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.
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 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 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.
Now let’s take a look at the optical qualities of the lens:
My Fuji 50mm f2 has a tshshsht sound when it focuses. Sound not heard with 23 or 35mm f2. Is this normal?
@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.
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.
One day, I will be interesting to know your gear, as you tested a lot. ^^.
Which one are in your lense’s top 3.
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
I would know the fastest lenses about focusing of every system.
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.
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!