The engine's answer
Best lens for wildlife, under €1,000
Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
87% match
A 450-equivalent that fits a day bag
Why it wins here
The Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR takes this question at €830 — €170 under the €1,000 ceiling — with a 87% match against 65 current lenses. For wildlife the engine leans on AF speed and stabilisation: it scores 76/100 and 80/100, where the pool averages 74/100 and 34/100. At 580 g it is lighter than the average lens here (633 g). No prime-or-zoom preference was required, so the whole pool of 65 was in play.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically.
- Use
- Budget
What's good
- Teleconverter-compatible wildlife starter
- Sealed and stabilised at 580 g
What to watch
- Slows past f/5 quickly
- Backgrounds get busy at the long end
What came close — and what each gave up
- Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS86%The light-bag safari zoomThe Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS (86% match) weighs 555 g more (1135 g against 580 g). Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II59%The 70-200 look at a third of the weightThe Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II (59% match) costs €170 more (€1,000 against €830), and it lacks serious telephoto reach. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS58%The 10× holiday in one barrelThe Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS (58% match) weighs 170 g more (750 g against 580 g), and it lacks serious telephoto reach. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
Questions this answer raises
- Is the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR within a €1,000 budget?
- Yes. At €830 it leaves €170 of the ceiling unspent; the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS costs €950 and the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II costs €1,000.
- How good is the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR for wildlife?
- On the use question it scores 75%, 53 points above the average of the 65 lenses ranked. Its strongest numbers for this use are AF speed (76/100) and stabilisation (80/100).
- What comes closest to the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR for wildlife?
- The Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS at 86%, then the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 II at 59%. The section above names the measure each one lost on.
Change an assumption
This page answers one photographer's question. Yours is not that question — adjust the subject, the format or the budget and watch the whole field re-rank.
Answer for your own shooting