Fujifilm 23mm F2 vs 23mm F2.8

As you can see, I don’t want this to be a boring technical review. You can find those on many websites out there. Instead, I want to explore what I value most: the experience of using the lenses.

For years, the Fujifilm 23mm f2 has been my go-to lens on my Fuji X-T5. That traditional 35mm full-frame equivalent focal length. I call it my storytelling lens. Not too wide, not too tight, just right. It’s compact, and image quality is solid. I can’t speak for any character in the lens. I can simply say the images that come out of it are great. Focuses well. Built really well. The dials are smooth but stiff enough that you know when you have dialled in a setting, it stays put. The tiny dome hood it ships with offers the perfect protection for the front element.

I’ve travelled everywhere with this lens and it has taken a beating. It has minor scuffs all over it but has never failed on me. It is a perfect lens for my usage.

Then the Fujifilm 23mm f2.8 came out. It came with the release of the Fuji X-E5, the smaller rangefinder-style version of the X-T5. Call it the X100VI that lets you swap lenses out. The same focal length but smaller, essentially going for a pancake shape.

This notion sounded awesome in my head. I could make my X-T5 setup a small, pocketable kit. Amazing! As soon as I could, I bought it.

But like all things, life is full of trade-offs. I know this. I’ve taught myself to see the world through this perspective. But the 23mm f2.8 did something to me. I just went for it, clicked buy and slapped it on. Bam, I went to Hong Kong with it.

I left my old friend behind. The f2 stayed home. This was kind of a good thing. It let me really put the f2.8 through its paces.

Now I will say this: everything has its trade-offs, and there is no “best kit for photography”. Each piece of gear is for the photographer to judge based on their workflow or, more importantly, how they interact with the world, how they see.

Well, I can simply say the Fujifilm 23mm f2.8 is such a great lens in terms of weight. Literally any Fuji camera you put this on feels like someone fired a shrink ray at it. I felt like I could take this thing everywhere. I’m not kidding. My X-T5 could fit in the back pocket of most pants I own. It feels like magic.

I’ll quickly say this: I think the image quality is fine. I can’t tell the difference between it and the f2 version. Maybe there are reviews out there that go deep into all the nuances of how it renders images. Honestly, I don’t give a shit about any of that. The images from this lens are amazing in my eyes. Let’s leave it at that.

I’ve used this lens for maybe a bit over a year now, I think. There are two reasons I went back to my old friend, the f2 version.

First one: I primarily shoot street, and my camera is primarily in continuous focus. I often find a scene and do this weird angle dance to lock in a composition, so I’m often aggressively refocusing. I only really use manual focus when I’m shooting through stuff like mirrors or windows, or have time to do so.

The autofocus motor systems differ significantly between the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR and the newer Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR pancake lens. This is where the Fujifilm f2.8 starts to become a problem for me. Fuji calls it a stepping motor. I call it a pumper. When you focus, you can see the front of it extend and retract. On paper, all the specs say it’s fast and all that. In my experience, yes, it is fast, but slow to lock on and stay on a target. If you or your target are moving, I’ve found it loses focus and goes hunting. Pumping ferociously. Might be partly the X-T5’s autofocus software, partly the lens. Either way, it’s annoying. Is it a big deal? Not hugely, but enough to make me reach for that old friend over it.

Secondly, this is a weird one, but stick with me. Its size is the problem for me. I actually found that because I could take it anywhere, fit it anywhere, and my setup was so damn tiny, I became sloppy using it. The time I spent looking at a scene before raising my camera to take a shot was significantly reduced. Scene here, scene there, fire, snap, crack, boom… overflowing SD cards.

I recently came back to my old beat-up f2, and it was like coming home. My focus problem was gone, and my photography became more intentional again. The camera stayed in my sling until I was truly ready to reach for it. And truthfully, the extra size was kind of a moot point.

Will I keep the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR and sell the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR? Maybe, probably. More options create decision paralysis. Is the f2.8 a bad lens? No. Is it wrong for me? Yes.

The tool is for the photographer. Choose wisely.