(04-10-2019, 06:46 AM)davidmanze Wrote: Good review of this good macro lens ..... I like the new "all the balls in the air" chart .
.... optically, it's all you would expect from a modern macro ... sharp ... 9 blades ...OS... good bokeh .....a little short at 80mm (120 equiv) ..... weighty and at around $900 ....
. ... a heavy price!
I know little about Fuji's lens range ...... I guess they are all on the pricey side.
Except for their "Fujicron" range (16mm f2.8 and 23, 35, 50 mm f2), yes they are priced noticeably above their competitors. There are several reasons for this:
- They continue to make most of their lenses in Japan, which means higher wages and costs;
- They focus more on build quality (weather resistance) and optical quality than their APS-C rivals;
- They simply don't have the volume of their competitors, especially Sony and Canon.
That said, their lenses are much better optically than Sony's APS-C line (though you can pair Sony bodies with Sigma lenses), while Canon simply does not offer amateur or pro-grade lenses (though some of their offering is very well designed and well priced).
EDIT: Oh, and that $900 price was when the lens was actually on sale! Its normal price is $1200 and it is back there since the 1st of April.