I recognize this isn’t a new lens. Like a lot of photographers, many of you — like me — are considering Fuji for the first time. A 35mm equivalent is one of the first lenses a photographer should consider. The Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4 R should absolutely be one of the first lenses a new Fuji shooter should look into. Build and handling Autofocus is fast, and it's also perfectly accurate, especially at f/1.4. It's nearly instantaneous on my Fuji X-T1. Pretty standard XF mount quality here. By the time this lens was released, we were still a ways away from peak build on a time scale, but I would say about 80% of the way in quality. This is not a lens you need worry much about sample variation in my experience. When I get as fantastic a lens as this to review, it makes my life much easier since there's much less to say other than to try to find new superlatives.

At f/6.4: 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/6.4, Perfectly Clear.) Full-resolution file from camera-original JPG. Then also consider the price, and that there is a smaller, weather sealed alternative at literally half the cost. Like the two 35mm lenses, you only lose one stop of light gathering. Unlike the 35mm, there’s a drop in image quality in my testing. It would have been great to have seen this feature included on the new Fuji 23mm F1.4 - it's a real shame that it's missing. The focusing group is arranged towards the centre of the lens and has a relatively small range of movement to help speed the focusing. Fujifilm claims that focus can be acquired in as little as 0.04 seconds. In addition, the movement is entirely internal so the lens doesn’t change length nor the front element rotate during focusing, which is important if you’re using a polarising or graduated filter. Holding it in your hand feels like cradling a baby dragon egg — it’s small but dense. You can tell this lens is made like a tiny tank, completely from metal and ready to withstand getting banged up a little bit.Taking a closer look at both samples with the Sigma 23 on the left and the Sony 24 on the right shows both lenses exhibiting some outlining and textures within the blobs, but I’d say the Sigma blobs are a little cleaner inside and larger too thanks to its larger aperture.

Disclaimer 2:All the images in this article has been shot using an early prototype of the XF23mm f/1.4R LM WR. Image quality might therefore not be final– But it’s so insanely good, that I think it is.The rounded seven-blade diaphragm ensures smooth bokeh even when shooting portraits or product shots at a medium aperture to maintain reasonable depth-of-field. The fast f/1.4 aperture allows the user to create images with beautiful bokeh and helps reduce blurring in low light conditions. We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics. The other likeable characteristic is this lens’s sleek, completely cylindrical, no fuss design. It does the job and doesn’t brag about it. David Wenham and Sean Keenan ‘Wake in Fright’ Broken Hill 2017 | Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 at 1/800 f/9 ISO 1000