This 30mm macro is going to go down as one of the best lenses fuji has ever made. I'm blown away by the pictures it takes. They have that magic to them.
Good review! Thanks! I had the 60mm and the 80mm. Sold them both. I absolutely LOVE the 30mm! I almost never take it off my camera. What I remember about the 60mm is that it isn't 1:1, it's noisy and slow. What I remember about the 80mm is that it is expensive, big and heavy. Of course, image quality with all three is superb.
I had the 60 but purchased the far better 80 when it came out. I bought the 30 when I purchased the X-t5. It is excellent and a very versatile walk around lens. The close focusing still blows me away. I will keep the 80 as it has advantages being an 80 and perhaps even better optics. At the price of the 30 you can't go wrong.
Thanks. Ya I like to show the "old" cameras - although the truth is that I really like the older sensors and I am keeping my X-T3 and X-T2 right now. Cheers
Thanks for that comparison, the 30mm is a great little lens. I had the 80mm (second hand) and it mostly sat on the shelf!! It is heavy, large and difficult to use hand held without losing focus. It is definitely better as a tripod lens and I don't specialise in macro, so I used the 60mm (also second hand) when I wanted to do some casual macro. I sold the 60mm and the 80mm and got the new 30mm when I bought the XT5. I have to say it is an excellent lens as a 30mm prime and can be instantly used as macro without the fuss of the 80mm. Anyone who is into macro in a bigger way though would probably benefit from the 80mm as part of their set up, but for casual macro work the 30mm ticks all the boxes for me
Hey Nigel, thanks for sharing 😉 and I agree - the 80 is BIG. If you need to focus further away from the subject it’s better, but that’s it. For all other purposes I’d go with the 30mm all day. Take care
I also had a similar experience with the 80mm which is brilliant but so heavy for me that it mostly was unused. Never had the 60mm but once I got the 30mm I immediately listed and sold the 80mm. The 30mm was more practical and useable for me as a general purpose prime with occasional macro use. It’s great to have it and I hope Fuji refocuses on small lightweight lenses
I bought the 30mm macro because I was getting frustrated by the minimum focus distance on my Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8. The pancake design limits the amount of extension, so while it is compact, I was always bumping up against the minimum focus distance, not even close to the macro range, just not close enough for general photography. The 30mm gives me a similar focal length and maximum aperture but with the ability to move in anytime that I see something that looks photogenic. I estimate that my use of this lens will be less that 20% macro and 80% general subjects. I also have the 60mm f/2.4 macro and again, it gives me a 90mm equivalent lens for general photography with the ability to move in tight. I hardly go true macro with that lens too, but often come closer than a general short telephoto lens would allow. FWIW, I have the 35mm f/1.4 and f/2 lens if I expect to be in a low light situation, so the 30mm will be my outdoor lens for when I'm in good light. I have no regrets on the purchase of this 30mm lens.
Thanks for comparing these. I sold my 60mm last year but have not bought another macro yet. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Considering a manual focus lens. I don’t know if I would buy the 30 mm as I like to photograph insects and I would prefer to be a little further away and still get a nice macro shot. I would prefer not to get so close physically to the object I’m photographing.
Good review :) I have the 60mm I like the lens, the "slowness" doesn't bother me for macro photography as I'm not in a rush.... but I don't do a lot of it and it doesn't spend much time on the camera (okay only took 2 photos last year with it) ... the 30mm is interesting but it is hard to justify as I do very little macro, and own the 27mm F/2.8 and the 35mm F/1.4 and 35mm F/2... And I've found myself using the 16-80 F/4 a lot because it is on camera for products (for social media normally) zoom is useful, can focus 30cm away has 0.25 magnification and I don't need the 1:1 max magnification (which is only at closest focusing distance anyway) as not taking photos of butterflies If I didn't have all the primes around 30mm, i may get this... but would take a lot to get rid of the 35 F/1.4... and then if i did, it would probably be to get the 33mm F/1.4. Please I can resist gas.... 10-24, 16-80, 35, and 56 are my go to lenses, writing this out makes me realise how many lenses i have that just don't get used!
