Fujifilm XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR Lens First Impressions

Fujifilm XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR Lens First Impressions:

I know I haven’t looked at much Fujifilm gear in a while, so I decided to get back into it with several lenses.  One lens that I’ve been keeping an eye on lately is the new XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens.  With a focal length that equates to a 27mm, it’s great for many situations including but not limited to street photography, cityscape, landscape, and environmental portraiture.  Let’s take a closer look at it by first going over the build.

So, the XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens is another rock solid lens from Fujifilm in terms of build.  Its barrel is metal, and it feels great in the hands overall.  The aperture ring clicks very smoothly in third stops, and there is even a lock on it for when you have it in A mode.  The focus ring is smooth as well but feels a little too loose for my taste.  It’s not loose in the sense that the build is inferior; it just doesn’t have quite as much resistance as I would like.  This isn’t a huge issue to me though, especially since I use the lens exclusively in autofocus anyway.  Also, since this is a WR lens, it is weather and dust sealed.

↑ The XF 18mm f1.4 attached to the X-T3.

As for size, when I first saw photos of the XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens on the internet, I thought it was a bit large.  However, now that I’m able to use it in person, I find the design and ergonomics to be actually quite decent.  The specs say it measures 2.7 x 3″ / 68.8 x 75.6 mm, which is completely reasonable considering this is an f1.4 lens. Plus, it weighs just 370 g, so this isn’t a lens that will take up much space in your bag or weigh you down at the end of the day.

↑ We’ve been experiencing some hot weather lately, so I try to go out in the mornings when it’s cooler.  This was taken somewhere in Chinatown with the settings being 160 ISO, and f5.6.

↑ Here’s a photo taken around the Lower East Side with the settings being f5.6 and 1250 ISO.

The XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens is obviously not going be as compact or as light as the XF 18mm f2 R lens, which is actually one of my favorite Fujifilm lenses, by the way, but keep in mind that you’re getting an f1.4 lens here with better optics and features.  Plus, while this isn’t a pancake lens like the f2 version, it still fits quite well with the Fujifilm bodies.  I’ve been using it mainly on my X-T3, and the combo feels great.  The lens feels completely balanced: it’s neither too light nor too heavy on the X-T3.  I’ve also tried the 18mm f1.4 on my older X-E1, and they seem to be a good match, so for those who plan on using the 18mm f1.4 for street with one of the rangefinder style Fujifilm bodies, I feel this lens is a great option to consider.

↑ This was taken around the afternoon with the settings being f8 and 250 ISO.

↑ Here’s a bokeh shot taken at f1.4 with 160 ISO used.

The only issue that I can see some maybe having is if the 18mm f1.4 was attached to an X-Pro body.  I don’t have X-Pro body here with me but I imagine that you might see a little of lens in the optical viewfinder.  However, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who uses a rangefinder camera or in this case, a rangefinder styled camera.  It’s a given that this would happen, and at least during my days with Leica M rangefinders, I was quite used to it.

↑ This was taken around the court houses in downtown Manhattan.  The settings were f8 and 250 ISO.

↑ I liked the guy’s hat :).  The settings I used were f8 and 320 ISO.

As for autofocus, the XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens uses a linear motor that is blazingly fast.  I sometimes have to double check just to make sure it actually focused because it’s so quick haha.  It’s also very accurate and near silent.  So far, I haven’t had any issues with it, and it’s been nothing but a joy to use.  It just seems to nail the shots time and time again.

↑ f1.4 wide angle lenses are wasted on me because I tend to stop them down haha.  The settings here were f1.4 and 160 ISO.

↑ The settings here were 1250 ISO and f8.

↑ The settings here were f8 and 160 ISO.

Let’s now jump into the optics.  Fujifilm has always impressed in this category, and the XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens is clearly no exception.  So far, I’ve been loving the results that I get out of this lens.  If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you probably know, I’m not a huge fan of the 28mm focal length but I have to say, I’ve been really enjoying using this lens.  The image quality is seriously great.  For one, the 18mm f1.4 is tack sharp even at f1.4.  Corner sharpness is also decent at f1.4, especially for a wide angle.  I also haven’t had issues with flare, and while there is some vignetting at f1.4, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.  I’ll definitely go over image quality in more detail along with everything else in my full review of the 18mm f1.4 but so far, it’s been nothing but impressive.

↑ The settings here were f2.8 and 250 ISO.

↑ This was taken somewhere near Chinatown.  The settings were 320 ISO and f8.

↑ One last photo of the X-T3 with the XF 18mm f1.4.

So, I hope this gives you all an idea of what the XF 18mm f1.4 is about.  I’ll be working on getting a few more images for the full review but I will make sure to speed things up to get my review posted more quickly.  The XF 18mm f1.4 has been a great lens so far, and I imagine I’ll be even more impressed with it as I use it more.  If you have any questions, you can always comment below.  Thanks for stopping by!

For those interested in purchasing the Fujifilm 18mm f1.4, you can check out the link below:

XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens at B&H Photo

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