Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR - Black

When selling my Fujifilm X-S10 system, and changing to a full frame Canon system, I couldn't sell these lenses, since everyone keeps on hovering towards the older 1.4, with an obviously faster aperture and somewhat better boke expression from what I've heard. However, I originally bought these lenses because I wanted to experiment with videography, as the 1.4s AF motors are pretty loud. The F2's motors are fast and quiet. After a few weeks of posting these lenses for sale, I decided that I loved these lenses so much, I decided to expand my photography budget buy an X-T20 as a sub camera, so I could continue using these lenses. Build Quality: The build quality and size are amazing. The design is cool and it complimented my X-S10, X-T20, and borrowed X-T5. Since these are XF lenses, it is sturdy and metallic, and the size is very comfortable (maybe because my hands are about average sized). The aperture ring clicks really comfortably but, it is a little slippery, meaning that I have accidentally turned it to the wrong aperture while shooting a few times. The manual ring feels silky but, it is a tiny bit slippery. The ring's grooves are very comfortable. However, Fujifilm's manual ring grooves notably tend to get dusty easily and are harder to clean compared to Canon's EFs or RFs from experience. In dusty places, I would be a little more cautious. Fujifilm's caps are also usually nicely designed too. Picture Quality: Fujifilm lenses are usually some of the best quality within the mirrorless market. Very sharp. In terms of pictures, these lenses seem to not change much from the 1.4s according to many reviews, and the quality is extraordinarily satisfactory to the point where I have no regrets buying these lenses. Youtuber 'Christopher Frost' explains the XF35mm F2 R WR better with more lab-like tests. Auto Focus: The lens AF is quick, but it's not instant, like more expensive lenses. Essentially, it feels like a premium XF lens that doesn't cost hundreds more. I'm not too detailed in how lenses and body AF work together but, I believe that focus inaccuracy and error is more of a Fujifilm body nuance rather than the lens' problem since the X-S10 and X-T20 respond differently in that aspect. This was one of the main reasons I currently use a Canon full-frame as a main. Overall, it's cheaper and newer than the 1.4, and I have no issues with these lenses. I would definently recommend it.

