Fujifilm XF23 mm F2 R Weather Resistant Lens, Black

Product Information

The 23mm F1.4 was a fine aid for me these last couple of years, and if I'm honest, I did think it was a little large compared the cameras I was using it on, but it did a great job. And still does. A man could live on an island with this lens. It is just great, all the time. The autofocus is precise and near-instant. It’s weather resistant. It’s silent. It’s light. It’s small. It’s a 35mm equivalent. What’s not to like? All of these lenses have a similar design and compact size. All have snappy autofocus, and they are all excellent value for money.

I am not a portrait photographer and really, creamy bokeh and a narrow depth of field are less important to me than to many photographers. I am going to be very upfront and honest about this. The Fujifilm XF 23mm F/2 is my favourite lens. I am going to share with you why this lens is well worth considering.

I totally hear you, and I genuinely wasn't expecting the F2 version to really be good enough to justify the switch for anyone already owning the F1.4 version, but after using the lens pretty extensively I can tell you it really is VERY good. For those technically minded amongst you, I shoot almost my For Sale images on Classic Chrome with a few adjustments – ISO 400, highlights set at 0, shadows at +1, dynamic range 200, exposure usually at -1/3 or -2/3 to deal with the harsh sun and glare of Australian/Asian midday light. Absolutely NO sharpening. Nothing else. All those Fuji film simulations are fun to play with, but for truly pro images, it’s best to not tinker too much with the originals – that’s what the art directors in publishing houses. The 23mm F/2 lens has an incredibly sturdy and robust build quality. The all-metal body and mounting plate give the user the assurance that this lens can deal with rugged use. On the lens itself, there are no plastic parts at all. The image quality is particularly good across the entire aperture range. Even at the widest aperture, corners are still useable. Stopped down a little bit, the entire frame is razor-sharp. The bokeh is very pleasing, also is only an open aperture of F2.0 on a crop body, the bokeh is very unobtrusive and smooth. The close-up limit of just 10cm is great, and the Fujifilm 23mm F2.0 WR can almost be used for macro work 😉 Fuji X-T20 . Fuji XF23mmF2 @23mm . f/8 . 1/340″ . ISO 200 – Faro Fuji X-T20 . Fuji XF23mmF2 @23mm . f/2.0 . 1/26000″ . ISO 200 – Faro As mentioned earlier, I received this lens late last week and have had one wedding since then. I shot most of the wedding with my established equipment and a little with the Fuji XF23mm F2 WR - I don't have a whole load of images yet, but if you see the summary later, you'll understand that this will change pretty soon.

A prime lens with a focal length of 35mm is often regarded as ideal for street photography. This 23mm lens fits the bill perfectly, delivering the same effective field of view on Fujifilm’s X-mount APS-C format mirrorless cameras. It’s delightfully compact and lightweight, which is a further bonus when you want to shoot unobtrusively around town. Even so, there are some useful features shoehorned in, and performance is impressive. The widest aperture of f/2 allows for greater control over depth of field and also benefits those shooting in difficult lighting conditions.Similar to others that made the comments…I made the move to Fuji with the same lens. 23mm f2 and the XT20 coming from a 6D matched with a Sigma 35 Art.

Center-sharpness is excellent between f/4 and f/11, and doesn’t drop off too much even at f/2 or f/22. Levels of sharpness also hold up very well out to the extreme edges and corners of the image frame. In case you’re wondering how both of the 23mm lenses compare to the XF 10-24mm zoom, here’s how they look side-by-side.Overall, the differences in performance between the f2 and the f1.4 are tiny. The price difference is larger, however. As is the weight. For me, however, I have always maintained that I want the smallest camera possible, which is as plain as possible, but does the best job possible.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is an excellent lens for street photography. It produces beautiful images and has industry leading autofocus speed. If you’re a Fuji X shooter and are looking for a 35mm full frame equivalent lens then this is the one to get. At the 23mm focal length, the angle of view is 63.4 degrees, to give a 35mm equivalent length of 35mm. When shooting at the widest aperture of f/2, it’s possible to see some slight drop-off in light at the corners of the image. This is particularly noticeable when shooting a white wall, but is unlikely to be overly noticeable for normal subjects. By f/2.8, the effect is lessened, and has gone completely by f/4. Distortion is kept to the absolute minimum in both raw and jpeg files.In terms of distortion and edge to edge sharpness, the nod goes to the XF 35mm f/2 WR. At close to medium distance, the XF23mm f/2 does exhibit barrel distortion along the edge (more so than the XF 23mm f/1.4mm) as well as some softness. However, at medium to far distance the lens is linear and sharp. Wide open, the lens does exhibit some fringing with extreme light, but stopping down and post processing removes it completely. Although this lens performs well while shooting wide open (AF speed and accuracy), optically the lens performs best at f/4-5.6. Versatile, multi-purpose lens with fast & silent autofocus - the perfect partner for any Fujifilm X-series camera. Sometimes I need an even wider angle for some good reflection photos in puddles. And in other situations, I need a zoom lens to get good shots. I am very happy to have the possibility to change my lenses, even though I have the 23mm F2 99% of the time mounted on my X-T3. When it comes to autofocus performance, the Fujifilm XF 23mm F/2 will never disappoint. In both low light and daylight, the autofocus is snappy and leaps from subject to subject without pause.