Last year I had the opportunity to try out the Fuji X-A2 thanks to Fuji North America. I used it for quite a while before I wrote a review, sharing all of my thoughts at the time. As someone who had lugged my DSLR and lenses around the world, I was hoping to be impressed with this camera it’s lightweight body.
After using it for 3 weeks, I was pleasantly impressed and since then the Fuji X-A2 has become my camera of choice. It’s versatile nature and no-brainer operation have made my photography life easy. I love the simplicity, speed and clarity of the photos and video but the one thing I was missing was a lens to zoom in during those real-life moments when I couldn’t get close.
Head over to my Fuji X-A2 review and check out what I thought of this mirrorless camera.
My Fuji X-A2 came with the FUJINON XC16-50mmF3.5-5.6 OIS II lens which a standard zoom lens with a focal range equivalent to 24-76mm in 35mm film format. This girl needed more!
FUJINON XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II
My tweens have entered the stage where I am deplorable…and getting close enough to catch them in action is almost impossible. Having a zoom lens is a must if I want to catch them with a happy look on their faces rather than a scowl, eye-rolling sneer.
Fuji North American recently sent me their lower priced zoom lens, the XC50-230mm to try out.
The XC50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS II telephoto zoom is constructed of 13 all-glass elements in 10 groups, including 1 aspherical lens element and 1 ED lens element. The lens demonstrates advanced optical performance across its focal range, producing clear images even when your subject is a long distance away. Its lightweight focusing lens and high-precision motor achieve quick and silent autofocus. The optical image stabilization function (approximately 3.5-stops) reduces camera shake in still images and videos that are captured hand-held.
As someone who can’t speak on a highly technical level, my opinions are based solely on the feel, the ability to zoom and the quality of the photos I’ve taken with the lens.
This is one area of my backyard, I took these photos with the kit lens. The first photo is taken to show you how far away I was and the second is with the XC16-50mmF3.5-5.6 zoomed in as far as it goes.
As you can see it does have a zoom but it isn’t a true zoom distance. When I’m travelling, I love to bring my X-A2 because it performs well and is super light and portable. Now that I have the XC50-230mm to add to the mix, I’m going to be able to catch all of the shots I want.
This is the same area of the backyard, the first photo is with the lens not extended and the second is with it fully extended to show the full zoom capability.
When I used the zoom, extended all the way there was the focal point cross on the screen which allowed me to choose the centre of the flower as my focal point. For the price point of this lens, this is a solid performance.
I took Chelsea out for a walk to try and get her while she was moving. To be completely honest this lens doesn’t seem to love speed so I had to stand quietly and hope she didn’t notice me. This is a lens where I’d pick my position, set up and wait for the shot if I were zoomed in.
Again, first let me show you how far away from her I was and what the kit lens did. The first is with the XC16-50mmF3.5-5.6 in the closed position and the second is extended.
Now this is the result when I used the XC50-230mm. The first photo is with it in resting and the second is extended.
Ah the duck face…she’s so cute!
After using the lens for a while, I am happy with its performance. This is a true compliment to a camera I’ve fallen in love with and the price point makes it accessible to the middle of the road photographer such as myself.
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WIN a FUJIX-A2 kit + XC50-230mm lens!!!!
I’m excited to announce that FUJIFILM Canada has partnered with This Lil Piglet and Sober Julie to give away 1 FUJIFILM X-A2 digital camera AND 1 FUJINON LENS XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II telephoto lens valued at OVER $1000 to one lucky Canadian winner! Open to Canada residents of age of the majority in their province, excluding Quebec.
It’s easy to enter, just tell me what you would like to take a picture of, up close with this telephoto zoom lens, in the comments below and fill in the form for a chance to win. Good luck!
Disclosure: I was provided product in order to facilitate this review, all opinions are my own.
i would take a closeup of the chipmunk that visits our backyard :D
i would take pics of butterflies and flowers and of course mini
There are a few spots in Montreal I’d like to photograph!
I would love to win this camera, I think I would take a lot of pictures outdoors of animals plants and natural settings
Waterfalls.
