Alwin Kok

Thanks to my friend Ivan Wong for giving me the opportunity to play with his latest lens, the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2, for a week. Unfortunately due to my unforeseen workload, I only get to try this lens for 4 days before I have to return the lens to him. So this is a pretty short hands-on experience compared to the usual one.

Voigtländer has been a long time manufacturer in the market, they have been manufacturing beautifully crafted lenses for M mount, E mount, Z-mount and m43 mount. Now they have extended their portfolio to craft lenses for the X-mount. Their first lens in the X-mount portfolio is nothing but one of the popular focal lengths among the photographers, 35mm (50mm in full frame equivalent).

Design & Build Quality

We do see some manufacturers having the same lens design but different mount. However, Voigtländer completely designs a new lens design for Fujifilm X-mount. Some might say it’s a pity that it does not have similar design elements like other Voigtländer lenses or missing out on the design language that Voigtländer has. Personally, I think it is okay. After all, the design is still beautifully designed.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/200″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

This 196 grams lens has a solid metal constructed body and I can actually feel how dense the weight of this lens is when I hold it in my hand for the first time. The aperture ring clicks give me very satisfying feedback and the manual ring rotates smoothly with a bit of friction without much force needed.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/600″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/170″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

It comes with a pretty small 46mm filter size and comes with a metal screw-in hood. But I believe that, for a reason, the photographers who purchase this lens do not wish to put on the lens hood.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/850″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

By the way, in case you wonder, the lens is not weather resistant.

Focusing

Well, unfortunately, the speed of focusing depends on the accuracy of your eyes and the speed of your fingers. Because it’s manual focusing.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 400 . Classic Negative

Image Quality

At wide open, this lens gives you a kind of glowing and soft look where the blur falls off quite beautifully and is comfy to my eyes. It also provides a characteristic flare if you face the sun or strong light directly. Unfortunately, I fails to create one that is as beautiful as I saw on the web.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/680″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/14000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/5400″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

If you want to have a decent sharpness in the image, I recommend shooting from f2 onwards. The results are pretty good and usable at f2. Besides sharpness, contrast is decent too.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 640 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/160″ . ISO 400 . Classic Negative

I have a high expectation (later on this) with this lens when it comes to chromatic aberration and vignetting. Luckily, I am not disappointed. They are very well controlled as I did not observe them from my shots.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 1250 . Classic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens comes with a 30 cm MFD which is the same as the XF33mm f1.4 and Sigma 30mm f1.4. At this distance, you can get stronger glowing and softer results. Not forgetting that the depth of field is very shallow when you shoot wide open.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/680″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/3200″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/550″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Price Point

I mentioned about me having high expectations about this lens. Allow me tell you why. According to the official suggested retail price, it costs USD 649. It is rather expensive for a manual lens. For reference, XF33mm is selling at USD 799 and Sigma 30mm f1.4 is at USD 339. If you want to justify the high price, what I can think of is the brand itself, fast aperture, compact, made in Japan and unlike other manual lens manufacturers, it does equip with electronic contact. I think it should suffice to justify, I guess?

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 250 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/420″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Who is this for?

If you are a photographer who wishes to gain some experience with pure manual lenses and you do not mind not knowing your aperture setting, there are many other manual lenses for your consideration. The price between Voigtländer and other manufacturers is a huge gap. From a money perspective, I personally do not recommend you to buy this lens unless you know what you are doing.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/240″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/140″ . ISO 3200 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f5 . 1/9950″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Assuming you want to buy this lens, but you have no idea what genres is it suitable for. I think you do not need to worry about this. Because this focal length is very versatile and it covers generally most genres such as documentary, journalism, street and portrait.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/2500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/350″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Conclusion

Thanks to the electronic contact, this lens gives me a very good manual lens experience. It allows me to know what is my aperture setting like the other autofocus lenses. But the price of this lens position itself clearly from the rest of the manual lens manufacturers. The image quality is indeed better than the other manual lens manufacturers but the result isn’t too far off by a mile.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 800 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/210″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji XE4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/640″ . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Having said that, I am still glad that Voigtländer is joining the Fujifilm community and not forgetting that the 23mm f1.2 is launching soon. All in all, I hope to see more lenses from them and benefit the photographers.

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Negative

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.6 . 1/160″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Negative

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. The lens is from a friend of mine and I have returned it to him by the time this article is available online.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. All the shots taken here are shot by me. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Sigma 56mm f1.4 – The Most Compact Portrait Lens

May 11, 2022May 12, 2022 Alwin Kok

Before I start with this experience sharing post, I would like to thank and appreciate Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for providing me with the loan of Sigma 56mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN.

Intro

Fujifilm has never lacked of lens choices for portrait shooters to choose from. And there are even massive options available from the 3rd party manual lens manufacturers but not so much for autofocus lenses. I think this is the right time for Sigma to jump into the Fuji X-mount bandwagon with its trio lenses, especially the 56mm f1.4.

