Playing With The Light

Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR Review: The Best Fujifilm Lens For Street Photography?

Have you ever had the feeling that your camera is just an extension of your arm? I often feel that with Fujinon XF 23mm F2 R WR (attached to my Fujifilm XT-4). This is a lens that stayed with me from the early days of my Fujifilm journey. I don’t think a lot of people would be doing research about this lens due to the fact that it is inexpensive and mostly always available for purchase, but today I just want to talk about the joy of using this lens regardless of the camera.

a woman holding xt4 fujifilm camera with FUJINON XF23mmF2 R WR lens reflection in a car window

Compact and Lightweight

No matter where you are planning to go, no matter what is already in your bag or a backpack (or pockets?) – you can always find space for this lens. It weights so little and it takes no space… and if you are like me who start having back aches even from carrying the lightest things around, you will love having Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens around.

a woman with ginger hair takes a photo of her reflection distorted shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens

Inexpensive

Of course, we can argue that it is still quite an investment and there are cheaper lenses out there (these days there always are), but this is a native system Fujinon lens, and if you can afford a camera, you can probably afford this lens. It also costs less than the older 23 mm at F/1.4, and yes, it is only F/2, but if you wished so you could take quite shallow depth of field photos. This one below is shot at F/4.

coffee cup and kindle in a coffee shop shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens

Amazing Autofocus

Do you know what a good autofocus is? When the lens focuses on whatever you wanted it to focus without you doing any mumbo jumbo to force it. I would shoot some moving cats, flying away seagulls, general scenes and it always just ends up focusing just exactly where I would imagine.

family playing with pigeons shot with Fujifilm 23mm F2 autofocus performance shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
cats on the street with man lingering in the background shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
young emirati with a falcon shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
plane flying over the busy road shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
seagulls flying from the railing shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
seagulls flying from the railing shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens

It does sometimes feel that this lens is focusing better than me. I wouldn’t even know where to point the spot, and Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR is already focused there.

Weather Protected Come Rain Or Sandstorm

In the past I often thought, why should I care so much about weather sealing? Then I went to Iceland, which takes a hard check on your gear. Also, the first time I was there, the rain just wouldn’t stop, so we had to utilize the shower caps from the hotels to save our equipment, yet there still was some condensation inside the Canon lens (not a cheap lens, I must say). My second trip to Iceland I brought Fujifilm gear and it worked just fine, nothing unglued, nothing collected fog inside.

skyscrapers in the background splashes in the front shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens

It’s reassuring that I can go with my camera and these weather-sealed lenses to the desert and not worry that after a few shots the lens is gonna all be sandy inside.

Overall, it is just nice not to worry about it and not to think if I can use it or not. Unlike the little Ricoh, khm khm…

Sharpness

In my opinion, this lens is as sharp as a new knife, but the internet is trying to convince me that the corner sharpness is not that great (I rarely even look what’s going on in the corners). Also, I did have the 23mm F/1.4 handed down to me by a friend, but I just could not love that lens the way that I do F/2. I gave it away together with the camera that I sold last year because it was just collecting dust. Some people would say that the older 23mm is sharper, but this one is already so good, I can’t see where you would want to have improvements.

desert view with twig in front shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens

Makes You A Better Photographer

I do believe that shooting with prime lenses makes you a better photographer. You learn to see into a focal length and frame without the camera even… however, this 23mm on a cropped sensor is still on the wider side. I find it much easier to shoot with 40mm equivalent, but then I shot the whole summer in Norway with Ricoh, so I can now shoot 40mm with my eyes closed.

Downsides

I don’t really know what to say here, because I just love this lens unconditionally and it serves me well. It is a joy to shoot with and the form factor is amazing. Would be great that it would be even smaller, but it is already small enough. I wish that on all the Fujifilm lenses the next option after Automatic aperture would be rather the most bright setting like F/2 and not F/16, because it often switches by itself when I am walking around, but I started locking it in the menu to something particular so that it wouldn’t do that.

Here is a gallery of some images I shot with this lens over the years:

Dramatic view of Dubai’s skyline with modern skyscrapers under a stormy sky, overlooking a residential neighborhood at dusk shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A flock of birds soaring across a cloudy blue sky, creating a dynamic pattern in the open atmosphere shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
The Burj Khalifa towering against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds, showcasing its sleek architectural design shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A white pickup truck and a small tent set up in the desert under a starry night sky shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A high-rise building under construction with a towering crane against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Two modern skyscrapers in Dubai framed by a curved architectural element in the foreground shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Close-up view of textured sand dunes in the desert with golden ripples formed by the wind shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A white pickup truck and sedan parked on a street near a construction site with high-rise buildings in the background shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A bright neon pink jacket draped over a bollard in an empty urban alleyway with towering skyscrapers in the background shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A gradient desert sunset with hues of orange and pink, and a crescent moon visible in the sky shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A single dog standing on top of a sand dune under a clear blue sky, overlooking the vast desert shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Smooth, untouched golden sand dunes with a deep blue sky, featuring sparse tufts of desert grass shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A traditional wooden dhow boat docked in front of Dubai Marina’s illuminated skyscrapers at twilight shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Two construction workers in yellow vests standing on a curved balcony, overlooking Dubai Marina’s waterway and modern buildings shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Construction workers standing on scaffolding covered with white plastic sheets, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Close-up portrait of a black cat with striking yellow eyes, staring intently at the camera with a blurred indoor background shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A modern highway with a streetlamp and construction cranes in the background, leading to a city skyline shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
Golden wild grasses swaying in the wind against a soft blue sky with scattered clouds shot with Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR lens
A single desert tree standing among sand dunes, surrounded by sparse vegetation under a clear sky.
A curving highway running through rocky desert mountains, lined with streetlights and sharp turn warning signs
desert with powerlines in the back
photo of the city during the rain
photo of the leg on the bed
reflection in the mirror taken with camera
cat on the street
street moment with pakistanis passing by
plane flying over the city
old tv broken in the street
morning view with plane flying over the city with a statue in front

Let me know what are your thoughts and concerns about Fujifilm 23 mm F/2, and do you own one?

Best,

Anna

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One response to “Fujifilm XF 23mm F2 R WR Review: The Best Fujifilm Lens For Street Photography?”

  1. A Tranquil Day of Fishing: Dolphins and Sharks – Playing With The Light

    […] All the photos taken with Fujifilm XT-4, 23mm lens. […]

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