Top fast IQ lenses ca. 16 to 23mm for X-H2 at F1.4?

[Phil1]

My 16mm F16mm is showing its age and my other W/A standby, the 16-55 f2.8 (I know that's not f1.4!) is generally fine but their limitations became obvious when making a 2m (80") banner recently.

I see the newer Fuji 18mm is very sharp in the centre but outside that its not so hot and similarly with the Viltrox AF 23mm f1,4 XF.

The newish Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR seems to have a good balance across the aperture range. but is a tad on the long side for one of my applications. However, it would be invaluable in the extremely low light conditions I work in from time to time and complement the 90mm F2 nicely.

Edge sharpness always very important and especially so when photographing the 100-strong choir I shoot regularly.

So, my question is are there any other lenses out there which would give ca. the angle of around the 18mm and the edge-to-edge sharpness of the Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR? (It’s not always possible to stand further back).

Many thanks

Phil

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

My 16mm F16mm is showing its age and my other W/A standby, the 16-55 f2.8 (I know that's not f1.4!) is generally fine but their limitations became obvious when making a 2m (80") banner recently.

I see the newer Fuji 18mm is very sharp in the centre but outside that its not so hot and similarly with the Viltrox AF 23mm f1,4 XF.

The newish Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR seems to have a good balance across the aperture range. but is a tad on the long side for one of my applications. However, it would be invaluable in the extremely low light conditions I work in from time to time and complement the 90mm F2 nicely.

Edge sharpness always very important and especially so when photographing the 100-strong choir I shoot regularly.

So, my question is are there any other lenses out there which would give ca. the angle of around the 18mm and the edge-to-edge sharpness of the Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR? (It’s not always possible to stand further back).

Many thanks

Phil

I wouldn’t discount the Fuji 18mm f/1.4, mine is spectacularly sharp across the frame wide open and, by every metric, several orders of magnitude better than the Viltrox 23 f/1.4. The 18 f/1.4 is one of the very best lenses I’ve used for X-mount if you get along with the focal length. Really nice rendering too.

Also, the Viltrox 13 f/1.4 is super sharp across the frame, has no field curvature, and sports great DOF at wide apertures.

I’ve actually had really good luck with stitches panos in these situations with longer lenses (with lots of overlap).

 

[dccberry]

The new 23 f/1.4 is about as good as it gets for that focal length, and also the Viltrox 13 f/1.4 is great optically as well, and as the other poster wrote, very little distortion.

 

[pw-pix2]

I see the newer Fuji 18mm is very sharp in the centre but outside that its not so hot...

So, my question is are there any other lenses out there which would give ca. the angle of around the 18mm and the edge-to-edge sharpness of the Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR?

That XF 18/1.4 is an excellent lens and has good sharpness right across the frame (in my example anyway). It's a good lens to use and the results on my X-T5 are very pleasing.

What about the Viltrox AF 13/1.4 for your 16mm replacement?
I know it's quite a bit wider, but it is also excellent with good sharpness across the frame.

 

[Meeces]

My 16mm F16mm is showing its age and my other W/A standby, the 16-55 f2.8 (I know that's not f1.4!) is generally fine but their limitations became obvious when making a 2m (80") banner recently.

I see the newer Fuji 18mm is very sharp in the centre but outside that its not so hot and similarly with the Viltrox AF 23mm f1,4 XF.

The newish Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR seems to have a good balance across the aperture range. but is a tad on the long side for one of my applications. However, it would be invaluable in the extremely low light conditions I work in from time to time and complement the 90mm F2 nicely.

Edge sharpness always very important and especially so when photographing the 100-strong choir I shoot regularly.

So, my question is are there any other lenses out there which would give ca. the angle of around the 18mm and the edge-to-edge sharpness of the Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR? (It’s not always possible to stand further back).

Many thanks

Phil

As others have mentioned, that 18mm is a great lens. I can't think of any reviews I've seen that fault it. Have you thought about renting first? The rendering it gives is excellent.

 

[biza43]

Do you need to shoot at f/1.4? Better rent first and try, because lenses that are sharp at f/1.4 over the entire field are not abundant. And they tend to be dear. Have you looked at adapting from other systems, even several MF ones?

 

[andrei1989]

not 1.4, but look at the new Sigma 17-40mm f1.8...super sharp even at 1.8...large, but not larger than carrying both an 18 and 23...

