Fujinon XF 90mm F2 Review

The Fujinon XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR is a portrait powerhouse that delivers stunning image quality, exceptional sharpness, and creamy bokeh, making it one of Fujifilm’s standout lenses. Equivalent to 135mm on full-frame, this telephoto prime is ideal for portraiture, event photography, and even some types of wildlife and sports. It’s a lens designed to bring out the best in Fujifilm’s X-series cameras.

Right out of the box, the XF 90mm f/2 feels like a premium piece of gear. Its metal construction is robust and weather-sealed, offering protection against dust, moisture, and freezing temperatures down to -10°C. Weighing 540g, it’s not the lightest lens, but it’s well-balanced on most Fujifilm bodies, and the build quality inspires confidence. The aperture ring, a hallmark of Fujifilm’s XF lineup, clicks smoothly into place, providing a satisfying tactile experience.

Optically, the XF 90mm f/2 is nothing short of spectacular. It’s razor-sharp even wide open at f/2, with edge-to-edge clarity that only improves as you stop down. The lens’s 11 elements in 8 groups, including three ED elements, effectively control chromatic aberration, even in high-contrast situations. The colour rendition and contrast are quintessential Fujifilm—rich, vibrant, and natural, making your subjects pop beautifully.

The bokeh is one of this lens’s standout features. Thanks to its rounded 7-blade aperture and telephoto focal length, it produces incredibly smooth, creamy out-of-focus areas that are perfect for isolating your subject. Whether it’s portraits, close-ups, or detail shots, the background melts away, giving your images a professional, polished look.

Autofocus performance is another strong point. The quad-linear motor (LM) ensures fast, accurate, and near-silent focusing, making it suitable for both stills and video. It locks onto subjects effortlessly, even in challenging lighting conditions, and its performance is further enhanced when paired with Fujifilm’s latest X-series bodies. While manual focus is an option, the autofocus is so reliable that you’ll rarely need to use it.

The lens’s f/2 aperture is perfect for low-light shooting and offers excellent subject separation. Its minimum focus distance of 60cm also makes it surprisingly versatile for tighter close-ups. While it’s not a macro lens, it excels in situations where you want to focus on small details or textures.

There are very few downsides to this lens. It lacks optical image stabilisation (OIS), which could be a limitation for handheld shooting in lower light, but the wide aperture and Fujifilm’s in-body stabilisation (on newer cameras) mitigate this for the most part. Its price is higher than some other primes in the XF lineup, but the performance more than justifies the cost.

In conclusion, the Fujinon XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR is one of the finest lenses in Fujifilm’s arsenal. Its combination of stunning sharpness, gorgeous bokeh, and professional build quality makes it a must-have for portrait photographers and anyone who values image quality. While it’s not the most compact or versatile lens, its performance and character make it worth every penny. If you’re a Fujifilm shooter looking for a lens that delivers extraordinary results, the XF 90mm f/2 is a clear winner.

Here are some recent photos I captured using the Fujinon XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR lens. These sample shots highlight the lens’s performance across different conditions, settings, and subjects. To view the complete collection of photos taken with this lens, the link.