Why I Don't Like the Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 for Street Photography
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- I’ve had the Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R prime lens since 2014. This lens has developed a reputation for “magical” image quality and having personality and character. Despite that, for a variety of reasons, it’s one of my least used lenses. In this video I’ll share my experiences with this lens for street photography use, with a few bonus images created with the XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6. Please share your thoughts and experiences with this lens in the comments. Enjoy!
All photos from this video (and more!) can be viewed here - flic.kr/s/aHBqjAGxuj
00:00 Intro
01:01 Context & Options
05:51 Using the XF 35mm f/1.4 R for Street Photography
11:47 The Autofocus Issues
15:34 Personal Thoughts on the XF 35mm f/1.4
17:17 Some Photos with the XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
19:03 Outro
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#streetphotography #fujifilm #fujinon - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Wonderful and fair review of this lens. For street photography when I
reach into my bag the 30mm comes out but when I’m photographing
forest scenes it comes out and it is indeed makes magical results!
Hi! Thanks for watching and sharing your comment. The 35mm f/1.4 is… interesting and that means it will appeal to some more than others. Have fun out there in the city and woods!
Great honest review! :)
Hi! Thanks for watching and glad you found the video helpful.
Nice video. I've been thinking about this lens as I own the 33 1.4 and it is heavy and boring. If you have had that lens for 10 years, did you update the firmware on it? That might help your performance and focusing. I also read that the "magic" happens when the subject is about 6 feet away when shooting at 1.4
Hi Dan! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Great idea about checking firmware - I'll take a look at that. Also, I agree with the magic for this lens happening at about 6 feet at f/1.4. Happy holidays!
Thanks for the review - you're the first who analysed the "magic" into real observations what makes the images so special.
I personally tested the lens for a couple of weeks in comparison with my Zeiss Touit 32mm/1.8. Came out, that they're pretty comparable (size, weight, AF speed, overall image quality). But the Zeiss has even more "character" cause it renders lights in the background with a "soap-bubble" effect. Looks very unique and different from the typical more "blurry" lenses and thats why I kept it instead of the Fujinon, which I sold.
Hi Marius! Thanks for watching and sharing this information. Very interesting about the Zeiss and your experience with it. Cheers!
@@MSladekPhoto Just a few hours after my comment I read an article that Zeiss will stop photo business. Definitely a pity, regarding my own experience.
@@emmell9190 I saw that! Sounds like they're been easing out for the past few years. Bummer!
The Fuji 35 1.4 is the bad brother of the Touit, which is well behaved and more leans towards a more elegant look. I own both and each has its scenes. Both produce special images.
I agree with your sentiments here. The challenge I have is with the slow autofocus - photographing subjects (my niece) who can’t sit still is a challenge. But when the focus is spot on, the shots are so beautiful. But for me it’s too much of a hit-and-miss to warrant constant use of this lens. Improved autofocus would resolve my concerns here.
I think the 33mm is more suited to my preferences. Thanks for making this video.
Hi! Thanks for watching and sharing your experiences. It is such a lovely lens when the stars align for focus. I've heard only good things about the XF 33mm, and it's a lens I'd like to try. Best wishes on your photo adventures!
Good video Michael (nice shots too), when I switched from film to digital (Fuji X-T2) my first prime was the XF35 f/2, very good lens, as you know (if you remember) a few months ago I traded it in for the XF33 f/1.4, the only difference that I notice is the auto focusing is faster (but not by much), as far as image quality, my old eyes can’t tell the difference, yes Michael, I just wanted a new toy.
Hi Enrique! New toys are allowed! That can be part of the fun of any hobby or passion - doing the things that make it more enjoyable. Here’s to fun with all the things!
thanks for the review - do you have recommendation for alternative with better autofocus.
Hello! My suggestion would be to check out the Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 - it's got amazing image quality and really fast and accurate autofocus. Another option is the Viltrox 33mm f/1.4 to save some money. I have not used this particular Viltrox, but have the 13mm, 23mm and 75mm and really like those lenses. Cheers!
@@MSladekPhoto great! thanks for the suggestions, appreciate it!
The optical design looks like a modified Sonnar to my eyes and the more open aperture images have similar character. I absolutely love it for Golden Hour and darker with generally the same caveats as you.
Hi Daryl! Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts - very interesting! Have fun out there!
Someone said this lens was designed for portraits 6ft away. The focal plane is curved, giving it a bubble effect where the background is more blurry around the middle and sharper at the edges.