I would love to get close to the whales off the coast here!
That’s easy. My first grandchild is due in August and pictures will definitely be of him.
i would like to take pics of the birds in my area
I would take some pics of wildlife in the area such as deer.
I would love to get pictures of the bald eagles in our area.
I would love to take some nature shots out at the lake!
I like to photograph local sports. The zoom is particularly useful with football and soccer.
Id LOVE to take some close ups in the beautiful mountains and LOTS of my kids!
I would take close ups of the many blue jays that have been fluttering around the forested area behind my home :)
Would love to take a close up of one of my turkeys, they all have such great personalities and one has a robin egg coloured blue neck.
I would love to take some awesome shots of my son and the dog, I think this would be so fantastic, thanks for the chance to win
I would take a close up picture of a bees nest in my yard, or maybe a birds nest, or some deer that I keep seeing! I live in the country, so there are a lot of wildlife and bugs i could take pictures of!
I’d love to be able to get zoomed pictures when my daughter is playing volleyball…to capture the look on her face while she plays.
Since I spend most of my time in the garden, I would be taking pictures of our school garden, students working in the garden, and observing the creatures that come to visit our garden!
I would give this to my daughter in University who is studying visual arts and takes all kinds of beautiful pictures!!
I would love to take close ups of my two little girls. They are growing so quick. With a point shoot I can only do so much. But the lens on this camera is amazing. The zoom, pixels,coloring, and aperture is absolutely amazing.
I would love to take some up close shots of my cat Goldie or take it outside and take pictures of flowers in my garden.
I do a lot of baking so I’d like to be able to take close up pictures of the baking I do, so I can share it and them with friends
I’d love to take a great photo of my nephews – their cheeks are so adorable!
Like to take better photos of my daughter and concerts we attend.
I’d love to take pictures up close of the local plants and flowers on my favourite walking trail.
I’d be taking a lot of pictures of our bunnies and the flowers..oh and the 11 year old
I’m getting into photographing bugs in the garden. Partly to find out what they are but partly because they look amazing close up!
I would love to get up close to nature..birds, flowers, insects and butterflies
I love nature and visiting gardens, so I would take close up photos of different flowers and plants.
I wouldn’t know where to start. I’d be a complete shutterbug taking photos of my garden’s plants and flowers, my resident hummingbirds and other feathered frequent fliers that grace my backyard with their presence. My dog Tracker would definitely be a constantly photographed subject.
I love taking scenic & pet photos, so it would be great to take a pic of my dog with beautiful Mother Nature as a backdrop.
I would love to take this on my many adventures overseas to capture the beauty up close and personal of this world.
My family
sunshine
we have a small pond in our backyard that has over 40 frogs in it. I would love to take some pond activity pictures of them.
I would love to get some up close photos of my kids!
I will take a close up of my son. He’s too cute to not take a ton of pictures of :)
I will take pictures of my children at play!
I love taking nature shots and think they would look amazing up close with this camera!
My little niece who is only a few weeks old and is such a doll
takes some pictures of birds
i would love to take pictures of my grandsons and of my hubby and son
I’d like to take photos of all the creatures & animals that I can’t sneak up on & of architecture that is too high up to get a close shot of!
I would like to take a picture up close of my family with this telephoto zoom lens.
My cat. The answer is ALWAYS pictures of my cat.
I would love to take pictures of birds close up.
i would like to take pics of the fox and other wildlife in my area
I would like to get a closeup of the CN Tower.
I would take glorious pictures of the lake, my grandchildren and my dogs!! :)
I would love some great close up pictures of my 3 year old girl, we don’t own a camera only use our phones and I just don’t feel like we have quality pictures of her oh and I saw a bald eagle just sitting in the field the other day and tried to get a good picture but could not so I’d love to have a great camera like this to have detailed up close pictures :)
Concerts, people, nature and my pets
the birds high up in my trees
I love to take photos of flora and fauna! Sometimes you can take photos of animals from a far and it seems up close!
I’ll admit, I would likely use this camera in the garden as well. I’m such a shutter bug with a zoom lens and flowers all around. Bliss!
