Lens Preview: Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR

Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR is a weather resistant normal focal length lens for the Fujifilm X system. It’s thought to be a refresh of the f/1.4 lens that came out at the introduction of the X system, but it’s actually quite superior in (almost) every way. The only place where the newer lens doesn’t win is with the maximum aperture. Other than that, it’s faster to focus, it’s quieter, it’s sharper from edge to edge (although admittedly I don’t care about how sharp the edges of my pictures are). Images are razor sharp, but then again almost all modern lenses are sharp “enough.” But as far as sharpness goes, this lens gets very sharp. It’s also smaller than the f/1.4 version.

One area where I think this f/2 lens is really strange is the shape. It’s a weird shape with a taper towards the front element. It just looks really weird, and as of right now, I think it’s kind of ugly. And even though it is fairly compact and thin, it’s just long enough to de-balance the X-E1 and X-E2 bodies I shoot with. I much prefer the pancake form factor of something like the 27mm f/2.8 or the 18mm f/2.

Let’s talk about the lens hood that comes with it. It’s super dinky, all plastic, round, and it makes the end of the lens look like a suction cup. I see it breaking within a few months with regular use. There’s also this odd thing where, when you try to screw it off but you’re gripping it too tightly, it warps and causes the threads to lock up, and it gets really difficult to remove. You have to use a light touch when you screw it off.

I’m also not much of a fan of the 50mm-equivalent focal length for general, everyday use. I’d much prefer something like a 35mm-equivalent (like the 23mm on my X100S) or even a 28mm equivalent (I own the 18mm Fuji as well). I’ve always liked to shoot wider and get closer. The 50mm equivalent is a little too long for me for recreational use unless I’m specifically shooting a job that calls for that focal length

My preferences aside, the lens renders beautiful images with great detail, and is super fast and quiet. The last couple days have been overcast so I haven’t been able to put this thing through it’s paces in some sunlight yet, but I look forward to doing that as soon as possible. I will continue to shoot with this as extensively as I can for the next few weeks so I can try to get comfortable with this focal length and put together some more in depth thoughts.

Buy one here.