Oh! I had not heard that. Very interesting... Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
The 35mm is a brilliant lens, the slower autofocus forces you to slow down and properly compose your shots. Back button focus also works quite well to improve the autofocus experience!
Hi! Thanks for watching and sharing your comment. For me, the focus issue is more about trust/accuracy in addition to speed. Also, for some street scenes, speed is important as the moment moves. Cheers!
Nice video. I love mine for street. Stay on my camero more than any other lens.
Hello! I'm so glad you're enjoying the 35mm f1.4. It is such a very distinct lens and works so well for so many people. Many thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I can fully understand your criticism of this lens in the way that you use it. I purchased my example together with an X-Pro1 back in 2013, and have only recently sold it following the purchase of an X-H2.
These 2 cameras are obviously very different; you usually wouldn't expect to successfully use continual auto focus with the earlier camera, and the use of back button auto focus largely obviates your criticism of noise & hunting focus.
However the results for me were always more than satisfactory and I loved the form factor (I've never liked the F2 so called Fujicron!)
I believe Oscar Barnacle has a lot to answer for when he settled for what at the time were very good technical reasons on 5Omm standard lens. Particularly as far as street photography is concerned a 40mm focal length would to be more appropriate standard lens. I note you're a zoom man, but I'm sure you could always find space for a 77grm Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 lens in your camera bag if you wanted to go prime? Again this lens has issues with noisy autofocus.
I thought seriously of purchasing the new 33mm F1.4, but this was too rich (& heavy?) for me. Instead have taken to using the old 23mm F1.4, alongside my 16-80mm zoom when I want greater image separation, and carry less weight. Actually this lens on the X-H2 auto focuses more accurately & quietly than on the older X-T cameras (I don't know about the X-T5?) and has the wider field of view.
As a matter of interest I notice you like the ability to get closer to your subject. For that purpose I always carry my old, and much ignored by many Fuji owners, 60mm F/2.4 close focus lens. Although not a particularly wide aperture lens because of its focal length (effectively 90mm full frame) offers excellent subject separation, and with the latest Fuji X cameras isn't too slow, (although still quite noisy).
John G.
Hi John! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. I am so glad we now have so many lens option on the Fujifilm X-system. I think there's something for almost every preference and occasion. Cheers!
for someone -like me- coming from the Jurassic, this lens is a joy to use.
Surely not technically up to date with the latest products and definitely slower in terms of autofocus, but it's size and results it produces make it a keeper. I have other modern fuji lenses which I use when I need to get pictures of fast subjects -sport-. X-T5 camera.
My kind of photography still have the legacy of the analog era, where you would think twice and frame the picture well, before hitting the button and use one of the 12 or 24 precious opportunities. So a less than lightning fast autofocus isn't a problem, since it is way faster than me anyway!
New technology pushes the boundaries of what is possible always a bit further, and if you are good at adapting, you can fully take advantage to it. Still what was very good a few years ago doesn't become obsolete overnight.
There's a difference between the results of this lens compared to a newer one -different colors, not as sharp, not as consistent at the edges-. One can either like it or see it as an inferior quality compared to the latest products.
Hello! Thanks so much for sharing this. I completely agree! This lens has personality, both technically and optically. I do really like the images from this lens - there’s something special about it. It’s so easy to forget how spoiled we are for choice and capabilities of modern lenses.
I just wish fuji would update the lens; dont touch the elements and groups, jsut give it a better autofocus and weather resist.
That would be interesting!
Sadly that won't be possible since the focusing system on this lens is bound with how they grouped the elements. So if you change the focusing system, you will also need to change how the elements are grouped.
I tested this lens and in my case the copy was extremely slow with AF, so much so it was almost impossible to do medium fast portrait shoot. Since then I never looked back on that lens, thought it's overall situation with it because of older AF motor, but several people told me that it was either faulty or/and beaten up (by the time or/and usage) copy. But I only can compare it with my 18-55, and compares to that 35mm was extremely slow.
Hi! Wow, so sorry you had a bad experience with performance your 35mm f1.4. No fun. It’s awesome that we have so many options that have great image quality. Cheers!
No plans to pickup but I have considered the WC 35F2. Under $200 with same image as the WR version.
Hi! Thanks for watcning and sharing that suggestion. Cheers!
It´s an old misunderstanding and I heard it so often over the decades, but it still isn´t true:
The field of view of the human eye (or two human eyes) is wider than the the field of view of the 50mm equivalent. It is more like a 35mm for the field of visual attention, the field of what is actual peripheral in the eyeside is about 135 degrees.