I’d love to take up close photos of the flowers in my mom’s garden, and the birds that frequent her bird feeders.
I enjoy taking portraits of my family and friends! I love candid moments too!
I would take some pictures of flowers.
We are going to Mexico in January for my sister’s wedding. I’d love to be able to capture some great moments for her.
i want to take a close up photos of the flowers and insects in the park near my house
I would love to take pictures of my pets, bugs Yes. my grandson thinks this is pretty cool!), my grandkids and my pets.
My daughter wants a camera so bad. This would be perfect for her. Thank you for this chance.
I’ll take pictures of our family get together and hopefully our trip to Hong Kong in the New Year.
My fluffy kitty :)
I would love to take pictures of all the visiting hummingbirds in our yard! They are so colorful and amazing!
We have an osprey nest down from our house, I’d take some shots of the osprey youngsters.
I would take photos of the wildlife in our back yard!
I would take some pictures of the many birds we get to our feeders in our backyard. I have tried with my point and shoot camera, but it just doesn’t get close enough. And maybe, like you, to get some shots of family members who seem to clam up if I get too close.
I’d take the camera with me on my hikes — lots of capture in nature!
I would like to zoom in on some of the hawks that fly around here.
I would love to take pictures up close with this telephoto zoom lens of the birds that visit my feeders.
There is an Owl with some babies up in a tree near my place….. I would love to zoom into them. :) :)
I’d love to get some up close shots of my grandchildren. I am spending a lot of time with then this summer and have seen many “moments” I would like to catch. Having a telephoto lens would make getting these shots a lot easier.
id love to take pictures of my kids!
This time of year my first would be my flowers, wild life ., birds and nature in the mountain parks!
I would take close ups of all the criiters we get here, toads, frogs, tree frogs, salamanders and dragon flies to name just a few
I would love to take close up’s of the flowers, bird, our pets (2 ferrets and 2 dogs) and of course my boys love the faces they make
This would be great for taking outdoor shots of wildlife and gardens. The zoom lens would be ideal!
I do not own a camera so this would be super awesome, I would take close ups of my granddaughter, the ones that they do not know about are the best pictures!!
I would like to take pictures of my kids and their amazing creations!
I would love to take close up photos of the loons on the lake at the cottage.
great camera, takes wonderful pics, my grandaughter would love it as she is an avid photograpgher
For me it would be a combination of wildlife and my family.
I would take pictures of my kids!
There would be so much to take photos of but my all time would be waterfalls as they are so beautiful. I’m an avid photographer and this would be a nice camera to win.
I would like to take a picture of my cat when he is playing outside,running through the trees and getting into mischief,
I would love to take close ups of the beautiful flowers and hummingbirds in my mom’s beautiful garden.
I’d take an up close picture of the butterflies and hummingbirds in my garden.
I would love to take some up close photos of birds and their nests without disturbing them!
My son has beautiful eyes with gorgeous, long eyelashes. I’d love to capture a zoomed in, clear detailed photo of those eyes mommy loves!
My kids , my dog , my family , friends, nature , vacations , oh so many things , i love to take pictures , it makes me feel so calm and its so fun
The cool critters around my dad’s garden!
We have all sorts of wildlife visiting our backyard on a regular basis. I would like to get photos of them.
I would take amazing photos of my children, the beautiful forest and wildlife right behind my house and my dogs:)
My daughter is studying to be a pastry chef, and she loves food photography. She uses her iphone to take pics but I know the phone does not come close to doing justice to the beautiful food she creates. This camera would help her to take awesome photos to put into her portfolio!
I would take pictures of my DD\s and all of the wonderful things we see on our farm during the summer months.
I would love to be able to take close ups of the Humming Birds at my window feeder
I would photograph the wildlife that runs away when I get too close if I won this camera.
I woud love to photograph some birds that come and feed on my deck!
“All the things!”
I would take a close up picture of the flowers in my garden.
I would like to take pictures of butterflies with a telephoto zoom lens.
I would love to take a close up pic of nature and the flowers in my garden!!!
I love to take pictures of my food!
