Fujifilm XF 23mm f1.4 review: BEST wide lens for X-system

I test the XF 23mm f1.4 to find out if it’s the best wide lens for Fujifilm X-mount!

Equipment used for producing my videos

00:00 - Introduction and alternatives
02:00 - XF 23mm design and controls
04:16 - XF 23mm autofocus for stills and video
05:59 - XF 23mm focus breathing
07:15 - XF 23mm quality sharpness
09:30 - XF 23mm portrait quality
10:58 - XF 23mm bokeh quality
12:30 - XF 23mm samples and verdict

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[tonygreenwoodN]

As usual, a great review. Your reviews of these new Fuji primes with comparisons to the older lenses are not only very useful but are much appreciated.

[SFxAce]

I recently bought the Fuji 23 1.4 r and 35 1.4 r and these are incredible lenses. Image quality is outstanding, colours are A1 and I like their more vintage look to the newer Fuji WR LM 23/35 primes. The fact they have a slight noise with the motors is not an issue for me as it adds to the character. I also like their more compact size, although not as compact as the F2 Fujicrons which I also have.

[mikerathmell]

For those of you considering purchasing the 23mm F2, don't be put off by Gordon's excellent comparison. The limitations of this F2 lens are well known and if you don't need to regularly shoot at low apertures its a lovely little lens that still commands a strong second hand price. It also makes much more sense for many on an APSC system especially those with the XE and X pro line.

[bill]

Thanks for the comparisons! I own the 23mm f2, but have been eyeing up the new 23mm f1.4 WR. I owned the earlier 23mm 1.4 and it was magic!

[PeteBreen]

Love the Bowie mural at 13:46. Very thorough great review Mr. Laing.

[JackieDElia]

Glad I chose the 23mm f/1..4 LM WR - very helpful video.

[rfa]

The new xf 23mm f/1.4 wr with weahter sealing and fast focusing is a great value for events everywhere and if you need to be fast to get the photo! The xf 23mm f/2 is very good for travelling! If you don't need nothing that I said before the xf 23mm f/1.4 r is excellent for all our needs!

[jacobh]

Thanks for another great review. Your 23/2 was most likely not a bad copy. I recognize it’s quite a bit softer compared to the 35/2. In fact, when you close focus it, it almost becomes ‘useless’ when IQ is paramount.
The fact that your old 23/1.4 was a bad copy is worrying. Over the past decade I’ve had 15+ XF lenses and 5 of them I had to return. Ranging from mechanical faults to off-centered lens elements. I’ve never had that many issues with another brand (in my case mostly Canon and Nikon). To me it’s clear that Fuji has some QA issues that apparently got worse when moving lens manufactoring to the Philippines.
In the meanwhile I’ve picked up a new 23/1.4 for my remaining X-Pro2 and I must say, it’s clearly the best XF prime to date. Nevertheless, it’s rather expensive as well esp. when comparing to e.g. the Nikkor Z 35/1.8 which is even better, full-frame and costs less. Fuji started as a less costly, smaller and lighter alternative to full-frame cameras while maintaining good image quality. Over the years it has grown in size and costs, to a level where the gap is almost closed. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign…

[SwitchbackGuitars]

Your findings re: the 23/2 and the 35/2 mirror mine - each has their pros and cons. The 35 is noticeably sharper and I prefer the image output. But it breathes like a dragon. The 23 has no focus breathing but is softer. I still contend that you can't beat the size/quality/value proposition (especially used) of the f2 primes. But I think if I were going to get one of the new 1.4's, it would likely be this 23.

[stuartmeador]

My goal with the Fuji X-Pro3 is 'compact'; most of my images are of people; the f2 suits these parameters better for me... I have had all the 'fast' Fuji lenses but they are so large compared to the camera body & the rest of my kit, I consider them impractical.

[javiercaselli]

So I was gonna get the 70-300 first, but I found a very decent deal for this lens and I won't say it's cheap, because it's not, but OMG it sure is worth every penny. Crazy sharp even in the X-H2 40MP sensor, contrast if off the charts and it's built like a tank. The linear motor for AF is so quick and quiet sometimes you just can't tell for sure if the camera has actually focused unless you toggle on the AF sound alert, but rest assured it has. Also, the manual focus ring is a joy to use. Probably the best lens I've ever owned.

[jamesmartin]

Yet again a well structured and informative review of the lens, in particular as a comparison against the f2 version. The latter I use along with the 35mm f2 for street photography, in this respect although clearly the 1.4 version is better, the compact nature of the f2 models suits my needs better for that style of photography. It would be interesting to compare the 23 and 33mm f1.4 lens against the 16 -55mm f2.8 lens, although being a zoom lens it will not perform as well, how much it differs I wonder?

[justinferreros]

Coming from viltrox 23, the viltrox is sharper, and i tend to miss focus with this new lens compared to the viltrox. Having regrets but i will keep it, maybe future firmware update will improve my experience.

[huetuber]

Is it just me, or is the bokeh on the older f1.4 lens better than the new one? I think so. Seeing that this lens would only be used in portraits for my purposes, the older f1.4 model gets the nod from me. Plus, in my experience, people have an aversion to seeing things that are TOO sharp in regards to "details" in their facial features (pimples, wrinkles, etc.)

[Geert]

This is good news. I like the 23mm focal lengt on aps-c but the 23/2 has always been my least favourite Fuji lens. I hated it. Time for a 24/1.4!

[pandoraefretum]

3rd time lucky ; this is the best XF23 by far ; it's fantastic. I have all 3 XF23 mm and always thought, like you, that I had a bad copy old XF23 f/1.4 and sent it in for Fujifilm to check out... they returned it saying it performs within specs. but I still thought it was a bad copy. The new XF23 is a different story. It is very very good, and money well spent. I should get rid of my old XF23 f/1.4 I wonder how much I'd get for it. Pristine condition, always had a protective filter on.

[BradleyHansonPhotography]

I have the newish 18 f1.4, 23 f1.4 and 33 f1.4 (and others). I do wish they’d come up with a new line of f2 lenses, particularly a replacement 18 f2. These would be perfect if they deliver an X-Pro4. The smaller f2 lenses do look a little weird on the XT and XH bodies, though.

[rayking]

May I ask which would you prefer between 18mm and 23 mm. which one is shaper and has less chromatic aberration or distortion？ thank you.

[homecareful]

An excellent review. It moved me to subscribe. You might consider bringing in the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 as it is priced similarly to the Fujifilm 23mm f/2.

[terrywbreedlove]

I think I am almost the only person wanting small high quality lenses anymore. F2.8 is good especially with wide angle lenses. And high iso performance in modern cameras is a given.