Fujifilm XF23mm f/2 R WR review: Introduction
Fujifilm users who fancy a fast wide-angle prime offering a 35mm equivalent focal length had a fairly easy decision to make in the past.
The Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 XF R was the only lens of its focal length in the company’s Fujinon X-Mount lens lineup and has been the first choice for landscape, travel, street, reportage and documentary photographers. As good as the lens is, it comes with quite a thickset barrel and is one of the larger primes Fujifilm produces for its X-series cameras.
The Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 XF R with supplied hood attached
To compliment the small, lightweight feel of cameras like the X-Pro2, X-T2 and X-T20, Fujifilm has developed a range of smaller f/2 primes to sit alongside their f/1.4 counterparts. The first of these to arrive was the XF 35mm f/2 R WR – a smaller, weather sealed alternative to the XF 35mm f/1.4 R. This has since been joined by the 23mm f/2R WR XF, a lens that shares similarities to the XF 35mm f/2 R WR and presents £300 saving over the older Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 XF R.
When we reviewed the XF 35mm f/2 R WR we came to the conclusion that unless you really need the extra stop the XF 35mm f/1.4 R provides, there’s no major benefit to be had from choosing the larger alternative. Keen to find out if the same can be said for the 23mm f/2R WR XF, we subjected it to some rigorous real-world testing.