I do a lot of nature pics, and I’d love this for getting zoomed in shots of wildlife, especially birds, while we are out exploring.
There is so much urban wildlife in my neighbourhood that I can’t get close enough to- this would definitely help
I would take a picture of my dog Ty!
My plate of bacon
I would like to take pictures of my kids!
I would love to do a closeup photo of the poppies I have growing
I’d capture images of everything that I find interesting and inspirational.
I’d like to take an up close picture of a bear
I would love to get some great close ups of my dog Merli in the dandelions.
I would love to take photos of my toddler playing outside with the camera.
As a watercolourist I would take a photo of a gorgeous hibiscus flower and then paint a watercolour from the photo. I love painting nature especially flowers. They are beautiful miracles!
As a watercolourist I would love to photograph a beautiful hibiscus flower close up and then paint from that photo. I love nature especially flowers they are little miracles.
similar to Joy I have been playing photo tag with our chipmunk. I have some great shots of her/him eating my plants. I also would love the zoom when traveling
I love the Leica style of the camera body. What a bonus to not have to load film!
The package will let me shoot landscapes as well as closeups of flora.
I like taking photos of plants and nature with my cell phone, I imagine my pics would be a million times better with this camera!
A nesting Bald Eagle.
Any bird of prey.
I would photograph landscapes and nature!
I would love to take pictures of my grandchildren and the rest of the family. This would be an awesome camera to own.
I’d love to take photos of wildlife up close.
I’d love to take a closeup of the owl in my backyard.
i love taking close ups of hummingbirds
my hummingbirds
i’d take a picture of the flowers in my garden
pictures of butterflies
My one year old granddaughter
I’d love to take some close ups of butterflies and bees on flowers. It would also be cool to get some close ups of my pets.
I would like to take pictures of my Children, they are growing so fast and I want to capture every special moment.
i would take picture of my grandbabes
Photos of grandson while playing sporting events
I love taking pics of my kiddies (cats) awesome family members Xx
This would be great for the kids’ school concerts. I can never get close enough to really get a good shot.
I would love to try and take some macro shots of bees I find them fun to watch and the plus side it you usually get a shot of a flower in the background
My son starts hockey this year! This sounds like the perfect camera/lens for that.
It would be fantastic to win a FUJIFILM X-A2 digital camera
and FUJINON LENS XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II telephoto lens.
In response to your question of
What would you like to take a picture of, up close with this telephoto zoom lens?
I would like to take a picture of my two cats.
Thank you for having this giveaway.
I would love a chance to win this prize. I’ve wanted a nice camera for so long. Given the chance to win this I would take close up shots of the flowers in my garden. I have so many varieties.
My kids at play without them knowing I am taking pictures
I’d take pictures of my family and some close-ups of the beautiful flowers in our gardens.
I would take closeups of my beautiful family!
i love photography and Id take close up pics of flowers- so intricricate and pretty
I am entering as a gift for my mother! She loves looking out the window of her kitchen, with binoculars, to see the different birds that are attracted to her many bird feeders. I think she would love to take close-up pictures of the birds!
I would give this amazing prize to my daughter. I’m sure she’ll take lots of selfies and pics of her friends.
I’d like to take pictures of the birds in my backyard
I would love to take pictures of my granddaughters, flowers, birds and the Rocky mountains!
Our garden has the coolest bugs. I’d love to shoot that close up :)
The flowers in my parent’s garden
I would like to take a picture of a tiger
I would take close ups of my pups!!!
I would LOVE to take pictures of my kids and my dog and flowers and the sky and my food, simply everything. I don’t have a camera other then my phone and always hoped I’d have a nice camera one day, however always other priorities. This would be amazing to win, Thank you so very much for the chance. I sure would be the happiest woman in the world if I won this. <3
Love to take some close ups of flowers and butterflies
That last bit of green poking up through the firest snowfall as in an at of defiance.
I would love to get up close and snap a pic of the Great White Sharks lurking in our Nova Scotia Waters
We just adopted an adorable kitten and would love to capture his curiosity and how quickly he grows. Thanks for the chance!
