Fujifilm Fujinon XF 150-600mm 5.6-8.0 R LM OIS WR

Part I - Field Impressions: Let's split the verdict into two parts this time because context is important. Lab results are one thing, but that's the beginning of wisdom and not the end of it. Yes, the Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR is a slow lens. However, we can see where Fujifilm is coming from here. If you've ever carried a 600mm f/4 lens into the outdoors, you know that it's a PAIN. And slow lenses are simply more compact and lightweight. Realistically, Fujifilm won't be able to compete with a full format 600mm f/4 anyway, but they can compete with similar super-tele zoom lenses. The other aspect that you have to keep in mind is that outdoor conditions are less than perfect most of the time. There's atmospheric interference from heat or haze at longer distances, and there's always a bit of wind at least. In real life, you rarely achieve the same maximum sharpness as in lab conditions. So while the MTFs may not be top-notch, they are more than just "good enough" in the real world on 26-megapixel sensors at least. 40 megapixels may be a different story. Thus based on real-world use, we are happy with what the lens can deliver ... and specifically that the burden of carrying it around wasn't unbearable. Part II - Technical Aspects: In technical terms, the Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR is a victim of its slow speed. From a lab perspective, the results are very good until about 500mm, with "very good" meaning that 99% of the users will be perfectly happy. At 600mm, you may miss some biting sharpness - more so on 40-megapixel bodies. Image distortions are surprisingly low, even in RAW images. It's almost hard to believe that there are "mirrorless" lenses that can still do that. The same applies to vignetting, so it's obvious that the lens has not been "underdesigned" like so many others. Lateral CAs are slightly higher than you may expect from a pro lens, but you won't notice this with auto-correction anyway. The bokeh quality is similar to what we have seen from other tele zoom lenses - meaning that out-of-focus highlights can be a bit busy in difficult scenes.