A 35mm lens with a wide maximum aperture is one of the most useful and versatile optics a photographer can have in their bag, suitable for a huge range of applications, including weddings, astrophotography, portraits, and more. For Fuji shooters, there is the XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in real-world usage.
Coming to you from John Branch IV Photography, this great video review takes a look at the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR lens. With a 35mm-equivalent focal length, the XF 23mm f/1.4 offers a relatively neutral rendering that is wide enough to take in a lot of a scene but not so wide that you will encounter big problems with distortion. That f/1.4 aperture also gives you plenty of power for isolating a subject or low-light work. Along with that, Fujifilm includes:
- One aspherical element for reduced distortion and increased sharpness
- Super EBC coating for reduced flares and ghosting and deeper contrast
- Rounded seven-blade diaphragm for smoother bokeh
Altogether, the XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR looks like another impressive lens from Fujifilm. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
Well, that review told me …….. nothing useful about the lens
It is a nice lens. However, I opted for the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 v2. For a fraction of the cost I get virtually the same performance with no sacrifices other than forgoing weather sealing and possibly more chromatic aberration. On a pixel peeping level, I found the Viltrox to be sharper. Bokeh is just as creamy too. Sunstars also look better on the Viltrox, even though Fuji's look pretty damn nice too! As for autofocus and tracking, both are blazing fast. If I had to pick a winner, it would probably be the Fujifilm, even though the difference is nearly indistinguishable. Unless I was a brand snob, or absolutely had to have weather sealing, there isn't much reason to choose this over the Viltrox. If size or weight is an issue, the Fujifilm 23mm f/2.8 R WR would be the better option.