Sigma 56mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN with 2 XF 27mm f2.8 WR

56mm (85mm in 35mm format equivalent) is one of the popular focal lengths among portrait lovers. That’s because the mid-tele focal length gives good compression and shallow depth of field. But before going down further. I have to confess that I do not own the XF 56mm f1.2 or any 3rd party autofocus lenses of the same focal length. Hence, I am unable to make a good comparison between them. But what I can do is share my experience using this lens with the readers and hope the readers will have a good perspective of this lens.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f4 . 1/80″ . ISO 400. Classic Chrome

I have reviewed the Sigma 16mm f1.4 and Sigma 30mm f1.4 and now the Sigma 56mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN is on the table. This is the last piece of the trio prime lenses and let’s see how good the lens performance is.

Design & Build Quality

The lens built shared the same design elements as its brothers, giving us a low key minimalistic look. I get more enjoyment with the looks, especially the black labelled wordings on it. Similarly, this lens is also made of “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC) polycarbonate material. Overall, it provides a very well-built lens body that is easy and lightweight to hold. Something to note, the lens does attract some fingerprints on the glossy material. Although it can be easily wiped off with a piece of cloth, it can be a little annoying and hard not to notice it.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/1100″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/1800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

In my opinion, when I talked about the compact lens, a reasonably small filter thread size and weight are part of the elements. This lens comes with a 55mm filter thread and weighs only 280 grams. So I think this lens qualifies as a compact lens.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/5800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/5400″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Likewise, this lens is also equipped with dust and splash resistant sealing that helps to protect the lens from certain weather/environmental conditions. Last but not least, it does not come with an aperture ring either.

Image Quality

According to Sigma Marketing, each and every part of this lens was designed in 2018 (except the mount). Fast forward to 2022, how does the optical quality perform in real-world situations? If you read about how well the Sigma 30mm performed, then you can conceivably conclude that this is as good as that piece of glass or possibly even better. At wide open, the sharpness, details and contrast produced by this lens are comfortably good for my liking.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/4000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

I do observe some mild vignetting when I shoot at f1.4 but I think that is acceptable. If vignetting is a problem, you can either stop down to lower aperture or remove it via post-processing. As for the chromatic aberration, I do not think I observe any or I barely notice it during my tests. I think Sigma engineers are really doing a great job in this department.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/640″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f16 . 1/170″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

For the sunny star result, the shot taken at f8 produces a softer and less rounded result. Contrastingly, the result looks sharper at f16 and more pronounced than that of f8.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/17,000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

For a portrait lens, what a photographer wants from a portrait lens is bokeh. Who doesn’t love beautiful bokeh? This lens probably does not produce the best bokeh but rather a pretty decent and comfortable to the eyes. Although the bokeh ball is lemon-shaped like at wide open, it does not distract me from looking at the main subject.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Focusing

Thanks to the stepping motor, the focusing experience is a great one. It is silent, fast and *accurate. I cannot hear a single motor sound produced by the stepping motor while I am focusing. Apparently, my shutter is louder.

Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/11,000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/110″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/350″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Unlike its brothers, this lens does not inherit the focusing accuracy issue. On the flip side, I do encounter some rare auto-focus hunting at times. It does not matter whether I used it during the day or night, indoor or outdoor. While I tried to replicate the focus hunting issue right from the moment I experienced it, I failed. The lens somehow just does not has this hurdle anymore.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/1800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/5000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

But do not worry about it. As I understand from Sigma Marketing, their team is constantly updating their lenses to improve the focus quality and accuracy.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens’ MFD is at 50cm. For a glimpse comparison, XF56mm f1.2 is 70cm, XF50mm f2 is 39cm and the XF50mm f1 is also 70cm.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/10,000″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome

While it is not as close as the XF50mm f2, it is definitely better than the other 2 Fuji lenses have to offer. Does MFD matter? In my case, the answer is yes. It allows me to have a shallower depth of field between the subject and the background.

Left: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/26,000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/23,000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Certain lenses have some level of softness when you shoot at wide-open and at MFD. Fortunately, this lens is otherwise, it is surprisingly sharp & usable. I actually like how it renders and it does not have very harsh bokeh results.

Price Point

Okay, this is “straightforward” and also “challenging” at the same time.

Let’s talk about “straightforward” first, if you are on a budget and compare it with the XF50mm f2 (*SRP SGD749, USD449). I think the Sigma 56mm (SRP SGD688, USD479) is pretty worth it. Hear me out. While you sacrifice the weather resistance that Fuji 50mm f2 offers, you have one full stop of light at your disposal. It is always an advantage when you have that extra stop of light, it will come in handy when you need it. More light is a higher priority in my case.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/300″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 500 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Here comes the challenging part, Sigma is actually priced right between another 2 third party manufacturers, Viltrox and Tokina. I believe you know which one costs higher and which one is more pocket friendly. I cannot speak on behalf of these 2 manufacturers about their portrait lenses because I did not try them out before. What I searched online is that they shared some similarities (with a little 10% difference) like weight, filter size and MFD. I think it is best for you to visit your local stores to have some hands-on experience with these 3 lenses.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/680″ . ISO 320 . Post-edited

Left: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f2 . 1/2400″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/9000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

*SRP – Suggested Retail Price

Conclusion

This is a decent portrait lens for its price and compactness. In these few weeks of hands-on, I enjoy shooting with this lens a lot. I mean, I actually used it for street photography and cityscape besides shooting portraits. It gives me a new perspective and sees things differently from my usual 23mm and 35mm focal length.

