“Honestly, Given its Lens Quality, it’s Surprising that Fujifilm isn’t More Popular! Best MILC System Out There” – PhotoZone 35/2 + 16/1.4 Reviews

After months out of Stock, the XF35mmF2 WR is finally available again
XF35mmF2 WR: BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / FocusCamera

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X-shooters know it: Fujinon lenses are just amazing…. and it gets better year after year.

But at the same we X-shooters know, that we are just a marginally niche in the photography world.

And just like Photozone, I also have a hard time to understand, why such an amazing system is not more successful. Photozone says at the end of their XF16mmF1.4 WR review:

“Honestly, given the depth and quality of their lineup, it is quite surprising that Fujifilm isn’t more popular. I, for one, think that it is the best mirrorless system out there (at this stage) and it just got a bit better again.”

You can read the Photozone XF35mmF2 WR Review here. From the conclusions:

“Center quality is great and the borders are also impressive. The corners aren’t quite as good but decent. It is worth mentioning that the quality, primarily the contrast, decreases at very close focus distances. This is probably also the reason why Fujifilm limited the lens to a min. focus distance of 0.35m (1:7.5) which is longer than usual. Lateral CAs are quite low. From a real life perspective, vignetting and distortions are also nothing to worry about. That being said, the Fujinon is slightly underdesigned. It relies on auto-correct to compensate its high original distortions and vignetting. […] the AF is now both very fast and silent.

Finally we have to answer the question how the Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR compares to the Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R. When looking at our ratings the answer is obvious. Yes, the f/2 lens is sharper at all overlapping apertures. The weather sealing as well as the faster AF are also on the plus side. Yet .. nothing beats speed but more speed. If you simply require an ultra-large aperture as well as a superior bokeh, the XF 35mm f/1.4 R is still the better choice – also because it isn’t that much more expensive nor much bigger.”

The XF16mmF1.4 WR Review can be read here. From the conclusions:

“The Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR may not knock your socks off like the XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR but it is a capable performer nonetheless. The center quality is just fine at f/1.4 whereas the corners show some softness – emphasized by field curvature. However, how often do you require sharp corners at such a setting anyway? Stopping down to f/2 lifts the quality substantially and it’s impressive from f/4. Lateral CAs are negligible but we spotted a bit of purple fringing in extreme scenes. The amount of vignetting is good unless you disable auto-correction. The (native) amount of distortions is very low for a 24mm lens. The bokeh is surprisingly decent for a lens in this class albeit not without weaknesses.

The AF is speedy and noiseless.

XF 16mmF1.4 WR (save $200): BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS

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