Fujifilm 16mm 1.4 Lens Review – ipadguides

Note: The photos in this post were taken with a Fujifilm X-T1 camera with film simulation provia (standard), directly in JPEG, without any editing. Except the camera photo above was taken using a Sony A5100 which I use to make a vlog. *keeps on promotion* #eh

This lens was my only reason to buy a Fuji mirrorless camera.

From the first time I used this lens to photograph a wedding, I fell in love. This lens is amazing, if you are a Fuji user and have a decent budget, there is no need to scroll down to continue the review. Just go to the store and order one fruit.

Let’s start with the naming of this lens: Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR

• Fujinon : This is Fuji’s lens brand. Like Nikon with nikkor lens, Olympus with Zuiko lens, or Canon with Canon (not creative, canon hehe)
• XF : XFensive (made it yourself, hehe) Fuji lens which is a bit expensive. If the kit lens with a plastic body is like 16-50, the code is XC
• 16 mm : Focal length of this lens fixed. Can’t zoom. Equivalent to a full frame lens at 24 mm.
• R : There is a diaphragm ring that we can directly rotate on the lens. Kind of like an old-school lens, but actually it’s electronic, not mechanical.
• WR : Weather Resistant. Water and dust resistant. But the water here is like rain water that is not too heavy or just splashes. Can’t be invited to plunge like a gopro with housing

The construction of this lens is very METAL. Yes, it means that it’s real metal, not plastic. Makes this lens feel expensive and premium. If you’re in a cold place, the lens gets cold too.

Feels comfortable to hold and is the right size. But actually this lens with a diameter of 67 mm and a weight of 375 grams is quite large when compared to mirrorless lenses in general. This is because the large diaphragm at 1.4 makes this lens large. It’s a law of physics, you can’t fight it.

This lens is very fitting when mounted on a camera such as the X-T1 or X-PRO2. However, if it is installed on a camera like the X-A2, it’s a bit objectionable in front.

The size of this lens is between 23 mm and 56 mm. Not too big or too small. Feels so solid and like a brick in my hand.

The autofocus speed of this lens is sufficient. But not as fast as new lenses like the 35 f/2. It feels like he’s still using the regular autofocus motor which is a bit noisy. It doesn’t really sound like much. But it’s very different, for example with a 35 f/2 or 18-55 lens which totally silent. If it’s low light, he’s a bit exhausted too. But still can be used normally.

When recording a video with the Fuji X-T1’s AF-C mode, the sound of the AF motor of this lens is heard entering the microphone. Sound srek srek srekkk kkkk. But when I tried it on Fuji X-T2, how come the sound srekk srekk it’s gone, isn’t it? I’ll try again when I have the X-T2 in my hands later.

This wide lens has a macro distance of 15 cm. Very close and creates a different perspective than usual close up photos with a telephoto lens.

I also enjoy photographing food with this lens because it captures the ambience of the environment, so it doesn’t focus on the food only but also on the location.

But I use this lens precisely to photograph people. Because I prefer portrait photos that are still relevant in location than portraits that only close up. And with the help of f/1.4, I was still able to isolate the subject from the background.

Examples like this:

It’s also good for landscape photography. The 24mm focal length is a classic lens for photographing landscapes like the example below.

A few more examples of photos I took with this lens:

This lens is quite sharp starting from f/1.4 in the center, although it is a bit soft at the edges. Used at f/2.8 or f/4, it is certainly more optimal and the sharpness is even. But if you buy this lens, you must use it for 1.4, right? Haha.

Overall To conclude, the advantages of this lens are:

• Super sharp, already sharp enough at f/1.4
• High contrast (may be a drawback for some)
• Beautiful and unobtrusive bokeh
• Weather seal
• The color is soft, the rendering is sweet, colorful yet subtleespecially combined with the fuji simulation film
• The focus ring is just pulled back for manual focus, and there is a distance scale

For the drawbacks

• The price is relatively expensive, it can be 13 million in rupiah
• Autofocus is not silent and less fast when taking pictures action
• A little color fringing at f/1.4
• The aperture ring is too easy to move, sometimes we don’t realize we move from 1.4 to 16 unconsciously.

For me this lens is enough to meet my needs walk-around and I can only use this lens to take pictures while traveling. Additional lenses such as 35 mm or 56 mm will be a sweet combination pair. But when I look at my photo collection, almost 80% is from this lens.

A lens that I highly recommend for you Fuji users.

Thank You!