Left: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f5 . 1/1800″ . ISO 400 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f7.1 . 1/1000″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome

The optical quality does not tell this lens is actually designed in 2018 and the results are truly usable and sharp and contrast at wide open. In short, Sigma delivers great results in its “Contemporary” series. I am actually excited and looking forward to that one day when Sigma updates its “Contemporary” lenses and distinguishes itself among the third party manufacturers.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/300″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/480″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Who is this for?

For photographers who are just picking up and want a portrait lens with a modest budget, this might be a wise choice for you. This lens gives you an extra stop of light as compared to XF50mm f2 and is more economical than XF56mm f1.2. It really strikes a good balance in terms of price and performance while minimising the compromise that it has.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/220″ . ISO 320 . Post-edited

For street photographers who love to shoot at a distance away from the subject, this is also a good choice but, of course, it does not have as much flexibility as the Sigma 30mm has.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 2000 . Post-edited

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. The lens is a loan unit from Mr. Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore). By the time this review was online, the lens had returned back to Sigma Marketing (Singapore).
2. The lens firmware that I am using is version 1.00.
3. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic & Capture One.
4. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
5. All the shots taken here are shot by me. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

http://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

http://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Sigma 16mm f1.4 – A Good Alternative to XF16mm f1.4?

April 20, 2022May 6, 2022 Alwin Kok

First and foremost, I would like to thank and appreciate Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for loaning me the Sigma 16mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN lens for making this review possible.

Intro

Similar to Sigma 30mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN, I refer to Sigma 16mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN as “Sigma 16mm f1.4” in short. Unlike the Sigma 30mm f1.4, it was announced back in October 2017 but was only available for EF-M, E-mount, L-mount and Micro Four Thirds back then. Now it is available in X-mount too.

Being a 24mm full-frame equivalent ultra-wide lens, the first thing that I can’t help noticing how huge the lens is. It is almost identical to the size of the Fuji XF16mm f1.4 and it is merely taller. Speaking of comparison, I will not compare both lenses directly as I believe every lens has its own reasons to be here and hence giving it a fair chance to shine.

Price Point

I decided to shift this section to the front because Sigma 16mm f1.4 comes at a very interesting and competitive price point. In Singapore, it is priced at SGD648/USD449 (*SRP). It is just $50 more than the XF 16mm f2.8 (SGD599/USD399 SRP) and it is far cheaper than XF 16mm f1.4 (SGD1599/USD999 SRP). With such a competitive price, are you tempted to get Sigma instead of Fuji?

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/640″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/105″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

At this price point, lets me share with you what are the things you will be getting from this lens and what are the thing you will miss.

*SRP – Suggested Retail Price

Design & Build Quality

Sigma 16mm f1.4 has the same built element and design language as its brothers. It is a low profile lens that does not shout out loud, especially on the front glass. It is minimalistic on its own by labelling the wordings in black.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/1300″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/850″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Although the body of the lens is made of “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC) polycarbonate material, it feels well-constructed and comfortable to hold. But it does attract some fingerprints on the glossy material of the lens. Even so, it can be removed easily with a piece of cloth.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f5 . 1/900″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

This huge lens weighs 405 grams and it is the heaviest one among the trio of Sigma lenses. I think there is quite a huge amount of heavy glass elements inside this lens, which explains the weighty weight. For readers who are looking to equip the lens with filters, it comes with a filter size of 67mm. It also comes with dust and splash resistant sealing that helps to protect the lens from certain conditions.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/350″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Similarly to the Sigma 30mm f1.4, it does not have an aperture ring too. So you have to control your aperture via the front dial of your camera. It’s a very similar approach to what Fujifilm has for XC lenses.

Image Quality

At f1.4, the image is usable. It retains the sharpness, contrast and details of the image very well. But for some shots especially shooting at infinity, the results tend to be soft at wide-open.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/450″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/85″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Although some vignetting can be observed, this can be easily resolved in post-processing or shot at a smaller aperture to reduce it. In my opinion, this can be forgiving and unavoidable because it is an ultra-wide lens after all.

There is also some slight chromatic aberration observed in some of my shots, but it is still within my acceptance level. Again, it can be removed easily with post-processing.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

On the subject of the sunny star result, I prefer the shot taken at f16 as the “star” looks sharper than the one at f8. As for the lens flare, it did control very well too.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f16 . 4″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f8 . 1″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

One thing to note, I never expect how good the control of the lens distortion for this ultra-wide lens. Probably thanks to the camera auto-correction? But nonetheless, the output is good.

