Just posted: Our Fujifilm XF 14mm 1:2.8 R lens review

This is a truly excellent lens and about all I could come up to argue about was the AF speed (it is fast if you keep the focus box large). This is very much the equal of Zeiss and Leica lenses which are much more expensive. With a tad more resolution in the sensor I think you could get stunning results...

In any event take a look at this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgoldswo/8457284364/lightbox/

Sorry, but I just have to ask it…

While I understand the teenage crush some of the staff have with the Fuji X line (and it a very decent line), are you guys honestly saying that the images you’ve shown for wide open, center and edge sharpness and vignette make this a Gold Award “fast” ultra wide?

For the vignette, I could see it if the lens was an f/1.4 and perhaps f/1.8 but that amount of vignette for an f/2.8? Come on.

Doing the “It's not bad at F2.8” is an opinion, not supported by what your review offers. Shooting at f/4 kind of defeats the intent of “fast” Ultra Wide doesn’t it? At f/4 one could pick up a Heliar, get better sharpness and less vignette and save some money. From what the review offers it seems like a very decent consumer grade “fast” ultra wide. But your review hasn’t shown anything to put it into a class above that.

From the review:
"One point worth knowing, though, is that there's no way of combining auto and manual focus, so you can't use AF to prefocus then make adjustments manually."

Yes there is: use AF-M to engage manual mode the press the AF-L on your thumb to make a quick point focus using autofocus, then make small adjustments with the usual manual focus technique.

The reviewer may have meant to say there is no manual focus override but there's really no need for it in X bodies.

Fuji is doing something very smart here.

They realized that the CSC market is already overcrowded, and they would never get much shelf space at Best Buy or Costco, so they created their own niche at the high end.

They have become the "MILC Leica" with an outstanding set of beautifully styled well made cameras and nice extremely nice lenses to go with them. They also deliver outstanding image quality, so they have credibility with high end users. They are expensive... but not nearly as pricey as Leicas are.

I don't see it is sharp at f/2.8.

Oh, it equals about 21mm f4.5 lens on full frame. Not too fast for a 900$ lens.

Vignetting is also very extreme, whopping 1.34 EV @ f8.

Very nice lens! Fuji owners should be very happy with this fine lens. Unlike other mirrorless brands, Fuji is accepting very little compromise to get quality, not even compromising on size and cost, like equivalent lenses in Micro Four Thirds. This is good for Fuji X camera owners, who obviously want a higher level or performance in IQ, and prepared to carry more weight, pay more and do not mind slightly slower AF, etc. Compared to a FF camera, this approach is in fact very attractive.

Those complaining should see the X system with this perspective. It's about very high quality in the end results, and Fuji is doing that better than any other mirrorless makers. They compromise less on size and price for quality. It's not for everyone though. This system is IMO so much better and practical than Leica's.

This is a good, very useful review, thanks. Many people are in doubt about the Fujifilm XF 18mm (also vs. the 18-55mm), it would be great to see a similar review for those lenses too.

Istvan

A brand new f2,8 prime lens for 799 and it is soft in the center wide open ? Thats disappointing. A Tamron 2,8/17-50 for 299 is sharper in the center wide open.

Fuji is really putting together a nice system. With the improvements seen in the X20 and X100s there's no doubt the camera that replaces the X-Pro1 will have the bugs hashed out; then we'll be left with nothing but excellent image quality and a growing selection of nice lenses.

No doubt they had a bit of a rocky start, but this system is certainly preferable to a DSLR rig unless you're doing the sports/wildlife routine.

Nice to see a company listening to its customers as well.

Driven by curiosity, I visited a shop and mounted this lens on my x-pro1. I took some pictures and said thank you.

Then, after seeing the result, I had to rush back to the shop and buy the lens. Fantastic.

Something that struck me is nothwithstanding the short focal lenght, the OVF of the x-pro1 still has space to see what is going on outside the frame.

Another excellent review, strengths and weakness clearly shown and described, particularly as dxo doesn't support the x-trans. This lens looks like yet another excellent addition to the rapidly growing fuji stable, with each lens addition the X system becomes more compelling.

Nice review. The XF 14mm low flare/ghosting, close focusing and even sharp resolution at normal F settings make it a great for hiking and landscapes. In many ways the Pentax DA 15mm has similar performance. By the way Pentax also has a DA 14mm F2.8 that is a dedicated APS lens with very close focusing, although when stopped down it has softer corners than the XF.

Currently I have the XE-1 with only the 35mm lens. This 14mm lens seems like a very interesting second lens. Then when the 56mm f1.4 comes out I will have a trio of lenses that covers 95% of all my personal needs.

What happened to the lens test widget? Is it gone forever? It would be very disappointing if the tests are going to be conducted under variable conditions now, and there's no fluid and unified way to look at the lens performance :(