Fujinon XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens Review

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If you are a beginner looking to move your game up a few notches you’ll want to look for the Fujinon XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ.

At less than $300 this lightweight is capable of consistently sharp heavyweight pictures.

Fujinon XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens Features

Whether it comes as part of a kit or you want to expand your inventory of superior Fujifilm lenses, the Fujinon XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens delivers fantastic image quality at a beginner’s price. And it’s easy to use.

Build

The all-plastic lens mounts very smoothly. There are no buttons or switches on the rings, just the focal length markings.

The 15-45mm angle of view is equivalent to 23-68mm on a full-frame system. That means you get a larger field of view than the 16-50mm or 18-55mm kit options. The wide setting of the 23mm is great for landscape photography. Also, with a working distance of just under 2”, it’s great for close-ups, and portraits as well.

Zoom and Focus

The stepping motor is ideal for video work. The electronic zoom is quick and delivers smooth, consistent motion. It might be more challenging to make very small and precise adjustments, and there is a very slight noise from the motor, but not enough to interfere with your video.

Switching between AF and manual is done through the menu on the camera, the front switch, or the live view display, depending on your camera model.

A digital encoder is responsible for the manual focus. This means two things, the first is that the camera body, not the lens, is responsible for focus speed. Secondly, there’s nothing connected to the thin, front ring. There are no hard stops, and the ring moves freely in either direction, so you won’t feel anything. You can see the focus scale on your screen though.

Macro

It’s not exactly a true macro, but with focus possible to just over 5”, you’re getting close. Not many other zooms like this one will do any better.

OIS

Optical image stabilization is built at 3 f-stops and is controlled by the camera. There’s no switch on the lens.

Image Quality

The XC lens quality is a superior entry-level solution that provides amazing results.

No matter the aperture, sharpness is excellent at the center. Stay between f/4 and f/11 and you’ll see real-world images with exact detail and clarity. You’re not likely to find any distortion or vignetting, except at the widest setting. Zoom just a bit and it will go away.

With the Fujinon XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens, you’ll be pleased to find that fringing is completely controlled and there is little to no spherochromatism, ghosts or flares. Falloff is mostly invisible, and the only place you might be able to find a chromatic aberration is in the corners of a picture of a tree or building.

The 7-bladed rounded diaphragm will give brilliant 14-point sunstars but not much in the way of bokeh.

Pros

Optical Image Stabilization
Zoom control easy enough to use one hand
High-Quality images with excellent center sharpness
Super-close macro ability.
Small, light and cheap

Cons

No lens hood or case
No markings on the zoom ring
OIS switch is missing
No aperture ring