LENS STORIES: XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR x Aaronsky

FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR Impression

Hello everyone, I am AARONSKY, a photographer from China.

The large aperture fixed focal length 50mm lens has always been my first choice, because this focal length is not only a classic one, but also has many advantages in real-world photography. First of all, the perspective effect of the 50mm is the closest to that of the human eye, so it is also called the Standard lens. It is a very easy-to-handle focal length, and this focal length can be used to take environmental portraits from a further distance, and close-ups can be taken at a shorter distance; neither will cause too much distortion. Secondly, due to structural reasons, the 50mm focal length lens is the easiest to make a small lens in the 135 system. Generally, the 50mm lens is the smallest among the lenses of the same series and the same aperture. Take the Fujifilm X system for example， the XF35mmF1.4 is the smallest in the Fujifilm F1.4 Legion.

The first lens of my Fujifilm X system is the XF35mmF1.4. I have upgraded the camera body from X-T10 to X-S10 many times, but I have been using 35mm F1.4. The biggest advantage of this lens is its compactness, lightness and large aperture, but it is a lens that was made 10 years ago and slightly insufficient in 2021 in terms of focusing speed, noise, image quality and durability. For shooting in some harsh environments it seems a little powerless.

The brand-new Fujifilm XF33mmF1.4 lens perfectly complemented the shortcomings of XF 35mm. First of all, it must be said that the newly added linear focus motor greatly improves the focus speed and accuracy. There is no more need for lens bellows during shooting. At the same time, the entire focusing process is extremely quiet. With the inside- focus design, it is difficult to notice the XF 33mm is working when it is in use, which is a great boon for shooting in a quiet environment and video users. The XF33mmF1.4 uses 2 aspherical surfaces lenses and 3 ED lenses, which makes the lens image quality significantly superior compared to XF35mmF1.4. The previous smearing feeling is completely gone, and even the edge image quality is improved, which is a great improvement. XF 33mm F1.4 also added an all-weather protection design. With the all-weather body, I can use this lens in a variety of extraordinary environments. There will be no embarrassing scenes where the lens cannot be used due to certain environmental factors.

XF33mmF1.4 has made so many improvements in performance, and its volume and weight has increased compared to the XF35mmF1.4. The XF33mmF1.4 lens body length has increased a little while the lens diameter is basically the same, and the weight is 400g. Overall, the volume and weight are acceptable. In addition, Fujifilm stated that the XF35mmF1.4 will not be discontinued due to the launch of XF 33mm F1.4. These two lenses will be sold at the same time to meet demand for users with different needs; that is to say, users who do not have exceedingly high requirements for focus speed and very concerned about size and weight can still choose the old XF35mmF1.4 lens. Regarding this, I very much support Fujifilm’s decision because as far as the large aperture fixed focus lens is concerned, the amount of light and blur are really the main requirements for shooting, and there is no great need for the image quality and high focusing speed, for these purposes you can choose the XF 35mm F1.4. If it’s shooting with harsh subjects, then you may prefer the XF 33mm F1.4. For me, who does both on-the-fly and official shoots, I will wait for XF 33mm F1.4 to be officially launched. I will still buy it, and then choose either the 33mm or 35mm lens based on the theme requirements of the shoot.