Even with the profile applied, you may spot some vignetting in images shot at f/1.4 , but it’s not dramatic and closing down the aperture to f/2.0 effectively eliminates it. David Wenham and Sean Keenan ‘Wake in Fright’ Broken Hill 2017 | Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 at 1/800 f/9 ISO 1000 The Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 XF R Fujinon Lens is a fast, wide-angle prime designed specifically for Fujifilm X-mount CSCs. It is suitable for a vast range of applications, including landscapes, travel, and night photography. Its bright f/1.4 aperture allows you to capture crisp stills and handheld movies, even in low light conditions, whilst its rounded 7-blade diaphragm provides smooth bokeh for portraits. Disclaimer 1:I’m an X-photographer. That’s spelled brand ambassador for Fujifilm. I don’t get paid for doing these write ups (and I have been doing them even before getting involved with Fujifilm). This means that I’m just about as biased as I can get, and whether you choose to believe my views or not is entirely up to you. I expect you to be adults, capable of forming your own opinions based on presented information. Close the 1.4 model to f2 to match the aperture of the compact lens and it improves a little further still, although there’s little to be gained in the middle of the frame of the new lens by stopping it further to f2.8. That said, the compact f2 lens on the right has improved a little closed one stop to f2.8, but still falls behind the premium model on the left.

And yet this is not a small lens, and you might start to think that if you’re going to be working with prime lenses this size, you might just as well step up to a full frame system. Fujifilm’s appeal lies in its combination of size and performance. Performance on its own may not be enough. How we test lenses It’s just ok for me. The 7 blade aperture likely has a lot to do with that. I have a tough time getting decent sunstars with this lens, but I’ve seen good examples of it. Aberrations So let’s make a closer comparison between the latest 23 1.4 LM WR on the left and the compact 23 f2 on the right, with one stop of aperture between them. Here you can see the shallower depth of field from the 1.4 lens on the left as you’d expect, but possibly as striking is the resulting busy-ness of the bokeh from the 23 f2 on the right. This lens certainly offers professional performance, build quality and features for X-mount cameras and helps strengthen the appeal of Fujifilm’s APS-C range for serious enthusiasts and pros. Optically, it’s superb, and the handling is neat, efficient and effective. Overall, I can’t fault the build quality here. It’s a solid lens, though compared to the original, I like the shorter and fatter feel that lens embodied. Ease of UseHere’s the latest XF 23 1.4 LM WR in the middle, joined by the original XF 23 1.4 on the left, and now the compact XF 23 f2 on the right. The f2 lens measures 60x52mm and is almost half the weight of the new model at just 180g. If you have one of the smaller Fujifilm bodies or simply desire the least obstructions through an X-Pro optical viewfinder, you’ll feel most comfortable using the smaller f2 lenses.

The FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R weighs 300g and measures just 63mm in length making it the most compact and lightweight lens of its class. Vello offers their own LHF-XF23 Dedicated Lens Hood→ for the XF 23mm F1.4 that appears to be functionally identical to Fuji’s aftermarket option, and at a much lower price. Don’t mistake it for the LHF-XF23II→. As photographers we all have varying requirements of our gear which is why Fujifilm gives us two options for the 23mm. This f/1.4 version as well as the f/2.At 67x78mm and weighing 375g, the new 23 1.4 is longer but a little narrower than the original model and a little heavier too, but the difference in heft isn’t anywhere near like the new 33 1.4 versus the old 35 1.4.