Aaron K Yoshino
- التعليق
Ive had the 16mm f/1.4 for about two weeks now. Its very well-built, and if youre used to the build quality on X-series primes this one is right up there with the best of the primes, PLUS its weather sealed to boot! Its got marked apertures and of course the uber-useful DOF/focus scale on the lens barrel, along with the brilliant "clicky" focus ring you can "pull" for manual focus, or "push" for AF. In other words, its got all the stuff I liked about my other favorite Fuji X lenses. This plus the 10-24 are my new go-tos for shooting architecture/home interiors. Physically, the 16mm is like the 23mm on steroids, and its dimensions are a little wider and longer than the 23mm, which was almost the perfect size for the X-T1 in my opinion. I also own the Fuji 10-24 f/4, 14mm 2.8, 18mm f/2, 23mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 56mm f/1.2, and 50-140mm 2.8, as well as two X-T1 bodies and an X-Pro 1. I rely on my Fuji gear for my livelihood as a freelance photographer, and its great lenses like the 16mm f/1.4 that have given me the confidence to leave Canon behind after more than a decade as a professional FF Canon user. The 16mm has relatively little distortion, is quiet, quick to focus, and accurate. Im noticing that it seems to hunt/struggle to get focus lock on my X-T1 in dimmer, low-contrast situations more than its 23mm and 14mm siblings do, especially in the middle 1-4 meter range, where Ive found myself using it wide open most often and where critical AF accuracy would matter most. Making your AF point larger seems to help a little, but this kind of issue seems like it should be fixable via firmware update in the long run. And really Im nitpicking a bit, just because its a little slower to focus than the 23mm does not mean its actually slow at all. IQ is good to great, but at f/1.4 the 16mm isnt quite as tack sharp as the 23mm or 14mm seem to be when used wide-open. Now dont get me wrong, its still an excellent lens. It just happens to have very impressive siblings. :) Ive just used it to shoot a full two-page magazine spread and from what Ive seen of the print proofs I have no hesitation in saying that this lens will give you excellent results, although at a wide aperture there are sharper lenses in the Fuji X family. By F/2.8 or f/4 this lens keeps up with anything else in Fujis lineup, as well as most every other manufacturer out there. So should you buy it? Currently, Fuji offers a variety of options comparable to the 16mm f/1.4. The 10-24mm zoom, 16-55mm zoom, 14mm f/2.8, and 18mm f/2 all either overlap or get extremely close to the 16mms 24mm-equivalent FOV. All of these options have their own strengths and weaknesses, it just depends on your needs. My intended use of the 16mm is for close-focused shots of people or food/product with plenty of background detail blurred beautifully, and for medium distances wide-open, so I can capture a full-length portrait in the frame with plenty of context around it thats nicely blurred. Its a wonderful tool that gives me new creative options. Im also guessing this lens will be a great "travel with just one lens" candidate, and street photographers will love it. If youre a landscape shooter or do not intend to use the shallow DOF, buy the 10-24 or the EXCELLENT 14mm and save a few bucks. For only $160 more, the 16-55mm f/2.8 is a weather-sealed constant zoom that gives you great IQ with the versatility of a zoom. So yeah, this lens isnt for everyone, but if you know you need what the 16mm f/1.4 is capable of, buy with confidence. It wont disappoint.