Fujifilm XF 18-55mm ƒ/2.8-4 Zoom Lens Sample Images

Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 18-55mm ƒ/2.8-4 zoom lens is a popular choice as a kit lens with Fujifilm’s X-series of cameras. It’s relatively compact and highly versatile. The focal length ranges from wide-angle to moderate telephoto (when accounting for the cropped sensor). Its maximum aperture of ƒ/2.8 (when zoomed out) comes in handy in the kind of variable lighting you get out and about on your travels. It also has optical image stabilization built-in, which is useful in many of the same types of conditions. And it has very respectable optical performance at a reasonable price.

All in all, it makes for a very appealing choice to take along with your X-series body for general travel photography and street photography. So I thought it might be useful to post some real-world examples of photos I’ve taken with this lens. My hope is that they might be useful to someone trying to decide whether the 18-55mm will be suitable for what they’re after.

This lens’s formal name is the Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS zoom lens. And while it is often included as a kit lens and bundled with bodies like the X-T3 and X-T2, it’s a big step up from the kind of lenses that give “kit lens” a strongly negative connotation. It’s one of the better kit lenses I’ve used, and it’s sold as a standalone product and makes for a great choice for a versatile, good-quality everyday shooting lens.

At its widest, it has a focal length of 18mm. Zoomed all the way in, it has a focal length of 55mm. When used on X-series cameras, which have APS-C cropped sensors, it’s the equivalent of using a 27mm to 84mm lens on a full-frame camera (i.e. 35mm equivalent). ¹ I’ve posted some practical examples of the Fujifilm XF 18-55mm’s zoom range separately.

It has a maximum aperture of ƒ/2.8, but it’s not a constant maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. That is, when you’re zoomed out wide at 18mm, you can get a maximum aperture of ƒ/2.8, but as you zoom in, the available maximum aperture reduces in small increments until you get fully zoomed in to 55mm, at which point your maximum aperture available is ƒ/4. ²

It’s also an aspherical lens, which means that it greatly reduces some of the common kinds of optical distortion that you can get with simpler lens designs. If you’re adding filters, it takes 58mm screw-on filters.

So here’s an assortment of photos I’ve taken with the Fujifilm XF 18-55mm lens on X-T3, X-T2, and X-T1 bodies. I’ve tried to include various apertures and zoomed focal lengths while also emphasizing general travel-type photos. As you’ll see in some of the shots, the optical performance isn’t perfect—there’s some barrel distortion, especially when zoomed in, and there are sharpness issues at the smallest apertures around ƒ/22—but overall, the performance is quite good for such a cost-effective, compact, and versatile lens.

Sample Images Taken with a Fujifilm XF 18-55mm

I’ve included the zoom and aperture information in the caption of each image, and you can open up a full-size version by clicking on the image.

Price & Availability

You can buy Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS zoom lens by itself (i.e., without the camera body). It’s also often offered bundled with Fujifilm X-series cameras like the X-T5, X-T4, X-T30, and X-S10.

Buy New

Check the current price and availability at:

• B&H Photo
• Adorama
• Amazon

Buy Used

Obviously, stock levels of used gear fluctuates a lot. But there’s a good chance of picking up a used copy in good condition at:

• B&H Photo
• KEH

Rent

You can rent it from:

• BorrowLenses
• LensProtoGo

Accessories for the Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 Lens

Filters. It takes standard 58mm screw-in filters: Polarizer | UV/Haze | ND.

Manual. You can find the manual here (PDF).

1. Fujifilm’s specs list the 35mm equivalent fully zoomed in as 84mm. On the X-T3, the EXIF data reports it as 83mm.[↩]
2. You can find more technical specs of the lens here.[↩]

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-09-25 at 16:52. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.