The Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20 marked a bit of a change for Fujifilm. With these cameras it moved away from its classic retro camera design and chose instead a more mainstream control layout designed to appeal to a broader market. They also brought in-body stabilization, a compact, ergonomic design and, with the X-S20 in particular, advanced video features.
These two cameras are amongst the best Fujfilm cameras to get right now and two of the best cameras for travel. They are also amongst the best cameras for vlogging, and the powerful video features in the Fujifilm X-S20 put it right up there amongst the best cameras for filmmakers.
But what are the best lenses to get for the Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20? We’ve kept in mind these cameras’ affordable price points, so we’ve kept our list to realistically-priced mid-range lenses that still pack a punch. Some of the best Fujifilm lenses are also some of the largest and most expensive, and won’t necessarily balance well on the small X-S10 and X-S20 bodies.
We’ve kept in mind that these cameras are well suited to traveling light, and we’ve chosen lenses accordingly. We’ve also included a couple of old-school pocket-sized prime lenses, of the type that Fujifilm does so well, and these can be especially effective for filmmakers and gimbal users – so we’re not forgetting video shooters, either.
That’s quite a mix of user types and lens requirements, but one way or another we think we’ve got pretty much every user type and scenario covered. The Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20 are great little cameras, and here are the lenses that will help you get the best out of them.
Best lenses for the Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20
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Best compact zoom for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
It would be tempting to dismiss the XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ as a cheap plastic kit lens that’s not worthy of proper attention, but that would be a mistake. Cheap it is, but it also has an extremely useful extra wide 22.5-67.5mm focal range – that’s wider than ‘pro’ standard zooms. The optical quality is about what you would expect at this price – decent but not stellar – and while the electrically-driven power zoom might be handy for video, it can also feel irritatingly vague and sluggish for stills photography. But don’t lose sight of the fact this is a decent lens at a really low price that’s also unusually useful for a ‘kit’ zoom.
See our full Fujifilm XC15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ review
Best extended standard zoom for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
If you want an upgrade to a ‘standard’ zoom, then one option is to go for a ‘pro’ constant-aperture f/2.8 lens, like the Fujinon XF16-55mm F2.8. But that is a massive lens that feels out of place on the X-S10 and X-S20. The Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR makes a very interesting alternative. It has a smaller f/4 maximum aperture, but a much longer 5x 24-120mm zoom range. It also has optical stabilization – useful if you have a non-stabilized Fujifilm body – and a physical aperture ring. There are compromises. The XF16-80mm does lose a little sharpness at longer zoom settings, and it is still a fairly big lens to put on the compact X-S10 and X-S20 bodies, but it is a very versatile and well-made lens that’s especially attractive if you can get it with the X-S10 or X-S20 as a kit.
See our full Fujifilm XF 16-80mmF4 R OIS WR review
Best wide-angle zoom for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
We think every photographer needs an ultra-wide zoom in their kit bags, and while some think of these as ‘landscape’ lenses for capturing extra-wide vistas, we think they’re more useful for travel photography, architecture and interiors. The Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR is the best ultra-wide zoom for the X-S10 and X-S20. It’s a big lens, true, but the pro-level XF8-16mm F2.8 is bigger still! If lens size is a concern, and you’re not sure you’ll use an ultra-wide lens all that often, you could also consider the XF8mm F3.5. This dinky little prime is cheaper than the XF10-24mm and wider too.
See our full Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR review
Best budget telephoto zoom for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
If you’ve any interest at all in wildlife or sports photography, you’re going to need a telephoto lens. These actually have a real value outside these two fields too – they can be great for outdoor portrait photography and even for landscapes, where the perspective-flattening effects of the longer focal length can add drama and scale to your compositions. This is one of Fujifilm’s XC lenses, so it’s designed for value more than optical performance. Nevertheless, it delivers decent results and it opens the door to a much wider range of photographic subjects without a huge cash outlay.
See our full Fujifilm XC50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS II review
Best telephoto zoom for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
The Fujinon XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS II (above) is all right as an introduction to long range photography or occasional use, but if you’re serious about sports or wildlife photography then sooner or later you’ll want a lens with better optical performance, faster focusing and weatherproofing – and the Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR ticks all three boxes. Fujifilm does make even better telephoto zooms than this one, but the cost and the weight escalate rapidly, and we think this is the best option for Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20 owners. By the time you’re ready for a better telephoto, you’re probably eyeing up a better camera too, like the high-speed pro-spec Fujifilm X-H2S.
See our full Fujifilm XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR review
Best wide prime for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
What we like about the Fujifilm X-S10 and X-S20 is just how compact these cameras are, and what we like even more is that Fujifilm makes a range of compact and affordable no-nonsense prime lenses that are just as compact. The Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR might look rather tame on paper – f/2.8 is a pretty modest maximum aperture for a 24mm equivalent lens – but when you get to pick one up and use it, you realize just how effective and likable this lens is. If anyone is reading this who started out with 35mm film SLRs, then this is the size that lenses used to be! The Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR is no cheap lightweight, though – it has a physical aperture ring and weather sealing, and good optical performance too.
Best street lens for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
The Fujifilm X100 VI ,and the X100 V before it, have had an incredible response, but these are expensive cameras with fixed lenses. You can get a 35mm equivalent f/2 lens for regular Fujifilm cameras too, and this is it. It’s a little longer physically than the lens on the X100 V/VII, but optically it’s just as good, if not better. This is the ideal ‘street photography’ lens to use with the X-S10 and X-S20. It has a physical aperture ring, fast and quiet AF (not necessarily an X100 V/VI strong point) and weather sealing. It doesn’t have the specs of the Fujinon XF23mm F1.4, but that’s a bigger and more expensive lens, and on the X-S10 and X-S20, we actually like this more.
See our full Fujifilm XF 23mm F/2R WR review
Best macro lens for Fujifilm X-S10/X-S20
This will be a controversial lens amongst macro photographers! That’s because it doesn’t achieve the full 1:1 reproduction ratio of a true ‘macro’ lens, but a 0.5x ratio that still allows pretty extreme close-ups but isn’t quite the real deal in the world of macros. But we include it because it has another use – its f/2.4 maximum aperture makes it a useful short telephoto prime lens that could also be handy for portrait photography. Having said that, if people shots are your thing, it might be worth paying the extra for the Fujinon XF56mm F1.2.
Read our full XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro review
