Fuji X-Mount Lenses for Infrared
In this video, I’ll take a look at which X-mount lenses which work well with infrared photography. Most lenses are designed and tested to work in visible light. In some cases, these will work fine for Infrared. However, some lenses can display a hot spot of light in the center of the image, particularly at higher numbered apertures. Lenses with visible hot spots at all apertures are not recommended for IR photography.
Recommended Lenses
Infrared photography utilizes camera lenses designed for visible light, not infrared light, combined with various filters types from various manufacturers. While the lenses on this list have been reported to work well with infrared photography from a variety of sources, this is not a guarantee. Links may be affiliate links.
| Lens | Filter Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀67mm | |
| Fujinon XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR | ⌀72mm | |
| Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀67mm | |
| Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀77mm | |
| Venus Optics Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye | n/a1 | |
| Lensbaby 5.8mm f/3.5 Circular Fisheye | n/a1 | |
| Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D | ⌀49mm2 | |
| Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R | ⌀58mm | |
| 7artisans 18mm f/6.3 cap lens | n/a1 | |
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R | ⌀62mm | |
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR | ⌀43mm | |
| Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 | ⌀52mm | |
| Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R | ⌀52mm | |
| Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR | ⌀43mm | |
| Lensbaby Burnside 35mm f/2.8 | ⌀62mm | |
| Lensbaby Sol 45 45mm f/3.5 | ⌀46mm | |
| Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR | ⌀46mm | |
| Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Silver or Black | ⌀62mm | |
| Venus Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO | ⌀52mm | |
| Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.8 | ⌀67mm |
Complete List
Wide Zooms
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujinon XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ | ⌀52mm | mixed results | |
| Fujinon XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II | ⌀58mm | f/8 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR | n/a1 | f/2.8 only | |
| Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS | ⌀72mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR | ⌀77mm | f/6.4 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS | ⌀58mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR | ⌀72mm | faint hot spots | |
| Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR | ⌀72mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀67mm |
Telephoto Zooms
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujinon XC 50-230mm f/4-6.7 OIS II | ⌀58mm | mixed results | |
| Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS | ⌀62mm | f/8 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR | ⌀72mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀67mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR | ⌀77mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR | ⌀62mm |
Fisheye / Super-wide Primes
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venus Optics Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye | n/a1 | ||
| Lensbaby 5.8mm f/3.5 Circular Fisheye | n/a1 | ||
| Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye | n/a1 | f/5.6 and lower | |
| Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D | ⌀49mm2 | ||
| Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS | ⌀67mm | f/5.6 and lower | |
| Samyang 12mm f/2.0 AF | ⌀62mm |
Wide Primes
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF | ⌀67mm | f/5.6 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R | ⌀58mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR | ⌀67mm | f/5.6 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR | ⌀49mm | f/5.6 and lower | |
| Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary | ⌀67mm | Sony version has hot spots. | |
| Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR | ⌀62mm | no reports | |
| Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R | ⌀52mm | ||
| 7artisans 18mm f/6.3 cap lens | n/a1 | ||
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R | ⌀62mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR | ⌀58mm | no reports | |
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR | ⌀43mm | ||
| Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 XF | ⌀52mm |
Normal Primes
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR | ⌀39mm | ||
| Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary | ⌀52mm | ||
| Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 | ⌀52mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR | ⌀58mm | f/2 and lower | |
| Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 | ⌀52mm | ||
| Fujifilm XC 35mm f/2 | ⌀43mm | no reports | |
| Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R | ⌀52mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR | ⌀43mm | ||
| Lensbaby Burnside 35mm f/2.8 | ⌀62mm | swirling bokeh & vignette | |
| Lensbaby Sol 45 45mm f/3.5 | ⌀46mm |
Telephoto Primes
| Lens | Filter Size | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR | ⌀46mm | ||
| Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8M Macro | ⌀52mm | f/8 and lower | |
| Fujinon XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR | ⌀77mm | no reports | |
| Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R | ⌀62mm | ||
| Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Silver or Black | ⌀62mm | glow | |
| Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary | ⌀55mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro | ⌀39mm | ||
| Venus Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO | ⌀52mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 80mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro | ⌀62mm | ||
| Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.8 | ⌀67mm | glow | |
| Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 XF II | ⌀72mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR | ⌀62mm | ||
| Fujinon XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR | ⌀105mm | f/4 and lower |
Teleconverters
| Teleconverter | |
|---|---|
| Fujinon XF 1.4x TC WR | |
| Fujinon XF 2x TC WR |
Compact Cameras with Prime Lenses
| Fujifilm X100 | |
| Fujifilm X100S | |
| Fujifilm X100T | |
| Fujifilm X100F | |
| Fujifilm X100V | |
| Fujifilm X30 | |
| Fujifilm X70 | |
| Fujifilm XF10 |
Sources
- Testing lenses I own
- LifePixel Lens Hot Spot Testing Database
- Kolari Vision Lens Hotspot Database
- X Photography Fuji Infrared Lens Tests
- Comments on above this video.
More Lenses for Infrared Photography
Updates
- 2022-04-17 - Added report for Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF.
- 2022-04-15 - Added report for Samyang 12mm f/2.0 AF.
- 2022-02-21 - Added report for Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4.
- 2022-02-15 - Added report for Fujifilm X100 series.
- 2022-01-30 - Added report on Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR.
- 2022-01-28 - Added filter sizes for all lenses.
- 2022-01-13 - Added Venus Optics Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye. Added threaded filter size to all recommended lenses.
- 2021-12-21 - Added Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR.
- 2021-11-08 - Added Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR.
- 2021-05-31 - Added Lensbaby Sol 45 45mm f/3.5.
- 2021-05-04 - Added Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 XF.
- 2021-04-06 - Added caution about using step-up rings with Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D.
- 2021-03-20 - Added report on Fujinon XF 80mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro.
- 2020-11-30 - Added report on 7artisans 18mm f/6.3 cap lens.
- 2020-09-21 - Added report on Fujinon XF 200mm f/2.
- 2020-08-31 - Since YouTube is not the best medium for maintaining a changing list, I’ve added a complete list below of all of the lenses addressed in the video and will update based on feedback and comments. This adds the Venus Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO.
- 2020-08-29 - Based on images that I’ve seen, I’m removing the XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR from my recommended list and calling it Mixed. In some conditions, the lens produces a broad and dim hot spot, similar to the XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR. Based on feedback from viewers who have had great results, I’m upgrading both the XC 15-45 f.3.5-5.6 OIS PZ and XC 50-230mm f/4-6.7 OIS II from No to Mixed. They may work perfectly with some IR filters and poorly with others.
Comments
If you have comments, questions or feedback, use the comment section for this video.
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This lens does not support front lens threaded filters. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8
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The Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D supports filters with a 49mm filter thread. When using a larger-sized filter with step-up rings, the rings may be visible due to the extreme wide angle of the lens. Recommend using only 49mm filters with this lens. ↩ ↩2
