The new XF 23mm F1.4 is a much larger lens than the alternative XF 23mm F2 pancake, which weighs a mere 180g and measures 52mm in length, due to having a one-stop faster maximum aperture plus a more complicated optical construction. At f/1.4: Canary Island Palm, 20 May 2014, 1:30 PM. ( Fuji X-T1 at Auto ISO 400, Velvia mode, +2 color saturation, XF 23mm f/1.4, 1/400 at f/1.4, Perfectly Clear.) Full-resolution file from camera-original JPG. Remember that very little is in perfect focus at f/1.4; that's why things are soft at the top left especially. In my opinion, the right lens for you between the will come down to two factors: weight and aperture. You really have to decide for yourself whether you need the f/1.4 or not, and are willing to pay in terms of price and weight. As is the case with most Fuji lenses, the build quality and materials are far superior to what you’d find in its competitors (which tend to make even expensive lenses out of plastic, who knows why). Weather resistance

The focus ring on the 23mm F1.4 does at least have a nice feel as the components in the manual focusing ring assembly have been specially engineered to respond with more precision, especially when the focusing ring is moved slightly.Scroll down for a deeper comparison between Fuji’s two 23mm lenses: Bavaria, Germany with the Fujifilm 23mm f2 Fujifilm 23mm f2 vs. Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 The Fujifilm 23mm lens boasts a metal mount and focusing and aperture rings, metal lens barrel and non-rotating 58mm filter thread.

We found the autofocus system to be fast and consistently accurate throughout our testing. Levels of sharpness are highly impressive, right out to the edges and corners of the image frame, even when shooting wide-open at f/1.4. Color fringing is minimal at all aperture settings but barrel distortion and vignetting can be noticeable. Automatic in-camera corrections are generally available and worked well in the Sony mount-option of the lens that we tested. I personally loved using this lens for the past few years, primarily because it is so light and compact, with a very flexible focal length and an aperture just wide enough that I can still use it in a lot of low-light situations. Fuji has essentially two ranges of prime lenses: the fast primes (f1.4 lenses) and the more budget-friendly, yet weather resistant, f2 varieties. We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).Fuji’s 23mm f2 WR landed in my photography kit after I booked a trip to Iceland, and knew I’d need a solid set of Fujifilm lenses that could withstand the snow and rain of a really rugged climate.

The newer generation of lenses is also much more compact, thanks to sacrificing a little bit of aperture. While focus breathing helps the Sigma achieve similar magnification to the Sony from the same distance though, the Sony lens can focus much closer.

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. It has an optical formula comprised of 15 elements in 10 groups including two aspherical elements to help limit distortion and spherical aberrations and three ED elements to reduce flare and ghosting. However, they aren’t weather resistant and don’t have the same speed of auto-focus as the newer generation of lenses: the 35mm f2, the 16mm f2.8, and the 23mm f2 lens we’re talking about today. Light falloff is completely invisible, even at f/1.4, as shot on the X-T1 which is probably correcting it automatically. But now let’s compare it to the Sigma 23 in full-frame mode, and while some of the imaging circle remains visible as expected, it’s far less extreme than the Sony. Now to be fair, neither lens is designed to be used like this, but you can still see how the Sigma not only has a larger imaging circle, but one that remains respectably sharp well beyond the APSC frame size.

Extras Fuji Filter Thread Sizes Lightroom 5.7 vs. 6.1 for X-Trans Best X-Trans RAW Converter Long Exposure Photography Tips Heavy Issues Mirrorless vs DSLR weight Adobe’s Fujifilm Camera Calibration Profiles Film Simulation Modes Compared Fujifilm Metering ONA Bowery vs. Billingham Hadley SmallIt’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 The Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR is capable of producing quite nice sunstars when stopped-down to f/16, as shown below, and flare is well controlled even when shooting straight into the sun, as you can see in the following photos. Macro The provisos mentioned in the introduction are compounded for me by the fact I don’t really get on all that well with 35mm. This is 100% a preference while shooting, as opposed to the output. I love 35mm photography as captured by other photographers, and I appreciate the focal length for environmental portraits, intimacy when used up close, etc. It’s just something I personally struggle with. It’s a focal length I do a lot of cropping in, or wishing was a little wider. The 23 becomes Sigma’s fourth DC DN prime lens designed for APSC sensors, joining the existing 16, 30 and 56mm models, all sporting bright f1.4 apertures. Placed side-by-side you’ll see all four share a family resemblance, with similar design and controls. And finally let’s switch it for the compact XF 23 f2 and as I turn the focusing ring from infinity to the closest distance you’ll see virtually no change in the magnification. So in terms of focus breathing, none of the 23s are bad, but the cheapest 23 f2 is actually the best-behaved of all with essentially no change in magnification.