At $899, the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 14mm F2.8 R will allow you to seize the beauty of the heavens. Its’ unmatched warm, vibrant colors and micro-contrast are wrapped up in a compact lens for incredible landscape and architectural work.
Features/Benefits
The Fujinon XF 14mm F2.8 R is a wide-angle prime lens for use with Fujifilm mirrorless cameras. In full-frame terms, the field of view is at 21mm. While not exactly a macro, the 7.1-inch minimal focus distance allows you to get up close. Keep in mind the amazing cropping accomplished with the Fujinon X-Series cameras and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.
Build
At just 8.3 ounces, this super versatile lens fits the less expensive and smaller 58mm filters, and a plastic hood is included.
The manual aperture ring gives you greater control with its one-third click stops that range from f/2.8 to f/22. It also has an auto setting. Unfortunately, the turns are a bit on the loose side. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, having to keep an eye on your settings to ensure they didn’t move from A to f/22 is a little annoying.
Markings
Other than the laser-engraved certifications, the markings are engraved and painted so you can count on seeing them clearly and know they will continue to look good for years.
Focus
The older stepping motor works very quickly in daylight but slows down in lower light conditions. In Auto, the movements are almost silent.
While it has hard stops, it’s still focus-by-wire. The advantage of this is that you won’t find mechanical errors present in SLR cameras thanks to the focus being read directly from the image sensor. The drawback is that while in manual, it’s a bit loud, so it’s not so good for video under low-light conditions.
Moving from Auto to Manual features a focus clutch system. It’s is a nice feature with distance markings for use with the printed depth of field scale, allowing for zone focus. Just push forward for autofocus, and pull it back towards the base for manual. No more having to use the camera to change settings.
Image Quality
The Fujinon XF 14mm F2.8 R is a compact lens bulging with image quality. It features incredibly sharp centers from f/2.8 to f/22.
If you really want to find a loss of sharpness in the corners at f/2.8, it might be possible with the right microscope. Head up to f/8 though, and the corners will match the center.
With an ultra-wide lens, you will have to work to get a little bit of bokeh because the whole picture is usually in focus.
Distortion, Light falloff, ghosts, lateral color fringes, spherochromatism and vignetting are all invisible. There may be a slight show of diffraction at f/11.
The rounded 7-blade diaphragm rarely makes sunstars.
Pros
- Super sharp with true color and razor-sharp contrast
- Manual focus clutch
- 1-inch close focus
- Compact
- Quiet autofocus
- Solid construction
Cons
- Not weather resistant
- Aperture ring too easily turned.
- Price
Summary
The Fujinon XF 14mm F2.8 R is incredible in every aspect. There’s a reason why Fujifilm XF optics are praised by users around the world. They are high-quality optics and mechanics thoughtfully interwoven.
This rare wide-angle heralded for its’ lively colors and razor-sharp contrast belongs on your X-Series today.
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