After using this lens for over an year let me tell you what I think about this lens and if it can be your nifty fifty on a Fujifilm camera.
My Impression And The Fun Factor Of The Fuji XF 35mm f/2
- good contrast and resolution; so good image quality
- fast and silent AF
- metal build, good construction
- very easy to carry and weather sealed
- good aperture dial clicks!
So being so well build with such good image quality , the fun factor it’s huge! Totally recommend this lens. If you are ok with the focal length than this can be your only lens on Fuji X-PRO3 or X-E4, or other Fujifilm camera!
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 Image Quality
- very good
- my personal opinion is that it has more contrast and resolution comparing to the 35mm 1.4; but this may be to the fact that I shoot this lens at f2, f2.8, f4 and the other at f1.4
- the resolution, sharpness, contrast, microcontrast are there – it’s nothing to complain about
- it has it’s own character, it’s own magic
- it really delivers!
Portraits With Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2
- excellent for portraits
- that f2 it’s sufficient
- having all the face in focus in something that you want for a portrait – where did you see a painting just with the eyes in focus and with the nose blurred?
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 by Night
- it can be use by night with no problems
- being a 53mm field of view with that f2 it’s sufficient to get good pictures if you shoot with the light and not against the light
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 Build Quality – 9 / 10
- very good and small
- weather sealed
- 9 because of the lens hood – small, efficient but very plasticky
- very good clicks on the aperture ring
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 Focusing
- very good in AFS
- good in AFC
- very fast and OK tracking
- silent focusing
How It Balance On X-PRO3 and Fujifilm X-E4
- it’s a perfect match for Fuji X-PRO3, X-PRo2, X-PRO1
- On X-E4 it’s a little front heavy with my ventilated lens hood, but with the Fuji plastic lens hood it’s ok
Image Samples With Fujifilm 35mm f2
Conclusions
First, it can easily replace the 35mm f1.4 lens for the majority of the cases. It has excellent image contrast and resolution starting from f2. What you don’t have it’s that f1.4 were the magic of the 35mm f1.4 relies. But at f2 it’s perfectly good, and I feel that the overall image (without being obsessed with the out of focus arrears) it’s better.
It’s weather sealed and it’s very small. This mean that you can take it with you every were. The f2 aperture it’s sufficient for low light and for portraits. Overall it’s a more go to lens for every situation, and it will excel in ever situation.
The 35mm f1.4 it’s not weather sealed, it’s a little bulkier and has a different focusing mechanism. In the majority of the cases when I don’t want any hassle I go for 35mm f2. What I don’t like, it’s that it’s not a 50mm field of view, I would prefer to have a small 33mm f2 lens from Fuji – who knows, maybe in the feature.
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