Don´t really understand how this misconception is still going around. Especially since it is so obvious, when you pick your camera, hold it in front of your eye and should be able to see that it is a limitation of the field of view compared to not looking through the camera.
What the 50mm actually is about: it has the same scale of reproduction the human eye has. So different objects in different distances are reproduced in scale to each other.
Thanks for this reminder. I over simplified in my explanation regarding field of view/scale of view of 50mm vs human eye.
The way I usually explain it is our human primary field of view/area of main attention and focus is about the width of our shoulders in a cone shape that spreads as objects are farther away. At the same time, we have peripheral vision that extends 150-180 degrees (which cameras lack) that give context and information about surroundings.
I also explain usually explain that the 50mm focal length then renders distance relationships between objects relatively in the same manner as our eyes do.
Thanks again for watching, and sharing your thoughtful comment. Cheers!
you could try zeiss touit, sharper at all the apertures minus f4 and f5.6
Thanks for the suggestion!
I love this lens, but this lens would not be my first choice for street photography. I don’t worry about speed because I shoot with a lot of vintage manual focus lenses.
Hi! Thanks for watching and sharing your comment. I appreciate it! Have fun out there on your photo adventures. Cheers!
what is your first choice? and why?
@@gagakserak3914I prefer wider angles for street photography. I can’t say what would be my first choice. I can tell you some of my favorites: I adapt a Voightlander 15mm F4.5. I like the Fuji 10-24 F4, Fuji 16mm F1.4, Viltrox 23mm F1.4, and Fuji x100s.
Great review and greetings from the West side of Lake Washington! I chose the 35 f1.4 Fujinon as my first fuji lens recently having sold my sony gear and x100v to pick up a mint X-T4. I read a lot about the "character" and "magic" of it, but to be honest, the reason I picked it up is it is tiny at 187g, f/1.4 which is great for night and lowlight. The AF is a lot worse even on the X-T4 than anything my Sony gear did (A7R V + GM glass) but my kit is so small, now, that I am shooting much more than I ever did.
edit: the one thing I wish it *did* have is some weather resistance.
I agree with all your points so far after using it for a few weeks. Cheers!
Hello! Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. It is a lovely, compact lens, and once you understand its limits and manage expectations, it's a fun lens to use. I'm so glad you're out creating photos more now!
I agree back when I had an lot of Fuji gear the XF 35mm f/1.4 wasn’t used very often. My normal go to was the XF 27mm 2.8 pancake lens. I only brought out the 35 when low light was going to factor in. Recently I’ve come back to Fuji with the X-T5 and my main lens is the sigma 18-50 zoom and have the XF 27 coming in the mail today. I really want the 70-300mm as my next lens. I expect I’ll pick up a 1.4 of some sort for low light but no idea which and don’t feel a rush to do so. The 18-50, 27, and 70-300 would cover 99% of what I would want to use the camera for.
Hi Jeff! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. I agree about the zoom combo and can highly recommend the 70-300. I have the Viltrox 23 and 13mm 1.4 and like them both quite a bit. Have fun out there and welcome back to the Fuji family!
Years ago I've used 35/2 for a short time. Yes, it was sharp and fast, but also dull AF...
Thanks for sharing your experience. I have not used that lens…
Hi Michael, I think to fully appreciate this lens it needs to be paired to the older X-Trans sensor cameras. I have the lens and use it mainly with my X-T1. The images it produces are way better than the X-Trans 3 sensor XT-20 which I also have in my view. Maybe it has something to do with the XT-1 having less megapixels than the more modern Fuji X cameras. More resolution does not always equate to a better image. Yes the lens does not have the fastest auto-focus, can be a little noisy, but unless you are shooting fast action sports or want to take video it is more than adequate for general photography use. Having super sharp lenses and sharp to each end of the frame is overblown hype in my opinion, unless you are taking photos of architecture or product photography where it matters.
Hi! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts and experience with the 35mm f/1.4. I think lenses, like people, can be more interesting with "personality." Then, it can be a matter of finding a lens that fits your photo "personality" and preferences. For me, the 35mm f/1.4 never clicked for me - not sure why, still. But, I'm glad it's there, and I'm glad we have so many lens options now for he Fuji X-System. Cheers!
