Table of Contents
Conclusion
Pros
- Solidly built with full metal exterior
- Sealed against dust and moisture
- Excellent feel on the aperture and focus rings
- Decent sharpness wide open and quite sharp stopped down
- Excellent color and contrast
- Pleasing bokeh
- Great control of flare
- Very low distortion
- Fast, quiet and accurate autofocus
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Sharpness wide open is only average at closer distances
- Some minor chromatic aberration is visible
The Fuji 23mm f/2 WR is a lens that a lot of people have been waiting for, as a cheaper and smaller option to the excellent 23mm f/1.4. The lens looks very similar to the other f/2 weather-sealed prime, the 35mm f/2 WR, and it handles and feels the same as well, both of which are good things. The overall optical quality is quite good, but it falls short of exceptional. The faster f/1.4 lens is a superior optic, but this f/2 lens also costs half the price, at a very reasonable $449. For the extra cost of the f/1.4 lens, you also gain a stop of light and shallower depth of field. I think that this stop of light is actually fairly important on a wide-angle lens on an APS-C camera. The ability to isolate your subject is harder on the 23mm f/2, requiring closer focus distances to make an impact vs its faster brother. I do think street shooters will appreciate the slightly faster autofocus and the very compact design of the 23mm f/2.
For the cost of the lens, I think it’s a good buy and an easy lens to recommend, but those seeking the best 35mm equivalent for Fuji will likely want to save up for the 23mm f/1.4. The 23mm f/2 is a good effort from Fuji and will be a nice fit for a lot of Fuji shooters.
As a side note, I shot the 23mm f/2 on the Fuji X-T2: the review on that camera should be coming shortly!
Image Samples
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