Reviewing the Fujifilm 23mm f/2 After Four Years of Ownership

Fujifilm has some undoubtedly impressive lenses in their line-up, across several mounts, but this little prime could well be near the top. Here is a review by one photographer who has been using it for 4 years.

Any person who has read a handful of my article will likely know my love for Fujifilm. While my workhorse is still Sony, the camera I use for the sheer love of photography is the Fujifilm GFX 50R (although it does get used for work too!) I've never been particularly effective at unpacking what it is about Fujifilm cameras I enjoy so much, but they seem to just click with me. In fact, a few times I've debated migrating completely.

In their line-up, there are multiple lenses that are well-revered amongst photographers. One of which is the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens. You could be forgiven for being a touch confused as to why it seems to dominate its much faster sibling, the XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR, but it does. The f/2 is half the price of the f/1.4, though the latter is still only $899.95. I haven't used both lenses, so I can't compare, all I do know is that the general consensus about the f/2 is that it is a brilliant lens.

In this review, Eren Sarigul, an excellent street photographer from my little island in the U.K., talks about his experience with the lens over the four years he has owned it. The fact that he has used it for four years is enough to indicate it's not going to be a negative review, but his shots with it and reasons for enjoying it make the video well worth watching.

Rob Baggs's picture

Robert K Baggs is a professional portrait and commercial photographer, educator, and consultant from England. Robert has a First-Class degree in Philosophy and a Master's by Research. In 2015 Robert's work on plagiarism in photography was published as part of several universities' photography degree syllabuses.

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2 Comments

Gearhead forums bemoan this lens as being ‘soft when shooting wide open at minimum focus distance’, I’m still yet to have a response to the question of what they are actually photographing in that scenario. I have asked countless times.

Because people need something to complain about.