Real world review of the Fuji 90mm f/2.0

The lens that was too perfect.

I wanted to love this 90mm so bad. It performed extremely well – yet, I returned it.

UPDATE: This review has been VERY controversial! I was not able to convey the message in the first edition of this blog post: what I meant is that some lenses are too clinical for my style, too boring. This is very subjective to the photographer of course. I only used 60+ lenses in my life from Olympus, Nikon, Canon and Fuji: I don’t know much. So take my opinion with a grain of salt :)

Might as well pick up a cheap Nikon DSLR and throw a 85mm f/1.8 on it. No, seriously. I wanted to love that lens: and I did, when it came to image quality. It’s just…it’s just that the focus hunts too much on a Fuji X-Pro2. I got way better performance with my D300 and a 85mm f/1.8: for nearly half the cost.

Many of my readers start to understand: we love the good deals at The Most Beautiful World. Value over gimmicks.

You know, I feel that after having shot for fun with a Otus 55mm f1.4 on a Nikon D4 of a friend in Singapore, everything is lacking thereafter. A younger version of myself would have written: “The 90mm is phenomenal!”. But I’m older and wiser, and more… jaded. And so while this lens is great, it isn’t the pinnacle of optics. Don’t worry: it’s good enough for 99% for the majority of the users. I’m just not satisfied with anything but the best.

Rest reassured. The bokeh of the 90mm is great.

The build quality is solid, nothing to complain.

The autofocus is quick but slower than the 16-55mm f/2.8 Fuji (reviewed here). The autofocus is not the best and I would not feel comfortable shooting a wedding with this lens. There, I said it. I would rather have a Nikon or Canon body with an 85mm f/1.4 or 105mm f/2.8 macro than a Fuji + 90mm f/2 as a second body at a wedding.

It’s sharp. Super sharp.

It is also a beautiful lens… Look, this lens is definitely a gem when it comes to sharpness and optical quality. It focuses super close too! It’s just not good enough for me: I was blessed to try better combo than this lens + X-Pro2.

This is the lens you get if you are locked into the Fuji system and don’t want another body. Or… do you get the 50-140mm f/2.8?

Well, I haven’t tried the 50-140mm, so I can’t talk about that lens. 

One quick point: the fact that the 90mm f/2.0 is NOT stabilized is a major hurdle if you want to use this lens in the evenings or at events inside a building. You need to always shoot over 1/125 if you want to make sure that your image is tack sharp, even maybe 1/200. This is no joke and not fun with an X-Pro2 (click for review). With the X-H1 is would be different. 

Buy it from a store that allows you to return it and try it for yourself, that’s my best advice.

If you hesitate between the 56mm f/1.2 vs the 90mm f/2.0, I would take the 56mm any day. There’s more charm in the 56mm, more “magic”. Photography is an art, not a science.

Cheers,

JP

Support my journey from Ibiza to Mongolia by getting my books (or these Fuji gear that you probably don’t need haha). Or actually, pre-order The Minimalist Photographer book to get 30% off and some AWESOME wallpaper :)