Let's get this out of the way, first - This lens is only 13 grams lighter than the F1.4. It's 5MM shorter. So if you are looking for this strictly because it's a lighter and shorter lens, well - it IS, but not significantly. That being said, the lens is much better balanced than the front-heavy F1.4 - so it "feels" lighter when taken as a full package, at least with the X-T1. So don't fool yourself into thinking that there are significant weight and size reductions like you'd see in a pancake lens, because there really aren't. That is in NO WAY a mark against this lens, but I know that many are looking to this for the purposes of "weight reduction" - It will feel lighter because it is better balanced, but 13 grams is insignificant in the overall package - it ends up being 2% lighter overall with the X-T1. As long as you aren't looking for a miracle there, this should be your lens of choice over the 35mm F1.4 unless you truly require the extra stop of light - If you think you do, but you aren't sure, then you probably don't - for several reasons: - It's cheaper. The 35MM F1.4 looks good at sale prices right now, but that's only because the F2 R WR is newer. The price will drop more. This is a small point, because nobody got into fuji to save money. - It's weather resistant. I live in Seattle, and I want something I can take into inclement weather and not worry about. The 16mm and 18-135MM have both done well in this regard- I've taken both out in wet weather (and near waterfalls, etc) and I've had zero issues. This should be similar to the 16MM and superior to the 18-135MM in this regard. Fuji's WR system is very well proven at this point. They will never advertise it as waterproof, because no camera maker really does, but it's about as close as you can practically get at this point. I still wouldn't submerge it, that's just common sense, but there's no need to be afraid of weather. - It SEEMS to focus closer. This may be perception, as according to specs, the F1.4 focuses 7 CM closer. That may be the case, but it seems like that rarely ever happened, even deliberately in macro mode (which is supposedly no longer needed with the X-T1). It's something I always thought was really irritating with the F1.4 - and a huge point in favor for this, as there were plenty of times I couldn't focus anywhere near as close as I wanted to with the F1.4. This may not match technical specs, it may have even been a glitch with my F1.4. This is 100% subjective, and is mostly a matter of my own perception. - It focuses much, much faster, but more importantly, there is no focus hunt on this - It just locks focus immediately, with misses being VERY rare, and usually due to operator error or limits of the camera. The overall focus performance as fast as you can reasonably expect for a lens in this era, and leaves the old 1.4 in the dust. Does it completely replace the F1.4? For most people, I'd guess yes. There's a certain mindset that you must have the largest aperture possible for a focal length, and there are others that will gripe that this is really a F3 equivalent - These are largely irrelevant issues, and the type that typically comes with or leads to bad cases of "gear acquisition syndrome." It is true that this doesn't let in as much light. That can affect you when you are shooting in poor lighting at low ISO. Those are also the same cases that really require someone to operate slow, and focus manually, and really take their time with a shot. If you are the sort of photographer that works very slowly and deliberately, and you already have the 35MM F1.4, the only reason to get this lens would be if you are running into close focusing issues, or if you are concerned about weather resistance. For most people, the F2 will result in sharper images (due to the increased depth of field more so than the lens), and better overall usability - There's a chance that action shots will be blurrier or that you will blur a bit more due to hand shake at slower speeds, but that's largely offset by the difficulty of getting in-focus shots at F1.4. I'm not going to get into some of the pixel-peeping details regarding sharpness, etc - there are other resources that can do that better than I can. I'm quite happy with that so far, but it's also really unsurprising as every single Fuji lens is optically excellent. If your images aren't sharp, the first place to look is at your technique. Chasing sharpness via lenses reaches diminishing returns very quickly, and it's easy to start valuing lenses based on some technical quality that's only really observable in controlled conditions. I speak from experience, as I have gone down that route in the past. Don't get either lens over the other based on technical tests. Make the choice based on how you use it. For most people, that choice should be this lens. Finally, if you've always liked the X100 series, but felt that it was too wide and deserved a 35MM equivalent, this lens will put you closer to that than anything else in terms of focus performance, handling, and overall quality. It's still nowhere near the same in terms of close-focus and overall size - The overall package will still be twice as long. So again, don't expect miracles there. This lens is an excellent performer, and should be part of every Fuji X shooters kit. For someone new to the Fuji X system, this should be the first lens you purchase. For those of us who have been using the system for a while, if you've found yourself frustrated with some of the limitations of the F1.4 in terms of handling and focus performance, then I'd highly recommend you give this lens a try. It has replaced the F1.4 in every way for me. On the other hand, if you have been perfectly happy with the F1.4, the only reason to look at this would be for weather resistance - and only after being very honest with yourself as to if you need it. Both lenses are excellent choices, and every Fuji X photographer should have one of them. Note that I said one - I can't think of any valid reason to have both. If you have some VERY specific use cases, perhaps you do, but you'd already know if you needed both in that case. If you are wondering if you need both and truly aren't sure, then the answer is no.

I got this lens because I was missing too many kids' action shots using my old manual lens, the legendary Pentax Asahi Super Multi-Coated-Takumar 1:1.4/50 (with radioactive! glass, de-yellowed). Upon its arrival I took some side-by-side comparison shots and to my delight the quality of this Fuji lens is marginally better than the classic Takumar. Slightly better contrast, color saturation and sharpness. Very subtle, but noticeable even by my wife when I pointed it out. I would have been happy if it had been merely as good, so I'm delighted to have something a little better. In addition to auto-focus, this lens works far better with the built-in flash. The manual lens required a fixed ISO of 1600, and a prayer. But the Fuji lens works with the flash every time. It's also much lighter and smaller. Here are the weights and sizes of the two lenses, both unmounted and mounted on my Fuji X-E1 having a strap and a thumbrest. Takumar 50mm F/1.4 with *adapter*, polarizer, lens cap and lens shade: unmounted = 14.2oz, 4.25" long mounted: 26.8oz, 5.25" deep Fuji XF35mm F/2 with polarizer, lens cap and lens shade: unmounted: 7.6oz, 3" long mounted: 20.3oz, 4" deep 6.5 ounces may not sound like much but the weight of the Takumar is all forward so it's a lot less wieldy. That's why I had to get a thumbrest in the first place. I got my start in photography on that old Takumar 50mm F/1.4, and I'll always have a soft spot for it in my heart, a joy to use. But my kids are only young once and I'm tired of missing shots because they're moving too fast to focus. Sure, the X-E1 has the focus-aid "twinkling" effect, but it still takes me at least 10 seconds. That's good enough for posed portraiture but useless for pre-teen kids at play. In some ways the better comparison is to my Takumar 35mm f/3.5. It is a more practical lens on the Fuji X-E1 than the Tak50, smaller and a having a more "normal" focal length for its APS-C sensor, not too "zoomed in." The Tak35 is a fine lens, nice and sharp, but simply doesn't compare to the Tak50 in image quality for contrast or color saturation. When I use the Tak35 I dial in a bit of enhancement on the camera: usually "+1 Shadow" does the trick. Sadly, in practice I end up using the Tak35 most of the time for its compositional convenience and ergonomics, only occasionally bringing out the Tak50 for its image quality and sheer nostalgia. So, if I'm going to desert my first love anyway, the Fuji 35mm F/2 gives me the best of both worlds: a 35mm "normal" frame, with the finest image quality I've ever known. Sorry, honey. TLDR; the Fuji 35mm F/2 gives me the auto-focus I need with the image quality I demand, improved ergonomics, flash compatibility, and a "normal" focal length for Fuji X-E1's APS-C sensor. It goes into manual-focus mode if I'm feeling nostalgic.

