PLEASE READ There is some complete waste of a life pretending to be me and messaging everyone saying they have won a prize and they need to telegram. This person has managed to get the @snapsbyfox handle on telegram and is pretending to be me. It is obviously not me because the level of English is horrific and he refuses to prove it is me - just gets aggressive. Please use your common sense and report any comment here you see. I'm actively trying to get this piece of shit removed but the social platforms are not the easiest to deal with. Thank you.
I am from istanbul and I was happy to see that you took photos of my city through the lens of 18 mm. There are so many cool places to take street photos in istanbul. Hope you have enjoyed your time.
In the beginning it was somehow a bit weird because it’s sometimes like you are taking a pic with your smartphone because of the focal length. For someone who was a telephoto lover for a long time it really needed some time to get used to it.
@@anewcareerinanewtown so your phone is the same as the 18mm as I said, cause you’ve got to compare it with a full frame sensor. And with the crop factor, this 18mm APS-C lens would be a 28mm full frame equivalent.
I thinking about getting one to add on top of my XF 33mm F/1.4 which I enjoy a lot recently. When compared to F/1.8 or F/2.0 full-frame lenses, XF 18mm F/1.4 is a bit expensive but has no compromise at all on the image quality while keeping the size and weight very similar. No LoCA, No loss of quality when focusing close, Nice looking bokeh, everything seems to be there. Full frame lenses with these characteristics are way bigger, which I don't like, so the latest XF 18mm, 23mm, 33mm F/1.4 seem to be optimal for me.
Hi, Roman, not sure if this was answered already, but I think the slower focus acquisition at higher Fstops is probably due to the lens having very little light coming in when it’s stopped down. Shooting wide open lets in the maximum amount of light, therefore the focusing is snappier. Some cameras, like Canon, don’t close the lens iris down until the moment you shoot the picture when stopped down, as the lens remains wide open during focusing to use the max amount of light, then closes down to the selected aperture right before you take you pic. I believe Fuji and Sony both close down their apertures to whatever the value is set to. Hope that makes sense.
You can force the Fuji to keep the aperture wide open and acquire focus by back button focusing in Manual Focus mode, its a bit less intuitive but once you get used to it its fine, I went from fairly poor AF performance with my XH2s to near flawless in low light performance by doing it this way.
That knocking sound about gave me a heart attack on my 50-140 f/2.8. I came from a Canon FF system with the 70-200 2.8L IS II and that that thing was a TANK.
I recently picked up the old school 18mm f2 for my Fuji XE4 and I'm loving it. It's a very comfortable focal length. I typically shoot between 24-35mm on my full frame cameras and this hits that sweet spot between them. I started a channel about a month ago and I'm really enjoying the Fuji system.
28mm was my standard lens on my Canons F-1 and new F-1 for 35 years. It was FD 28mm f2.0 lens and I never used any other lens (I had a whole lot of them, nine other lenses from 15mm fisheye to 400mm f4.5!) for travelling etc. Now I have a Fuji system with X-T3, 18-55 kit lens, 14mm 2.8 and 55-200 zoom and really want a fast lens for low light and my old "standard" focal length and this one surely fits the bill!
It's my EDC, desert island lens. Currently using it with a JJC square hood. Recently rented the 23mm f/1.4 and the build quality was better than the 18. I wish Fuji can get their act together. Every lens feels like it was built by different brands with different feeling aperture rings. The 35mm f/2 has the best feeling ring to me. Sometimes I'm not sure why we pay a premium for such lenses when they can't keep QC on a decent level. The 23mm f/1.4 was pretty nice to use but a little boring for my tastes. I like how it is easier to get different parallax? effects with a 28mm fov. Makes shots look more interesting. A 35mm equiv could be pointed at almost anything and the photo would look good if basic composition and lighting is nailed. Curious about the slow focusing at f/14. I personally only use f/16 for sunstars but apart from that I never shoot slower than f/11 because anything past f/11 is diffraction territory. What situations would you need f/14 or 16?
The new 23 f1.4 and 33 f1.4 have the same aperture ring feel and they are my preferred for sure. I have the 18 f1.4 as well and the aperture ring is looser in comparison and do find I move it accidentally as well.
@@snapsbyfox I was using the 18 yesterday and would often have to readjust the aperture which kept getting bumped from f8 which I was shooting at. The 33 is my favorite focal length and the aperture ring is so much more confident in comparison.
I definitely prefer the aperture ring on the 33, and the knocking sound when the camera is off/lens is detached isn't great, but otherwise it's such a great piece of gear. The focal length is out of my comfort zone, but I have been enjoying the challenge. It's actually a fun lens for portraits. This lens has also almost eliminated my desire to sell a kidney for a Q2.
