REVIEW: Fujinon XF 18mm f2R - The best all round X Series lens?
The Fujinon XF 18mm f2R is one of the three original lenses launched with the X-Pro1 in 2012 and was the widest of the trio - 18mm f2, 35mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.4 macro. Since then there have been a few wide angles lenses added to the X-Series armoury - 14mm f2.8, 10-24mm f4, 23mm f1.4 and Zeiss Touit 12mm f2.8 to name a few - and I feel the little 18mm has become the most underrated gem in the Fujifilm XF lens lineup.
Boasting a moderately wide angle of 27mm (in full frame terms) this diminutive lens is the most compact lens with an aperture ring available for the X-Series camera system - the 27mm f2.8 pancake lens doesn't have an aperture ring and is one stop slower. It is perfect for a variety of purposes and is the lens most commonly fitted to my X-Pro1 when walking about in town, out in the hills or on the beach.
The amount of use this lens gets can be seen by the dents in the metal lens hood, where the camera was unfortunately rubbed up against a wall. The lens hood was a little worse for wear but the lens and camera were fine, a testament to the build quality of this pro level camera and lens.
As regular readers of this blog will know I don't go into scientific testing and pixel peeping when I write about lenses and cameras. I judge the product by the results I see on my computer screen and the 18mm f2 stacks up against some of the best lenses I have ever owned, including pro Nikkors and medium format Bronica lenses. The lens performs exceptionally well across the aperture range, is sharp from f2 to f16 and the seven blade aperture produces beautiful bokeh.
Because the lens only measures 40.6mm the profile of the 18mm f2 is such that it doesn't draw attention when working on the streets, especially when compared to the much larger 14mm f2.8 or the 55-200mm zoom.
The build quality of the lens is second to none and the 1/3 stop aperture ring moves freely and with precision. Even the manual focus has been significantly improved since the launch of the X-Pro1 with a few firmware upgrades provided by Fuji on a regular basis.
As I said earlier, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and here are some shots from the market in La Ciotat on the Cote d'Azur last weekend, all taken with the Fujinon XF18mm f2R.
The Fujinon XF18mm f2R is a superb lens and my favourite of the five lenses I own for the X-Series system.
Why it gets overlooked in favour of the wider or faster lenses that are available is frankly a shame.
I was of the same opinion when I got my X-Pro1 system and thought the 14mm f2.8 would be my wide angle lens of choice but the reality when I started to use the system in the real world was not as I expected.
I consider the 18mm f2 an essential part of my Fuji system and I wont leave home without it in the camera bag or in my pocket.
CLICK HERE to visit the Fujifilm website page for the Fujinon XF 18mm F2R lens.
Boasting a moderately wide angle of 27mm (in full frame terms) this diminutive lens is the most compact lens with an aperture ring available for the X-Series camera system - the 27mm f2.8 pancake lens doesn't have an aperture ring and is one stop slower. It is perfect for a variety of purposes and is the lens most commonly fitted to my X-Pro1 when walking about in town, out in the hills or on the beach.
The amount of use this lens gets can be seen by the dents in the metal lens hood, where the camera was unfortunately rubbed up against a wall. The lens hood was a little worse for wear but the lens and camera were fine, a testament to the build quality of this pro level camera and lens.
As regular readers of this blog will know I don't go into scientific testing and pixel peeping when I write about lenses and cameras. I judge the product by the results I see on my computer screen and the 18mm f2 stacks up against some of the best lenses I have ever owned, including pro Nikkors and medium format Bronica lenses. The lens performs exceptionally well across the aperture range, is sharp from f2 to f16 and the seven blade aperture produces beautiful bokeh.
Because the lens only measures 40.6mm the profile of the 18mm f2 is such that it doesn't draw attention when working on the streets, especially when compared to the much larger 14mm f2.8 or the 55-200mm zoom.
The build quality of the lens is second to none and the 1/3 stop aperture ring moves freely and with precision. Even the manual focus has been significantly improved since the launch of the X-Pro1 with a few firmware upgrades provided by Fuji on a regular basis.
As I said earlier, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and here are some shots from the market in La Ciotat on the Cote d'Azur last weekend, all taken with the Fujinon XF18mm f2R.
