Fujifilm Fujinon XF 23mm F2 R WR - Review 2022

The Fujinon XF 23mm F2 R WR ($449) is the second in Fujifilm's new line of compact, weather-sealed f/two prime number lenses for its 10 mirrorless camera system. It's an excellent performer, delivering well-baked images from edge to to border, in a package that matches well with the company's premium cameras. It only captures half the light equally the larger, premium XF 23mm F1.four R at its maximum aperture, just it likewise comes in at one-half the price. If you don't lust later on the more extreme depth of field command offered at f/1.4, the XF 23mm F2 R is an first-class optic, and ane that's worthy of being called Editors' Option.

Design

The XF 23mm F2 measures simply 2.4 by 2.0 inches (HD), weighs a scant six.4 ounces, and supports 43mm filters. The XF 23mm F1.4 is a larger, heavier optic, coming in at ii.8 by 2.5 inches and weighing 10.6 ounces. Neither 23mm lens has prototype stabilization, a characteristic that Fujifilm has, to appointment, reserved for zoom lenses.

The F2 lens is bachelor in your choice of black or silver, and includes a small lens hood. The hood is plastic, in contrast with the metal barrel, and attaches or detaches speedily via bayonet. It'southward a large improvement over the spiral-in hood used by the XF 35mm F2 R WR, which is a pain for photographers who change lens filters in the field.

Internal seals and a prophylactic gasket around the mount make the XF 23mm an all-weather lens—the F1.four version isn't. Owners of the sealed X-T1, X-Pro2, and X-T2 who don't listen shooting in rain or snow will appreciate that.

The Fujifilm 10 organization uses the APS-C image sensor size, which ways the XF 23mm captures a field of view that'due south merely about equal to a 35mm lens mounted to a total-frame camera. It's a popular focal length, a piddling wider than a standard bending, ideal for group portraits, candid shots in tight spaces, and urban landscapes.

The XF 23mm features a physical discontinuity control band, adaptable from f/2 through f/xvi in third-stop increments. It also has an A position to transfer discontinuity command to the camera body. The manual focus experience is a little disappointing. The knurled metal focus band is comfortable, but offers no real tactile feedback. You can plough it to adapt the internal focus motor, but several total rotations are required to move from the minimum focus distance to infinity. This is in contrast with the XF 23mm F1.4—it all the same uses an electronic focus system, only has a mechanical focus clutch with hard stops at the minimum focus distance and infinity for a more traditional manual focus feel. Of course, if you're an autofocus fan, this isn't a concern—the autofocus motor is quite fast.

The lens locks focus as close as 8.7 inches (0.22-meter). That's not macro territory—at best information technology projects objects onto the sensor at ane:7.7 life-size—but information technology's a good working distance for near types of photography. You lot'll be able to get close enough to subjects to blur backgrounds if desired. If you lot prefer to hone in on tiny details, consider the XF 60mm Macro or Zeiss Touit 2.8/50M instead.

Prototype Quality

I tested the XF 23mm with the 24MP Ten-T2. Information technology delivers excellent numbers on Imatest's standard center-weighted sharpness test, notching 2,822 lines per picture show height at f/2. Image fidelity is almost dead even from edge to edge, with the outer third of the frame lagging behind the average by just almost 100 lines. The score is a potent one for a 24MP photographic camera, well exceeding the 1,800 lines nosotros want to see at a bare minimum.

Epitome quality holds steady at f/two.8, with a slight improvement at f/4 (three,104 lines) and another at f/8 (3,205 lines). Peak resolution is achieved at f/xi (3,236 lines), with just a small-scale drop at f/16 (2,825 lines). Yous should feel comfortable using the lens at whatsoever f-stop.

Barrel distortion is absolutely nominal in field conditions, with the XF 23mm showing simply 0.v pct in the lab. Likewise, illumination is almost as potent at the edges of the frame as it is in the middle, even at f/2. You exercise get some dimness at the extreme corners there, only but a difference of 1.3 stops (-one.3EV). Information technology's cut to -1EV at f/two.8 and is within a half-stop at narrower settings. We consider any arrears less than 1EV to be negligible.

Conclusions

The Fujinon XF 23mm F2 R WR is another strong, well-designed lens from Fujifilm. Information technology's compact, features very well-baked optics, and is sealed confronting dust and moisture. It doesn't offering the same level of depth of field control or lite-gathering capability equally its larger sibling, the XF 23mm F1.4, nor does information technology provide as pleasant a transmission focus experience. Only it comes in at half the cost, and can still deliver a good bit of background blur. Superb eyes and an attractive price make information technology an Editors' Pick.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/lenses/14192/fujifilm-fujinon-xf-23mm-f2-r-wr

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