low light and provided decent edge-to-
edge performance, although it’s a bit
soft in the corners. Since most DSLRs
don’t have IBIS, there are some situa-
tions, such as action in very low light,
where you might not get the sharpest
results. You may also find your video
includes unwanted jitter since you’ll
be shooting without optical IS or
IBIS. However, my test video looked
quite good.
For those on a budget who use a full-
frame DSLR, this lens makes a great
lightweight, compact travel zoom.
Estimated Street Price: $599
We b s it e : tamron-usa.com
Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM
The Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3
IS USM is a lens that has the lon-
gest zoom range for a lens in Can-
on’s R-system of full-frame mirror-
less cameras.
With such a long zoom range, it’s
nice that it comes with optical IS. It’s
also constructed with 21 elements in
15 groups and has a minimum close-
focusing distance of 1.64 feet at the
wide end of the zoom range and about
2.5 feet at the telephoto. It’s also rela-
tively affordable at $899.
Overall, I produced some very good
photos and video in varying light-
ing conditions on the camera. But
one spec that reveals that this camera
is more targeted toward advanced
amateur and enthu-
siasts is the variable
aperture range: It
starts at ƒ/4 and then
gets slower, ending
up at the rather slow
maximum aperture
of ƒ/6.3.
Still, the price and
zoom range do make it a rather com-
pelling lens for travel, although it’s a
tad bulky.
Estimated Street Price: $899
We b s it e : usa.canon.comFujifilm XF16mm F2.8 R WR
While the major camera companies
have all developed full-frame camera
systems, Fujifilm has chosen to con-
tinue developing a niche in its well-
crafted, full-featured APS-C mirror-
less cameras, like the X-T30 and X-T3.
(Of course, it also makes powerful
medium-format mirrorless cameras,
like the GFX100.)
One of the lenses Fujifilm intro-
duced earlier this year—part of its WR
compact line of lenses—is a wonderful
little wide-angle prime: the XF16mm
F2.8 R WR, which has a lens construc-
tion of 10 elements in eight groups with
two aspherical elements. Since it’s an
APS-C lens, it has a 35mm-equivalent
focal length of 24mm.
Overall, it’s a well-constructed
prime that offers photographers aThe hammock photo (right) was shot with the Fujifilm
XF16mm F2.8 R WR prime (above with the X-T30).