The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS ($699.95) is a pricey take on the standard telephoto lens that is often produced to match the low-cost 18-55mm kit lens bundled with D-SLRs and mirrorless cameras. Like its wider sibling Fujinon XF 18-55mm F2.8 R LM OIS($659.00 at Amazon) it's built to a higher standard than say, the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6($488.88 at Amazon) that Sony sells with its APS-C mirrorless cameras. It's an excellent performer, and worthy of our Editors' Choice award. Even as such, its price is a little on the high side. Demanding shooters may want to wait a bit and hold out for the pro-level XF 50-140mm F2.8 R OIS WR; it's set for a 2015 release and has a weather-sealed design to match the X-T1.

The 55-200mm($899.00 at Amazon) measures 4.7 by 3 inches (HD), weighs about 1.3 pounds, and supports 62mm threaded filters. It does extend when zooming, nearly doubling in length at 200mm, but the front element never rotates. A reversible plastic hood is included; it adds 3 inches to the height when in use. There are some plastic components to the construction, but the aperture ring, manual focus ring, and mount are metal and the lens in no way feels flimsy. The focus ring has a ridge texture and sits just behind the front element; the zoom ring occupies most of the lens barrel and has a rubber cover with a ridged texture. The aperture control dial sits near the base of the lens and turns freely. Since it's a variable aperture design, there are no physical markings; you'll have to rely on the camera to tell you at which f-stop the lens is set. There are two control switches at the base of the barrel—one toggles the optical stabilization system and the other switches between manual and automatic aperture control.

I used Imatest to check the optical performance when paired with the 16-megapixel X-T1. At every tested aperture and focal length the lens bested the 1,800 lines per picture height we use to define an image as acceptably sharp. At 55mm f/3.5 it scores 2,601 lines, improving to 2,868 lines at f/5.6. At 100mm the scores are similar (2,462 lines at f/4, 2,841 lines at f/5.6). At 135mm there is some drop-off at f/4.4 (2,142 lines), but at f/5.6 it improves to 2,762 lines. At 200mm f/4.8 the lens records 2,208 lines, and gets just a bit better at f/5.6 (2,394 lines). Sharpness is fairly even across the frame, with the edges showing just a slight drop-off from the average score throughout the zoom range. Pincushion and barrel distortion, either of which can introduce unwanted curvature to photos, are not issues at any focal length.

The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS feels like a pro lens in the hand, and its f/3.5-4.8 aperture captures a little bit more light than a similar lens for another system like the Samsung 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED OIS III NX. But it's also priced higher, in this case just about double, proving the old adage that you get what you pay for is true in this case. It's an excellent lens in terms of sharpness, even at the edges of the frame, and shows no distortion, which make it an Editors' Choice. But more demanding shooters may want to consider waiting for the XF 50-140mm F2.8 R OIS WR, which Fuji has on the release calendar for 2015, and those who are willing to sacrifice some build quality and light-gathering can look to the XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS ($399.95) as a low-cost telezoom.

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