Face autodetect is a camera feature, not lens. Rest is reasonable though, thank you for review
Hello! Thanks for your comment. The speed and accuracy of all autofocus features, including face detection, is affected by the performance of each lens. In the same situation, I had no problem doing face detection (and not thinking cars were faces) with the XF 16-80mm. Cheers!
For street use 'Zone Focus' not 'Auto Focus'. Give it a go.
Hi! Thanks for the suggestion, but I can’t get Fujifilm (focus by wire) manual focus to work the way I want, so autofocus is the way for me. Cheers!
I get this is your opinion. But I don't really agree with a lot of this video. Yeah I kinda agree that it's a lens you buy to shoot at 1.4 to make the character shine. But you kinda word it as if it's a negative. Because stopping down on this lens produces fine images. But because it doesn't have the character stopping down it sounds like you see that as a negative? The character is caused from the curved focus plane. You can see it in some of your examples with the corners not being as blown out as the center (pretty obvious at 10:09.)
Also you can combat shooting f1.4 in daily by having your camera set to use ES, which allows you to shoot at crazy high shutter speed. I've shoot at 1.4 in some of the harshest light by using ES. Using the H2S you should know that shooting at f1.4 is a nonfactor for you because your ss can go so high on ES.
For the focus issues you've mentioned. Yes af isn't competing with LM. But it's not like this lens is really slow on the newer bodies. It's generally fast enough for what you'd use a 50mm equiv for. Nobody shooting birds or fast moving subjects. I'm on X-T4 and I've never really had serious issues with speeds or accuracy. Though yeah it's possible to miss shots when someone is running towards you/away from you.
As for sound I hear this complaint a lot. But I don't get it either. It doesn't sound that loud in your mic even when you put it right next to it. Ambient sounds on the streets make the motor sounds inaudible because it's really not loud. You have to put your ear next to it to really hear it.
I know I'm probably sounding really biased. But I don't see how anyone could think this lens isn't good for street photography. I've used a lot of lens and this is one of the best because it's so flexible.
Also talking about how expensive this lens. You can get it for sub $400 USD pretty easily. Buying a 10+ year old lens new is silly.
Hi! Many, many thanks for kindly sharing your thoughts and perspectives on the XF 35mm f/1.4. I agree with everything you say! I think it comes down to personal preference, and experience with the lens. I have not had tons of experience with this lens, as it's been primarily used by my wife. She REALLY likes it, and loves the small size and light weight and loves the images she creates. For me, when I use the lens, all I notice are its limits, because I don't use it much. And, let's be honest, the "limitations" of this lens are definitely in the category of spoiled photographer problems ;) Again, thatmks for watching the video and sharing your thoughts. I hope to see you here again!
Only snobs are not pleased with this gem of a lens.
Only people who call people snobs who have different opinions about a lens are snobs.
@@MSladekPhoto criticizing, complaining and expecting to much of a 12 yo lense that was designed a long with a digital camera to emulate film; is a pretty snobbish move.
So I don't think I'm all that wrong man..
@@M.Kabane Hi again! I didn’t say your were wrong. Lol. I said you are also a snob. It’s so easy online to criticize others and make global statements such as “you’re a snob” rather than owning our opinions and saying “I personally disagree with what you said.” I think we can have different opinions and reactions to the same experience (using a 12-year old lens) and not have to give a label to that different reaction. It’s just a different opinion than yours. Not right. Not wrong. Anyway, thanks for watching and here’s to lots of fun creating photos with the XF 35mm f/1.4.
@@M.Kabane I love the 35mm 1.4, but I think you are wrong. He says why he don´t like the lens but still manages to state and show most of the advantages it has.
IMO the XF 35/1.4 is nice, but I agree that if you are not using f/1.4 it quickly loses its interesting edge. Now the magic, if you take out the Fujifilm sensor and color science, is lot less magical if you look at the lens compared to other 50mm full frame lenses or crop factor analogs. It is an old AF design even by 2012 standard, loud, slow and vulnerable. Michael wasn’t snobby, it was a fair appraisal, including his admission of being biased towards zooms.
You're photographing tables and mannequins and expecting to see magic... This lens is made to slow you down and be creative with. Get more invovled and work it. I understand that some people just need a spray and prey lens so this isnt it.
Hello. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am definitely not looking to spray and pray (or prey!), but I do know that this lens is not a good fit for me for street photos. Some moments on the street (except mannequins and tables) happen quickly, so I want a quick and consistent autofocus lens, which this is not. I hope you have a great time creating photos!