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The TCL-X100 II Tele Conversion lens is a lens you put over the X100 lens, adding a 1.4x optical crop, giving it a 50mm field of view in the equivalent 35mm format. It screws onto the front filter threads of any of the Fuji X100 series camera lenses.
There is a new version of this lens. The difference is, the new version has electronic contacts that tell the X100 that the lens is attached and it will make the profile corrections automatically. With the older lens version, you have to set the profile manually, and if you forget to turn it off when you remove the lens, it will add distortion corrections to your images.
Fuji TCL-X100 Conversion Review | Impressions
This is an interesting lens and easy to get excited about. You throw a lens on top of your X100 or X100V, and you now have a 50mm f2 field of view. Sounds cool, right?
It is cool, but the problem is that Fujifilm now makes a 35mm f2 lens, and it’s much smaller and lighter on something like an X-E4 than this lens is on an X100V. This conversion lens is massive and cumbersome to use, and it softens up the image some.
That being said, I’m slowly inching closer to the realization that the X100V is the only camera you really need if you don’t want to commit fully to the Fujifilm system.
For example, I’m shooting a lot with the Nikon Z system today and still use my Sony A7rIII for landscapes. The X100V is still one of my all-time favorite cameras, and I highly recommend it, even if people have a different full-time system. If you are that person, and you want a little X100 for casual shooting or travel where you don’t want to lug around all your gear, this little adapter lens kind of makes sense.
However, I would not buy this lens if you own any other Fujifilm camera. I would buy the 35mm f2 XF or XC lens instead. I get that the X100V has a leaf shutter and ND filter, but this lens is massive, and it even partly blocks some of the flash, potentially creating shadows if you like to use the flash on your X100.
Fuji TCL-X100 Conversion Lens | Technical Overview
For the technical comparison, we’re looking at the TCL-X100 lens vs the stock X100T lens. The X100, X100S, X100T, and X100f lenses are all the same. The lens did change on the X100V. It’s got a lot sharper wide open, and the bokeh rendering has changed quite a bit, so this lens will have slightly different results on the X100F than what you see here.
Fuji X100T Tele Lens Vs Stock
We’ll start by looking at the Tele Conversion Lens.
ISO 200, f/8. These are the best, sharpest shots I could get after several attempts.
Photos were 100% cropped and taken on a tripod at f8.
Fuji X100T + Tele Conversion Lens
Center Sharpness
Top Right Corner Sharpness
Right Edge Detail
Fuji X100T + Stock Lens Only
Center Detail
Bottom Left Corner Detail
Left Edge Detail
It seems we don’t really get a huge loss in detail. It’s difficult to tell because the teleconverter makes the image larger and appear sharper. I didn’t want to move the camera closer to compensate because minimum focus distance would start to play in the results.
However, if you look at the fine lines, you’ll notice there is a slight loss in detail with the teleconverter when comparing the two. It’s pretty minor, though. Edges and corners actually look pretty close.
Ultimately, the difference in detail is pretty insignificant, and in a real-world application, using the converter will not really degrade the quality of your image.
Diffraction Limit
It’s pretty standard to have a sensor of this size and resolution. Your sweet spot is between F4 and F8.
Chromatic Aberrations
Not picking up any noticeable chromatic aberrations. The beauty of prime lenses.
Distortion
The in-camera distortion compensator pretty much eliminates any distortion.
Build Quality / Size & Weight
The lens is made of metal, and the front element is huge. This results in much-added weight when attached to the camera.
For me, it’s just a little bit too big and too heavy for this camera, and it takes away from that small-light classic feel you get when shooting with an X100.
That being said, you don’t need it all the time, and it’s nice when you want more reach.
The front section of the lens accepts a 67mm filter.
Fuji TLX-X100 Tele Converter Lens Review Conclusions
It’s a great addition to any Fuji X100 with no real flaws. If you’re looking for a little more reach or shooting more portraits, this lens will suit you well.
Pros
-50mm focal length in 35mm equivalent format.
-Maintains sharpness in the center, corners, and edges
-All metal and very solid
-No chromatic aberrations
-No distortion
Cons
-It’s big and heavy for the X100, making it somewhat awkward on the camera
-Price: It’s a little expensive for just being a converter, especially if you keep in mind that there is no aperture or focus mechanism, just glass and metal
Fuji TCL – X100 Tele Lens Sample Images
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2 comments
Hey Alik, thanks for the review. Since I love the 50mm fov, I’m debating whether it’s worth it to get the tcl-x100 ii for my X100VI (and get further tele reach with usable 75mm and 100mm through digital tc) or simply stick to the digital tc. How the tcl add on compare to the digital tc on the X100VI?
I found a good price on a used as new tcl-x100 ii and I’m very tempted to get it. My concern is also related to the fact that, based on various users feedback, the screwing and unscrewing of the tcl scratches the paint finish of the lens ring on the X100VI. Has this happened to yours too? Thanks
My TCL x100 II stripped the threads on my X100 and seized onto it, so I had to send the camera in for repair. If you’re not careful with that thing, you can mess up your camera. So you have to make sure the threads are always in good shape before putting it onto your camera. Make sure it’s always clean. It will likely wear down the coating on the threads over time, but those always get covered by the little ring cover or UV filter adapter anyway, so it shouldn’t really be a huge issue unless you plan on reselling the camera soon. But even then, the threads are always covered, and that’s what they are there for, to be used to screw things on and off.
The TCL is really useful if you don’t want to buy another camera. I have several cameras now, like the X-Pro2, X-T3 etc, and the 50mm XF lenses, so I don’t need to use this anymore, but when I was trying to just run a one-camera setup for a while, this TCL was very useful and fun. I would probably only do it if you’re trying to do the one-camera setup; if you have an X-T4 or something, just get a proper 50mm; it will be better.
I wouldn’t do the digital crop on the APS-C sensor if you can help it, even if it’s 40MP. The X100VI lens is not super sharp, so ideally, you should try to get the 50mm optically. But then again, if it’s just for web and IG, crop away. I crop the bejesus out of some of my shots, especially for IG.