Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Review

The Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR mounted on a Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fuji XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Review

My friend Carl has lent me his XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR for a while and it has given me the chance to try it out on a couple of outings with the Fujifilm X-Pro2.

It has been a while since I have had a zoom lens kicking around for more than a couple of days for testing so this should be interesting.

The Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR

XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR - Introduction

The XF 18-135mm was released in July 2014 meaning it has been around for a while. Slated as a do-it-all lens it has an impressive zoom range from 28mm to 200mm in full-frame terms. Being a prime lens shooter I am usually hesitant when it comes to do-it-all lenses. You know the old saying, Jack of all trades, master of none.

Back in the film days, however, I had a Tamron 28-200mm zoom and used it with a Nikon FG-20 for a while. My goal was to have one lens do it all while we traveled to the Rockies in Canada to find a job at a ski resort.

The Monashee Mountain Range. Sample image from a Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 — The Monashees from Silver Star Mountain. Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 93 mm f/8

The Tamron zoom lens did the trick and after the ski season, I used the 28-200mm for a cycling trip down the West Coast of the USA and a road trip across the continent from L.A. to Toronto via New York and Washington D.C.

The Tamron 28-200mm was an excellent all-in-one solution. The trip was excellent and I still have memories of sleeping in the back of an Oldsmobile ‘88 and taking in the view from the twin towers.

The Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR mounted on the Fujifilm X-Pro1

XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 - Handling and Build Quality

The XF 18-135mm measures 75.7 x 97.8 mm, weighs 17.3 oz, 490 g, and is surprisingly small considering what it packs underneath the hood. It has 16 elements in 12 groups (2 ED elements), 7 rounded diaphragm blades, and a 62mm filter diameter. The petal-shaped lens hood is a good fit, looks great, and compliments the lens well.

The lens does have an aperture ring but has no markings of which aperture you are on due to the variable aperture design (as you zoom the aperture will change).

You can, of course, see the aperture in the viewfinder or on your LCD. The IS switch is easy to get to on the barrel, as is the A switch where you can switch between the A or aperture settings.

Overall the quality feels decent but the XF 18-135mm is not as solidly built as the more expensive red badge zoom lenses from Fujifilm such as the XF 50-140mm f/2.8 and understandably so.

The 5-stop IS is terrific and a huge advantage, especially if you happen to have a Fujifilm X Series camera without IBIS. Many of us do. The lens protrudes as you zoom from 18-135mm. See the above photos.

A Fishing Boat, Shani Lynne No 2, in Steveston, BC, Canada. Sample image from a Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR — Steveston Harbour and Mount Baker. Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 135 mm, f/11

Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 in Action

I quite enjoyed my two outings with the XF 18-135mm. I was on foot and on my bicycle and the lens is not too heavy or bothersome, even when slung over my shoulder for biking. Nor does the zoom travel while walking or biking. It stays firmly on the focal length you have picked and it does so without a lock which is a huge plus.

As a prime shooter, I jokingly said to my wife; What a cool concept, this zoom thing. As if it had just been invented :) But seriously, even if I have chosen to shoot with primes, a zoom gives you such flexibility and at times lens changes can be very challenging due to weather or merely lack of time to fiddle around with different focal lengths.

The Denman Market in Vancouver. Sample image from a Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR — Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 62 mm, f/5.3, 1/30s, ISO 640

The IBIS allows you to shoot at slower shutter speeds while maintaining low ISO for static topics. I was comfortably shooting at 1/30th of a second, even at longer focal lengths, and could probably have pushed this even further.

XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 - An Ideal Travel Lens

You could indeed argue that this would be an ideal travel lens if the image quality lives up to your expectations. Perhaps paired with a compact f/2 prime lens such as the XF 35mm f/2 R WR, you would be set for any number of scenarios you may encounter.

The zoom will give you huge flexibility from wide-angle to medium telephoto. The XF 35mm would give you a standard, high-quality, and fast prime for low-light scenes. Below you can see the zoom range of the XF 18-135mm.

18mm

23mm

35mm

55mm

70mm

100mm

135mm

XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 - Image Quality

The sample images in this post are captured with a Fujifilm X-Pro2 at Silver Star Mountain, Vernon, Vancouver, and in Steveston, B.C., Canada. The Monashee view photo above was tripod mounted. All other images are handheld as you may use this as a walk-around lens.

I have not pixel-peeped but found the images quite good and at the same time believe my primes would have done better. This shouldn’t be a big surprise.

The XF 18-135mm has a lot of jobs to do while my XF 35mm f/1.4 R for example can concentrate on one focal length with an optimized lens formula and the ability to shoot at several f-stops lower for shallow depth of field control or higher shutter speeds at equivalent ISO value. All of the parameters will affect the overall image quality and look.

A January afternoon at Coal Harbour in Vancouver. Sample image from a Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 — Coal Harbour, Vancouver. Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 18 mm, f/7.1

Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 vs. XF 16-80mm f/4

While there are plenty of zoom options from Fuji the one that comes to mind is the XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR. With a similar zoom range, leaning more towards wide-angle to short telephoto, the XF 16-80mm was released in the fall of 2019 perhaps enjoying some advancements in lens design.

Going from memory and from reading my review of the XF 16-80mm again, it is of higher build quality and also enjoys an f/4 max f-stop throughout the zoom range.

Image quality also seems a notch above the XF 18-135mm but my judgment could be clouded by the fact that I reviewed the XF 16-80mm in slightly better weather later in the spring compared to January for the XF 18-135mm.

You can read my full XF 16-80mm review here:

Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR Review

The Lions on the north shore of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Captured in January with snow on the peaks. Sample image from a Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR — The Lions, Vancouver. Fujifilm X-Pro2, XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 122 mm, f/11

Conclusion

Picking a zoom lens can be tricky. I suggest you start by figuring out which focal lengths you prefer, then how much weight/bulk you are willing to carry around, followed by the budget you have allowed.

I had not had a long telephoto photo lens kicking around for quite some time which resulted in me gravitating toward the long end of the XF 18-135mm. So personally, if picking a zoom lens, I would probably take a close look at the newly released XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR.

This does not take away from the fact that the XF 18-135mm has a very versatile and useful zoom range and it may fit better into your setup and vision. The best advice I can give is to try it out if at all possible either via a rental or through your local photography store.

Pros

Versatile zoom range from 18-135mm
Built-in OIS, image stabilization
Very decent image quality

Cons

Aging - Perhaps better/newer alternatives

Please see more sample images below.

Price / Availability

Thank you for reading my review. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support us, you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below. A small commission goes to us and helps us keep the wheels turning at 5050 Travelog.

Check the current price at B&H Photo

XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR - B&H Photo

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