The Brand New Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 Lens: A Worthwhile Upgrade?

Among the lot of new releases from Fuji over the last week is the XF 33mm f/1.4 prime lens, effectively a successor to the much-loved XF 35mm f/1.4 R. What improvements does this new lens offer?

When shooting on Fujifilm’s APS-C sensor cameras, the XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR is the full frame equivalent of 50mm, making this an all-around lens suitable for a variety of uses. It emerges alongside the XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR II, and at $799, it seems to offer excellent value given its build quality, maximum aperture, and weather resistance. Anyone purchasing this to attach to the brand new Fujifilm X-T30 II would get some fantastic performance.

One additional test I’d like to see is how well controlled the new lens is in terms of longitudinal aberration. The new lens has two aspherical elements and three ED (extra-low dispersion) elements — not to mention coatings that are 10 years newer — which, in theory, should offer improvements over the older lens.

Given that the number of megapixels will continue to creep up, the improved resolving power of the new lens will now more than meet the expectations of those shooting on Fujifilm’s latest bodies, as well as ensuring excellent performance on future cameras.

Will you be upgrading your lens? Let us know in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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3 Comments

9/10 articles on fstoppers are now youtube videos... so sad 😔

I love videos! I queue them in playlists and watch 'em while working, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the house, number 2, etc, etc.

Not sure about this one, but im having to resist serious GAS for that 23mm, swapping my f2 version for it, damn you Fujifilm.