Admiring Light
Menu
  • Home
  • Review Index
  • Shop Talk
  • Technique and Vision
  • Opinion
  • Portfolio
  • Site Index
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
Menu

Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR

Posted on April 2, 2017April 2, 2017 by Jordan Steele

Contents

  • 1Construction and Handling
  • 2Autofocus
  • 3Image Quality
  • 4Conclusion
  • 5Image Samples

Today’s review: the new Fuji 50mm f/2 R WR. This is the third lens in Fuji’s new compact f/2 prime series, joining the 23mm f/2 and 35mm f/2.  All three of these lenses offer slower apertures than similar faster primes in the Fuji lineup, but Fujifilm has maintained high optical quality with these slower lenses, truly offering them as a more compact and still very high quality option, unlike many manufacturers whose slower lenses are often sub-par optically.  The 50mm f/2 doesn’t quite match the faster 56mm f/1.2 in focal length, but rather provides a slightly wider angle of view, equivalent to a 75mm on a full frame camera.  Let’s take a deeper look at this new lens.

The Fuji XF 50mm f/2 R WR on the Fuji X-T20
The Fuji XF 50mm f/2 R WR on the Fuji X-T20

Construction and Handling

If you’ve seen the 23mm f/2 or 35mm f/2 from Fuji, the 50mm f/2 shares the same design language.  The lens features a fully metal exterior with a slightly tapered profile.  The 50mm f/2 is slightly longer than the other two lenses in this series, as you might expect, but it is still a very compact lens.  The lens is extremely solidly constructed, with no movement anywhere in the lens body, and beautifully crafted aperture and focus rings.  The aperture ring keeps the wonderful gear-like feel that the 23mm f/2 and 35mm f/2 have, and this really helps the lens feel like a premium offering.  The focus ring is well damped and smooth to turn, though like almost all Fuji XF lenses, it lacks a focus scale and operates the focus by wire rather than by direct coupling.

The lenses of Fuji's compact f/2 prime lineup: 35mm f/2, 23mm f/2 and the new 50mm f/2
The lenses of Fuji’s compact f/2 prime lineup: 35mm f/2, 23mm f/2 and the new 50mm f/2

The 50mm f/2, like most of Fuji’s lenses over the past two years, carries the ‘WR’ designation, denoting its weather-resistant construction, providing some protection against dust and water intrusion. Due to the light weight and compact size, the lens handles beautifully on any of the Fuji X-Series cameras, and feels quite at home on a smaller body like my X-T20.  The lens includes a plastic lens hood that is a simple cylinder shape and is reversible for storage.  The hood locks securely on the lens and provides reasonable shading of the front element.

The XF 50mm f/2 with lens hood mounted
The XF 50mm f/2 with lens hood mounted

The f/2 prime series is a great addition to the Fuji X-Series.  This series gives Fuji a fairly complete small lens setup, including the existing 18mm f/2 and 27mm pancake.  This really allows for an extremely portable system that is only slightly larger than a typical Micro 4/3 setup.  It’s nice to see Fuji give users a choice: larger, but faster lenses, along with compact slower lenses that maintain the high optical quality of the rest of the system.

Autofocus

The 50mm f/2 features a very quiet autofocus motor that is fairly quick in speed, but not as fast as some of the other lenses in the Fuji lineup.  In all, it’s perhaps a touch faster than the autofocus in the 56mm f/1.2. I found focus to be very accurate in my time with the lens, and it also performed quite well in good light with continuous autofocus.  The shot below was taken with continuous AF as my son ran towards me.  The 50mm was able to maintain focus quite well throughout the run.

Running - Fujifilm X-T20 with Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 - Continuous AF
Running – Fujifilm X-T20 with Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 – Continuous AF

Now let’s take a look at the optical qualities of the lens:

Coninue: Image Quality

Pages: 1 2 3

11 thoughts on “Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR”

  1. Pingback: ??????????????? XF50mm F2 R WR??????? | ?????????????
  2. Pingback: The Fujifilm Designer Series XF50/35/23 f/2 R WR | Fuji Addict
  3. Shawn says:
    April 9, 2017 at 1:34 pm

    My Fuji 50mm f2 has a tshshsht sound when it focuses. Sound not heard with 23 or 35mm f2. Is this normal?

    Reply
    1. Brian says:
      April 14, 2017 at 1:43 pm

      @Shawn: that’s normal, mine does it too. You’re hearing the aperture blades and they’ve got more ground to cover because of the larger front element.

      Reply
    2. Guido says:
      April 18, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      Same with mine. I like the lens but I’m still thinking about keeping it.
      I have the 23 and 35 f2 But ill try to replace the 23 with the x100f.

      Reply
  4. Pepou81 says:
    May 24, 2017 at 2:13 am

    One day, I will be interesting to know your gear, as you tested a lot. ^^.
    Which one are in your lense’s top 3.

    Reply
  5. TOM BELL says:
    September 8, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Hi Guido …interested in that I have the X100 original …. lovely if infuriating BUT the lens is rather soft in the corners. I may up grade but only if they improve the lens

    Reply
  6. Pepou81 says:
    November 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    I would know the fastest lenses about focusing of every system.

    Reply
  7. Pingback: ?????? XF50mm F2 R WR?????????????????????????????? | ?????????????
  8. Jack Nordine says:
    July 25, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    My compliments on an excellent review with great pictures showing off sharpness in some and bokeh in others. I’ll visit here again soon. And thanks for the information.

    Reply
  9. Gerb says:
    December 6, 2019 at 4:14 am

    I have a X-t1 and am currently torn between xf 50 f2 and xf 60 f2.4. I like the macro function of the XF 60 but I dont know if 90mm eq. is a good walkaround focal length (which I gonna use it for). I will also be using it for macro and candid. I suppose the xf60 will suck at C-af single shot, which I will use for (slightly) moving subjects. Anyone knows if the XF 50 is any good in continuous AF single on the x-t1? thx!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me:

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Mastodon

Most Popular Posts

  • "Full Frame Equivalence" and Why It Doesn't Matter (286)
  • Fuji X-Pro 2 vs. Sony A7 II: Noise Comparison (70)
  • Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron (63)
  • Review: Metabones Speed Booster (Canon FD to Fuji X) (56)
  • Review: Olympus OM-D E-M5 (48)

Recent Comments

  • Sam Taylor on My Favorite Photos of 2022
  • Damien on Review: TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (RF Mount)
  • Jordan Steele on Review: TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (RF Mount)
  • Damien on Review: TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (RF Mount)
  • padam19 on Review: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM

Archives

©2023 Admiring Light | Theme by SuperbThemes
We use cookies to personalize content and ads and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You may consent to the use of cookies or opt out. Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT