Conclusion
Pros
- Very sharp wide open and exceptional corner to corner sharpness when stopped down
- Essentially zero distortion
- Great color and contrast curve, providing depth to the images without too much punch
- Fantastic control of chromatic aberration
- Excellent build quality
- Very nice focus clutch mechanism for manual focus
- Quick and accurate autofocus
- Good bokeh in the limited situations where background blur is obtainable
Cons
- Aperture ring feels a little loose and f-stop detents (especially at f/2.8) are not stiff enough
- Manual focus is audible due to friction of the focus ring surface with the lens body.
The above is the shortest ‘con’ list I’ve had for any of my reviews, and for good reason. For the price, the Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 is simply exceptional. The lens is very sharp from wide open and extremely sharp to the very furthest reaches of the corners when stopped down. Chromatic aberration is controlled extremely well, and perhaps the most surprising element is the near total lack of distortion.
About the only thing that bugs me about the lens is the relatively loose aperture ring, which is far too easy to accidentally knock out of your desired aperture position. It’s very odd, too, as the aperture rings for Fuji’s other lenses are nowhere near as loose as the one on the 14mm. However, in the grand scheme of the lens, it’s a minor inconvenience on what is otherwise just a stunning optic.
While I haven’t had a chance to personally use what is considered the gold standard in ultra-wide lenses (the Carl Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon), the Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R is the finest wide-angle lens I have ever mounted to a camera.
Sample Images
Click on an image to enlarge
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