Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-55 mm f/2.8 R LM WR
8. Vignetting
There are even less problems in the middle of the focal range because a vignetting level, reaching just 11% (−0.33 EV), can be visible only with the lens wide open.
The maximum focal length is the most problematic: by f/2.8 there is 20% (−0.66 EV) of loss of light. On stopping down to f/4.0 the vignetting decreases to 12% (−0.38 EV), and by f/5.6 it disappears practically completely(7%).
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Still the real situation can be observed only by analyzing RAW files developed with independent software. The thumbnails below give you some ideas about the true vignetting performance.
16 mm, f/2.8 | 16 mm, f/4.0 |
35 mm, f/2.8 | 35 mm, f/4.0 |
55 mm, f/2.8 | 55 mm, f/4.0 |
At a difficult combination of wide angle and f/2.8 you have to take into account 46% (−1.78 EV) of brightness loss. It’s a lot. The rival instruments produced by Canon, Nikon and Sigma fared a bit better here but their task was a bit easier too as they all start from the 17 mm focal length. If you look at the Tokina and the Sony with 16 mm as the shortest focal length the results of the Fujinon are actually slightly better because the vignetting of those rival lenses reached 49%.
On stopping down the aperture to f/4.0 you can limit the vignetting to a still distinct level of 34% (−1.18 EV). Even by f/5.6 and f/8.0 that aberration remains noticeable as it gets to, respectively, 24% (−0.78 EV) and 19% (−0.62 EV).
A bit better situation can be observed in the middle of the focal range. At the maximum relative aperture the vignetting is 26% (−0.89 EV) and it decreases to 18% (−0.57 EV), on stopping down the lens to f/4.0. The problem disappears almost completely by f/5.6 where that aberration reaches just 12% (−0.38 EV).
At the maximum focal length you can observe another increase of vignetting. By f/2.8 we got a value of 42% (−1.60 EV), and by f/4.0 it was 29% (−1.01 EV). On stopping down the lens to f/5.6, the vignetting level becomes lower (17% so −0.55 EV), and after further limiting the aperture to f/8.0 it decreases to 11% (−0.35 EV).