This was a wonderful focal length to work with as a first time photographer. If you want a good in between lens for scenery and portraits and like to get closer to your subjects without actually being that close, this is great. It’s a quiet functioning lens. I also have the Fujinon 23mm f2.8 pancake lens and that one is loud compared to this. It feels like a nice sturdy lens, but light weight making it a great travel lens on my Fujifilm Xt50. I prefer the 35mm over the 23mm just based on my style. I feel the 35mm focal length forces you to be more creative while the 23mm makes me feel like just a point a shoot photographer. The aperture is beautiful for portrait shots. Although it’s on the pricier side, it is affordable for the great quality you are getting. I recently traded it thinking I’d want the 23mm but i genuinely want this lens back lol so will be purchasing again.

I recently defected to Fujifilm from Canon and I am sooo glad I did. I love the compact size of everything in the Fuji line and this lens is no exception. This little lens can fit in a coat pocket but don't let its size fool you. It packs a good punch and is easily one of the better lenses I've ever used CONSTRUCTION: The construction of this lens is top notch. It's so refreshing to see camera lenses being made of METAL, not plastic like nearly all of Canon's lenses. Even my $700 Canon macro lens is plastic! The weather sealing this lens has makes it a very attractive lens for anyone that needs to work outdoors like landscape photographers. Whe paired with a weather sealed camera body, you have a great outdoor kit. It has a very solid build and the finish is smooth and feels amazing. OPERABILITY: This lens' autofocus motor is not only lightning fast and extremely accurate but is also almost completely silent. You basically need to put the lens right up to your ear to hear it and even then it's very quiet. The focus and aperture ring are both buttery smooth. The 35mm focal length (50mm full frame equivalent) makes this lens versatile and a good choice for many different photographic applications like portraiture and even some landscape. IMAGE QUALITY: for a 35mm focal length, it has beautiful bokeh thanks to the wide f/2 aperture. This also makes it a good choice for low light photography. It's not quite as wide as its f/1.4 cousin but it certainly can hold its own in less than perfect lighting conditions. It has outstanding contrast and color reproduction as well. The included pictures were taken straight out of camera and shot wide open at f/2 to illustrate the sharpness in the foreground and the pleasant blur in the background OVERALL: I can't say enough good things about this lens. I honestly can't find one bad thing to say about it. It's compact and lightweight, has a durable metal construction, it'sweather sealed, sharp as a tac with creamy bokeh at f/2, silent, fast, and accurate autofocus, and is half the cost of its f/1.4 cousin that lacks in almost everything I just mentioned. I'd also like to make note of the little things that Fuji includes with their lenses that many other manufacturers don't, such as a lens bag and a lens hood. With Canon, both of those are a separate additional expense to the customer. So thanks Fuji for including those things for free. It means a lot as a customer and it says a lot about Fujifilm company.

