There are those out there in the youtube verse that argue the new 33mm f1.4 from Fuji is the better lens. I have the 18mm f1.4 and agree with everything said, it's top notch. That Fuji square hood is difficult to find online, JJC do a square hood as well for the 18mm f1.4, i got it a while back and looks very good.
The 18mm was the first prime lens I got when switching to Fujifilm ecosystem from my full frame Nikon D850 a couple of years ago. I paired it with my XT4 and loved it even with the clunk it makes. I have moved on to the XH2S and it is still by far my favorite lens. I have the Viltrox 13mm 1.4 that I thought I would want for shooting the night sky and landscape, but I almost always end up back on the 18mm even for that because it is just so precise and fast and never lets me down. My kit includes the Fujifilm 50mm 1.0, but even with that amazing lens I find I fall back to the 18mm because it is just so easy to get great shots. The 50mm needs a lot of planning. Finally, I have a Viltrox 75mm 1.2 Pro. This is a great lens for everything the 18mm can’t do. I think if I had it to do over again, I would just have the 18mm and the 75mm and 99% of my needs will be met. Maybe time to get rid of those other two lenses 😊
I am planning a trip to India next year, and will be taking the 18mm f1.4 plus the 56mm f1.2 WR (Gen 2) with an X-H2 body. These 2 lenses are simply amazing in their images. Using a 40 MPxl sensor I can crop in easily without loss of details so I think this combo is ideal. Small and very high quality.
Having taken many thousands of photos in India, I'd say 18mm provides the best angle for street photography on crowded Indian streets. I don't have an 18mm lens for my Fuji cameras, but use the 19mm adapter on my x100F/V.
Yeah it's crazy good. If you activate "sports finder mode", it crops at 1.25x, and you get extra space in your viewfinder to see subjects moving into the frame easier. That's now a 23mm lens at about 25 megapixels. Two lenses in one essentially. I know there are benefits to cropping in post... but sometimes it's nice seeing a cropped view inside the viewfinder. Also I think the camera performs a little better/faster when it's only storing 25 megapixel images instead of 40MP.
Great review. I've migrated from Nikon to Fuji and this is one of my fav. lenses. I am usually a zoom guy with the 16-55 2.8, but the18mm is always in my bag.
My first new lens in film days was a 28mm f3.5 on a Pentax MX, that was all I could afford as a grad student. I loved that focal length since then as it is a goldilocks lens. I subsequently got a 135mm f3.5. That along with the 50 mm f1.7 was the trio I used. Subsequently, I got almost every single prime focal length such as 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 40, 85 etc., including some very long telephoto lenses. However, the 28 mm focal length was my favorite and most used. I ended up digitizing some of my favorite Kodachrome slides and they came out still reasonably sharp. I was kind of disappointed that most lens manufacturers ignored this focal length for their Professional fast lenses till recently. The 24 mm and 35 mm got all their attention. Until now. I was with Canon (mainly) but added Fuji mainly because of this new lens and its reviews. I got mine and can confirm that it is one of the best primes at that focal length in every parameter.
Thanks for sharing! By the time I finally got into shooting slides, there was no reasonable way to develop Kodachrome. I’m sure the ones you shot and digitized turned out beautifully! Yes, I’m so glad that the 28mm equivalent focal length is finally getting some love. This 18mm hasn’t left my XT3 since I purchased it!
Am very frustrated. Bought a mint X-T1 and a Fuji 18mm f1.4 lens. It does not work on the X-T1. An error message keeps coming up saying "TURN CAMERA OFF AND THEN TURN ON AGAIN. I did this scores of times and it does not help. Unable to fire the camera of get into menus. The warning just takes up the middle of the screen. My Leica 50mm R lens works with an adapter in manual mode. Could it be the lens? HELP !!!!!!
Do the internal components shift when tilting the camera up and down? I rented the lens to test it out and I love it. I'm wondering if I was sent a bad copy.
I love my XF 18mm f1.4 too. I agree with all your points, but you forgot the good ability for making videos with it. Good autofocus with smooth transition.
Thanks for the comment! I do mention that I filmed this video with the lens, but definitely could’ve gone into more detail about its use for video. Important to have the mic off of the camera, as this lens does tend to make whirring sounds while autofocusing. But yes, lovely for video and a great focal length for talking head shots. Thanks for watching!
This lens is in reality, the one and only 28mm equivalent lens that's great in the entire mirrorless market. Nothing else comes close to it's optical performance even in 2023. If anything, I wish the ring was tighter. Fujifilm still doesn't know how to design aperture rings. Every lens feels different which is a disappointing level of quality control.
The Lens seems amazing but I hesitate with the « old » 16mm which is amazing too and half of the price on second hand market 😅 (my bodies are x-pro 2 and x-h1 - in order to shoot with a prime on each one - so no 40MP for now)
Agree with your comments on the 18mm f1.4 lens. I do not have this lens, as I have the 16mm f1.4, which I love for the phenomenal close focus distance. I also shoot with the Fuji System on 2 XT-3 camera bodies. I believe the Fuji lenses offer a tremendous value for their respective price points. Best wishes for your channel & hope you enjoy Boston.😊
There are those out there in the youtube verse that argue the new 33mm f1.4 from Fuji is the better lens. I have the 18mm f1.4 and agree with everything said, it's top notch. That Fuji square hood is difficult to find online, JJC do a square hood as well for the 18mm f1.4, i got it a while back and looks very good.
The ending got me when he said im filming with it right now. That was really cool
The 18mm was the first prime lens I got when switching to Fujifilm ecosystem from my full frame Nikon D850 a couple of years ago. I paired it with my XT4 and loved it even with the clunk it makes. I have moved on to the XH2S and it is still by far my favorite lens. I have the Viltrox 13mm 1.4 that I thought I would want for shooting the night sky and landscape, but I almost always end up back on the 18mm even for that because it is just so precise and fast and never lets me down. My kit includes the Fujifilm 50mm 1.0, but even with that amazing lens I find I fall back to the 18mm because it is just so easy to get great shots. The 50mm needs a lot of planning. Finally, I have a Viltrox 75mm 1.2 Pro. This is a great lens for everything the 18mm can’t do. I think if I had it to do over again, I would just have the 18mm and the 75mm and 99% of my needs will be met. Maybe time to get rid of those other two lenses 😊
Beautiful video. I ordered this lens. I cannot wait to receive it. I’ve got the 33 1.4 and love it.
I had the old 18mm f2…I was rarely happy with it. However, the new 18mm f1.4 is an absolutely fantastic lens. Very happy I got it.
I am planning a trip to India next year, and will be taking the 18mm f1.4 plus the 56mm f1.2 WR (Gen 2) with an X-H2 body. These 2 lenses are simply amazing in their images. Using a 40 MPxl sensor I can crop in easily without loss of details so I think this combo is ideal. Small and very high quality.
Having taken many thousands of photos in India, I'd say 18mm provides the best angle for street photography on crowded Indian streets. I don't have an 18mm lens for my Fuji cameras, but use the 19mm adapter on my x100F/V.
Yeah it's crazy good. If you activate "sports finder mode", it crops at 1.25x, and you get extra space in your viewfinder to see subjects moving into the frame easier. That's now a 23mm lens at about 25 megapixels. Two lenses in one essentially.
I know there are benefits to cropping in post... but sometimes it's nice seeing a cropped view inside the viewfinder. Also I think the camera performs a little better/faster when it's only storing 25 megapixel images instead of 40MP.
Great review. I've migrated from Nikon to Fuji and this is one of my fav. lenses. I am usually a zoom guy with the 16-55 2.8, but the18mm is always in my bag.
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, a truly spectacular lens and it rarely leaves the camera!