I just bought the Nikon Z 28mm F2.8, which is almost equivalent. Thanks for showing me, how to use such lenses. My first landscapes were already inspiring. The Nikkor is considerably cheaper and lighter, however.
Thanks for this Roman. I've had this lens for quite a while and I've been impressed by the lens build and image quality. Big thanks to including the note about the noise of one of its inner elements. It has been bothering me for some time and understand it works fine when the motor is active - although you didn't go into the gory details, I assume it's how these linear motors are designed. I also agree with the loose aperture ring and it has tripped me up a few times. Before buying the lens, I did quite a lot of research into my style of photography (looking for high scoring shots in LR with focal length filters) and many of my best and favourite shots are wide and often 18mm (widest for common zooms). That being said, it is not my "everyday carry" - probably because of its size and its fixed focal length. For a truly compact experience, I still use my XT-1 with the newer 27 f2.8 pancake lens. On my XT-4, the 18-55 remains my goto lens.
If you look at any camera manufacturer glass the price of most f1.4 prime glass is about the same price, some Canon and Nikon even more so, size wise it's hard to compare it to other cameras other than full frame because most other manufacturers don't have the same glass for their mirrorless APSC cameras . Glass that i find big for the XT3 AND XT5 I use on the XH2.
Good review as always, Roman. I love my 18mm f2 and I won’t be upgrading; the 1.4 for me is way too big and cumbersome for daily life/documentary shots. Can’t believe that Fuji did not fix that loose aperture ring; it was already an issue on lots of the older lenses. On my 14mm it was practically a spinning wheel!
It would be interesting to see a comparison of this lens with the new 23 1.4 LM WR (outside of the difference in focal length obviously). The new 23 has a nice stiff aperture ring and is slightly longer and skinnier. Im curious how they compare in autofocus speed and lowlight capabilities.
tbh I don't see myself being the 23mm 1.4 so there not be a comparison at least on this channel. Honestly I don't want to spend any more money on gear unless the XT5 is a game changer or they come out with small lighter f2.8 zooms
@@snapsbyfox I totally understand, I am the same. The 18 + 33 would make a good combo for fast primes. I personally dont love the 50 mm (full frame equivalent) view so I use the new 23 + 56 1.2 combo. If they release the new 56 MKii In May I will scoop it up in a heartbeat
@@snapsbyfox how about the Tamron 17-70 2.8? I also got this for my Sony A6600 and quite like it. It’s not really small or light either but might still balance quite well on a X-T4. Image quality it pretty solid and the price is okay imo
@@lewis7394I did the same by opting for the new 23mm with a 50mm combo but I opted for the 50mm f2 for the size/weight. Are you using the 56 on the xt5 or xh2? I don’t mind the 50mm f2 but it has no wow factor in combo with my xt5 (and in comparison to the 23 which I love). So now I am considering the 56 instead.
@@kalvino67 I tried the new 56 1.2 WR but the autofocus wasn’t accurate enough on my X-S10. If you have one of the new generation bodies you would probably be fine however. I have come to appreciate the 50mm full frame equivalent FOV since my original comment and now use the new 23, 33, and 90 f2 for my go to primes. May be overkill, but my subjects are fast moving children so I need the LM over anything else 🤣 I still prefer the 23 for indoor group shots and general shooting but use the 33 for indoor portraits and the 90 for outdoor portraits
Hi Roman, nice video! I've owned this lens for 6 months and I noticed the same af problem just now. And it is a problem by the default settings in camera I think. I noticed that every time when the iris blade is closing, the image in the view finder or on the screen just stuck for a short while, and in this lens is more obvious because aperture blades in this lens react just a little bit slower than the other fuji lenses. I've tried this with my 33 and it is also there but harder to notice. I'm glad to know that this problem is not only mine, dare I said 😂. I don't think it is an issue, this lens is just superb and the pictures it takes is indeed delicious.
About time! Been hoping you’d review this lens. I own the kit 18-55 and the 35 Xc. Sounds like for family pics this 18 will be great ! Lookin forward to more 18mm 1.4 content. Cheers
My "Street kit" is the 16mm f 1.4 and the 56mm f1.2 on my XT3. I'll probably consider the 18 mm and 33 mm on an XT5? I'm very satisfied with the image quality of the former 2 lens but not so much the autofocus and if they don't resolve to the newer Fuji sensors, well?
