Fujifilm 23mm f2 Review – Best Fuji Travel Lens

Are you looking to get the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 WR lens? Read this review before buying

Photographs allow us to relive our travel memories for years to come. Whether you’re a full-time photographer or simply enjoy photography as a hobby, picking your camera and lens is an important decision. 

If you’re looking to add to your travel gear and need a great lens, I’m sure the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 WR lens has popped up on your radar.

I’ve owned the Fuji XF 23mm f2 R WR for a year now and have taken it with me to Jamaica and throughout Europe and thought it time I did a review on one of the best Fuji lenses for travel. It makes the perfect pair with any Fujifilm x series camera.

It’s one of three in Fujifilm’s weather-sealed Fujinon f2 series. The Fuji 23mm is a compact, lightweight, weather-resistant, silent autofocus wide-angle lens and is not bad looking. 

This prime wide-angle lens is a 35mm equivalent focal length and is designed for APS-C format FUJIFILM X mount mirrorless cameras.

With a 35mm equivalent focal length, this lens is perfect for street photography, documentary work, landscapes, and travel photos. Low-light shooters will appreciate the maximum F2 aperture!

The Fujifilm xf 23mm f2 lens has found a home in many a travel photographer’s gear bag, including mine.

Fujifilm 23mm f2 Lens Review

As with most lenses, the 23mm f2 has its own pros and cons. This Fuji 23mm review is aimed at helping you better understand the lens and where it outshines other lenses. There is also a comparison to the Fuji 23mm f1.4 at the end for those who are contemplating which one to get. 

Tip: If you’re still looking at your options, take a look at my review of the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 lens.

Fuji 23mm f2 – At a Glance

Before we get too deep in this review, here’s a brief overview of the pros and cons of the Fuji 23mm f2.

Note: Convinced this is the lens for you already?  Get your Fujinon XF 23mm f2 WR lens here. 

If not, keep reading, and you’ll get a much more in-depth explanation of the lens. 

Fuji XF 23mm f2 Features

The features are the first thing many look at when choosing a new camera lens. This lets you know what you’re working with and provides an excellent base for comparing against other lenses. 

Below is a breakdown of the 23mm f2 features and an explanation of how each one makes this lens the gem that it is and why I love it.

Fuji 23mm f2 Review – Sturdy Handling / Built Quality

The Fujinon xf 23mm f2 lens build quality is slimmer and lighter than other Fujinon lenses, making it a more comfortable option to use on smaller cameras. And without any unnecessary parts and pieces, the lens is slim and fuss-free. 

With its metal exterior, the lens is sturdy and feels like it’s been made out of quality material. The lens cap and cap are both made from plastic, but metal lens caps can be purchased as extras to replace plastic ones.

There are some complaints that the cap pops off the lens, so some people have opted to remove the lens hood altogether. This is most likely dependent on personal preference, but the option is there to either keep it on or leave it off. The lens hood comes in silver and black.

The click-stopper aperture ring and the smooth manual focusing ring both add a sense of luxury, elevating the overall quality of this prime lens.

👉 YOU CAN READ MY IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF THE BEST FUJI LENS FOR TRAVEL

Fuji 23mm f2 Weight and Compact Size

As mentioned above, one of the biggest pros of the Fujinon xf 23mm f2 is its convenient size. It’s small and compact, which makes it an ideal travel lens. It attaches easily to your camera without adding any unnecessary extra bulk. 

The lens weighs just 180g, so it’s lightweight as well. This makes carrying it with you while sightseeing on busy city streets all day a breeze. 

It’s important to note that while the lens is smaller than most, and weighs very little, thanks to its length, it may be top-heavy on some cameras. This depends on the camera you’re using it with, though. I use my Fuji 23mm with my old Fuji X-T2 and the new Fujifilm X-T4 and find that this lens body combo is the perfect match.

👉 CHECK LATEST PRICES FOR FUJINON XF 23MM F2 WR LENS HERE

Fujifilm 23mm f2 Review – Weather Sealing

The 23mm f2, much like the other lenses in the series, is built to be weather and dust-resistant. So it can withstand being in light rain or strong winds. It can also shoot in temperatures of up to -10°C, making it the perfect accessory on any winter trip. 

The weather-resistant design of the f2 allows for great outdoor shooting. You can whip it out and take romantic photos in the soft summer drizzle or get amazing shots of snow falling in the streets. 

