ForthisshotI foundmyselfusing
thesmallestAFpointpossible
topinpointthebluebellsthatI
wantedtoappearin focus
Fujifilm X-T10, 1/500sec at f/2.8, ISO 800Similartotheimage
above,thisshotalso
exhibitslensflare
FujifilmX-T10,1/60sec
at f/22, ISO 640‘Thereisa rubbersealaround the metal mount’metalmounttopreventmoistureordust
creepingfrominsidethebody.
Anotherpartof thespecnotyetmentioned
is the49mmthreadat thefrontforattaching
screw-infiltersandadapters.Thisis smaller
thanthe67mmfilterthreadontheXF16mm
F1.4R WRandslightlylargerthanthe43mm
threadontheXF35mmF2WRandXF23mm
F2R WR.Theminimumfocusdistance(17cm)
doesn’tletyougetquiteascloseasthe
XF16mmF1.4R WR(15cm);howeverat less
thanhalftheweightof itsfastersibling,thelens
doeshavea considerableweight advantage.
Buildandhandling
Atjust45mmin length,thelensis smallerthan
theXF23mmF2R WRandsharesalmost
identicaldimensionswiththeXF35mmF2R
WR. Taking a closer look at the barrel, you’ll
noticeit hasa similardifferencein diameter
betweentherearandfrontof thelens,leading
totheapertureringbeingslightlylargerthan
themanualfocusring.Keepingwithtradition,
theapertureringis locatedtowardstherear.
Thisallowsthethumbandindexfingerof your
supportinghandtofindandcontrolit easily
whenyoureyeis raisedtotheviewfinder.
Oneof thedifferencesin designbetween
thislensandXF16mmF1.4R WRis thatthe
focusringis smallerandcan’tbesnappedback
toengagemanualfocus.Instead,userswill
needtoactivatemanualfocusviathecamera
body.Therearenodepth-of-fieldorfocus-
distancemarkingsonthebarrellikeyouget
ontheXF16mmF1.4R WR,either.
Withnoswitchesanda simpledesign,the
lenshasa verysimilarlooktoFujifilm’sother
f/2 primes. The aperture ring clicks throughitsf/2.8-f/22rangein 1/3-stopincrements.
Rotatingit anti-clockwisetoitsfarthestpoint
takesyoutoits‘A’setting,whereuserscan
takecontrolof shutterprioritymode,orletthe
cameradecideonthebestaperturesettingin
itsAutomode.Theelectronicallyoperated
manualfocusringis verysmoothandworked
wellwhenI tweakedthefocusin combination
witha magnifiedviewontherearscreenor
EVF.Theplasticlenshoodthatcomessupplied
withthelensisn’tsothinthatit feelsvulnerable
todamage,plusit’sreversibleforstorageand
transportationpurposes.
Fujifilm’ssmallf/2primeshaveanexcellent
reputationfortheirstrong,robustbuildquality
despitebeingconsiderablycheaperthantheir
f/1.4andf/1.2counterparts.Thislensis yet
anotherexample,feelingjustasat home
pairedwithenthusiastandentry-levelX-series
camerasliketheX-T30andX-T100asit does
onhigh-endmodelsliketheX-T3.
Ourreviewsamplewassuppliedin black,but
thosewhoownanX-seriescamerain a silver
andblackfinishhavetheoptiontochoose the
lensin silvertomatch if they prefer.Autofocus
Switchingbackandforthbetweenthef/1.4
andf/2.8versionshighlightedthatthisnew
opticis thequieterofthetwo;howeverunless
you’reshootingwherethere’snoambient
sound,you’reunlikelytonoticethis.Aswe’ve
cometoexpectfrommirrorlesssystemsthat
determine correct focus using the imaging