I've been spending a serious amount of time using the Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR Lens since getting my hands around the X-Pro2. Before you get too excited, these photos were not shot using the X-Pro2. I know, sad face. They were however shot using the 35, which I had my eye on since it launched. The 53mm (35mm Equivalent) focal length is juicy for the street, not too shabby for portraits, and really nice for storytelling (Documentary). Those features combined with small size, WR (weather-resistant design) and a very affordable price ($399), hit me in all the feels. Size & Shape Opening the 35 from it's jet black box, the first thing you'll notice is how much smaller it is compared to the 35mm f/1.4 lens. I wish I had both lenses so I could share a side-by-side photo, but take my word for it, the difference is sizable. I enjoy it's retro-style conical shape, and the hard stops between f-stops feel solid. The manual focus ring is smooth and it comes with a nice circular hood. If you want something to up your retro game, Fujifilm also makes the LH-XF35-2 hood that's more like what you find X100 series users using. I considered grabbing one the other day but had seconds thoughts because one of the reasons I love this lens is how small it is. Why would I want to make it bigger? Using The Lens Having owned the 23mm f/1.4, 16-55mm f/2.8 and 18mm f/2, I can honestly report that the 35 snaps to focus quicker than all three. It tracks motion very well (though I would put it second to the 16-55 here), is sharper than the bunch and as hopefully you agree below, the image quality is top notch. The bokeh at f/2 is pleasing with nice circular hues while still remaining razor sharp on the focus point. I had my feet in the water during quite a few shots today and it was nice knowing the WR design would keep sand and saltwater worries away. Final Thoughts To sum up this quick review, if you're on the fence and can't decide if you should drop $399 on this lens, I say do it. I'm sure you will love it. This is a must have lens for documentary photographers, and most travelers will love it. Some may find the focal length a little too far reaching, so keep that in mind when you stop and think about what you shoot most. Can you shoot landscape with it? Of course. Should you? I'd say look to a nice wide angle lens like the 14mm, 16mm or 16-55mm. Next, I hope to see a 56mm f/2 R WR lens. That would make a new trinity in my bag, 18-35-56, all of which can fit together in a large jacket pocket. Photo Notes These photos were taken today in Huntington Beach, California with the lens and my Fujifilm X-T1. Enjoy!

UPDATE 9/3/2019: I gave this lens another try after having success with other "Fujicron" copies that were Made in Japan. Sometime during or after 2017, Fujifilm moved production of this lens to the Philippines and gave it a new product number. There may have been a silent update to the lens as well but I can't confirm for sure. What I do know is the older "Made in Japan" version performs a little bit better. It seems to be built better optically and shows less off-center softness as well as less decentering. The corners are still not great all around but they're much better, and by f/5.6 the image is very sharp across the frame. Center sharpness is always great and it still displays that odd effect between f/2.8 and f/4 where the midframe gets ever so slightly softer as it's stopped down. I've decided to stay with this 2nd copy, I love the contrasty rendering this lens exhibits - it reminds me a lot of my old Contax Zeiss lenses. ORIGINAL Review: PROS: Super sharp in the center and gets even sharper in the center at smaller apertures. Excellent contrasty rendering! Quick and silent AF motor. Small, light, and well built. Has a nice smooth bokeh character. Great resistance to flaring and ghosting. CONS: Lots of vignetting and distortion in raw files. Bokeh can sometimes show onion rings. Edges and corners never get sharp, they in fact get worse as the aperture is closed down. Furthermore, the central circle of high resolution gets smaller instead of larger as the aperture is closed. This is opposite of every other lens I've owned. I did multiple tests to make sure I wasn't going crazy but this is how the lens performs. The review over at Lenstip confirms this behavior. CONCLUSION: I think Fuji sacrificed a little too much to make this lens as small as it is. The optics need to be bigger/different to account for the resolution loss at the edges. I wouldn't mind if it was a little bigger, more like the size of the 23mm f/2, if it meant getting the lens to sharpen up properly. This lens was almost a winner for me.... I will stick with the f/1.4 version since it doesn't have issues with corner/edge sharpness.

The Fujifilm XF 35mm F2 is a stellar lens that punches above its weight. The compact and lightweight design makes it ideal for street, portrait, and everyday photography. It delivers impressively sharp images with pleasing background blur (bokeh) thanks to the F2 aperture. The weather resistance is a huge bonus for outdoor shooting in less-than-ideal conditions. Tips & Usage Experience: This lens is perfect for low-light conditions. Pair it with the Fujifilm X-T series and use ISO adjustments for even better results. It works wonders for candid shots—silent and discreet autofocus helps capture the moment without alerting your subject. Keep your aperture wide open (f/2) for dreamy bokeh or step it down for razor-sharp landscapes. Consider using it for video—it’s lightweight and has quick focusing that’s great for smooth transitions. Overall, this lens is an absolute must-have for any Fujifilm user, delivering fantastic value and quality!