The Fujinon XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS ($399.95) is a kit lens, a class of affordable zoom that's often tossed in at a discount when you buy a camera, and is aimed squarely at photographers who are just getting started with interchangeable lenses. It captures wider views and is just as easy to carry as the long running XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ that Fuji bundles with some of its cameras, but the wider coverage comes with a cost—the 13-33mm sacrifices zoom power, doesn't blur backgrounds as readily, and omits the video friendly power zoom feature from the 15-45mm. The wider coverage is handy for cityscapes, architecture, and epic vistas, but it falls short as a do-it-all for everyday photography. It's a good deal if you're getting it at a discount, but if you're not buying a new camera, you're better off stretching your budget to get a lens like our Editors' Choice, the Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD ($799.99), which justifies its higher price with more zoom power and a brighter, background-blurring aperure.

Design: A Tiny, Retractable Zoom

The XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS is one of the smallest, lightest zoom lenses you'll find. It's made with a retractable design that pulls the optical block into the lens barrel for storage and transport, and telescopes out with a twist to start taking photos. Because of this, the lens measures just 1.5 by 2.4 inches (HD) at its shortest, versus 3.3 by 2.4 inches when extended and ready to take photos. It's light at 4.4 ounces, works with 49mm front filters, and supports optical stabilization, too.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I'll admit, it's a feat to make a zoom this small, especially one that catches such a wide angle to start. There are trade-offs versus larger, pricier lenses, though. The 13-33mm doesn't have that much zoom power, nor does it have a bright aperture, so it's not a great choice for use in dim light or for background-blurring portraits. The Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 betters it for sure, though it is a lot more to carry at 4.7 by 2.9 inches and 1.2 pounds. There are lightweight options to consider, though; the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary (2.9 by 2.6 inches, 10.2 ounces) and Fujifilm XF 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 R LM WR (2.8 by 2.6 inches, 8.5 ounces) are standout small zooms for the Fuji X system.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Apart from the optical glass inside, the XC 13-33mm is all plastic, even the bayonet mount that attaches to the camera. It doesn't feel chintzy, though. Fuji uses sturdy polycarbonate materials that can hold up to everyday use. And while the plastic mount isn't as durable as the metal connection that most lenses use, it has hardly any weight to support.

Controls and Focus: As Basic as It Gets

The XC 13-33mm keeps the controls simple. It has a zoom ring to change the focal length, along with a manual focus ring. I expect most creators starting out with the lens will use autofocus, but the manual focus experience is quite good. The focus ring turns with a little bit of resistance; it doesn't feel loose or sloppy, and there's no discernible lag. Autofocus is fast and quiet. The lens switches from distant to close subjects in a snap.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The zoom focuses to 7.9 inches throughout its range, so it gets its best macro and close-up photos at the 33mm setting. Its magnification rating is 1:4, which means the lens projects objects onto the sensor at quarter life-size when focused as close as possible. I took the lens to a botanical garden and got good close-up photos of flowers, but it doesn't focus close enough to catch really tiny details. For that, look at a dedicated macro prime with 1:1 reproduction, the Fujinon XF 30mm F2.8 R LM WR Macro.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Optical stabilization is included, too. I tested the 13-33mm with the X-T30 III (the only camera it's bundled with at this time), which does not have its own stabilization system. I'm able to manage half-second handheld exposures without any sign of blur from hand shake, and can stretch the shutter to 1-second with hit-or-miss results.

Image Quality: Narrow Aperture Delivers Deep Focus Look

I tested the XC 13-33mm in my home studio with Imatest and an SFRplus chart to check its resolving power, and took it out into the world for photos to get a handle on its character. The lens delivers typical performance for a starter zoom. It scores in the excellent range for a 26MP sensor (3,000-3,500 lines) at every focal length I tested it (13mm, 23mm, 33mm) using our standard center-weighted scoring. Edges and corners are soft at wide apertures. To get the uniformly crisp look that you'll want for landscape and cityscape scenes, you'll have to set the aperture to f/5.6-8 at 13mm and f/8-11 at 23mm and 33mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The aperture narrows down through f/22, but it's not worthwhile to use the lens at settings smaller than f/11 as diffraction cuts into picture quality, and there's no real benefit as the optics don't deliver good sunstars. On the plus side, flare is not an issue at any aperture. You can take photos directly into a bright light source without having to worry about losing contrast or creating ghosts of false color. That's likely a consequence of the narrow aperture and small front element; brighter zooms and primes tend to have more issues with flare and ghost color.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The zoom relies heavily on digital corrections to remove distortion and brighten its corners to match the center. If you're using your camera for JPGs or video, or processing Raw images in-camera, the corrections are applied automatically and transparently. However, advanced-level creators who want to edit Raw images in a desktop app will want to use a correction profile to remove the barrel distortion the zoom shows at wide angles. Adobe Lightroom and Lightroom Classic apply the profile automatically when importing images, so it's not a major hurdle, but you should check your preferred workflow application to ensure that it supports the lens if you don't live in the Adobe ecosystem.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

You can coax some bokeh from the lens with effort, but the XC 13-33mm isn't great at blurring backgrounds away into nothing in most situations. The wide angle and narrow maximum aperture are more prone to capturing photos with deep focus. You can get softer backdrops for close-ups, though, but unless you have a totally clean background behind your subject, as I found for the preceding macro image of a blue poppy flower, you'll be unable to identify objects. If softened backgrounds are a priority, the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary, Fujifilm XF 16-50mm F2.8-4 R LM WR, or Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD are all better lenses to use.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)