This 23mm has been constructed from ten elements in six groups, including two aspherical elements. Fujifilm has ensured the perfect positioning of the aspherical elements that flattens the image plane for edge-to-edge sharpness. The superior quality aspherical elements are part of the focusing group and minimise performance fluctuations between different focal distances. Compact and Study Design This slim, hardworking, affordable lens is compatible with all Fujifilm X-Series interchangeable system cameras. It’s perfect for beginner photographers, ideal for bloggers, and is a must for street photographers. It is tiny to hold, while still providing a comfortable level of control. The base of the Fujifilm XF 23mm F/2 is only slightly bigger than the lens mount plate and also includes a seal that makes the lens dust and weather resistant. When comparing it to its older and bigger brother, the f1.4, the differences are small – except in the price. Wondering how to get your hands on one? Shallow depth-of-field effects are accentuated at close range so for my next test I shot beer bottles (at Brighton’s Bison Beer shop), close to the minimum focusing distance of the older XF 23mm f1.4; I then roughly matched the subject size with the newer XF 23mm f2 and again shot with both lenses at their maximum apertures.

This lens has fantastic centre sharpness, but it starts to fade a little in the corners. This isn’t often a major issue for street photographers, though, and sometimes could be more noticeable. Most of the time, if you play around with f-stops, you’ll find the ideal sharpness for your subject. Fujifilm 23 f2 Review Glare and Flare Another benefit of Fujifilm releasing lenses such as the XF 23mm F/2 is that consumers are offered more choice. More substantial and older lenses of similar focal distance are far more expensive and have slower autofocus. The closer focusing distance of the XF 23mm f2, above left, has allowed it to more than make up for the slower aperture in terms of bokeh-blob size – now it’s the newer model that’s delivering the larger blobs, despite having a focal ratio one stop slower. The larger blobs have however accentuated the unusual shape of the blobs on the XF 23mm f2 – once again there’s no right or wrong, but the older XF 23mm f1.4 is definitely rendering a more symmetrical rounded shape. Alternatively: If you want to shoot portraits, need more bokeh, and want the extra IQ, choose the f/f1.4.Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that. Moving on, the aperture system does more than just define the potential for blurring. Close it right down to the minimum values and diffraction can render point sources of light into spiked shapes. The number of spikes and their shape is defined by the aperture’s opening and the blades that form its shape. The XF 23mm f2 employs nine blades compared to seven on the XF 23mm f1.4; these in turn mean 18 diffraction spikes on the XF 23mm f2 compared to 14 on the XF 23mm f1.4, but how do they look in practice? Not only is this lens resistant to both poor weather conditions such as light rain and dust; it also is capable of complete functionality at temperatures as low as -10°C. This means you can have complete confidence when you use it with weather resistant Fujifilm bodies such as the Fujifilm X-Pro2 or Fujifilm X-T3. What's in the box? For comparison let’s put the latest lens on the left, and the compact 35 f2 on the right, both at their maximum apertures. Note I also tested the original 23 f1.4 on the same day side-by-side, but it delivered a poor result with the aperture wide-open in this test, so I suspect it may be a bad copy. That said, don’t underestimate how much sharper a new lens can be compared to an older one, and that’s clear here with the latest 23 1.4 being visibly crisper in the middle than the 23 f2, even opened to f1.4.

Since my teenage years, photography was always present in my life. My dad used to have film cameras when I was young and he carried them with him on our family trips and holidays. When I was getting older I also had a small film camera. Later, when digital cameras became more and more affordable, I bought a Pentax K-30 with an 18-135mm lens. This camera boosted my photography.The lens weighs just 180g, so it’s lightweight as well. This makes carrying it with you while sightseeing on busy city streets all day a breeze.