Fujifilm XF35 mm F1.4 R Lens

Product Information

While in the same price range, the f/2 version is overall cheaper. Is the Fuji XC 35mm f2 a good budget alternative?

To start with, it's not a typo. I'm referring to an all-metal construction of a lens and not plastic simply because a metal lens is more durable. If the price range is agreeable, it should be weather-sealed to protect it in inclement weather. Fortunately, my colleague kindly loaned me his Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4 R lens while he tried my Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR, so now, it was time to photograph various subjects while out to see how it performed in all situations. Although it's not weather-sealed, the focal length would allow me to see if this suited my requirements. Build and Handling Like all Fuji lenses, manual focus is “by wire.” The focusing ring is smooth and serviceable, but can have a small amount of “play” to it. How taught or smooth the rotation of this ring is also variable. On the samples I’ve handled, I can feel dramatic “jumps” in the smoothness of the rotation. This isn’t something that affects day to day use, but is worth noting that it does seem to be normal behaviour. This happens as a result of internal reflections and short flange distance, and it is something that can be commonly seen on pretty much every mirrorless camera. So if you see that in your images, keep this in mind and try to use larger apertures to avoid the problem. DistortionThese were the criteria that the lens had to have, and you will have noticed I omitted sharpness, simply because that is a given. With these considerations noted, it was time to start the search. Beg, Borrow, or Steel Sharpness is an area I’ve never had any complaints with the XF 35mm F/1.4. Fuji’s optimization strategy of centre sharpness with softer edges at wide apertures, and edge to edge sharpness at smaller apertures is perfectly executed with this lens. The bar was set high, so I wondered if Fuji would match the acuity of the original 35mm with a lens that costs less, adds weather sealing, and is just one stop slower. We’re about to find out. Maximim Aperture

The lens box is marvelous: it's got a magnetic closure. Inside are custom-cut foam holding your lens, hood and all three caps.

Cons: What you’ll want to consider before buying

By the time 2014 ended, my vision was set at 53mm – the focal length that the 35mm gives you on the X Series APS-C sensors. I acquired a 23mm f/1.4 that year, and it was useful for work purposes, but I could never bring myself to use it for personal work. All of my instincts were trained to anticipate a picture at 53mm with the XF35mm. I was always a certain distance from people or things I wanted to photograph (whether I was making a picture or not), Always observing how the light fell on things, anticipating how the 35mm would draw it in a photo. It appeared that my gear had trained me pretty well! 2015 Most striking for this review is the selection of a lens that Fujifilm doesn't consider optimal for use with the 40MP sensor. The XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR or XF 35mm f/2 R WR would seem to be the obvious choices. That also covers the "requirement" for weather sealing.

The Fujinon 35mm f1.4 is one of Fujifilm’s oldest lenses for the X-Mount system. With the fast f1.4 aperture and the 50mm field of view, the lens is very versatile and it’s especially great for portrait and people photography. We're not really sure why, but for some reason Fujifilm have decided not to include the manual focus collar/clutch that's on the 16mm and 23mm F1.4 lenses (but not on the 18mm F1.4 lens). A bokeh comparison between the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 and the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 can be found in the Lens Comparisons section of this review. X-Pro1 + XF35mmF1.4 R @ 35mm, ISO 400, 1/1400, f/2.0 VignettingAs for vignetting, the lens shows a little darkening in the corners wide open, but it is not too pronounced. Imatest measured approximately 1.26 EV on average in the extreme corners and if you stop down to f/2, it is reduced significantly. By f/2.8, all traces of vignetting are practically gone, as illustrated below: As with most Fuji lenses, the XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR lens has a traditional aperture ring on the lens barrel, which allows you to set the aperture in 1/3 steps, complete with full aperture markings running from f/1.4 to f/16. I personally don’t have an issue with the autofocus of this lens. Once you know it, you work with it. I still shoot AF-C on this lens, but it thrives with AF-S. So if you’re a photographer that still likes shooting AF-S, you’ll likely not have too many issues with this, if any at all. The quality of bokeh from the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 can vary depending on how bright the light sources and reflections are. I found bokeh to be very smooth and beautiful when the source of light is large and not as bright. However, if the source of light or the reflection is very bright, the lens tends to produce onion-shaped bokeh that can be distracting to look at. Take a look at the below image: X-M1 + XF35mmF1.4 R @ 35mm, ISO 200, 1/300, f/1.4 There can be gobs of it, but it’s beautiful. Use a hood or your hand to get rid of it, but I definitely encourage exploiting it for creative effect. Aberrations