Fujifilm xf 23mm f2 Focal Length – Wide angle lens

Focal length is a spec that photographers use to judge a lens. The focal length determines how “zoomed in” the image will appear, with a shorter focal length providing a wider field of view and a longer focal length providing a narrower field of view. The Fujifilm xf 23mm f2 has a focal length of 23mm, which falls into the wide-angle category.

This means that it will provide a wide field of view, making it ideal for landscape and architectural photography. Additionally, the xf 23mm f2 has a minimum focal length of 2mm. This is good news for close-up photographers, as it means that they will be able to get close to their subject while still being able to capture a wide scene.

XF 23mm f2 Review Lens Construction

The f2 WR lens has 10 elements in 6 groups. It contains two aspherical elements that are part of the focusing group. 

The aperture has 9 rounded blades, with its closest focusing distance of 8.66″ (22 cm) minimum focus distance. Producing excellent image quality.

It also has a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.13x. The aspherical elements are positioned, so the image plane is flat, providing edge-to-edge sharpness. 

👉 Read Fuji 23mm vs 35mm Review

The aspherical elements are used as part of the focusing group to keep the performance consistent between different focal distances/focal lengths. Giving you pure image quality in every photo. 

The exterior has a manual focus ring, with no clear stop markings, and an aperture ring which is marked in ⅓ of a stop increments. 

Fujifilm 23mm f2 Image Quality

Now the important stuff – how good are the images taken by the lens? Let’s break it down it into smaller sections.

👉 CHECK LATEST PRICES FOR FUJINON XF 23MM F2 WR LENS HERE

Fujifilm 23mm f2 Lens Autofocus

The autofocus on the Fujifilm xf 23mm lens is one of its best features. 

The inner focus AF system uses a stepping motor to drive smaller, lighter lens elements to focus in just 0.05 sec, providing maximal autofocus performance.

It’s exceptionally quick so you can snap moments in a heartbeat. And it’s silent – making it the perfect lens for street photos. 

If you’re using the lens with a camera such as the Fujifilm X-Pro2 or X-T2/X-T3/X-T4, the lens autofocus combined with the phase-detection AF system produces accurate focus in just 5 seconds!

Manual Focus

This Fuji prime lens has no manual focus switch, so the only ways to switch to manual mode are either in the menu or on the camera’s body – for the cameras that have this functionality. 

The 23mm, f2 X-series lens does have a free-spinning manual focus ring. This ring has no real hard stops, so you can’t really tell which stop you’re on. 

Fuji 23mm f2 Sharpness

This is perhaps where the f2 falls short – but only slightly. To get really this multi-purpose lens to get sharp photos of anything close up, you’d have to stop the lens down to f4. This can bother photographers looking for excellent quality and quick snaps. 

This lens has fantastic centre sharpness, but it starts to fade a little in the corners. This isn’t often a major issue for street photographers, though, and sometimes could be more noticeable. Most of the time, if you play around with f-stops, you’ll find the ideal sharpness for your subject. 

Fujifilm 23 f2 Review Glare and Flare

The Super EBC coating has been applied to different parts of the lens. This will help reduce the amount of light that reflects off the lens and causes problems with contrast and colour, which will help improve your pictures when you are taking them in areas with a lot of light.

The lens hood is also added to stop flare, but even without it, the lens doesn’t let much flare into your images which is a great positive.

Colour and Contrast

You’ll get some incredible natural colours and contrasts with this lens. But Fujifilm does focus a bit more on sharpness for this range, so it’s not as natural as some other lenses. Nevertheless, the 23mm f2 lens is arguably the better of the series when looking at micro-contrast and colours. 

Fuji 23mm f2 Bokeh

Out-of-focus rendering, otherwise known as the bokeh effect, can be a deal-breaker for travel photography. So how does the Fujifilm 23mm f2 fare in this?

The f2 offers simple yet pleasing bokeh. While it’s not as smooth as the bokeh you’ll get from other lenses in the Fuji range, it works perfectly for street photography and travel photography.

F2 maximum aperture

The widest aperture of f/2 allows for greater control over depth of field and also benefits those shooting in difficult lighting conditions. 

The XF23mmF2 R WR is great for low-light use, helping X Series users to keep shooting handheld, but it is also useful when you want to blur the background for professional-looking portraits. Thanks to the nine-blade aperture diaphragm, bokeh (out-of-focus areas) will be smooth, with highlights almost perfectly circular.

Fujinon 23mm f2 Review Price Range

The 23mm f2 from Fujifilm is affordable. At around £429, it’s much cheaper than other Fujifilm lenses. 

