Since the beginning of the Fujifilm X Mount line of cameras and lenses, one lens seems to dominate when it comes to the most disliked, perhaps even hated Fuji X lens: the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 Macro. The general consensus on this lens seems to be one of two things: it’s too damn slow to focus, or the 1:2 macro isn’t really useful for macro. So what is this lens really supposed to be? A telephoto, portrait, or macro lens? It’s actually a little of everything, which is actually why I think it’s so great and so underrated. Back when there weren’t that many Fujifilm X lenses in existence, the XF 60mm lens seemed to have been built to fulfill several roles. This jack-of-all-trades, master of none approach really appeals to me, and I have been a happy user of the XF 60mm macro.
Before we move on, let’s talk about the AF speed issue. Yes, it is slow. Yes, it can hunt and miss focus. The firmware updates have improved the AF speed of this lens, especially on newer bodies, but the it is still no match for newer Fuji lenses. That being said, if you know the limits of this lens and set your expectations and usage accordingly, this lens will help you produce stellar images!
The Fujinon XF 60mm macro is a SHARP lens with beautiful rendering! I own several Fujinon lenses including the well-regarded 35mm f/2 WR and the 16-55 f/2.8 pro zoom, among others. While these lenses are sharp, as most Fujinons are, the 60mm seems to have an extra bit of sharpness and pop to it’s files. I’ve also tried numerous other X-mount lenses and despite it’s relative age, the 60mm still remains in the top of the list for sharpness. Couple that with it’s close focusing ability and you have a killer combination, especially for the following applications:
1. The Fujinon XF 60mm macro is great for food photography. This is my go-to lens when shooting food. I love food photography and I cook and photograph my dishes regularly. A majority of the shots on my food Instagram account have been shot with the 60mm macro. The angle of view is perfect for single dishes and the close focusing is very helpful. And did I mention this lens is super sharp?
2. The XF 60mm macro is great for details, products, and still life. This lens comes along to every wedding I photograph. It is my go-to lens for ring shots and details. I also love this lens for product photography (really useful for selling stuff, blogging, etc). Again, the close focusing and sharpness is amazing. The only problem is having to clone out dust particles, since the lens picks up every bit of it in sharp detail.
3. The XF 60mm macro is great for studio portraits and headshots. The 90mm equivalent focal length is just perfect for this application. The compression is flattering for subjects and the small size of the lens is not intimidating at all (just don’t use that huge honking hood). It just gets out of your way and helps you focus on interacting and getting the most from your subject. For shallow depth of field portraits, the bokeh is very pleasing and I have used it for engagement sessions. It works fine as long as the focusing situation is not too challenging (such as harsh backlighting). But it really shines for studios and other controlled environments.
4. The XF 60mm macro is great for landscapes and travel. Aside from the ultra-wide vistas typically associated with landscape photography, sometimes you need to focus into to the scene to highlight certain aspects of the landscape. The sharpness and low distortion of the 60mm macro helps it to do telephoto landscapes well. And after you’re done shooting that landscape, this lens will have no trouble switching to a detailed closeup shot of flowers or textures. Moreover, the compact size and light weight of this lens makes it very easy to travel with.
As you may have noticed with the points I brought up above, this lens is excellent for slower shooting situations where you have control over the lighting and don’t need to move around too much. If you are looking for a very fast run and gun lens, then look elsewhere. If you are a hard core macro shooter, then this lens might not be the right choice either due to the fairly limited built-in macro capability. I’ve heard of the Fuji extension tubes, but I have no experience with those. I’m not a macro photographer, so I’ll leave that topic to the experts.
That’s not to say that you can’t compensate for the technical limitations with practice. I have successfully used this lens for street photography and even some events. But it can hunt and miss focus pretty badly when the lighting situation is tricky, and that can be quite frustrating.
That being said, I highly recommend this lens for people who need a well-built, compact and sharp mid-telephoto lens for slow, controlled shooting situations. I think this lens is a great choice if you are a studio, food, product, still life, or a travel/landscape shooter. Moreover, this lens can be had quite cheaply on the second hand market and even some great brand-new deals on eBay. Interested in one? Get yours here. It will help me out at no additional cost to you (thank you!).
To wrap things up, here are some more sample images from the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 Macro lens:
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12 Comments
Definitely agree here – I love the 60 and use it for loads of non-macro stuff!
Awesome! Yes, I use it more for non-macro stuff than macro. 🙂
If there were limitation of this lens, just one….is the speed of focusing :D, other than this, I think the 60mm macro is the best among others !
I totally agree! Thanks for reading, Herman!
Roy, I wanted to thank you for your lens recommendations (albeit a year after your original post). I purchased a used Fujinon 60mm macro primarily for travel, and agree completely with the stated strengths (great image quality, relatively small [without the hood], versatile) as well as the weaknesses (slow focus motor, hunts in low light). As you note, it can do a lot – portraits, macro, landscape, etc. Although I also have the 50mm “Fujicron” F2 (75mm equivalent) the 60mm does have quite a different look with its 90mm FF equivalent view.
FWIW, I also picked up a Samyang/Rokinin 12mm manual focus lens, primarily based on the quality of your review.
So, thank you and keep up the great posts!
Cheers, Peter! The 60mm is definitely a classic lens. And so is the Samyang. 😉 Thank you for reading!
Hi Roy – I think you’re an amazing photographer and love viewing your images on instagram. I bought the 60mm after reading your article so can’t wait for it to arrive. I briefly had the 56mm but found it too heavy and too soft below f2 (yes I was missing focus a lot of the time). I also had the 50mm and whilst it was lightning fast and sharp, I just didn’t like the focal length of 75mm. I hope the 60mm is what I’m looking for.
Thank you for reading and for your kind words about my work. Hope the 60mm serves you well! Had to sell mine to get some other lenses, but I really enjoyed my time with it.
Excellent evaluation Roy.
I just got a copy of this Lens and I love it.
I discovered a neat trick for focusing when doing macro shots. I switch to manual focus on my Xpro1 – preset focus to around 0.1meters. Now this avoids the unbelievable turns of the focus wheel. I can now see how close I need to be before hitting the back button – amazing as it seems, I noticed the lens snap into focus. So now, I leave my XPro1 set to manual focus when using this Lens. I have the option of Back Button Auto Focus for portraits and other shots or the pre-setting to 0.1 and then Back Button for fine tuning for macro images.
Images from this Lens are fantastic. I appreciated your review. This Lens covers multiple disciplines and requires understanding to fully get the best out of it.
Cheers
Mike
Hi Mike. That is a great tip, getting the focus into the ballpark to save having to rack focus all the way. Thanks for sharing. It really is a great lens and can make some fantastic images once you get used to its quirks. Thanks for reading and all the best!
I’m switching back to the 60mm 2.4 from the 56 1.2…(no, I’m not crazy)
I just don’t like carrying the additional weight of the 56, and rarely shoot wide open….
I definitely got great shots with this, hopefully the newer cameras focus better.
Awesome! It’s totally understandable, especially if you find yourself at smaller apertures anyway. I had to do the opposite and switch to the 56mm f/1.2 because I do a lot of portraits, but I miss this lens sometimes. Let me know how it performs on a newer body once you try it, as I’m genuinely curious. Thanks for reading and commenting!