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Should I get one of the Fuji XF 35mm lenses?

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igelfeld

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I am debating (with myself :-)) whether to get one of the Fuji XF 35 mm lenses or just use my film-era Pentax 35 mm F2 lens on my X-E2 and forget about it. Using Pentax means manual focusing, of course, but most important thing is whether I would gain something in rendering that I can't get with the Pentax lens. I have no experience with either of Fuji XF 35s so I am curious as to what you guys think.

These are quick test shots to see the lens in action both indoors and outdoors. All shots are Jpegs, straight out of the camera, DR set to 100%, auto ISO 200-6400, with min shutter speed at either 1/125 or 1/250, no flash. Mostly shot at F2, some F4 and occasional F5.6.

Here we go...

First indoor shots:

1be334b95f3148ddaea992cab20f8a06.jpg

2efe93b2676a4b6e91c53aac3500c4da.jpg

7ba1e3bf41e048cc8e2f0d956649afbc.jpg

ef6ed40916484542a8798ac9bec6e98b.jpg

23bfb6d2ce1d4041a04b163711e8687b.jpg

Now outdoors:

e3104ecb4a164c2a909d097a24cea086.jpg

I've read complaints about greens looking mushy with Fuji. Does this look mushy to you? I think it captured the greens perfectly.
I've read complaints about greens looking mushy with Fuji. Does this look mushy to you? I think it captured the greens perfectly.

24f7e587ba6943cc8efa6ee5c14bea3d.jpg

6aea1ac165b148bfbdcc5b70d6e0a176.jpg

36b00b3acd9d425d9cb183b4e46cc64c.jpg

ad4ee91a24b84bea835dd37eb7a683bf.jpg

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Cheers,
Igelfeld
 
Last edited:
igelfeld said:
I am debating (with myself :-)) whether to get one of the Fuji XF 35 mm lenses or just use my film-era Pentax 35 mm F2 lens on my X-E2 and forget about it. Using Pentax means manual focusing, of course, but most important thing is whether I would gain something in rendering that I can't get with the Pentax lens. I have no experience with either of Fuji XF 35s so I am curious as to what you guys think.
Click to expand...
If you are satisfied with the manual focusing then I wouldn't waste money on another 35mm lens. I have used Pentax lenses with all my mirrorless cameras. There is something very pleasant about the SMC coatings that no other lenses have. They tend to produce warmer tones with higher contrast, but they usually need to be closed a stop or so to gain resolution. The Pentax lenses really work much much better on Sony A7x bodies, at their best settings they would easily out-resolve and out-contrast any Fuji lens. So if you value them then getting Sony would be the best choice.

There is of course, a convenience of AF that Fuji lenses give you. So it depends on what you are shooting and how much time you have to focus on the subject. Both Fuji 35mm lenses will be sharper in the center wide open, the 35/1.4 has pretty bad corners, the 35/2 is better in that regard. The old 35/1.4 is slow and noisy focusing lens, the new 35/2 will focus better. Unless you really need that extras stop I would recommend 35/2.
 
Personally if I could use a lens without an adapter and have AF I would do so assuming cost wasn't a major factor.

My personal choice is the Zeiss 32mm f1.8 but I bought it before the Fuji 35mm f2 existed. I am still happy with it though.
 
I got the XA1 2 years ago with kit lenses (16-50, 50-230) and splurged on the 35/1.4, which was on sale. I have never regretted getting this lens, and use it as my walk around. Maybe, if I was getting a new lens today I would get the newer F2, but have been very happy with the 1.4 as I do a lot of street photography in low light. Shooting with the 35 takes a bit of getting used to, and sometimes think I need something wider and then sometimes more tele, but don't want to get any more zooms. (Last weekend for my walk around in Bangkok I used exclusively my 60 and it was fun to compare with the 35. A great lens IMHO, especially good for casual and candid portraits in daylight, tho night time wasn't bad by cranking up the ISO, that gives a bit more distance than the 35) (See my DPR post on the 60 as walk around lens).

But I am also interested in the X70 which would be a whole new ball game. I really want to get one this summer when I go to Canada (too expensive in Thailand, and hopefully the price will have gone down a bit by then), and want to use it for street photography, and think Vancouver would be a great place to try it out. I have used my 35 in Vancouver in the past and have been very happy with the results. But the X70 would make me rethink my shooting perspective with it's wider lens. (By the way, your posts have really tweeked my interest in the X70)

Anyway, I definitely recommend the 35, especially for low light.
 
You really cannot go wrong with the 35mm f2 Fuji. It is super fast to achieve focus and sharp as a tack corner to corner when stopped down to f2.8 and not too shabby at f2.

It also benefits from being tiny and light in weight.
 
KevinSB said:
Those are very usable shots... I would say very good !!!

Thanks for sharing
Click to expand...
Good luck using Pentax with your Fuji if you choose to do so!
 
georgehere said:
igelfeld said:
I am debating (with myself :-)) whether to get one of the Fuji XF 35 mm lenses or just use my film-era Pentax 35 mm F2 lens on my X-E2 and forget about it. Using Pentax means manual focusing, of course, but most important thing is whether I would gain something in rendering that I can't get with the Pentax lens. I have no experience with either of Fuji XF 35s so I am curious as to what you guys think.
Click to expand...
If you are satisfied with the manual focusing then I wouldn't waste money on another 35mm lens. I have used Pentax lenses with all my mirrorless cameras. There is something very pleasant about the SMC coatings that no other lenses have. They tend to produce warmer tones with higher contrast, but they usually need to be closed a stop or so to gain resolution. The Pentax lenses really work much much better on Sony A7x bodies, at their best settings they would easily out-resolve and out-contrast any Fuji lens. So if you value them then getting Sony would be the best choice.

There is of course, a convenience of AF that Fuji lenses give you. So it depends on what you are shooting and how much time you have to focus on the subject. Both Fuji 35mm lenses will be sharper in the center wide open, the 35/1.4 has pretty bad corners, the 35/2 is better in that regard. The old 35/1.4 is slow and noisy focusing lens, the new 35/2 will focus better. Unless you really need that extras stop I would recommend 35/2.
Click to expand...
Sony A7x bodies are pretty expensive. Which one you like the most? I wonder if it could make more sense to get K-1 once the dust settles and the prices drop.
 
In short - only if you miss the benefits of AF or faster aperture with the f1.4. Otherwise, no.
 
Keith Williamson said:
You really cannot go wrong with the 35mm f2 Fuji. It is super fast to achieve focus and sharp as a tack corner to corner when stopped down to f2.8 and not too shabby at f2.

It also benefits from being tiny and light in weight.
Click to expand...
I actually did end up getting XF-35/F2. Found a good deal on it. Haven't had a chance to use it very much yet except for a couple of test shots.

I like having an AF option besides manual. But will keep using Pentax on X-E2. I still haven't tried FA-43 or FA-77 with it. Would be interesting to see how they perform.
 
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