Hey Andrew, that’s quite a sweet setup you’ve got there! Yes the 30 is best for macro and otherwise I’d go with the 33 or 35 that works great too for portrait and most of everyday. Take care!
I have the 80mm macro, but am strongly considering to add the 30mm to serve as a dual purpose walk around lens and macro because the 80mm can be a bit heavy to carry during a casual walk or hike.
Wow. I've previously heard that the 80mm is perhaps one of the best macro lenses ever made, but in this shootout I felt like the 30mm beat the 80mm in IQ (especially shooting the moth @ 5:00 vs 5:28) while being both ½ the cost and ¼ the weight. Impressive.
Thanks for this comparison Cris! I bought the 30mm when it *first came out*! It's an amazing little lens, no doubt. I actually think this should be the first Fujifilm prime lens one gets. But there are times I can't or don't want to get 1cm close to my subject. I would trade my 90mm F2 for the 80mm F2.8 macro easily.
I bought the 80mm new when I got my X-T3. It’s a great lens, but it’s a bit big, so when I found a mint 60mm for $50, I just couldn’t let it pass. Now I’m looking to add the 30mm because of it’s versatility. Don’t think I will sell any of the others though.
I want to move from mobile macro photography to apsc macro photography on my X-T20. I love my XF 35mm for everyday, but I'm really tempted by the 30mm to have the ability to shoot macro or everyday shots. Decisions decisions!
Like the linear motor, a very snappy review. I’m not sure but is seems like a pretty nice lens for taking pictures in bee hive and capturing aspects of bee and have anatomy.😊
Thank you for your review. There is one thing I am wondering about. I'm doing research on this topic. I have XF80 Macro lens. I take product photos and videos. Right now, my working environment is home, and I don't have much room for this lens as I have turned a small room into a studio. Could the XF30 be a good alternative for product shots?
Hey there, yes I do think the 30 is great especially when you have little space et need to get really close. I believe it can replace or add to your 80mm Cheers
How is the image quality when compared to dedicated 30mm macro vs extension tube? I have MCEX 16 & I am using it with kit lens(16-80mm) will it really improve the image quality with dedicated macro or its just marginally?
Hey there, tbh didn’t notice much distortion with this lens and the CA is very much under control (you can see on the photo with the closeup on the metal writing signage for example). But I didn’t test it to find CA either so there my potentially be some. Take care
@@cris_photography Thank you very much for your reply. while just now I do find another video talk about it either. i find the distortion is similar to the 33, maybe a little worse. the CA I think also not as good as 33 as I compared with the video. but it is still a good lens I think.
Which lens would you recommend for a food photography for my Xt-4? Macro 30mm or 80mm ? I already own a 33mm f1.4 so probably getting 30mm wouldn’t make a sense right?
Hell there, thank you for the message. Personally, I use the 56mm for most of my food photography shots (opened between f5.6 and f8 usually). I prolly would take the 80mm personally for that. If you own the 33mm the 30 will be very similar, that been said, the 30 is a macro so you can get real close and that is plenty different. Hope that helps a bit, take care
The 80mm is far from being versatile, it’s AF is abysmal even as a portrait studio lens. It’s great for product photography though, definitely a niche lens. Personally I much prefer the laowa 65mm apo macro, or the voigtlander macros for full frame which are incredible
Just throwing it out there, but 35mm F2 with a tiny extension tube in your bag? - extra stop of light, nicer portraits/low-light, more portable and cheaper :P - I'd love to see a comparison of that actually!
@@cris_photography Brilliant, can't wait! It should be interesting. You gain quite a bit as a day to day lens with the F2, double the light coming into the lens, light/small, etc - you lose the convenience of course of not needing to add an extension tube and the macros in theory at least should be worse, but I wonder by how much!
Absolutely - it’s a good idea - maybe save a few (or not that few actually) bucks and the hustle of an extension tube can be justified for some that want to start in macro and/or that have another interested or a limited budget.
@@cris_photography I just tried it with a 26mm extension tube and the 35mm F2, this is how close I can get to an Apple Watch crown: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erNFuCsn0cw.html - I'm not sure how to measure this in terms of macro ratio but seems close!