The Fujinon XF18mm f2R is a superb lens and my favourite of the five lenses I own for the X-Series system.
Why it gets overlooked in favour of the wider or faster lenses that are available is frankly a shame.
I was of the same opinion when I got my X-Pro1 system and thought the 14mm f2.8 would be my wide angle lens of choice but the reality when I started to use the system in the real world was not as I expected.
I consider the 18mm f2 an essential part of my Fuji system and I wont leave home without it in the camera bag or in my pocket.
CLICK HERE to visit the Fujifilm website page for the Fujinon XF 18mm F2R lens.
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Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016. You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE
I agree 100% it is almost premanently fitted to one of my X-Pro1s the other has the 35 on.
ReplyDeletethe 18 and 35 Fujinons are the two standard prime lenses of any X Series kit in my humble opinion.
DeleteJeff,
DeleteI'm a bit surprised you haven't tried the 18-55mm yet. Since I travel a lot, I take it with me everywhere I go. For a look at the results with the Fujinon 18-55mm, check out the following galleries: Guanajuato, Mexico, Death Rider Prep, Portland, Oregon, and Guanajuato in Black and White at my photoshelter site. Here's the link:
http://eyeniccolo.photoshelter.com/
Al images in the above named galleries were captured exclusively with the Fujinon 18-55mm. Let me know what you think of the results when compared to those captured with the Fujinon 18 and 35mm.
Nick
Nicolo - I have heard some good things about the 18-55mm and I might just get one for traveling with. I've had a look at your PhotoShelter site and wow, some fantastic images in there. Nice job. You might have persuaded me :)
DeleteNicolo - I've just shared your photoshelter site on my Facebook page - very impressive work. I will bookmark it and keep up to date with your travels.
DeleteThank you, Jeff, for sharing my photoshelter site on your Facebook page. I just visited your Facebook page by clicking on your name above. 200,000 plus visits since 2011! I'm deeply impressed.
DeleteNick
I agree completely! I own the 35 and 18 mm lenses and I use my 18 mm for 98% of the time. I like the size, the angle is perfect for most street and indoor reportage-like work, and the results are great. This lens doesn't get the attention and merit it deserves, so thank you for this article!
ReplyDeletethank you Geert. the 35mm f1.4 is also a fantastic lens.
DeleteTried three different 18mm lenses and the 18-55 I have is still a sharper lens.
ReplyDeletei haven't tried the 18-55 lens, so i cant comment. the 55-200 i have is superb but i prefer the faster primes when using wide angle to standard lenses.
DeleteOne thing to take into account; the 18-55 is a lot more bulky than the 18mm. That's also important when you want to use the optical viewfinder of the X-Pro1 camera.
Deletexf18's barrel distortion leads to blurred edges when corrected by in-camera JPEG engine. Shoot in RAW and edges will be much much sharper!
DeleteI agree on you. I had 18mm and 35mm, however i mostly had the 18mm fitted with my X-E1 ! The sharpness are great and the bokeh are decent enough.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and taking time to comment
DeleteGotta agree. I have the 18mm on more than any other lens.
ReplyDeleteI use the 18mm for a most of my images around here in Dunbar and when on my travels around Scotland. Thank you for reading and commenting, it is appreciated
DeleteI wonder if this lens has more sample to sample variability as I don't get near the level of edge to edge sharpness you show in your pictures. I love the field of view but I can't seem to get great micro contrast out of it, unlike the 35mm.
ReplyDeleteFB101 - I would be tempted to get your lens checked by Fuji. I know four photographers with this lens and they all produce images similar to the samples I have posted here.
ReplyDeleteGood advice. I will get that done before heading to Perigord this summer. I like my Zeiss 12mm but it is not as convenient a walk around lens and although the 23/f:1.4 is superb, I find it too large for easy street shooting. The 27 f:2.0 hits my sweet spot so gotta make it work!
DeleteWhat are you thoughts on the 12mm Zeiss FB101? I was considering it after reading some good reviews. I have the 14mm Fujinon and love it, but sometimes wish it was a little wider. I tried the 23mm f1.4 last November - what a great lens. I have an X100 with the 23mm f2, which is a great combination, so may get the 23mm f1.4 at some point.
