NOTE: This article was first published over at johncaz.net on the 20th November 2014

INTRO

Sharp, sharp, sharp! The XF 23mm f/1.4R on the X-T1 with Face Detection enabled nails focus on my never-standing-still sons eyes every-time. After 11 months I still cant believe the consistency of the nailed results that I'm getting with the this lens even wide open! That about covers it - if you want to know more then read on ...

Even though most would agree that the XF 23mm f/1.4R is a great lens for street and journalistic photography, few would use it for landscapes but if asked to do so, it performs well. Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/160sec @ f/5.6 ISO 400

In full frame terms the XF 23mm Fujinon lens has an angle of view equivalent to a 35mm lens. Even though up until recently I preferred a 28mm angle of view for my street and everyday wide angle stuff, I'm finding that the 35mm equivalent lens from Fujifilm to be so impressive in its overall performance that the extra few mm towards the long end don’t seem to bother me. Since switching over to Fuji, I have used the XF 23mm lens for nearly everything such as reportage, portraits, weddings, street, fashion, concerts, lightning, landscapes, kids and the list goes on.

SPECIFICATIONS

• 11 elements in 8 groups
• 1 aspherical element
• Internal focus
• Super EBC multicoating
• Angle of view 63.4°
• Max. aperture F1.4
• Min. aperture F16
• Number of blades 7 (rounded diaphragm opening)
• Step size 1/3EV (22 steps)
• Focus range Normal 0.6m - ∞
• Focus range Macro 28cm - ∞
• Max. magnification 0.1x
• Diameter x Length* ø72mm x 63mm
• Weight* 300g
• Filter size ø62mm

THE ONLY CON - PRICE

The XF 23mm f/1.4R is a bit on the expensive side at about 950€, but at least its made in Japan and very well built. But what you should be really considering when looking at the price is that its optical and mechanical performance are far better than similar full frame lenses from Nikon and Canon. Well at-least thats what i keep saying to myself in an attempt to justify Fuji's pricing. But as much as i try, i have to point out its price as a big negative point for this lens - at 950€ it is well overpriced!

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

Design-wise, some may not like the push-pull of the focusing ring, but build-wise it is very well put together. Its an all metal construction, mainly anodized aluminum with a chrome plated brass mount. The only plastic is the bayonet hood which I personally don’t like very much and have opted for the cheap but very effective "62mm Screw Mount Metal Lens Hood" from ebay (This particular hood I prefer for its metal construction, low profile and its anti-reflective ribbed inner surface). All markings are engraved and filled with white paint and there is a DOF scale for anyone interested. There is no weather sealing with this lens, but i have used it in some harsh moist

I find it hard to describe how it feels to be able to select apertures on the lens again. Nikon and Canon have done away with the aperture ring in the name of progress, but now that I’m using an aperture ring again it's like returning to my roots, it’s like being reborn. This is what photography is about. My only criticism would be that the aperture detents aren’t deep enough which means they knock out of position easily otherwise a perfect lens.

PERFORMANCE

I have tested a lot of fast lenses over the years and believe me when I say that it’s very rare to find a fast lens that can perform well wide open, especially at f/1.4. So when i first tested the Fujinon XF 23mm i was pleasantly surprised by its unbelievabl wide open performance. Since adding this lens to my kit, I mainly shoot it wide open without ever thinking about stopping down for performance reasons - I only stop down when I need the DOF.

For those wondering what happens if you do stop down, the image quality improves even more with sharpness and contrast peaking by f/5.6. Edge performance is also very good if not outstanding, with f/2 being a good choice if you desire a fast aperture together with very good edge performance. This lens is so good it outperforms the full frame equivalent Nikkor AFS 35mm f/1.4 especially wide open and at edge performance.

Overall, the XF 23mm lens is optically just about perfect, excelling at sharpness, falloff and distortion. And if the unbelievable sharpness was not enough to buy this lens then the bokeh might be a consideration. The bokeh is surprisingly very pleasant especially considering its such a wide angle lens.

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/100sec @ f/2.5 ISO 2500

I have included this example to show you an extreme example of how "bad" the chromatic aberations can get. This is shot in a dark room at 2500 ISO with the bright sun coming through the veranta door behind the subject. This is the non corrected version. You can see some purple fringing around and at the bottom of the bright window in the background.

AUTOFOCUS

Apart from its amazing optical performance the AF is very good without leaving me wanting more. It’s an internal focusing design which means that there is no external movement when focusing which means no sucking in air nor any filter movement. Focusing is both near silent and fast enough with perfectly focused shots every time even wide open.

I have praised the "face detection" capabilities of the X-T1 more times than i can remember. Here is an example of it at work - it followed my son even while he lowered himself behind his Hotwheels semi. This is a 100% screen grab

LAST WORDS

It’s refreshing to see a company releasing top quality primes instead of one kit lens after another (why does Nikon come to mind). For Fuji shooters the only reason not to buy this lens is if you invest in the X100s/t instead. The X100s/t does not perform better optically, but for a few hundred euros more you get the same focal length with a silent leaf shutter that flash-syncs at all speeds, better close focusing capabilities, built-in ND filter, and of course a second body to your kit that’s “pocket-able”.

So let me repeat myself, solid build, extremely sharp from wide open, from f/2 sharp all the way to the edges of the frame, no distortion to talk about and the slightly noticeable falloff is corrected for the most part by software, flaring is well controlled and I find it hard to get any color fringing (though its present), fast AF and the pleasant bokeh is the icing on the cake! Definitely the best wide angle lens I have ever tested.

IMAGES TAKEN WITH THE XF 23MM F/1.4R

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/600sec @ f/2.8 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/3500sec @ f/2.8 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/1000sec @ f/2 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/140sec @ f/1.8 ISO 800

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/35sec @ f/1.6 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/160sec @ f/2.2 ISO 2500

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/1800sec @ f/2.8 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/450sec @ f/2 ISO 200

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 70sec @ f/4 ISO 800

Fujifilm X-T1 & XF 23mm f/1.4R EXPOSURE: 1/1100sec @ f/2.2 ISO 200

UPVOTE & SHARE

If you enjoyed this article I would really appreciate an upvote ;-) You could also help me by resteeming my article for others to find and read, thanks!