Review on 📷 Fujifilm XF 35mm F2 R WR Lens - Black by Adrian Allen

First of all, let's get something straight. This lens is only 13 grams lighter than the F1.4. It is 5mm shorter. So if you're just looking for it because it's a lighter, shorter lens, this is it, but not by much. However, the lens is much better balanced than the heavy front F1.4, so at least with the X-T1 it 'feels' lighter when shot in its entirety. So don't be fooled into thinking there's a significant reduction in weight and size like you see with a pancake lens, because that really isn't the case. This is NEVER a downside to this lens, but I know a lot of people are looking for it for "weight reduction" purposes. This makes the X-T1 2% lighter overall. If that's what you think but not sure, then probably not - for several reasons: - It's cheaper. The 35MM F1.4 looks good at retail prices at the moment, but that's only because the F2 R WR is newer. The price will still fall. It's a minor point because no one climbed Fuji to save money. It is weather resistant. I live in Seattle and need something I can take with me in inclement weather and not worry. Both the 16mm and 18-135mm lenses do well in this regard - I've shot both in wet weather (as well as near waterfalls etc) and had no problems. It should be similar to the 16MM and outperform the 18-135MM in this regard. At the moment the Fuji WR system has proven itself very well. They'll never tout it as waterproof because no camera manufacturer really does that, but right now it's almost impossible. I wouldn't dive it anyway, it's just common sense but don't be afraid of the weather. - SEEMS to focus closer. It could be a perception as according to the specs, F1.4 focuses 7cm closer. That may be the case, but it looks like it rarely happened, even on purpose in macro mode (which I suspect is no longer needed on the X-T1). I always found that very annoying with F1.4 - and a big advantage as I often couldn't focus as close as I wanted with F1.4. It may not be within specs, it may have been a fault of my F1.4. This is 100% subjective and mostly depends on my own perception. It focuses much, much faster, but more importantly, there's no focus hunting. due to operator error or camera limitations. Overall focusing performance is about as good as you can reasonably expect from a lens at this time, leaving the old 1.4 in the dust. Does it completely replace F1.4? For most people I think so. There is some opinion that one should have the widest possible aperture for the focal length, and others will complain that this is really the equivalent of F3. "Gang work syndrome". It's true that it doesn't let that much light through. This can affect you when shooting in low light and low ISO. These are the same cases where someone really needs to work slowly, manually focus, and really take their time shooting. If you are a photographer who works very slowly and deliberately and you already own a 35MM F1.4, the only reason to buy this lens is if you have trouble focusing at close range or are concerned about the weather resistance. . For most people, F2 results in sharper images (more so than the lens due to the increased depth of field) and better overall usability. Hand-shake can be a problem at slower speeds, but this is largely offset by the difficulty of focusing shots at f1.4. do it better than i can I'm fine with that at first, but that's not surprising because every Fuji lens has excellent optical performance. If your images are blurry, look at the technique first. The pursuit of sharpness with lenses leads to diminishing returns very quickly, and it's easy to rate lenses on the basis of a technical quality that only really occurs under controlled conditions. I speak from personal experience as I have walked this path in the past. Do not rank one lens over another based on technical testing. Make your choice based on how you use it. For most people, this lens should be the go-to choice. If you've always liked the X100 series but felt it was too wide and deserved the 35mm equivalent, this lens brings you closer than anything in terms of performance, handling and overall quality. It's far from the same in terms of close-up focus and overall size - the overall package will still be twice as long. So, once again, don't expect miracles. This lens works great and should be part of any Fuji X shooter kit. For those new to the Fuji X system, this should be the first lens you buy. For those of us who have been using this system for a while and have been frustrated by some of the F1.4's limitations in terms of handling and focusing performance, I highly recommend you give this lens a try. It has replaced F1.4 for me in every way. On the other hand, if you're perfectly happy with the F1.4, the only reason you might want to look into it is for its weather resistance - and only after you've been very honest with yourself about whether you do do. Both lenses are great choices and every Fuji X photographer should have one. Note that I said one thing - I can't think of a good reason to have both. If you have VERY specific use cases, maybe yes, but you already know if you need both in that case. If you're wondering if you need both and you're really not sure, then the answer is no.