Focusing

This lens is silent and fast. This is something that I have expected after using Sigma 30mm f1.4 as I believe they are using the same stepping motor. The sound of the focusing experience that I have is close to complete silence. Please bear in mind that this lens has lots of heavy glass inside it and yet it can achieve something like this is totally remarkable.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Post-edited

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f2.8 . 1/90″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f5.6 . 1/850″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Regarding the focusing accuracy, unfortunately, it also inherits the same issue as the Sigma 30mm f1.4 as well. Similar off-focused results when I shoot with the little green box lit up but it hardly happens. But not too worry about it, understand from Sigma that they are constantly improving their lenses’ focusing quality and accuracy via updates.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f4 . 1/210″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f5.6 . 1/180″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The MFD of this lens is 25cm. By comparison, the XF16mm F1.4 is 15cm. Does it really matter? Not really matter as the general purpose of this lens is for landscape or similar genres.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/420″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/350″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

But it does matter if the photographer could love to use the lens for other creative purposes. Because the closer the MFD you have, the more possibilities you can create with.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/2200″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Conclusion

Sigma 16mm f1.4 does have its shortfall but it strikes a good balance between price and overall experience. For a lens optic design that has been around for 5 years, the image renders very remarkably sharp, especially at wide open. I have to appraise that Sigma did not compromise on the image quality and I think Sigma did the right thing here as I believe this is more important than anything else for every photographer.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/450″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Overall, I can accept what this lens has to offer. Likewise, how is it compared to XF16mm f1.4? All I can say is that both lenses are good at their price points and there are reasons to be at their price points. They supply different demands to different groups of photographers. In my opinion, there is no end to making comparisons between lenses.

Who is this for?

This lens is suitable for photographers who are just starting to learn photography or tipping their toes in the world of prime lenses but with a limited budget on hand or wish to have their money well spent. But who are these photographers?

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f5.6 . 1/900″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f8 . 1/320″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome . Post-edited

Photographers who are landscape, environmental and architecture lovers, you may consider getting this lens in your arsenal. If you do not mind about its build quality, etc, the price of this lens can actually save you some money and maybe you can use that money to invest in other lenses or accessories.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Post-edited

For street photographers, this ultra-wide lens is harder to isolate your subject unless you get closer to it. If you know what you intend to do with this lens, otherwise I will not recommend you to use this lens.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/180″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/1000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/1000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 800 . Post-edited

To answer my question in the title, it is indeed a good alternative to XF16mm f1.4.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. The lens is a loan unit from Mr. Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore). By the time this review is online, the lens had returned back to Sigma Marketing (Singapore).
2. The lens firmware that I am using is version 1.00.
3. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic & Capture One.
4. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
5. All the shots taken here are shot by me. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Sigma 30mm f1.4 – Never Too Late

March 29, 2022April 10, 2022 Alwin Kok

First of all, allow me to thank Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for loaning me the Sigma 30mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN lens for a review. I appreciate his support to make this review a reality.

Intro

Sigma 30mm f1.4 Contemporary DC DN (I will just call it Sigma 30mm in short for the rest of the review) was announced back in February 2016. It was introduced with various mounts (i.e. EF-M, M43, E-mount and Leica L). 6 years later, X-mount is the latest mount in the Sigma family.

35mm (50mm in full-frame equivalent) is a very popular focal length among all others. And then, Sigma comes with this 30mm focal length and this is an interesting focal length to compete with many 35mm lenses in the Fuji market. It also sits right between the 27mm and 33mm of what Fujifilm has offered.

At an equivalent to 45mm in full-frame, let’s dive in and see how this lens can actually perform.

Design & Build Quality

According to the official, the build of this lens is made out of a type of polycarbonate called “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC). This material has a thermal expansion rate similar to that of aluminium and it also has a high affinity to metal parts which contributes to high-quality product manufacturing.

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f5.6 . 1/1000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f5.6 . 1/160″ . ISO 500 . Classic Neg

And according to my hands-on, it feels great to hold. Although it is polycarbonate built, it does not feel cheap at all. The lens is very well built and solid. But one thing to point out is that it is a fingerprint magnet and it can leave some fingerprint marks on the lens. Luckily, it can be easily wiped off.

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f5 . 1/60″ . ISO 1250 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f4 . 1/90″ . ISO 640 . Classic Neg

This lens comes with a filter size of 52mm and it is more than welcome for photographers to buy filters at a more affordable price.

