and 'XF' back to front? The XF is the more premium lens manufactured from metal etc yes?

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 22 Sep 2020 at 22:43

Ryan5Zulu said:
I am using an XT-30.

I am on an XT20. I meant the XC is the plasticky lens not the XF!

GMac11 said:
Forgive me but the way I read your comment it seems you have 'XC' and 'XF' back to front? The XF is the more premium lens manufactured from metal etc yes?

Sorry, I meant the other way around.

Ryan5Zulu · 23 Sep 2020 at 08:54

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I am on an XT20. I meant the XC is the plasticky lens not the XF!

Sorry, I meant the other way around.

My XT-30 is my first Fujifilm camera and I am thoroughly impressed with it.

I might keep an eye out for a refurb version of the XF lens just to reduce the damage on the wallet.

GMac11 · 23 Sep 2020 at 09:32

Ryan5Zulu said:
My XT-30 is my first Fujifilm camera and I am thoroughly impressed with it.

I might keep an eye out for a refurb version of the XF lens just to reduce the damage on the wallet.

The XF has really crept up in price this last few months. I paid £385 for mine (used obviously but in mint condition). Now you'd be lucky to get one for less than £450. But definitely worth keeping an eye on.

And wholly agree on the X-T30, an absolute gem of a camera. I actually bought it to replace my X-T20, again really only because I got a good deal on a good used X-T30 and was able to sell my 20 for no loss at all. Image quality is outstanding on both (basically the same for all intents and purposes) however I noticed the improved AF on the 30 when shooting a football match at the weekend. The added film sims help too.

Ryan5Zulu · 23 Sep 2020 at 09:42

GMac11 said:
The XF has really crept up in price this last few months. I paid £385 for mine (used obviously but in mint condition). Now you'd be lucky to get one for less than £450. But definitely worth keeping an eye on.

And wholly agree on the X-T30, an absolute gem of a camera. I actually bought it to replace my X-T20, again really only because I got a good deal on a good used X-T30 and was able to sell my 20 for no loss at all. Image quality is outstanding on both (basically the same for all intents and purposes) however I noticed the improved AF on the 30 when shooting a football match at the weekend. The added film sims help too.

If you don’t mind me asking, where did you pick up your used lens?

I was thinking of buying refurbished through the Fujinon store for peace of mind and a 12 month warranty. I’m not too familiar with the 2nd hand photography market in the UK.

GMac11 · 23 Sep 2020 at 10:55

Ryan5Zulu said:
If you don’t mind me asking, where did you pick up your used lens?

I was thinking of buying refurbished through the Fujinon store for peace of mind and a 12 month warranty. I’m not too familiar with the 2nd hand photography market in the UK.

Just over on eBay. I buy pretty much all my gear used and I'd say 50% of it is on eBay and I can say I've never had any bother buying from there but I guess a lot comes down to trusting the seller. My previous Canon 16-35mm and X-T20 with XF 18-55mm kit lens are the only pieces of gear I've ever bought brand new from a UK store. I have purchased grey import items in the past as well which have been perfectly fine so don't discount the likes of E-infinity if you're happy with that - they offer a 12 month warranty with all their sales. The rest of my used gear has all come from either MPB, Wex or London Camera Exchange. It's worth checking those sites every day, even several times a day. When I identify a new lens I want I watch those sites like a hawk as one in my price range will pop up sooner or later. I picked up the XF 90mm from MPB for £424 which is just ridiculous. It was listed as Well Used but I can tell you it may as well have been brand new, save for the lens hood which they actually replaced with a brand new one.

Ryan5Zulu · 23 Sep 2020 at 11:29

GMac11 said:
Just over on eBay. I buy pretty much all my gear used and I'd say 50% of it is on eBay and I can say I've never had any bother buying from there but I guess a lot comes down to trusting the seller. My previous Canon 16-35mm and X-T20 with XF 18-55mm kit lens are the only pieces of gear I've ever bought brand new from a UK store. I have purchased grey import items in the past as well which have been perfectly fine so don't discount the likes of E-infinity if you're happy with that - they offer a 12 month warranty with all their sales. The rest of my used gear has all come from either MPB, Wex or London Camera Exchange. It's worth checking those sites every day, even several times a day. When I identify a new lens I want I watch those sites like a hawk as one in my price range will pop up sooner or later. I picked up the XF 90mm from MPB for £424 which is just ridiculous. It was listed as Well Used but I can tell you it may as well have been brand new, save for the lens hood which they actually replaced with a brand new one.

Excellent! Thanks again for your input

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 23 Sep 2020 at 12:12

Ryan5Zulu said:
My XT-30 is my first Fujifilm camera and I am thoroughly impressed with it.

I might keep an eye out for a refurb version of the XF lens just to reduce the damage on the wallet.

I got my XT20 and the XC lenses as Fuji refurbs and they looked brand new. Fuji on and off will do discount codes but you can also check MPB Photographic for secondhand gear.

Ryan5Zulu · 23 Sep 2020 at 19:45

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I got my XT20 and the XC lenses as Fuji refurbs and they looked brand new. Fuji on and off will do discount codes but you can also check MPB Photographic for secondhand gear.

I took a dive into the unknown buying my X-T30 as a refurb from Fuji and was really impressed with what I received from them; it was pretty much brand new too

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 23 Sep 2020 at 23:04

Ryan5Zulu said:
I took a dive into the unknown buying my X-T30 as a refurb from Fuji and was really impressed with what I received from them; it was pretty much brand new too

I think they are basically overstock items,or excess replacement stock.

Ryan5Zulu · 24 Sep 2020 at 08:46

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
I think they are basically overstock items,or excess replacement stock.

That would make sense. I inspected my camera body when I got it from Fujifilm and couldn’t find a single sign that it had been used by anyone before me.

RaV · 24 Sep 2020 at 20:32

I have the XC with my XT2. I think is a very decent lens for the price, and having that zoom range is handy, and it is very compact. I use it for landscapes.

After a recent trip I did some looking at reviews and saw that the longer end of the zoom range is not that detailed, as I had experienced the same. I will attach a link to two photos of mine straight from camera. Exif data is attached. My copy might be better or worse then average, who knows, but id guess at slightly worse.

If you have the money I think I'd recommend the 50-200mm, especially since you'll be using it at the longer end more often. I will be upgrading at some point.

Dropbox link

Ryan5Zulu · 28 Sep 2020 at 09:07

RaV said:
I have the XC with my XT2. I think is a very decent lens for the price, and having that zoom range is handy, and it is very compact. I use it for landscapes.

After a recent trip I did some looking at reviews and saw that the longer end of the zoom range is not that detailed, as I had experienced the same. I will attach a link to two photos of mine straight from camera. Exif data is attached. My copy might be better or worse then average, who knows, but id guess at slightly worse.

If you have the money I think I'd recommend the 50-200mm, especially since you'll be using it at the longer end more often. I will be upgrading at some point.

Dropbox link

Thanks for your input. Having given it some thought I think I’ll save up for the XF lens and maybe get a good deal on it around Black Friday time.

Petrolhead · 28 Oct 2020 at 21:11

This may help
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60358716

Ryan5Zulu · 29 Oct 2020 at 07:57

Petrolhead said:
This may help
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60358716

Thanks for this. I'll have a read.