Though I’m still not entirely convinced with the Fuji system, or more so the Xt3, I can’t really afford to go out and change to another system and starting from scratch again. So, I’m thinking I still need a couple of prime lenses and think I’d go for the 23mm rather than this 18mm as this would be way too wide, then maybe a 50mm say, probably 1.4 as I really need something better for low light. Then, as I am getting much more used to Fuji, go for an XT-4 as the prices aren’t too bad but do seem to be rising, plus I’d only need the body which would make it much easier, the ibis is my main reason but I do want to start making some videos. Thanks again Roman, your insight is invaluable
Same here… I know that Sony and Fuji are getting closer in terms of size and weight. Also there is no denying Sony is a far more capable camera especially for my needs. However changing systems will be such a huge expense both financially and time wise that when you really look at what will be gained… it’s not that much really. And that money will be far better used for travel / going to cool places to shoot. So I’m sticking with Fuji for that reason
As a guy that has several pairs of jeans older than your camera gear, I love the idea that you think 4 or 5 years is a long time. Total fan of your channel. TY for the video.
I have the new 18mm f1.4, 23mm f1.4 and 33mm f1.4 and the 18mm definitely has the more loose aperture ring, and the focus ring too actually. In fact, you can slide the aperture ring forward and back, it's like it is just missing some sort of extra click mechanism underneath that the 23mm and 33mm have. The new 23mm aperture ring feels a little more solid than the 33mm too. Interestingly, my 18mm doesn't make as much noise from the focus system when it is off as yours does, it's pretty similar to my 23mm and 33mm.
have the 33 and was trying to decide between getting the 18 or 23. 23 is my favorite focal length, but i am worried its too close to my 33. just don't want to grab the 18 and regret it because it is too wide of a focal length. do you still have all 3? if you had to keep 2, which ones would you keep?
Thanks for your great reviews and interviews Roman. I have this lens in Mexico City right now and it’s great for street and architecture photos. At first it felt a bit to heavy on my xpro3 since i’m used to the 35mm f2, but after some days it’s all good. A question: do you sometimes opt for 1:1 aspect ratio? How does one decide to go for 16:9,3:2 or 1:1 ? Can sometimes be a hard one for me.
I'll just put in my own 2 cents here, but it's highly subjective any other people will have a different answer. Unless I'm working on a project that calls for a different aspect ratio specifically ( slides I know will be played on a TV I'd use 16:9) I will shoot in 3:2 and I can always crop into a different aspect ratio. Instagram would probably look good as 1:1 to me so you don't have to shoot everything portrait mode. I might switch it up during my street photography walk just to challenge myself
Thanks for this review! Would you say the 18f1.4 is very similar to the 16f1.4 in terms of using it for street? Do you have to get really close to your subject in order to frame things properly? I used to have the 16 but sold it and got the 23 instead because of that reason. I do love the 23 but sometimes I feel like its a bit too tight. Thanks.
Being an m.f.t system user (which i'm more than happy with) i'm slightly surprised at the overall size of this combo, it seems more akin to f.f gear in form factor (and price). Obviously image quality must excellent but it still begs the question, why do people opt for apsc over larger format.
Very fair comment and honestly it is something that I have also thought about. Fuji seems to be getting bigger while Sony smaller and lighter. On average there is still a small advantage on all fronts but it is not as big as it was. Personally though I already own all the kit so upgrading to FF is pointless. If I was starting from scratch and had the budget... well that's a different conversation
@@snapsbyfox Point taken, the reason i never went f.f is down to portability & knowing I wouldn't have to discipline to lug bulky gear around all the time. Some of my best photos have been taken with a camera the size of a pack of cigarettes (a 14 y/o Canon ixus) simply because i have it on me all the time - although i probably couldn't hang any of them up on a gallery wall.
Currently having MFT (Panasonic), Fuji APS-C, Full Frame (Sony, Panasonic) here. If you compare lenses 'with no IQ compromise' from all systems, you may understand why the latest XF 18mm, 23mm, and 33mm F1.4 have value. Let me talk about 50mm FF equivalent focal length. I so much like my A7C + 55mm F1.8 combo for its small size, which is almost similar in size to my other combo, GX9 + 25mm F1.4, but these are I would say lenses 'with IQ compromises' to make it smaller. For example, both 55mm F1.8 and 25mm F1.4 have serious issues with LoCA and to avoid these issues you need to stop down. However, with 33mm F1.4, you don't need to stop down at all. From MFT, the Olympus 25mm F1.2 Pro is the one, with no IQ compromise, but again this is even bigger than 33mm F1.4. From FF, Nikon's Z 50mm F1.8 is the one, but again, the lens itself is a bit bigger, and there is no compact FF body from Nikon yet. For other focal lengths, it's a similar story. F1.4 APS-C lenses are comparable to F1.8 or F2.0 FF lenses as they can blur out the background similarly wide-open. However, Fuji's latest F1.4 lenses can perform better in difficult situations like high contrast scenes. Weight and size are similar to F1.8 or F2.0 FF lenses, and the price is a bit more expensive, but you pay for the performance at wide open. Considering most APS-C bodies are lighter than most FF bodies, still Fuji has an advantage over FF when it comes to size to performance ratio. If you don't mind LoCA, close-up capability, bokeh ball shape, however, no need to spend more and carry heavier 😅
@@djstuc I seriously considered going APS-C because i know the I.Q is as good as i'll ever need & some of the smaller Fuji bodies are nice & compact. In the end it was the wider choice of decent quality primes & zooms at every focal length & the much lower cost of buying virtually unused M.F.T gear that swung it for me. I thought if i change my mind & decide to go for one of the larger formats, at least I won't take a big financial hit. But now I've used the format for a few years, there's no way I'm ever selling my EM-5 or GX80.
