Fujifilm XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR Review: Light Telephoto Reach for X Mount
The Fujifilm XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR is the telephoto most Fujifilm shooters can actually carry. Fujifilm announced it on January 27, 2021 at $799.99, and it weighs 580 grams. On Fujifilm’s APS-C sensors it covers 107-457mm in full-frame terms.
That’s a lot of reach in a lens about the size of a standard zoom when it’s retracted. It’s weather sealed, stabilized and works with Fujifilm’s teleconverters, so it can stretch further when you need it.
A light telephoto zoom is about more than wildlife. It lets you isolate a branch of blossoms, compress a street, or fill the frame with flowers from the path without trampling the bed.
Photo: Media Instances
Dustin Abbott’s full review tests it on Fujifilm bodies.
Video review: Dustin Abbott
Design
The optical formula is 17 elements in 12 groups, with one aspherical and two ED elements. The aperture has nine rounded blades, and the 67mm filter thread doesn’t rotate, which helps with polarizers. A linear motor drives internal focusing.
Optical stabilization is rated at 5.5 stops, with no switch on the lens. Close focus is 83cm, giving 0.33x magnification at every focal length, which is useful for flowers and insects. The lens is sealed at 10 points and rated to -10°C. It extends as you zoom and has a lock at 70mm.
There’s an unmarked aperture ring with an A position and a focus limiter, but no AF/MF switch and no tripod collar. With the XF1.4X teleconverter it reaches 630mm equivalent, and with the XF2X about 914mm.
How it performs
Photography Blog, Digital Camera World and Abbott all praised the size and weight for the range. Autofocus is fast and nearly silent, color fringing and distortion are well controlled, and the bokeh and color are pleasing. Abbott found sharpness peaks around 135mm.
Autofocus is less confident in low light, which all three noted. The build is mostly plastic, and the lens is front-heavy on small bodies. Photography Blog saw flare into the sun and found the hood large. Abbott found the corners softer than on Sony’s E 70-350mm G OSS.
Who should buy it
Fujifilm shooters who want telephoto reach for travel, zoos, sports on the sidelines and close-ups of nature, without a heavy lens. It balances well on the X-T5 and X-S20.
For serious birding, the Fujifilm XF 150-600mm goes much further at nearly three times the weight. The XF 100-400mm sits between them at about $2,000. Sony APS-C users get a similar lens in that E 70-350mm. For the rest of the system, see our most popular Fujifilm cameras and lenses.
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