At 275 grams, the weight of this compact lens is decently light to mount on any Fujifilm camera body without feeling adding much weight to the camera.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/160″ . ISO 500 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f5.6 . 1/1000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

One fact to note is that this lens is equipped with dust and splash resistant sealing that helps to protect the lens from certain conditions.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/140″ . ISO 640 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/105″ . ISO 640 . Classic Neg

Image Quality

Before I share my opinion about the optical quality. My understanding from Sigma Marketing is that the lens optical is exactly the same as other mounts, which also means that the glass elements and design are the same as 6 years ago.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/17000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/5800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

So how does it perform in real-world situations? Well, the image quality is exceptionally good. The results at wide-open actually surprised me. The details, sharpness and contrast are well preserved.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/22000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/2500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

As for the chromatic aberration, I hardly notice it. I think the lens did a good job of controlling it. It does help us to reduce one task in our post-processing.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/14000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/5800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

For the sunny star result, the shot taken at f8 produces much softer and less rounded results. On the other hand, it looks sharper at f16 and more detailed than that of f8.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f16 . 1/500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f8 . 1/1900″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Focusing

Two words to describe it. Silent sniper. The focusing speed is surprisingly fast, accurate and completely silent. The word “completely” may sound too strong but it is really silent and the only sound I can hear is coming from my shutter. All thanks to the stepping motor that is equipped with the lens, this also means that this lens can be a wise choice for videographers to consider.

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f4 . 1/160″ . ISO 500 . Classic Neg

As for accuracy, I can say it has a very high accuracy rate, probably around 95%. Why not 100%? Because I do encounter a few off-focused results when the little green box has lit up. For under low light situations, this lens still performs well most of the time.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/160″ . ISO 800 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/160″ . ISO 800 . Classic Neg

Something to highlight, when I am trying to do some closed up shots under broad daylight, I encountered this phenomenon where the subject is not in focus but the little green box has lit up. What I do is focus on another nearby object and then it works as per normal.

But rest assure, Sigma is constantly updating their lenses to improve the focus quality and accuracy. In fact, there is an update for this lens last Friday. Unfortunately, I do not have the chance to give it a try.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f2 . 1/60″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg
Right: Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/2900″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The MFD is at 30cm which is considered quite close but not extremely close. One thing to note is that shooting at MFD produces a very special character to the photo. Shooting under sunlight, the focused object looks sharp but anything around it is kind of soft and the softness will slowly blend into the background as the distance is further from the object. Somehow, I quite like how it renders.

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/1900″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/1000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Also, if you are shooting wide-open at the MFD, it produces a very shallow depth of field.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/3800″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f2 . 1/2400″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Price Point

I rarely open up discussions about price points. But this lens is really positioned itself very well. At *SGD488 (or USD339), it is slightly above as XC35mm f2 at SGD299 (or USD 199) and way below XF35mm f2 at SGD699 (or USD 399). Yet it offers one full stop more light.

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/60″ . ISO 500 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/60″ . ISO 400 . Classic Neg

With this price point, it does attract a lot of potential buyers who are about to start their photography journey.

*The price quoted is based on Recommended Retail Price.

Conclusion

Coming from a guy who likes to shoot streets with 23mm and 35mm focal lengths, I am able to adapt the Sigma 30mm f1.4 very well. In these 2 weeks of loan, I do not find much of a challenge using this lens except for the above-mentioned issue.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/2700″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

For a slightly over a demi-decade old glass design, the photos taken with this lens are considered impressive and pretty usable, especially for the wide-open shots.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/1800″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/3800″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

However, this lens does come with some downsides. First, it does not has an aperture ring. Something that I do miss sometimes. Second, it is not a full weather resistant lens. It does not matter to me but I think it is good to let the readers know.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/700″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited
Right: Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/4000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Overall, I think this piece of glass does strike a good balance between price, image quality and the tradeoffs. Plus, it is made in Japan.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/5000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Who is this for?

This focal length covers well in most genres such as street, journalism, portraits and landscape. Hence I will highly recommend it to an amateur who just picking up photography and trying to explore the world with prime lenses; someone who does not has a 35mm focal length; and someone who is on a tight budget.

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f2.2 . 1/170″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/280″ . ISO 600 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/2000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. The lens is a loan unit from Mr. Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore). By the time this review is online, the lens had returned back to Sigma Marketing (Singapore).
2. The lens firmware that I am using is version 0.63.
3. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic.
4. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
5. All the shots taken here are shot by me. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Discussion

X-E4: Minimalism = Limitation?

March 28, 2022March 27, 2022 Alwin Kok

Is minimalism equal to limitation? In a way, yes. Minimalism is by keeping things as simple as possible, limited yet still functioning as what it suppose to be. In this case, X-E4 has done it and did it right. It has the most minimalistic design Fujifilm has ever created. The design is a bold move. Fujifilm removes some of the hardware functions but still allows photographers to access them when needed via the “Q” menu, setting up the “My Menu” or mapping it to other buttons or dials. While I am not sure by removing the grip from the camera body is a wise choice but honestly speaking, the camera is aesthetically beautiful.

X-E4 is not designed in such a way that it will please everyone but rather, it does attract a niche group of people who adore simplicity. In other words, this camera is what represents the life of how the photographer live in. At least I am.

A little bit of history here. X-E4 was announced on 27 January 2021 and released a month later. And my first ever review post was actually about this camera together with the XF27mm f2.8. (The review can be found here.)