I’m a gardener and I would love to take some close up pictures of my flowers and garden settings. Finding out about plants or bugs is also easier with a good clear picture.
I would love to take an up close picture of my cats beautiful eyes :)
I would take a photo of my son’s eyes!!! :)
I love taking close up pictures of my cats. Zooming in on their cute little feet or their ears or my black cats white armpits (it’s adorable!) is something I probably do too often…
Id like to go back in the woods and take a nice picture of the wildlife.
I would take pictures of everything, that is what I do. It would be fabulous to be using a better camera and lens, just thinking about the potential photos I could take makes me excited. Mountains, lakes, buildings, people, stormy skies…
things that need repair around the house
Food, always food lol
I would take a close up of a small mouth bass in the lake. It would be so cool to have this photo taken by this camera
I would love to take pictures of my delicious food, especially on cruises .
I would like to zoom in on the hummingbird in my back garden.
I would like to take pictures of my flower garden, up close with this telephoto zoom lens.
I’ve never had a real camera, this one looks beautiful <3 I would love to take some nice pictures of my kids and family :) thank you xo
wildlife
I take pictures of my ferrets (I have 4 ) as well as the flowers in my yard and around town (When I go for my walks) I would also take pictures of my family. I take a ton of pictures and post them on instagram all the time!!
I love doing nature photography. I’d go to the Humber valley and see what amazing creatures I can capture.
My cat , dog , birds & shoes that people wear
I would take pictures of all the different hummingbirds that come to feed on my front porch. they are all so individual and so beautiful
I would take pictures of the birds constantly waking me up the morning. The same 3 birds.
I would take a picture of my daughter’s beautiful eyes and smile
I would love to take some close up shots of my baby girl!
We have the best sunsets. I would love to be able to capture them with a great camera!
We purchased some acreage last year. On it there are 2 ponds with a variety of wildlife species. I would love to get photos of some of the ducks on the pond. A camera and lens like this would help me better identify what is out there!
I would first take pictures of my dog & cat. Then I’d love to do landscape shots.
would take pics of butterflies
Hi Julie! I would use the lens to take close up photos of the faces of my 2 year old son, nephews and nieces. I want to start a project where I capture their expressions up close every year so I can / can show them how their features have changed over the years. Cheers! @savvari
I would take a picture of the beautiful eagle that I see almost daily on my walk!
If I would I would be taking a lot of pictures of my children and nature
I would love to take a close up of a thistle plant that I see on my walks through town . I love thistles and it is the ones with the purple crown just love them .
I would take pictures of my garden growing
I would love to take some nature shots with this awesome camera!
I would take pictures of my household plants
I would love to take pictures of my 4 year old niece when she’s dancing on stage in group competition!
Family photos
I would love to take some pictures of the humming birds that visit my garden in the mornings.
Those are some beautiful morning glories in your yard
Probably both of my kids would get photographed a lot :))
I live at the lake, in the middle of the boreal forest and guess where my last camera ended up- you got it, I slipped last week and the camera ended up in the water and is now a goner! I love to take pictures of the flowers and forest that surrounds me.
Sure could use a new camera!!
If I won this cameras I would take pictures of everything…everywhere. I love pictures and sitting looking at photos is a fun family event. Oh the memories i could make if only I had a camera. Thanks for the chance to win.
I’d take pics of my 3 nieces, they would take nature shots everywhere
The coming changing seasons – ohhh fall you’re so close I cannot wait! (Sorry to all the summer lovers.)
I would like to take a picture of my son as he leaves for university. That way I will have a reminder of how much he has grown each time he visit home.
I’d take photos of my little granddaughter in the garden. :o)
I would love to take some up close pictures of nature that we find on our hikes through the Niagara Escarpment.
I would photograph the Osprey family near our cottage or all the Canada geese on the lake. Thanks for the chance! Great shots and that lens looks awesome!
I would love to take some photos of my family with this camera and I would also love to take some outdoor shots of some animals at the provincial park we always visit! Thanks for the chance to win this awesome camera! :)
I’d like to take better pictures at events I go to instead of just using my cellphone.