X-Pro2 and One Lens

Rangefinder, 23mm, and The County Fair

I used a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of the ride and accentuate the color. I like the splash of blue sky in the corner and the only thing that is sharp is the magenta support beam. Like most of the photos in this post I used the Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4. Exposure was 1/15 sec. f16. I used rangefinder viewing but chimped with the EVF review to make sure I liked the amount of blur. I used the Velvia film simulation as a preview and applied that simulation to the raw RAF file in Lightroom.

This is part 4 of my continuing X-Pro Tour of images from my travels, stories behind the photos, and my thoughts and experiences with the Fuji X-Pro2 system in many different situations (I posted Part 1 and Part 2 in May and Part 3 in June) In the captions I provide the backstory of the shot along with technical info (non-tech folks just ignore the part at the end of the captions.)

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I’ve covered a lot of ground in my posts about the X-Pro2 body in various situations. In this post, I’m concentrating on one lens- the Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4. I offer the pros and cons working with this lens which is a focal length (35mm full frame equivalent) often considered the ideal one for all-around versatility. You see this focal length on many higher end fixed lens cameras such as those from Fuji, Sony, and Leica. I must admit that for the whole time I was shooting at the fair I didn’t feel like I wanted another lens, with the exception of a few shots at the very end when I did the series of face painting. I think much of this is due to both the simplicity and freedom of using a rangefinder and not having to think about changing lenses. I think I would have felt similarly with my XF 35mm f2.0. However, once I use a focal length much longer than 35mm (FF equivalent = 50mm) I limit the situations where I can get away with only one lens and conversely going too wide limits potential for portraits and candids of people. With the exception of one shot, every shot in this post and almost everything I shot at the fair, I used rangefinder viewing on my X-Pro2.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 with XF 23mm f1.4 lens Acros Y film simulation — As most photographers should know you don’t want to include signs or writing of any kind in a photo unless you want people to read it. Initially this little girl had her back to me checking the minimum height indicator for the ride. I already had her and the sign in my viewfinder. When she sensed someone was there she turned around and I captured her expression. I used rangefinder viewing with the Fujinon 23mm f1.4 and Acros+Y film simulation. I used f5.0 for just enough depth of field which resulted in 1/2500 sec. at ISO 400. Although I have color shots in this post I spent most of my time shooting with the intention of black and white.

One of the few color photos I shot at the fair, this one is from the ferris wheel where I was able to get a nice vantage point with the mountains in the background. Although I thought the Velvia simulation would be a natural with all the color in the scene it turned out to be just a bit too garish. I went with Provia in Lightroom and jumped into On1 Photo 10 where I bumped the saturation just a tiny bit and also used Dynamic Contrast to provide some depth and separation. X-Pro 2 set to aperture priority, f8.0 1/550 sec. ISO 200

Pros and Cons of the Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4

The following list of pros and cons are based not only on the photo shoot at the fair but several months of using the lens on a regular basis with the X-Pro2. Keep in mind that if you’re using the EVF (electronic viewfinder) or putting the lens on an X-T2 or X-T1 the “con” of the physical size interfering with viewing won’t be an issue. When my 23mm f2.0 arrives I’ll cover using that one too. I have a pretty good idea from owning the 35mm f2.0, a similar design, what it will be like using it. Unless the performance is poor wide open, I can’t imagine not loving it for rangefinder use. I’ll have to see if that overrides the f1.4 aperture and not having to use the focus mode switch to get into manual focus of the XF 23mm f1.4.

Pros

• Extremely sharp lens that is even good wide open

• Ability to shoot (moderately wide) with limited depth of field

• Beautiful rendering even (or perhaps especially) with black and white

• Instant switching to manual focus by pulling back focus ring

• Depth of field scale useful for zone focusing

Because of the faces and gestures I really wanted to use black and white but the color of the face painting and painter’s hat and clothing were just too much a part of the story to not use color. I used the Astia film simulation on the RAF (raw) file in Lightroom. This time I set the 23mm to f2.8 for shallow depth of field. 1/3200 sec. ISO 400.

Cons

• Focusing ring moves a little too easily. This isn’t a big deal just for the job of focusing manually but it requires frequent checking for zone focusing. This somewhat negates the advantage of the focusing ring and depth of field scale.

• The physical size of the lens ends up blocking the lower right part of the finder window when using the rangefinder viewing. I have the new Fujinon XF 23mm f2.0 WR on order and will report on it after some time with it, including comparison to using the 1.4.

• Not fine enough increments on distance scale- would be far more useful for zone focusing and checking depth of field (DOF) with more increments marked

Out of six Fujinon lenses that I own so far, this is only one of two that even has a DOF scale. I would love to see Fuji have a useful distance scale on all of their primes. However the inconsistency just makes it a pain in the butt when you switch lenses and are trying to shoot by instinct. For example the 56mm f1.2, a nice complementary focal length to the 23mm does not have a pull-back focusing ring nor a DOF scale. This means you have to remember to move the focus mode switch to M and then focus without the benefit of a DOF scale. There is a DOF scale in the viewfinder but it disagrees by a large margin with the physical scale marked on the lens barrel. Using the scale in the VF means you don’t know if your focus ring has been moved when you’re trying to use zone focusing.

Conclusion

Overall I really like the XF 23mm f1.4 on my X-Pro2, especially for rangefinder use. I don’t use the stock lens hood as that blocks even more of the rangefinder frame line. I use an after market “vented” hood that blocks a fair amount less and still provides shading for the lens. I admit I am looking forward to trying out the much smaller 23mm f2.0 when they become available. Stay tuned.

Although I would normally have put on my 56mm prime for a tight portrait I wanted to see what I could do limiting DOF with the XF 18-55 f2.8-4.0 R LM OIS zoom (27-83mm FF equivalent) I used rangefinder framing with single shot AF for this shot- zoom set at 55mm f4.0 (max aperture at this focal length) 1/950 sec ISO 400. I used Astia film simulation both in-camera on on the raw file in LR.

This is the only other shot with the XF 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 zoom. This zoom is actually quite amazing and is by no means a “kit” lens in terms of optical quality or even build. I shot this at 18mm using the rear LCD on my X-Pro2 so I could shoot at waist level. I sure hope Fuji figures out there is no excuse not to have an articulated LCD when they come out with the X-Pro3. Once again Acros +Y film simulation applied to raw file in LR.

X-Pro2 and One Lens

Rangefinder, 23mm, and The County Fair

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