I love all the camera designs from Fujifilm, especially the X-Pro series but the X-E series still has a special place in my heart. I cannot explain specifically why I love this series so much. But I think a combination of aesthetic, compact and retro-style designs are probably the reasons.

Another short history here. I pick up my first X-E series (X-E3) back in 2019. It is a preloved unit but the overall condition is not heavily abused. It’s a simple camera that somehow I love using for my street shutter therapy more than my X-T3. It’s light, compact and less prominent among other camera designs. It does not look like a professional camera but in its gut, it is capable to meet my needs. X-E4, in my opinion, improves way better than its predecessor in many ways.

Back to X-E4. So how do I overcome the limitations of this camera? Well, I just simply preset the desired ISO auto setting (maximum ISO sensitivity and minimum shutter speed) and that’s all. Most of the functions that I need is actually available in the “Q” menu. Honestly, I rarely touch anything else besides the aperture value, exposure compensation value and of course the shutter button.

So who is this camera suitable for?

*Left: Fuji X-E4 . XF33mm f1.4*
Right: *Fuji X-E4 . Laowa 9mm f2.8*

Besides people who love simplicity, in my opinion, this camera is very suitable for someone who is a retro-style enthusiastic, an everyday camera for casual photographers and of course a good pickup camera for amateurs. Why so? Firstly, it is not as expensive as its other brothers (i.e. X-Pro and X-T series). Secondly, it is equipped with the X-Trans IV sensor, which is a very capable sensor and also not forgetting that this sensor is also equipped in all its other brothers as well. Thirdly, it has a lot of compact lenses to pair up with (both Fujifilm and third parties manual lenses).

To end this, I have been using this camera for months. In these few months of using it, I get to understand what this camera design philosophy is. In my interpretation, the answer is very straightforward. Fujifilm wants to let the photographer concentrate on shooting, enjoy the process of shooting and leave everything else to the camera to handle it. I am glad that Fujifilm dares to design something different from its current line-up of cameras. And I hope this X-E4 will encourage more photographers to bring it out and capture the moments in them. After all, it’s a beauty to hang out with.

Disclaimer:
1. The camera is a loan unit from Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm Asia Pacific. By the time this review is online, the units had returned back to Fujifilm Asia Pacific.
2. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
3. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic.
4. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
5. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Discussion

XF23mm f1.4 R – is the Classic still worth buying in 2022?

March 1, 2022March 1, 2022 Alwin Kok

After three months of delay, the successor of the classic XF23mm f1.4 R has finally arrived on our shore this month. While the price of the newly launched lens is priced at USD 900, the predecessor is easily available between USD 600 to 700~ ish. Is it worth saving the $200 ~ $300 difference? In this post, I will share some of the experiences I had with both lenses and hope to help you in your own decision journey.

Before I start my sharing, I would like to thank Ivan Joshua Loh for lending me his XF23mm f1.4 R for a shoot. This has actually landed me an opportunity to have a full 2 days of hands-on with the classic lens.

Image Quality

The classic one gives an overall decent image quality all most focusing distance but I noticed soft results at its minimum focus distance. Chromatic aberration is also quite noticeable, especially in an outdoor sunny environment and shooting wide open. As for the new one, it produces sharper image quality and addresses those flaws that I mentioned earlier. The rendering of the bokeh also seems to be better than the classic one. More pleasant to the eyes if you ask me.

For the new F23mm f1.4 R LM WR, you can have a look at photos taken here and here.

Autofocus speed

This is a very subjective topic when comes to focusing performance. How fast or slow depends on how the individual defines it. Unfortunately, I have both the classic and new lenses mounted on different camera bodies (due to different loan periods) but the cameras are equipped with X-Trans 4 (if that is the concern). For reference, X-E4 is for the classic lens and X-S10 is for the new lens.

To my surprise, the classic one is not that slow with the newer camera. The focusing speed is acceptably fast and I do not really experience any slow-focusing or focus hunting under dim light conditions. However, it is surely noisy.

For the new lens, the focusing speed is indeed very fast and silent. It locks onto the subject really quick and precise.

Minimum Focus Distance

If you are like me who like to take as close up as possible, the classic is not for you. It’s minimum focus distance is at 28 cm as compared to 19cm on the new one.

Size and Weight

To be honest, they are somewhat close to each other. The overall size and weight is nothing much to shout about or compare. While one is slightly wider and shorter, the other is slightly taller and slimmer. Both are about the same weight and still bigger than the f2 variant.

Appearance

The classic one comes with the push/pull clutch manual focus ring. The aperture ring is close to clickless. Overall, the lens gives a very vintage style design element.

X-E4 . XF23mm f1.4 R @ F2.8 (right) & F1.4 (left)

As for the new one, it is totally the opposite of the classic. Fujifilm has removed the push/pull clutch, gives the aperture ring better clicky feedback and modernize the overall lens design. Plus it includes the Weather Resistant (WR).

