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Is the 23mm F2 a bad lens?

Started Sep 26, 2018 | Discussions thread
RvEL Regular Member • Posts: 314
Re: Is the 23mm F2 a bad lens?

colombiano wrote:

RvEL wrote:

jor23 wrote:

You meant the XF 23mm F2?

That's good to know. There are a lot of discussion on the internet about how soft it is wide open or focused close.

Complaints about softness mainly started when the lens just released. At that time most cameras did not yet support it (firmware wise) AND people complained 99% of the case about some unsharp/soft results at extremely close up. Please keep in mind that this is not a macrolens.

23 f2 is soft at minimum focusing distance at F2 and no firmware can change that. It's a compromise in lens design.

23 f1.4 on the other hand is very sharp even at minimum focusing distance and bokeh is superior (even comparing both lenses at F2, you can check online comparisons).

To OP, maybe you could buy a used F1.4 lens if you desire it. I got mine F1.4 used on ebay for the same price as a new F2 would cost me. It's a great lens and would't swap it for F2 version.

I was merely explaining why a lot of people complained. It was not just about short distance softness which indeed isn't fixable through a camera firmware update. However, if a lens profile isn't available for/supported by a camera yet, their might be certain aspects that don't get correctly corrected when taking JPEG images.

Post (hide subjects) Posted by
ioh
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