Fujifilm Best Focal Length! (Fujinon 35mm vs Fujinon 23mm) 

I love my older 35mm 1.4 Fuji lens. There is something about that focal length and the lens character that is magically for me.

I started with a 50mm equivalent on sony then moved to fuji xf33mm. Yes, those pictures always look magical. Then i noticed that itnwas gettinf difficult to capture family moments, especially with a movindlg toddler. At the same time i saw sevetal portrait photographers who prefers using a 35mm equivalent lens (mitch and julia). When i did the switch, initially, i felt the same. I felt no magic, the proportions felt off, etc. But i stuck with it and even forced myseld to do street photogriphy with the xf23mm f1.4 which was extremely challenging as it foeced me to get really close. But im happy i did because i now understand that with the 35mm equivalent you get this beautfuly nostalgic feeling that shows a moment in time and place....sometimes when i just go out with my wife intake the mitakon 35mm .95, and have some creative fun. But whenver i go out with fanily, the xf23mm is the right choice for both video and stills.

I also own the 23/1.4 WR and it is excellent for what it is but every time I grab the good old 35/1.4 I really much prefer these pictures.

Super helpful and appreciated contribution to the 23 v 35 (33) discussion :)

The reason I love 23mm (APS-C) is because with its wide FOV and minimal distortion, it has the potential to make pictures feel 3D & natural as if the viewer is a part of the scene. 🙂

I agree, 50mm looks better in most cases. You can take a snapshot of your friends and it kills the busy background, flattens their faces, adds a little bit of cinematic compression. The 35 is closer to a flat phone image. My dilemma is I want a small lens for snapshots and casual walkaround but I like the 50mm so much that I’d go for the 1.4 version and owning both the 33 f1.4 and the 35 f2 sounds stupid and redundant.

I own several different camera bodies from Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus and Fujifilm, this came from 15 years of photography shooting many different subjects from landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, events and travel photography. No one focal length works best for all situations, i guess if your thing is street photography you can narrow your lens to one 0 or two focal lengths but for me photography has always been about variety, not only in the subjects that I photograph but the lens and camera bodies that I use to make the photograph, during the time that I photographed events i did not focus on any one type of event, i had a full time job and photography was never to be a way of earning a living but being involved in doing some thing i loved and was meaningful, i enjoyed all forms of photography and being able to capture some ones special day or time in there life gave me a feeling that is hard to describe, my job gave me financial security but photography gave me a sense of accomplishment and pride.

I was in the same shoes. My wife and I do photography together and she loves the 35 and I love the 50 (ff eq). When i use the 35, i think the photos are ok but the 50 is magic.

I have 23 mm collecting dust since more than a year.. But damn, my 35 / 33 mm are always attached to my camera 90% of time...