Conclusion

The successor iso truly the winner here. I can see how much effort Fujifilm has improved the lens in almost every aspect of the classic one.

Back to the question. Is it worth saving the $200 ~ $300 difference? Ideally, getting the latest glass is always the better choice. If you have no financial constraints, this is the way to go.

But if you are just picking up photography with a limited budget, I think there are a few more options besides getting the used XF23mm f1.4 R. I think starting off with 3rd party lenses from Sigma and Viltrox is also another good option (if you are willing to accept their strengths and drawbacks).

X-E4 . XF23mm f1.4 R @ F1.4 (left) & F4 (right)

What is your opinion? Share with me in the comment below or DM me in instagrams. Cheers!

As for me, I have a lot of concerns when purchasing a used lens and that’s just my two cents. I am kind of biased to the successor and that’s because I started using the successor before using the classic lens. On that account, I have unconsciously set a high standard for image quality and I cannot turn it back. Yes, it is not a cheap lens but it is unarguably a futureproofing lens for the newer camera bodies which will harness the power of the lens.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

XF23mm f1.4 WR: The King of Street Lens

January 10, 2022February 15, 2023 Alwin Kok

First and foremost, I appreciate Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm Asia Pacific, for his generosity in providing the loan for the XF23mm f1.4 R LM WR and Fuji X-S10. By the time this review is online, the units had returned back to Fujifilm Asia Pacific.

On a side note

XF23mm f1.4 WR (I remove the R LM to shorten the wording in this article) is announced during the Fujifilm X-summit in September 2021. It is priced at USD 899 and it is supposed to launch on 30 November 2021. But due to the global chip shortage, the original shipping date has been pushed to sometime in February 2022.

Intro

Fujicron XF23mm f2 WR is the first prime lens I have with Fujifilm. I love almost everything about it except for the softness in image quality at wide-open and that’s probably due to my personal preference. Years later, I have my first ever X100 series, the X100V. Love it to bits. It has become my daily weapon of choice wherever I go.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/1100″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/30″ . ISO 400 . Classic Neg

At 23mm (35mm in full-frame equivalent), the focal length is one of the most versatile lenses out there in the market. For greenhorn, it is easy to pick up and enjoy the fun experience with a fixed focal length.

Also, I have previously shared my staycation with this lens. You can have a look over here.

Design & Build Quality

The design language of this lens follows the same as its two new brothers, XF18mm f1.4 WR and XF33mm f1.4 WR. The build is a premium one too. Full metal-built and the weight is well balanced across the lens. The aperture ring is clicky, gentle, and not too loose like its predecessor. It is an enjoyable experience to rotate and change the aperture.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f5 . 1/420″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f8 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/1900″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/160″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

According to my wife’s kitchen scale, it weighs 375 grams & 402 grams with the lens hood on. The weight is also merely heavier as compared to XF18mm f1.4 (@370 grams) and XF33mm f1.4 (@360 grams) but I am not able to tell the difference in weight by holding them on my hand. With similar sizes and weights, my guess is that it will benefit videographers from saving time for recalibrating their gimbals when swapping among these 3 lenses.

Image Quality

The glass optic of this lens is similar (or even the same optic formula) to the XF18mm f1.4 and XF33mm f1.4 and the image quality is very sharp at wide open. Maybe I should use the term called “clinically sharp” to best describe this lens. I know some people prefer more characteristic results than “clinically sharp” ones. But personally, I accept it and have zero picky reasons to point out any flaw with the image quality.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/4000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/450″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/5800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

The bokeh produced by this piece of glass renders very beautifully and the fall-off is seamless. This is kind of in my expectation since I have tested the XF18mm f1.4 and XF33mm f1.4 before. I mean the standard should be at least on-par and should not be worse than its brothers. How about the shallow depth field of view? Is it too shallow or just nice or love it? Share with me your opinion.

How good is the sunny star shot taken with this lens? I think the result is pretty decent. Nothing to complain about over here. At f16, the star shape is sharper but I prefer the result at f8. Besides that, the lens flare is well-controlled. A decent amount of flares is acceptable for me and it does create some mood to the photos.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f8 . 1/210″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f16 . 1/40″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

As for chromatic aberration, not really obvious in my opinion. At least I do not observe any in my test.

Autofocus

What can I complain about the autofocus speed? Absolutely nothing. The focus speed is very fast, very silent, and very accurate. Sometimes, the lens focus locked is so fast that I thought I did not half-press the shutter button. You should probably try it out and you will understand.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f7.1 . 1/1800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f8 . 1/640″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f5.6 . 1/5000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/45″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

For dim light situations, the focus performance can be slightly slower but the accuracy remains the same top performance and the lens focusing still remains silent.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

According to the internet, the MFD is 20cm and it is the same MFD as what XF18mm f1.4 WR is offering. The close-up result is breathtaking and it does not render soft images like some of the old lenses do. Fujifilm really works hard on improving the optic!