@@phaselead_dj It depends on what you're shooting i guess. Are you talking about high contrast outdoor macro subjects, or what type of situations specifically. I mainly shoot street & B&W so loca has never really come on my radar.
My problem with your review is that it merely confirms that this purchase is more than justified. The 18mm f1/1.4 lens is not only a worthy addition to my kit, but that it will likely sit on my camera most often.
Thanks for the great video. For me personally though, It’s just too expensive and too big for an 18mm. Especially if I want to carry around another body/lens (eg. 35mm or 50mm) as well. I’d rather go buy a Ricoh GR III or similar, then I’m getting a whole camera for the price of this lens (and in a tiny package). I understand that’s not an apples to apples comparison, but for my personal needs (not video or low light).
Good review, Roman........ but this prime lens is not for me. I know this from how I use my XF18-55 zoom lens. I seldom go as wide as 18mm. In fact, most of my shots are taken between approx 28mm and 40mm so the primes that would give me most value are the 35/2.0 and the 27/2.8 and I'll leave it to the 18-55 zoom for the odd time that I want to go wider.
nice review. if I ever get a higher megapixel X-H2 then I might upgrade my 16mm f1.4 for one of these. on the AF performance, I think most lenses suffer at smaller apertures for 2 reasons: - there's less light and increased DOF
Punch out the internal rings. Look it up on RU-vid and you can come across videos for it. Just beware that it’s a destructive process and you won’t be able to reinsert those internal rings. Not like it should make any difference though. I just use my straps with the standard triangular Fuji key rings.
i've been contemplating trading in my 18mm 1.4 for the 23mm 1.4 wr or just purchasing the 33mm so I have an 18 and 33 combo. Can I effectively use the 23 to cover this combo? (Obviously money is a factor hence i'm leaning towards just having one lens and less to carry around) What are your thoughts?
Keep the 18mm and get the 33mm. It is so sharp you can easily just crop the 18mm to become 23mm with fairly similar bokeh results. You can never make the 23mm wider. The 33mm offers much better compression and lower distortion.
In the part of the video where you're talking about the AF not being snappy at smaller aperture, I noticed a lag on your screen, it's like the camera is on that "economic mode". Could it be that? Could you verify if your camera is in that mode and if yes put it in "boost mode" and try the AF again?
@@snapsbyfox fact is Fuji is misleading us with the names. The so called "boost mode" is in reality what should be named "normal" and the actual "normal" should be named "battery saver or economy mode" because it lowers the electronic and screen refresh rate, lowers luminosity and I wouldn't be surprised it lowers the AF capabilities to save some battery.
Too big this lens for street in my opinion. I prefer to use my second body XE4 with 23 mm F2. Like 18 the best is Ricoh GR3 too. More direct and discrete
Yeah I still miss my f2 primes for sure. Had a go on the new Richoh GR3x and was so tempted... but I just can't be bothered with new gear for the foreseeable
Lovely video. I also noticed the focusing struggling a bit at a more closed down aperture. The clunky stability in the lens is scary and had the same thought when I put it on at first. I just did a quick sample image video over on my channel if anyone wants to check it out! Cheers!
Call me lazy but I walk around my streets with my x-e4 and 10-24 f4 a lot . I'm trying stuff like 16 and 23 and 35 and now 54 even . And all of this along side a 7D with a 70-300 because I am crazy :p Oh right , and a 27 , trying that one too , looks like i'm out of control
haha yeah initially I didn't get on with the size but now I'm kinda used to it. However I am now and them remembering back the f2.0 lenses and how much lighter they all were
I appreciate the comment Ken, however I will discuss the photography and travel products I use on the channel. If this is not your cup of tea, then you can skip those videos like many others do.