 

[GeoMur]

My 16mm F16mm is showing its age and my other W/A standby, the 16-55 f2.8 (I know that's not f1.4!) is generally fine but their limitations became obvious when making a 2m (80") banner recently.

I see the newer Fuji 18mm is very sharp in the centre but outside that its not so hot and similarly with the Viltrox AF 23mm f1,4 XF.

The newish Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR seems to have a good balance across the aperture range. but is a tad on the long side for one of my applications. However, it would be invaluable in the extremely low light conditions I work in from time to time and complement the 90mm F2 nicely.

Edge sharpness always very important and especially so when photographing the 100-strong choir I shoot regularly.

So, my question is are there any other lenses out there which would give ca. the angle of around the 18mm and the edge-to-edge sharpness of the Fuji 23mm f1.4 WR? (It’s not always possible to stand further back).

Many thanks

Phil

I once owned both the new Fuji 18mm and 23mm lenses but now only have the latter because I never got on with the 18mm focal length. That aside (which is a 'me' problem), the IQ on both is really superb. I have tried many of the newer Fuji lenses as well as the better third party options on the 40mp sensor and I'd say these two are amongst the best. Would happily shoot both wide open.

 

[green_badger]

The XF 18mm f/1.4 is universally recognized as one of the sharpest APS-C primes money can buy. Are you sure you didn't check the reviews for the ancient 18mm f/2 pancake instead?

The one thing that does really stink about it are the loose elements rattling inside it when the camera is not powered on. Yes, all their LM lenses suffer from this, but the XF 18 is far and away the worst offender out of all the Fuji glass I've ever owned - to the point where there have been concerned questions from other people about whether it might have a defect, because the noise is so startlingly audible.

But IQ? No contest. And seeing it mentioned in the same context as the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 (which I also owned, but only very briefly - you can probably guess why) is honestly pretty funny.

 

[Rightsaidfred]

Maybe the Viltrox Air 15/1.7 could be good for your purpose of shooting a choir, if you can afford to close the aperture a bit, ideally, at f/4.

See the MTF and form your own opinion, https://opticallimits.com/fujifilm/viltrox-af-15mm-f-1-7-air-xf-review/

No own experience yet but I just ordered one

I often shoot groups of people or an orchestra, so I know your situation. Also those people standing more in the corners want their faces sharp.

My preferred lenses for this application are the XF 23/1.4 WR, XF 33/1.4 WR, and the Viltrox 27/1.2. But sometimes you need a shorter fl. The Viltrox 13/1.4 is excellent but sometimes too wide. I typically use the XF 8-16/2.8 or XF 16-55/2.8 i and now want to try the Viltrox Air. I am curious how it holds up against my zooms at 15...16 mm.

BR,

Martin

--
SmugMug - https://martinlang.smugmug.com
500px - https://500px.com/martinlangphotography
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/martininframes
Co-author on https://frickelfarm.de/

 

[Phil1]

Thanks Erik. As always good practical advice!

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Many thanks for confirming that.

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Many thanks Peter!

Phil

 

[Phil1]

The lenstip review of the 18mm isn't quite as favourable but they don't mention how many samples they tested. So, as you say (for which many thanks!), renting one to see for myself is the way forward.

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Thank you! I agree and will be renting one. I'm not averse to using full frame lenses in fact I use the Canon 200mm f2.8 as Moris has suggested. I'm no longer up with W/A FF lenses so any recommendations would be welcome if you happen to know of any?

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Thanks for that interesting sugestion - worth investigating!

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Thanks for confirming that!

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Lenstip says the 18mm has the Fuji record for central definition but is not as hot (1 sample! which maybe significant) towards the edges which is important for my work.

So your comment is interesting!

Phil

 

[Phil1]

Thanks Martin! Good to hear of your experience with similar subjects.

I started with the two f2.8 zooms but recently I've used the 90mm F2 instead of the longer zoom and upgraded the short zoom to the MKII version, both of which are noticeably lighter and sharper than my older zooms. The 90mm in particular produces amazing images so I thought I'd try a prime for the W/A end of things and I'm hiring a 23mm f1.4 to try out. These two faster lenses will be indispensable when I shoot events in near darkness.

It will be interesting to hear how you get on with the Viltrox in due course!

Phil

 

[aChanceEncounter]

My 18/1.4 is fantastic edge to edge - in that range - the best I have seen.