• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Our Websites
  • Contact Us
  • Donations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube

MirrorLessons

Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!

  • Home
  • Camera reviews
  • Lens reviews
  • Accessory reviews
  • Galleries
  • IN-DEPTH
    • Mirrorless on the job
    • Tutorials, Tips & Tricks
    • Essays
    • Musings
  • GUEST POSTS
You are here: Home / Best Of / My 4 Favourite Fujinon XF Lenses for the Interchangeable Fuji X Series

My 4 Favourite Fujinon XF Lenses for the Interchangeable Fuji X Series

10/12/2013 By Mathieu 20 Comments

Note: the list has been updated with a 2015 edition.

The camera may be the chassis that records your images, but it is the lens that collects, manipulates and directs the light towards the sensor. I believe Shakespeare might have said, “the lens maketh the camera” if he had been a photographer instead of a writer. Without a lens, you have no image, and with a lens of poor quality, you may find it a challenge to create the image you had envisioned.

If Fujifilm is known for one thing, it is the quality of its glass. Though still limited, a clear roadmap shows that by 2014, Fujifilm will have an array of twelve excellent lenses to choose from, as well as three welcome additions from Zeiss.

If you have invested in an X-Pro1 or any other X series interchangeable lens camera, I believe that the four Fujinon XF lenses listed below would be useful to have in your starter kit. The list consists solely of primes as I feel the X interchangeable system works better with primes than it does with zooms.

Please keep in mind that this is a very personal list which fits my needs as a reportage/events/wedding/street photographer. If you often shoot concerts or dance performances, you’re going to need a telezoom such as the 55-200mm, just as a macro photographer will probably want to invest in the 60mm macro lens before any other.

1. Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 (21mm on FF)

X-Pro1, 1/320, f/ 56/10, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/320, f/ 5.6, ISO 200
Taken with the Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8
mirrorless HDR
X-Pro1, 1/750, f/ 5.6, ISO 200 – XF 14mm f/2.8 – HDR (3 shots)
X-Pro1, 1/40, f/ 2.8, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/800, f/ 5.6, ISO 200

The 14mm f/2.8 is a very nice lens for wide angle shots. It has an equivalent focal length of 21mm on 35mm format, making it the ideal choice for architectural shots such as the ones you’ll see in my 12 Architectural Pictures gallery, or landscape shots. The results along the edges are impressive with minimal vignetting even when wide open, and the distortion is more than acceptable given its very wide angle. It isn’t the widest X lens available as the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 has an equivalent angle of view of 18mm but the Touit is more expensive. In any case, the XF 14mm is currently one of my favourite lenses so far for the Fuji X system.

2. Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 (35mm on FF)

X-Pro1, 1/950, f/ 14/10, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/950, f/ 1.4, ISO 200
Taken with the XF 23mm f/1.4
X-E1, 1/1500, f/ 14/10, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/60, f/ 5.6, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/420, f/ 28/10, ISO 200

The very words ‘fast aperture lens’ generally imply a high quality build and premium glass. The XF 23mm f/1.4 (35mm equivalent on full frame format) is no exception. It has a wonderful bokeh, great sharpness even at its fastest aperture and overall excellent lens performance – in other words, the perfect street lens. The focus ring is very sturdy and precise, and can be shifted back and forth to quickly switch from auto to manual focus. The aperture ring is also very smooth and accurate. Distortion on this lens is almost non-existent. Being the latest prime lens from Fuji, it is also has a very good AF performance.

3. Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 (41mm on FF)

X-M1, 1/125, f/ 56/10, ISO 1250
X-M1, 1/125, f/ 5.6, ISO 1250
Taken with the XF 27mm f/2.8
X-M1, 1/40, f/ 4, ISO 6400
X-M1, 1/55, f/ 2.8, ISO 6400
X-M1, 1/10, f/ 4, ISO 5000

The XF 27mm f/2.8 is a prime pancake lens which delivers a field of view similar to that of the human eye, and is the smallest XF lens in the series. In fact, it is so small that there is no room for an aperture ring, meaning that X-Pro1 owners will have to update their camera with the latest firmware to allow aperture setting from the control dials located on the rear. It also has a very fast AF response, amongst the best in the series. The images produced by the lens are clean and crisp, and it produces a very nice bokeh despite not being faster than f/2.8. The lens itself is lightweight despite its metal build, and is unobtrusive thanks to its compact size. The 27mm is another lens I really like, as it can make an X-E1 or X-M1 very compact. It is a very good lens for an everyday use.

4. Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 (53mm on FF)

X-Pro1, 1/500, f/ 2, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/500, f/ 2, ISO 200
Taken with the XF 35mm f/1.4
X-Pro1, 1/125, f/ 5.6, ISO 200
X-Pro1, 1/500, f/ 2, ISO 200
From JPG (Astia)
X-Pro1, 1/250, f/ 2, ISO 6400

The 35mm f/1.4 is one of the best 50mm equivalent lenses I’ve ever used. I love the bokeh and how sharp it is at all apertures, even f/1.4. The only con is that the aperture ring is too smooth. I ended up changing my aperture inadvertently more than once. But despite this small weak aspect, it is one of the most beloved lenses amongst X users and X photographers. The AF has been improved thanks to firmware updates (both for the lens and for X cameras), and the improvements are really impressive. I wouldn’t say it has the fastest performance on the list, but it is very close.

Filed Under: Best Of, Best Of - Lenses Tagged With: best fuji lens, best fuji lenses, best fujifilm lens, best fujifilm lenses, best fujinon lens, best fujinon lenses, fujinon 23mm f/1.4, fujinon 27mm f/2.8, fujinon 35mm f/1.4, fujinon xf 14mm f/2.8

About Mathieu

Mathieu Gasquet is a professional photographer with French and Italian origins. Besides running his own video and photography studio 3Dit Lab, he is also the official photographer for the National Cinema Museum in Turin. You can follow him on Google+, Twitter or Facebook!

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Our newsletter goes out every week on Saturday. Enter your email and click the red button below to open the subscription form. Your personal data won't be recorded until the form has been submitted successfully. Thanks!

DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Heather Broster is participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Heather Broster is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

Heather Broster and Mathieu Gasquet are also participants in the following affiliate programs: B&H Photo Affiliate Program, Ebay Partner Network, Skylum (Impact Radius), Expert Shield, The Inspired Eye, and Mediterranean Photo Tours.

To read more information, visit our full Disclaimer page. Thank you!


© HEATHER BROSTER/MATHIEU GASQUET AND MIRRORLESSONS, 2013-2020

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heather Broster/Mathieu Gasquet and Mirrorless Comparison with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.