My first new lens in film days was a 28mm f3.5 on a Pentax MX, that was all I could afford as a grad student. I loved that focal length since then as it is a goldilocks lens. I subsequently got a 135mm f3.5. That along with the 50 mm f1.7 was the trio I used. Subsequently, I got almost every single prime focal length such as 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 40, 85 etc., including some very long telephoto lenses. However, the 28 mm focal length was my favorite and most used. I ended up digitizing some of my favorite Kodachrome slides and they came out still reasonably sharp.
I was kind of disappointed that most lens manufacturers ignored this focal length for their Professional fast lenses till recently. The 24 mm and 35 mm got all their attention. Until now. I was with Canon (mainly) but added Fuji mainly because of this new lens and its reviews. I got mine and can confirm that it is one of the best primes at that focal length in every parameter.
Thanks for sharing! By the time I finally got into shooting slides, there was no reasonable way to develop Kodachrome. I’m sure the ones you shot and digitized turned out beautifully! Yes, I’m so glad that the 28mm equivalent focal length is finally getting some love. This 18mm hasn’t left my XT3 since I purchased it!
great video. If I only had the money! Love the shots with this lens
I couldn’t recognize you at first. Good/ inspiring insight on the 28.
Hmm... very tempting. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Beautifully explained. Thank you!
So refreshing. Thank You for sharing. Greetings from Belgium. :)
Thanks for watching!
I had a Canon EF mount f1.4 50mm and I rarely used it. I am interested in a Canon equivalent of this Fuji 18mm f1.4
Am very frustrated. Bought a mint X-T1 and a Fuji 18mm f1.4 lens. It does not work on the X-T1. An error message keeps coming up saying "TURN CAMERA OFF AND THEN TURN ON AGAIN. I did this scores of times and it does not help. Unable to fire the camera of get into menus. The warning just takes up the middle of the screen. My Leica 50mm R lens works with an adapter in manual mode. Could it be the lens? HELP !!!!!!
Do the internal components shift when tilting the camera up and down? I rented the lens to test it out and I love it. I'm wondering if I was sent a bad copy.
I love my XF 18mm f1.4 too. I agree with all your points, but you forgot the good ability for making videos with it. Good autofocus with smooth transition.
Thanks for the comment! I do mention that I filmed this video with the lens, but definitely could’ve gone into more detail about its use for video. Important to have the mic off of the camera, as this lens does tend to make whirring sounds while autofocusing. But yes, lovely for video and a great focal length for talking head shots. Thanks for watching!
wait? they have a square hood????
This lens is in reality, the one and only 28mm equivalent lens that's great in the entire mirrorless market. Nothing else comes close to it's optical performance even in 2023.
If anything, I wish the ring was tighter. Fujifilm still doesn't know how to design aperture rings. Every lens feels different which is a disappointing level of quality control.
Totally agreed about the aperture ring. I wish it were a little tighter and more clicky like my 35 f2. Still a remarkable lens!
Do you do post in Lightroom or Capture One?
Lightroom Classic, though I have used (and enjoy) Capture One in the past. All edits could’ve been made in C1 just as easily as LR. Hope that helps!
The Lens seems amazing but I hesitate with the « old » 16mm which is amazing too and half of the price on second hand market 😅 (my bodies are x-pro 2 and x-h1 - in order to shoot with a prime on each one - so no 40MP for now)
Depends on what focal length you prefer tbh, for me, 24mm is slightly too wide and 28mm is perfect
Is that an Enterprise E on your back?
It sure is!
I’m between this and the 23 1.4 I have the 56
Agree with your comments on the 18mm f1.4 lens. I do not have this lens, as I have the 16mm f1.4, which I love for the phenomenal close focus distance. I also shoot with the Fuji System on 2 XT-3 camera bodies. I believe the Fuji lenses offer a tremendous value for their respective price points. Best wishes for your channel & hope you enjoy Boston.😊
16 or 18? Landscape and narrative photography
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