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/26001″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f10 . 0.5″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Side by Side

I do not own an XF23mm f1.4 but I have the opportunity to try it out from a friend who has it. Visually, the new XF23mm is taller and slimmer than the old XF23mm. And the new XF23mm also missing the clutch mechanism that the old XF23mm has.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/5000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/180″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f2.8 . 1/600″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Although the older generation is 70 grams lighter, I cannot really tell the difference in weight when I hold both of them together. Like I mentioned earlier, the aperture ring of the old XF23mm is much looser than the new one.

As for the autofocusing performance, the old XF23mm is slower and noisier. At wide-open, the sharpness is not as sharp as the newer one and again, this is a personal preference. Also, let’s not forget that it does not equip with Weather Resistant as well.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/110″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Who is this for?

In my humble opinion, this lens is really suitable for most photographers out there, be it professional or casual photographers. The focal length is really versatile in that it can use in most genres; streets, editorial, documentary, landscape, cityscape, environmental portraits, astrophotography, and the list goes on. With its sharp IQ at wide-open and easy to adapt focal length, this lens is suitable to bring on any occasion, including taking night streets photography or low light situation.

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/3500″ . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/5400″ . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/850″ . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/9000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Conclusion

If you are looking for your first-ever prime lens, maybe you should give this lens a try. I will recommend you try it out in your local camera store or try renting it for a week or so. I think you will like this lens a lot. While the price might be a little steep to some, I think it will be a good photography investment for years (or decades) to come.

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f9 . 1/300″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/170″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/350″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/1700″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

If you are the existing owner of the XF23mm f1.4 R and you do not mind missing out push/pull clutch mechanism, you may consider upgrading to this successor. Considering it is a decent update, I think you will love this lens a lot more.

As for me, I love this lens, it really grew on me during this period of testing. I can see this lens will replace my f2 variant eventually. And honestly, it is a nice upgrade from the f2 variant with improved IQ and AF accuracy. Yes. The new lens weighs almost 2 times the f2 variant but I am acceptable with the weight because nothing beats the results coming out of f1.4

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Discussion

My Top 12 Most Favorite Photos in 2021

January 3, 2022January 3, 2022 Alwin Kok

2021 comes and goes. In this pandemic year, I have gained quite fruitful experiences. In this year, I have a total of 22 posts, 11 of them are reviews of camera gears and lenses. All thanks to the opportunities given by Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm, and Cles Distribution of Tamron Singapore and Sony, Singapore. Without them, I won’t be able to share my opinions and having these opportunities to wander around Singapore to capture some of the photos that have become to be my favorite. And these are my 12 most favorite photos in 2021. (They are not listed in order.)

#12

Fuji X-S10 . Fuji XF18mm F1.4 R LM WR @27mm . f1.4 . 1/60” . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome

#11

Fuji X-T3 . XF70-300mm @ 127.1mm . F5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 500 . Post-edit

#10

Fuji X-T3 . Fuji XF50mm F1 R WR @50mm . f1 . 1/550” . ISO 160 . Pos-edit.

Fuji X-E4 . Fuji XF70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR @300mm . f6.4 . 1/500” . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-Pro 1 . XF70-300mm F4-5.6 @300mm . f5.6 . 1/3200” . ISO 200 . Post-edit

GFX 50SII . GF 32-64mm F4 @32mm . f8 . 1/100” . ISO 100

GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/160″ . ISO 800 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . Tamron 18-300mm @ 34.5mm . f4 . 1/160″ . ISO 2500 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-Pro3 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f5.6 . 1/200” . ISO 320 . Classic Negative

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/5400 . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . Tamron 18-300mm @ 300mm . f6.3 . 1/75″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Is there any that you like? Let me know if you have one.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Some of the shots are slightly edited in Lightroom Classic to my preferences. Otherwise, the shots are straight out of the camera.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

travel

Looking back my Japan trip in monochrome

December 31, 2021January 2, 2022 Alwin Kok

It was a blink of an eye that 2 years has passed since my last overseas holiday trip. It was in November 2019 and then covid-19 begans. Friends who know me and follow my Instagram are kinda irate about me sharing my belated Japan trip photos since early this year. (It is coming to an end… Soon…) People who love Japan wish to visit Japan as soon as the border is open, so am I. But this is not my point in this post.

The reason why I write this post is that it is going to be my last post in 2020 and I think it is a good opportunity to revisit some of my shots taken during my Japan trip. I pick some of the photos that I think are the essence of what Japanese is like in my own eyes and edit them in monochrome. (You can look for these shots in colours via my IG posts.)

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Staycation with XF23mm f1.4 WR

December 20, 2021January 2, 2022 Alwin Kok

It’s the time of the year where people spend their holidays overseas. Although there are countries open up with the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), we decide to have a short staycation in one of the hotels in the heart of the Singapore shopping belt.

All thanks to Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm Asia Pacific, for providing the loan for X-S10 and XF23mm f1.4 WR, I have the opportunity to test out the lens during my stay.

I will be providing a review when I return the loaned units. But for now, I will just share what I have taken with this lens.