DeleteI bought the Zeiss for the broader field of view and from that standpoint it does what I want. Optically the Fuji 14mm is slightly better I think, especially on the edges. Both require to switch to the EVF on the XP1 to get a real idea of what is being framed. When shooting neither are too intrusive, but neither are very discreet either. They both are way smaller than the 10-24 zoom which would be your other choice I guess. If I had to do it again, I think I would go for the fuji for that edge to edge sharpness that is incredible and I would probably end up missing the extra FOV... All that to say, that if I were you I would not rush to switch necessarily, unless you really are missing the extra width. Then the Zeiss is quite excellent. One last thing, the manual focus ring is way better on the fuji, if you do a lot of manual focusing you absolutely need to try the Zeiss before buying, you may not like the feel at all.
Deletexf18 blurs edges by in-camera jpeg distortion correction. RAW has much much sharper edges.
DeleteGreat read. I'm also a huge fan of my 18mm but I prefer it on the XA1 for it's more compact layout. I use a step down ring as the hood/cap so I don't have to mess with anything.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately non of the Fuji prime lenses are stabilized which make them essentially useless in very dark conditions.
ReplyDeleteThat limitation stops me from going into the X-system cameras....and I hate this situation because I really love Fuji approach to photography. Now also considering the Oly OM-D cameras which may have 1 stop worse sensor that the Fuji but the IBIS will compensate it well and really allow the Oly cameras to out perform anything from Fuji (and others brands) when shooting in the night with primes.
Kecajkerugo - while I respect your opinion from my personal experience I don't agree with this, Fuji lenses are far from useless in dark conditions. To reject a whole system just because it doesn't have OIS on the prime lenses is shortsighted at best. I have plenty of images on this blog of images taken at night using the Fuji prime lenses and the quality is stunning. Why do you need OIS when you have f1.4, f1.2 or f2 to allow you to shoot at reasonable shutter speeds. OIS adds physical bulk to a lens. I'm not saying that OIS is not useful, the Fujinon 55-200mm has OIS and I was shooting in Paris a few weeks ago at night and using 1/8 second thanks to the OIS. The Olympus OM-D system has an excellent reputation but I wouldn't swap my Fuji X-Series for it. I have never owned a prime with OIS and to be honest I probably never will because the important factors for me is lens quality, size and fast aperture and the Fuji prime lenses score 10 out of 10 on all three factors for me.
DeleteGood luck and I hope you end up with a camera system you enjoy using as much as I do from the Fuji X-Series.
Thank you for very helpful practical review and sample photos! I wonder could you add some impressions about how well the XF 18mm lens performed for you? It is considered to be the weakest lens in the XF line, but many people may benefit from your practical assessment of the 18mm lens. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAndrian. Please check out mine. Fujinon Lens Reviews
Good topic, good discussion & good information. I use 35mm & 27mm on XPro1. I shoot on street most ... compare to 23mm X100, I feel 27mm still not wide enough to my expectation. I am consider to get 18mm. If you use 27mm too, I would like to hear your opinion comparing 18mm to 27mm. Thanks ... ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I haven't used the 27mm for a couple of reasons. 1. For my work 27mm is a focal length that doesn't appeal very much, it isn't wide enough for me. 2. I like my lenses to have an aperture ring to change settings quickly. I am sure the 27mm is a good XF lens but it is not one that I have tried so I cant compare it to the superb 18mm f2.
DeleteYou may want to consider getting a Ricoh GR instead... much sharper on the corners and less CA...
DeleteMuch sharper than what? Unless you are using an electron microscope to do the review (which I don't) I don't think a direct comparison will prove very much. As I stated, I judge a lens by the results that I see on my screen or by the prints it produces. I have just produced a 75cm x 50cm aluminium print from an X-Pro1 + 18mm f2 combination. Very happy with this lens!
DeleteThe 18mm gets a lot of criticism because of the soft corners at wide apertures. Corner to corner sharpness is not uniform indeed (even at smaller apertures), but what this lens lacks in uniformity, it adds in character. I have a couple of XF lenses but the 18mm remains a favourite as a "city walkaround" lens.
ReplyDelete