10.02.2021 Ari Amphibia

LENS STORIES: Ari Amphibia x XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

Ari Amphibia

I became interested in photography in middle school by being the school’s documentation team but I started to get familiar with landscape photography in 2009, when I reunited with some of my school friends. There are so many islands and cultures in Indonesia that makes me love to document it so people could enjoy them. Because of landscape photography, I met a lot of people, I saw a lot of unique culture, and it makes me travel a lot. At first, photography was just a hobby and a side job for me but then it became more professional and serious. Now, I conduct workshop photography, coaching clinic, and private or group photo trip. I first started using Fujifilm X-E1 camera in 2013 and eventually in 2015 I joined Fujifilm Indonesia X-Team Photographer.

Through Fujifilm Indonesia X-Team I met lots of amazing people that made me learnt a lot of things such as human portrait, street photography, documentary, photo journalism, et cetera. Also i received several awards from Thailand & Philippine tour and tourism board for tourism promotion and local company photo challenge.

Landscape and travelling are inseparable. In order to photograph landscape, we have to go through the process of travelling. During that process, I really need a gear that is simple and efficient, therefore I can bring other travelling equipment. I can’t predict the situation, condition or the weather that will occur when travelling or taking landscape photos, especially in places like mountains and beaches. I could be faced with various conditions and weather, such as extreme temperature, snow, rain, or even volcanic ash. Hence, I need a camera and lens that are impervious to all kinds of weather, so they could support me when I’m taking pictures, anytime and anywhere.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

Besides a camera that is resistant to all kinds of weather, when I’m hunting for landscape photos I usually bring three types of lenses, which are : wide lens, medium lens, and tele lens. And certainly I need a weather resistant feature for all three types of lenses. Recently, My alternative for wide lens is Fujinon XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR that had just launched. As for the medium lens, I’m using FUJINON XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR. Other than having a faster Auto Focus, This new generation of lenses also have a lighter physique and certainly resistant to all weather.

Previously, I used FUJINON XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS tele lens when I’m travelling or photographing landscape because of its lightweight physique and lower price. However, it does not have a weather resistant feature and other features.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

When I heard that Fujifilm was about to release a new tele lens with a new focal length range, I was really excited and could not wait to give it a try. This Fujifilm tele lens with a focal length of 70-300 mm can be my new alternative for capturing landscape objects in the distance. With a physique that is light, practical, dimensions that resembles XF 55-200 lens, and an affordable price but has various features such as Focus Limiter Switch, Zoom Lock, can be paired with TCL 1.4x or 2x and also weather resistant really boost my confidence to turn away from XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS when travelling and taking landscape photos. Imagine you are carrying a small lens with a focal length of 70-300 mm but have a super tele photo ability because it can be extended to 600 mm with TCL 2x (eq : 900 mm) but has a small and light body.

With this FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens, I can be more creative on producing captivating photos. I can explore various shooting angles and compositions with the new focal length range of this Fujinon lens.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | 70mm

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | 100mm

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR |127mm

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | 185mm

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR | 300mm

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR + XF2X TC WR | 600mm

My experience on using this lens have been very pleasant. Apart from the weather resistant feature, there is also a feature that is really helpful, which is Focus Limiter. This feature can change focusing lens range from 5 meter to infinity or vice versa. Its function is to speed up the process of locking the focus on distant objects above 5 meters to infinity. Even focusing on close range objects is not a problem. By changing the Switch Focus Limiter to Full Range, you have activated its macro feature. This Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens only requires 80 cm for its minimum range of focus, either in focal length 70 mm or 300 mm, even in 600 mm when paired with Tele Converter Lens 2x, it’s amazing!. This is really helpful when I’m shooting because I will not run out of material when taking landscape photos. Apart from the entire photo, long and medium range photos, I can also make detailed photos with this lens.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

The zoom lock switch in this lens is very helpful when I’m hunting for photos. Usually without lens locking, the zoom cylinder slip out on its own and it is sometimes inconvenient. I think the Focus Limiter Switch and Zoom Lock switch feature is adopted from Fujinon XF 100-400 F/4.5-5.6 LM OIS WR.

After trying for a while, the image quality and photo resolution that this lens creates is better than my XF 55-200 lens. A great upgrade in terms of photo quality. The chromatic aberration is well controlled in high contrast scenes that I have encountered. The Auto Focus speed performance also increases. The difference is very distinct from XF 55-200 mm.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

Overall, this Fujinon XF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens has a compact physique and it is not heavy. So, whenever I’m travelling or photo hunting, I can still bring other essential gears. Other than that, if 300 mm focal length is not far enough, we can still combine it with TCL 1.4 or 2x, so that we can have a 600 mm focal length. Not to mention if it is equivalent to 1.5x, it is the same as having a super tele lens with compact size and light

when taking landscape photos. The macro shooting x0.3 Macro feature (x0.5 macro 35 mm equivalent level) helps me to produce various detailed photos, especially with a close focus distance up to 80 cm at a focal length of 300 mm or 600 mm when being paired with Tele Converter Lens. Not to mention the Focus Limiter feature and weather resistant feature. If Fujifilm puts out a reasonable price range then that is what makes this lens unique and special from any other Tele lens. A combination of features that are hard to find in other brands.

X-T4 & XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR