Absolutely brilliant review Dylan. Very concise, technical enough, well presented and watchable review. I'm not a 33mm man - I use the brilliant 16mm 1.4 and the 50mm F2. However, I enjoyed watching it and it will be very valuable for those wishing to buy it.
I recently switched fully to Fuji by selling the rest of my m4/3 gear and trading x100f for X-Pro3. I ended up getting the Zeiss 32mm f1.8 for my standard lens. I’ve had the 35mm f1.4 before and I quite liked it, whereas the 33mm f1.4 I considered too big and heavy for my use. Why I chose Zeiss had to with the slightly wider focal length and that lens has some really cool out of focus characteristics and I really like how it renders the transition from focus to out of focus areas. I know it’s a bit of an outlier and people often don’t even mention it in these comparisons, but I’ve found myself really enjoying that lens, despite the slightly smaller maximum aperture :)
I had that lens for a while when it first came out and I got a really good deal on it. I ended up selling it in favour of the 35mm f/1.4. i never could get used to the way that Zeiss lens felt in my hand. It's so different from the feeling of the Fujifilm lenses I kept noticing it rather than the photos I was supposed to be looking for. I did enjoy the images from it, though. Gorgeous lens!
Thanks. Best review I've seen not only for the 33 vs 35, but overall as a lens review. I have the 35 1.4, and l love this lens. I acknowledge that the 33 is a more up to date lens and better overall, technically. If I didn't already have the 35, or I was a professional, I'd upgrade for all the reasons you listed. But as an enthusiast, I'll stay with the 35. I can't justify the price difference, I like the smaller size and lighter weight of the 35 (a big part of why I like the Fuji system), it's more than sharp enough, and on occasion, I do see a 'magic' (3D-like) in that lens . I acknowledge that in the future, if Fujifilm comes out with a 40 mp sensor that demands the higher performance of the 33, I might need to make a change. Again, great review.
Thanks, Scott! I absolutely agree, and my aging, beaten-up 35mm will not be leaving my collection. I'll definitely keep it around for those days when I'm out for personal work and just looking for a small package to walk around with. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Dylan. Great review. Having bought the XT5 and now with superb, great value 1.2-1.4 Viltrox lenses, it's transformed my images. Getting the 33 given it's "normal" field of view.
Have bought the 33mm f1.4 together with the 27mm f2.8 WR (new one) 6 months ago and i've been very happy with both. Your review was very informative at that time, the depth of comparisons was much greater then other reviews and comparisons i've seen here on YT. Thanks a lot Dylan
@@gigamoment It is, yes. The thing is though, the kind of 'better' is not enough for me to tell you to go around with a heavier lens just because of image quality. The 33 will have more pixel peeping quality, but more importantly perhaps, to my eyes, it has better colors and contrast. Again, the difference isn't night and day tho. If you plan to use f1.4 a lot for more light or for blurry background, the 33 100%. If not, the 27mm is more usable in everyday life because of the wider FOV, has great lovely image quality too, and makes small fujifilms bodies pocketable. Any other questions you have, i can try awnser. GL!
@@renatobfa wow what a quick and detailed answer, thank you! Yes, 27 is really good for mobility, what I am looking for now is a lens with the best image quality throughout the frame, center-mid-corners. It sounds like the 33 exhibits the quality that 27 gives, so it might be ideal to me.
Dylan, that was exceptionally well done ! Informative, balanced, and comprehensive. Can't ask for more than that ! I had not run across your channel before today and now I'm subscribed so I don't miss any future offerings. FWIW I'll be selling my 35mm on Monday morning. Thanks again for your help. Slainte !
It’s only in stock in a few places here in Canada, would it be a good first lens for my X-T5 that’s on the way? I plan to use it for travel, architecture, and Astrophotography
I just took this 33mm f1.4 out for a first test run today. It's excellent. The fast continuous autofocus is working great (combined with my X-T5 camera with its all-important firmware update). Seems very sharp too. I bought it to provide a good low light alternative to my beloved 16-55 f2.8, but I'm also loving the little things like how the 33mm doesn't stick out as much - so doesn't feel like it's going to get bashed when I'm moving through crowds. I was afraid that 33mm on a crop sensor would be too tight for street photography, but it definitely isn't for mine. I still found myself having to walk in quite close. I think it'll be more challenging to use than some shorter focal length Fuji lenses, for street photography, as it lacks the immediate wow factor of their distortion and ability to keep all the background in-shot. But I think that's exciting, as the 33mm has to work harder to decide what to include or exclude from a shot. I'd still like using 16mm or 18mm capability on a separate lens for some 'fancy' close-in shots, but otherwise this 33mm gives me almost everything.
Just recently got my 33mm. I only have the 35mmF2 to compare it to, but the thing I immediately fell in love with is that smooth bokeh (which is, of course, a personal preference).
I'd love to eventually compare this to the tiny 35mm f/2. I haven't used that lens in years! Aside from the shallow depth of field, what has been the biggest change between the two, for you?
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I think there is slightly better image quality, probably more so in the corners, but frankly nothing I'd likely notice unless pixel-peeping. The ergonomics are a bit nicer, too, since there's more room on the barrel for the focus and aperture rings.
wouldn't change my 35mm f1.4 but would love to test the 33mmf1.4 in the future with my X-pro. Btw, I think your timestamp in the description from previous video. Thank you for the comparison!
Holy hell, this might be the first time I’ve seen a reviewer explain the whole “it’s the same as your eyes” thing that we always hear about 50mm lenses. Usually they leave it at that and never explain, it’s so frustrating. So thank you!
Thank you Dylan for a very detailed, insightful review. I've got the 33mm F1.4 on backorder and was debating canceling the order for the 35mm F1.4, but now you've persuaded me to "sit tight" on the backorder!
As you probably noticed, I'm really pleased with the advances un the 33mm. I hope that you'll find the same thing now that you've decided to go ahead with your order.
Thanks, Dylan and bravo! Beautifully executed review. Your insights on this new lens (just got mine yesterday) are obviously a cut or two above those "first look" reviews by reviewers who seem to spend a great deal of time reviewing products instead of actually working as photographers.
My “dream” kit: the 18mm 1.4 R LM, the 23mm 1.4 R LM, and the 33mm 1.4 R LM in a Pelican 1200 case .. to be used with a Fuji X-T5 .. Sweet, sweet, sweet !!
Thanks Dylan for your great review, I am also finding this lens quickly becoming one of my favourites from fuji, it also twins very well with the new 18mm 1.4. Keep up the good work! Ant
excellent review Dylan. Subscribed.......Been looking at this lens for a few days now it seems to be a good lens and you showed well what it can do in real life. Thanks for the help and advise.
Great way to make review really enjoy it and the lens as well im getting use to and love it more and more. Absolutly gorgeous photos of the lake . Thank you !
BEautiful Images as always Dylan. I was even being impatient till the end of the video. When I found your channel in RU-vid about 1.5 years ago, I stopped watching other gear reviews. :D I found the trusty "photographer with an eye" (who's really a photographer). I'm recently thinking to exchange my 35mm F2 into this lens and exchange my 60mm Macro lens which I was using for portraits of working people into a 56mm 1.2 WR version.
Thanks for the review, I own the 35 F2, which as you say is perfect for my XE4 and I recently purchased the 33mm 1.4 for use on the XPro 3, I have yet to fall in love with the lens yet, maybe it's just the situations I have used the lens in, I had a slow start also with the 23mm 1.4 but now I totally enjoy using it, it takes time I guess, overall I am lucky to have as many lenses as I do, so really no complaints, part of me wants to see all my XF stuff and get a 100V, (I have owned two X100 bodies prior) and then invest in a medium format body/ lens - GFX system.....Thanks again for your review....
Wonderful review. I had the 35mm f.14 years ago, but started using the 16-55 for professional work. However I really would like a nice fast, multipurpose prime and I think this one's for me. Fingers crossed for some stock arriving in the uk at some point!
Just sold two of my voigtlander lenses to order this lens. I’ve been wanting do photos like Alex Webb, but I had to accept that at least for now, I am not a wide angle guy who can shoot in layers. I like a little distance and needed the weather sealing too.
A beautifully done real photographers review. ✅ ✅ ✅. The only area I would have appreciated a bit more on was low light street photography, but by inference I'd assume the 33mm AF would shade the 35mm in low light conditions.
I was checking to buy this lens, after watching such a great review definitely going to buy it. also you have a great channel .. keep it up, Thank you for the efforts.
Hi Dylan, that was one of the best reviews I‘ve seen in a while. It just seems so natural, so calm and very, very well explained! Just subscribed and looking forward to see more from you. Thank you very much!
I didn’t see you address if there was a loss of the pop or character from the 35mm to the 33mm. The character is really what I want with some af speed added.
Great info, on the 33mm 1.4. You mentioned focus setup for this lens, would love to know your recommendations, I will be using during weddings, fast and accurate focus as you know is a must.
My family photography video is a great spot to start for the way I work. As for focus settings, with the X-T5, I leave them on default and it's been great. The X-T4, I needed to choose from the list for certain situations. You'll really want to figure out what works in the way you shoot.
Really good review Dylan! I could just watch your video, even reviews just like watching a documentary or so. Very nice presentation and quite well balanced. Btw, it'd be super nice to see your royal photographic society presentation, if you do have a recording please do share :) Thanks again!
Fantastic photos and great review, as always Dylan. Love your channel. I’m in two minds whether to upgrade from my 35mm f/1.4. The sunstars, silly as it may sound, are very attractive. Also, I wonder if you notice, in real world terms, the difference in focal length between the two lenses? I often find the 35 (which is actually 52,5mm in FF terms) a bit on the tight side.
Hi Elmar, I'm not really technically knowledgeable enough about the autofocus settings to offer much insight. I just played around until I got something that worked for me.
Thank you! Amazing review & its exactly the news I was hoping for. Fuji is planning an onslaught on FF and with there new series lenses there going to create to carnage. Im looking forward to your review on the new 23mm f1.4
I stumbled across your channel and I am really happy I did! I think you have a natural talent for doing these kind of videos. Presented in a very nice way and with just the right amount of technical stuff and pixel peeping. I will certainly check out more of your videos and of course I have subscribed!
Interesting. The Ken Rockwell review of the 35 f1.4 says its one of the best of the whole line. Bottom line is they're both good I guess. I have the 35mm so I'll stick with it.,
Ha! Nice. Paul is one of my favourite drummers in metal today. He's a wizard. I actually did the editing for the photos in their last photobook for the album release. Amazing band, for sure.
Wow! You remember that? Honestly, I have no idea. I am aware that they archive the presentations. But, I'm not sure if it's public. You could reach out to the India chapter and see if that's something they can make happen.
I recently purchased the 33mm 1.4 and am generally satisfied, although I find that I have to stop down a lot (at least f8) to get enough depth of field so that when I take distant landscape pictures nearly everything will be in focus. In addition, I have had occasionally messages saying “turn off the camera and turn on again”, which is very annoying.
That error is usually a sign of a dirty contact on either the camera or the lens. Our local Fujifilm office's recommendation was to take a pencil eraser and lightly clean both. If that doesn't help, you may find that either the lens or camera mount is slightly loose. A quick trip to the Fujifilm repair centre will sort that out.
You’ve sold me on this lens. I really want autofocus and weather sealing, so I’m selling my Laowa 33mm and getting this instead. The Laowa is great, but it is not good for a lot of stuff that this will be great for.
Thank you for the interesting comparison! I've come up very much now, whether I should replace my 35mm 1.4 through the 33mm. I hold the 33mm in all optical matters and in the autofocus for superior, but the 35mm is so wonderful light, and I have made some of my best photos.
I have kept my 35mm f/1.4 for now and will use it for my personal work where the additional speed and technical image quality don't matter so much. Just as in your case, some of my favourite images have been made with the XF 35mm f/1.4.
Hi Dylan, fantastic pro review in details, many thanks. In all aspects on my xt5 if I don’t want to go for red batch lenses (because of size and weight) but to achieve the best performance and image quality on 40mp sensor, which lenses I can select to cover focal length range?
Great review, Dylan. I have the f2 version, and I really like that lens. I'm looking for a f1.4 lens as I would like to do more lowlight photography. I have been leaning to the 23mm or the 16mm 1.4s as I don't have these focal lengths. But the 35mm 1.4 is cheaper used than the other 2. Decisions, decisions. Thanks for the great videos. Kind regards B
Decisions indeed. When it comes to the 33mm over the 35mm, you're getting a lot for that little bit of extra cash. As for the 16mm, I've had it and loved it. If you like a wide angle, it's a phenomenal lens. With the 23mm, I'd wait a little. You'll find good second-hand deals once the new lens is released.
Thank you for the review. I saw a video the other day where someone said they got amazing results in tracking and focusing by switching to Ignore Obstacles & Continue to Track Subject versus other settings with the 33mm. I would be curious if you experience similar results with this setting and this firmware version.
Thanks for sharing that, Brad! I'll definitely look into it. I hadn't even thought to use that setting as my family images are fairly unobstructed most of the time. If I discover anything interesting, I'll let you know!
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Yes the person who made the discovery joked about that as well. They were photographing with no obstructions but there is just something about that setting that somehow works better, probably a quirk that will be firmware adjusted if true. Have a good day.
@@bradk7451 it's just because that setting is for sticking to a subject and not looking for as much opportunities for other competing things. So becuase a lot of people like to just track 1 animal or kid around, it just makes sense to use that setting. I think that the goal of auto-focus that "just works" is the wrong goal because that can mean various things, and unless it can read your mind, it needs to know what you prefer it to do. I think people that use Sony just usually prefer that kind of stickiness, but i prefer to have better control. However it could in general be better, but it's much better than people give it credit because they can't follow the manual.
There is something CZ-ish (planar) in terms of rendering COLORS AND TRANSITION FROM FOCUS TO OUT OF FOCUS AREAS in 35/1.4. It's hard to UNDERSTAND how it can be improved IF AT ALL. I truly believe Fuji unintentionally set the level of the optical performance in 35/1.4 to the one they can't keep up in their other lenses.
I’m a musician who loves Fujifilm cameras. A song with a really cool drum beat was added at the very end of the video. Could you tell me the title? Thank you!
Hi Dylan, have just found you for the first time. Thanks for a great, calm and well explained video. I’m looking for a 33mm for my X-T3. Apart from the size and weight, does the 35mm f1.4 have any advantages over the 33mm in terms of photo character etc?
Hi Christian, it's extremely subjective and I'd say the best example to show the differences I have is the photograph of my wife in this video. You could also watch my video on the 35mm to get a sense of the sort of images it produces. I've honestly moved over to the 33mm for all of my professional work as it's just a better lens technically.
How do you think the lens would hold up in a sports photography environment with low light and fast moving subjects? I have the 16-55mm f2.8 and it’s often the case that I can’t shoot with 1/1000 with low iso in boxing shows and I’ve been thinking about a fast prime lens with fast autofocus.
No one is shooting landscapes at f1.4 on any lens. So I would say that is is a moot point for the 35/1.4 to not perform as well as the 33 in these situations. Of course it is nice that the 33/1.4 is decent wide open for a brick wall test but that isn't really a real life representation of how these lenses are actually used.
Thanks for sharing. As always beautiful work. I'am realy interested in the 33mm f1.4. I use the 35 F2 lens the most (woodland and streetphotography). You compared now with the old 35mm F1.4. My experience is that the 35 F2 is sharper than the 35mm F1.4 and does focus much better than the 35 F1.4. But the 35 F2 has some slight problems of softness in the far corners and some problems with color fringing. Could you say if the 33mm f1.4 will better than the 35 F1.4 concerning the possible upgade of the fuji apsc sensor comming next year? I want to get the 33mm f1.4 also to get more/better rendering when upgrading to a camerabody with more pixels. Here in the Netherlands it is still not possible to obtain the 33m f1.4.
The 33mm is out of stock almost everywhere at this point, including here. I have one of the few copies that made it to Korea in the first batch. I got very lucky. As I mentioned in the review, it's hard for me to compare with the 35mm f/2 as I don't have one. In my experience the 33mm is much sharper than the 35mm f/1.4, as you can see in the video. However, I guess that when stopped down to f/8 or so, you may not even notice the sharpness difference between any of these lenses until we see higher resolution sensors. At that time, it might be worth looking into it futher.
Hi Dylan, I love your feedback on this duet. Thank you for sharing these thoughts. Have you tried the new XF23mm F1.4 WR by any chance ? I'm still hesitating between those two lenses, as a macro photographer I may be attracted to the 23mm for its better minimum focus distance, but I'm having hard times taking a decision. Maybe I'll buy both, ha ha ha, and send back the one I don't like. Take very good care of you. Colin
Hi Colin! I own both. They're very similar in their rendering. The real difference here is just the focal length this time around. I've got my full thoughts on the 23mm in the Fujilove Gear Talk section. Maybe I'll make a video about the 23mm at some point... perhaps a refresh of my family photography kit... Thanks for watching!
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer, the 33mm is awesome ! I just love it so much on the X-H2. Perfect combo and lightning fast autofocus (I don't use it, but it's worth mentioning it). Now... I'd like to try the 23mm and the 18mm. ha ha
I have an x pro 3 and I was looking at the 50mm f1 and it seems little bit to front heavy and im curious while using a strap for the camera is there any problem since its to front heavy for the mount like to put to much pressure where the lens mounts ? I know silly question :D
You will need to support the 50mm f/1 with your left hand so you won't be putting pressure on the mount. With a lens that large, your right hand is just there for balance and operating the camera. Check my review of the 50mm for more details on that.
It's a great video. Can you compare Viltrox 33mm 1.4 and Fujifilm 33mm 1.4? Due to the price difference, many amateur photographers are curious about lens comparison 🙏
I get this question a lot, to be honest! If Viltrox were to send me one, I'd glady make the comparison. Personally, I have only tried it for a few moments in our local shop and wasn't impressed overall... however, that's hardly a valid opinion! If I see one on the second-hand market here, I may pick one up. With the amount of people looking at it, my curiosity is indeed piqued.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer First of all, I am writing my message with google translate. I just wrote and read your reply one by one. :) Thank you for your answer. I may be a bit unlucky as I don't have the opportunity to try fuji or viltrox in my nearby location. I am planning to buy lenses for portrait. Viltrox is half the price compared to Fujifilm. I think I eliminated the Fujifilm 35mm 1.4. I've heard of color casts in Viltrox and I'm undecided. That leaves the sigma 30mm 1.4, the Fujifilm 33mm 1.4, and the Viltrox 33mm 1.4 due to its price. A difficult decision to make without review :/
For landscape photography, if one wants everything to be in focus, do you recommend single point focus, focusing on the most distant object, or somewhere in the middle of the scene at perhaps f5.6, which I assume is around the sweet spot for this lens? Thanks
That's going to heavily depend on the scene and how far things are from the camera. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. You might want to start your journey with learning about hyperfocal distances if you want absolutely everything as sharp as it can be.
18:30 mark - Do we need to petition to Fuji for an update in there next firmware to change the behavior of the speed of the joystick focus!? It really kills me when you want to change focus points but it has the slight pause with the first initial press. It needs to move at one fluid speed (fast). Does this bother anyone else?
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer It honestly does. It’s unnatural. Why does it have to move and click over then pause for about a second and then move fluently. I think a good example is if your nose touch the screen and put the box in the bottom left corner and someone is posing for a picture and you hold the camera up to your eyes to look through the EVF. In that moment you can take the camera from your face look down and touch the box But the people looking at you will think that you may have already taken the photo so there’s that awkward pause. Or you can reach for the joystick and move it from the bottom left to the center and that little paws causes for an awkward silence LOL. It’s annoying Cannons joystick is instant. Like the old black berry scroll wheel.
@@mikesick4793 Hmm, I've honestly never noticed the ramping like that. If the point is too far from where I want it, I typically double tap the joystick to reset it to centre and move from there. Your comment makes me wonder how many others might be frustrated like you!
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I often did that with the x100V to recenter it. But looking at your video at the 18:30 mark the joystick is behaving exactly like I’m describing. It doesn’t ramp up in speed. It just nudges once, pauses, then moves at the same rate of speed. Infuriating!! Lol. None the less. Cant wait to get a new 1.4. Likely there 33 but the 18 is inciting.
I just got the Fuji XT3 and the new 33mm F1.4 Fuji lens. When I am on Aperture priority mode I can see and hear the aperture blades constantly opening and closing. The lens makes a pretty distinct clicking noise constantly. However on the Fuji X100V the aperture blades are completely silent when opening and closing. Is there something wrong with the 33mm lens? Why is the 33mm making that clicking noise but the X100V is silent?
I'm sure for certain uses that is true, but for almost everything, the 35mm is plenty good enough. This is something I've talked about in both reviews.
Which body are you using? I'm not sure I'd call it painfully slow these days. On the early bodies, it was like watching paint dry, but it's not so bad now (as you can see in the video).
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I used it only with Fuji guys in a short test with X-T3 and X-T4. Compare to the 18-55, 50 f/2, and even 56mm 1.4 it was quite slow. But they had pretty worn down equipment, so it might be that the lens has a bit worn of or something.
@@quite1enough Take a look again at 18:18 in this video. I don't think painfully slow are the words I would use. The DC corless motor means theres a little more hunting and not quite the confidence you get from a linear motor, but it's still plenty fast enough for most work.
Sounds like it might have been! The 35mm really isn't too bad. It just hunts a little more because of the motor type.
2 года назад
Hello, I am happy owner of this lens. I have just one concern which is bothering me and I didn’t saw it in any other Fuji lenses in my current or previous collections. Aperture ring is very clicky and precise, but when I am changing aperture from f2 to 1.4 I notice that at 1.4 there is some “loose” at the end. I have a feeling that ring can go half to further step which is not there (to f1.2). Is this normal with 33 1.4? When I am on the other end of aperture ring on Auto then ring is very stuck at this value.
I haven't noticed this at all with my copy. Might be worth contacting Fujifilm about this issue.
2 года назад
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thank you very much for response. I am wondering what to do. Maybe I will go to the shop and check other lenses and ask seller. I have bad experiences with Fuji service in my country and I don’t want to rely on them regarding opening this lens and replacing parts.