Announced 21st of October –
this is a quick write up of the new compact 35mm f2 lens from Fujifilm

It’s only been a couple of days since the UPS man dropped off this lens fresh from Japan but we have been shooting pretty much every day with it. This blog is a quick look at the lens with some thoughts about how I got on shooting with it.

The “FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR” is a standard focal length prime lens which delivers sharp images with rich bokeh. The optical construction of 9 elements in 6 groups (including two aspherical elements) achieves the perfect balance of high image quality and compact size. The lens features the smallest diameter of the line-up and thanks to the inner focus system and stepping motor, it achieves an autofocus time of just 0.08 sec*2.

The exterior of the lens is weather and dust-resistant and can work in temperatures as low as -10°C. The lens is ideal for any scene and application. This is the new standard for all photography fans.

Two aspherical lenses are used to ensure a small and compact exterior. Only 45.9mm in length with a diameter of 60mm, the slim stylish design allows comfortable operation and draws minimum attention to the photographer, making it the perfect lens for portrait,street or reportage photography.

Autofocus of 0.08 sec. The inner focus system, which moves the small and lightweight lens elements, is combined with a stepping motor to produce quiet, accurate and fast autofocus – a must for all snap shooters that need to capture a spontaneous moment.

The lens exterior uses all metal parts to ensure the durability for a wide variety of shooting situations. The fine texture of the metal parts and the dials which respond well further enhance the shooting experience and ensure it can be operated easily and accurately with wet or gloved hands. The lens features a water and dust-resistant structure with eight seals on the lens barrel keeping the lens protected from rain, dust and splashes of water when shooting outdoors. It can also work in temperatures as low as -10℃.

– Taken from the Press Release.

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf35mmf2_r_wr/

 

In short it will be a great compact lens to help start off anyone working into the Fuji System that wants a smaller lighter version of the 35mm f1.4 that has been a major workhorse since day one.  The depth of the lens is not that far off but the 43mm filter fit is one of the many areas that size and shape have been trimmed off the f1.4 version.

Performance:

The last time I wrote about Fuji, it was more about the movement towards the ‘pro’ end of the market with the 56mm APD, 50-140mm & the 16-55mm, as they are now known – the red label lenses (written for Hungry Eye magazine).  I like how Fuji are moving and this lens shows that they are still looking after both sides of the market with keeping the quality high with the standard of optics.

The fun thing is, I am writing this with no clue on the price of this lens. Shooting side by side wide open at F2, you can see a difference between the two lenses.  In total, there are now two ways to shoot f2 at 35mm and 4 ways to shoot f2.8. (Next week we shall have another blog looked at the best way to shoot 35mm.) In short, once you are over f5.6 there is not much to go on but wider than that the f1.4 does seem to be brighter to the edges and sharper, yet the new f2 version is far better at focusing.  We tested this lens out on a night shoot in very low light (near pitch black) and the 35mm f.2 coped very well.  During the shoot I did try out the 50-140mm, 56mm & the 16-55mm which were all very good too which very little focusing performance difference from any of them.

Click the images if you want to see a higher reversion.

We shot the above image and below image in the middle of Birmingham in some pretty tough shooting conditions. Back and side lighting was created by the headlamps of a dozen Harley-Davidsons. A Profoto B1 though a 170cm softbox was used as a key light for the models.

Huge big thank you to the Harley Owners Group – The Birmingham HOGS – who rode down for the shoot – we had a blast and the bikes were perfect for testing out the lens, also, massive thank you to Andrew Reid, Jodi Lakin, Magdalena Sarna, Sophie Miller (Alan Sharman) for all your hard work & thank you to Stephie Rebello for helping put everything together. A special mention to Calumet in Birmingham for helping out too !!

BTS photos from Ben @ Alan Sharman

The bright lights, dark skies and chrome did prove a challenge for both camera and lens, but everything was dealt with typical Fuji style.

35mm f1.4 V’s 35mm f2

On the blog I am just going to post two images showing both lenses open at f2 If you want to view a range of sample image – you can do so here.  As you can see from the images below – there are some slight differences in colour and contrast – but both lenses are pretty good.

Size, Weight & Build Quality

Small, light, sharp and super smooth rings matches this lens to all the hall marks you would want and expect from the Fuji system. I would expect to see this lens being sold as a great starter all-around prime lens. I can easily see this lens being paired up with the X-t1o to make a great intro into the x-system

These are images taken of the lens mounted on the Fuji X-Pro

More samples taken on the 35mm f2 WR

I expect for many people, this will be an all round, multi-purpose lens – which is great – it will do you proud. A few hours before this lens blog – we headed out to shoot some more  fun shots on a roof top as the last of the light went. Focusing even in tricky lighting was OK. Below these shots are some examples taken in more of a studio setting down at iso 200 and a strong strobe light. On these images you can see the clarity of the lens.

Model: Stephie Rebello:

Model: Chloe Kinsella

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