The lower price makes it an excellent travel lens for beginners since you’re not investing large amounts of money while deciding if photography is your hobby or career. It also makes for a splendid gift for avid travellers and travel bloggers.

👉 READ MY GUIDE ON THE BEST FUJIFILM CAMERA FOR TRAVEL

Who Is The XF 23mm f2 Best Suited To?

Given the silent focus, incredible sharpness, and great bokeh, the Fujifilm 23mm f2 is perfect for street photography. It’s also great for travel photography and, of course, bloggers on the go like me. 

The f2 shines the best when shooting from a distance, which allows photographers to get stunning street pics and dynamic travel images without needing to get too close. So you won’t have to explain to passers-by why you’re standing so close to them while trying to snap a picture of your new favourite coffee house. 

If you’re a professional photographer with years of experience, this lens may not do your skills complete justice. But for enthusiasts and travel bloggers who need something light and quick for sightseeing photography, this is ideal. It’s my go-to lens whenever I travel.

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR vs. XF 23mm f/1.4 WR

Before the XF f2 came out, the 23mm f1.4 was the star of the show. This older and bulkier version of these prime lenses is quite similar to its newer brother, with relative features. This often makes the two comparable for prospective buyers. 

But how do they compare, and is one better than the other?

While the 23mm f2 lens does travel and street photography great justice, the f1.4 is a better option for photographers who shoot more architecture and portraits. Here are a few more comparisons.

Weather Sealing

The Fuji 23mm f1.4 is not weather-resistant like the f2, so your shooting environments are more limited. This means you can use the f1.4 outdoors, but in unpredictable weather, it may not hold up as strong as the f2. 

Weight

The Fujinon 23mm f1.4 is definitely heavier, weighing a total of 300g, so it may not travel as easily as the f2. It also makes handling the f1.4 somewhat harder than the f2. And carrying it around on city walking tours is much less comfortable. 

However, it’s a little shorter than the f2, so it juts out slightly less from the camera. This also means that the f2 can make specific cameras top-heavy, whereas the Fujifilm f1.4 is less likely to cause any top-heaviness.

Image Quality

When looking at the field of view, the f2 provides a wider view compared to its counterpart. It has slightly better colour and contrast than the f1.4, but it’s not as noticeable in most cases. 

However, the f1.4, with its maximum aperture, provides slightly sharper images than the f2. So for photographers who are shooting more granular images or need more details, the Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 is better. For the average street photographer, the difference is minuscule and not quite worth the much higher cost of the f1.4 lens.

Price Range

The f2 is nearly half the price of the f1.4, so unless the latter specifically calls to you, a pretty penny could be saved by getting the f2. 

You can own your own Fuji 23mm f1.4 for around £500. So it’s a better option if you’re looking for something more technical and have a larger budget.

Photography Types

If you plan on doing videos, the Fuji 23mm f2 for video is better than the Fujifilm 23mm f1.4, due to its lack of hunting when filming. The younger lens is able to lock on to a subject quickly with recording video will I find that the older model tends to hunt a lot and captures a lot of video out of focus.

The f1.4 is also great for portrait photography, especially in studios. The extra bokeh may also provide stunning shots of events such as weddings. 

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 vs. XF 23mm f/1.4 Final Verdict

Overall, the differences in performance between the f2 and the f1.4 are tiny. The price difference is larger, however. As is the weight. 

The f2 will work perfectly as an everyday lens and is better for those who are just starting out or who don’t shoot as a profession. The f1.4 is a larger investment, but worth it for professionals – Buy the Fuji 23mm f1.4 here. 

👉 CHECK LATEST PRICES FOR FUJI XF 23MM F1.4 WR LENS HERE

Fuji 23mm Lens Review Recap

This slim, hardworking, affordable lens is compatible with all Fujifilm X-Series interchangeable system cameras. It’s perfect for beginner photographers, ideal for bloggers, and is a must for street photographers. 

It’ll have you itching to get outside and snap photos of people, buildings, and opportune moments. Thanks to its slim feel and no-fuss build, it’s also perfect for throwing (gently) into a backpack to take on adventures. 

When comparing it to its older and bigger brother, the f1.4, the differences are small – except in the price. Wondering how to get your hands on one? 

👉 Buy the 23mm f2 Fujifilm lens here and start snapping your very own travel photos. You might also like the Best Fuji Lenses for Portraits Review.

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