Has anyone got any experience with the XF 23mm f2 , the XF 23mm f1.4 R or the XF 23mm f1.4 WR LM ? The 1.4 LM is about double the price of what I can get the f2 for, and from the reviews I’ve seen the old 1.4 may not be as crisp or fast focusing as the f2.
Had both the 1.4 R and the f2 - the new 1.4 LM is a mere pipe dream at the minute
The f2 never impressed me. It was a solid performer but was just never anything special - it is also renowned for being noticeably soft when shooting objects at f2 and up close (and by close I mean at, or near, minimum focus distance).
The 1.4 R was a really nice lens. Out of the two already mentioned plus the Viltrox and Tokina 23 f1.4 lenses I can confidently say the Fuji 23 f1.4 produces the most pleasing images.
Great? Unfortunately not. There is quite a common flaw with that lens whereby it tends to focus where it wants - not where YOU want! The most common tendency is to back focus, meaning the focal plane often ends up a little beyond the subject you intended to shoot. Occasionally it might front focus but not as often. In my own experience I would guesstimate if you took 5 shots of a subject then 1, maybe 2, would focus exactly where you intended.
Now we’re talking a very minor deviation here but the problem is when you’re shooting at f1.4 you don’t really have a great margin for error. It’s a real pity about this flaw because it’s an otherwise tremendous lens.