Michael C. Jackson
- Comment
Lets get this out of the way, first - This lens is only 13 grams lighter than the F1.4. Its 5MM shorter. So if you are looking for this strictly because its a lighter and shorter lens, well - it IS, but not significantly. That being said, the lens is much better balanced than the front-heavy F1.4 - so it "feels" lighter when taken as a full package, at least with the X-T1. So dont fool yourself into thinking that there are significant weight and size reductions like youd see in a pancake lens, because there really arent. That is in NO WAY a mark against this lens, but I know that many are looking to this for the purposes of "weight reduction" - It will feel lighter because it is better balanced, but 13 grams is insignificant in the overall package - it ends up being 2% lighter overall with the X-T1. As long as you arent looking for a miracle there, this should be your lens of choice over the 35mm F1.4 unless you truly require the extra stop of light - If you think you do, but you arent sure, then you probably dont - for several reasons: - Its cheaper. The 35MM F1.4 looks good at sale prices right now, but thats only because the F2 R WR is newer. The price will drop more. This is a small point, because nobody got into fuji to save money. - Its weather resistant. I live in Seattle, and I want something I can take into inclement weather and not worry about. The 16mm and 18-135MM have both done well in this regard- Ive taken both out in wet weather (and near waterfalls, etc) and Ive had zero issues. This should be similar to the 16MM and superior to the 18-135MM in this regard. Fujis WR system is very well proven at this point. They will never advertise it as waterproof, because no camera maker really does, but its about as close as you can practically get at this point. I still wouldnt submerge it, thats just common sense, but theres no need to be afraid of weather. - It SEEMS to focus closer. This may be perception, as according to specs, the F1.4 focuses 7 CM closer. That may be the case, but it seems like that rarely ever happened, even deliberately in macro mode (which is supposedly no longer needed with the X-T1). Its something I always thought was really irritating with the F1.4 - and a huge point in favor for this, as there were plenty of times I couldnt focus anywhere near as close as I wanted to with the F1.4. This may not match technical specs, it may have even been a glitch with my F1.4. This is 100% subjective, and is mostly a matter of my own perception. - It focuses much, much faster, but more importantly, there is no focus hunt on this - It just locks focus immediately, with misses being VERY rare, and usually due to operator error or limits of the camera. The overall focus performance as fast as you can reasonably expect for a lens in this era, and leaves the old 1.4 in the dust. Does it completely replace the F1.4? For most people, Id guess yes. Theres a certain mindset that you must have the largest aperture possible for a focal length, and there are others that will gripe that this is really a F3 equivalent - These are largely irrelevant issues, and the type that typically comes with or leads to bad cases of "gear acquisition syndrome." It is true that this doesnt let in as much light. That can affect you when you are shooting in poor lighting at low ISO. Those are also the same cases that really require someone to operate slow, and focus manually, and really take their time with a shot. If you are the sort of photographer that works very slowly and deliberately, and you already have the 35MM F1.4, the only reason to get this lens would be if you are running into close focusing issues, or if you are concerned about weather resistance. For most people, the F2 will result in sharper images (due to the increased depth of field more so than the lens), and better overall usability - Theres a chance that action shots will be blurrier or that you will blur a bit more due to hand shake at slower speeds, but thats largely offset by the difficulty of getting in-focus shots at F1.4. Im not going to get into some of the pixel-peeping details regarding sharpness, etc - there are other resources that can do that better than I can. Im quite happy with that so far, but its also really unsurprising as every single Fuji lens is optically excellent. If your images arent sharp, the first place to look is at your technique. Chasing sharpness via lenses reaches diminishing returns very quickly, and its easy to start valuing lenses based on some technical quality thats only really observable in controlled conditions. I speak from experience, as I have gone down that route in the past. Dont get either lens over the other based on technical tests. Make the choice based on how you use it. For most people, that choice should be this lens. Finally, if youve always liked the X100 series, but felt that it was too wide and deserved a 35MM equivalent, this lens will put you closer to that than anything else in terms of focus performance, handling, and overall quality. Its still nowhere near the same in terms of close-focus and overall size - The overall package will still be twice as long. So again, dont expect miracles there. This lens is an excellent performer, and should be part of every Fuji X shooters kit. For someone new to the Fuji X system, this should be the first lens you purchase. For those of us who have been using the system for a while, if youve found yourself frustrated with some of the limitations of the F1.4 in terms of handling and focus performance, then Id highly recommend you give this lens a try. It has replaced the F1.4 in every way for me. On the other hand, if you have been perfectly happy with the F1.4, the only reason to look at this would be for weather resistance - and only after being very honest with yourself as to if you need it. Both lenses are excellent choices, and every Fuji X photographer should have one of them. Note that I said one - I cant think of any valid reason to have both. If you have some VERY specific use cases, perhaps you do, but youd already know if you needed both in that case. If you are wondering if you need both and truly arent sure, then the answer is no.