The XF 35mm f/1.4 is the second lens I bought for the Fujifilm X system and after leaving it in a taxi in Myanmar, I rebought it. This is my go-to walkaround lens for the Fujifilm X cameras. It’s not as quick, contrasty, or whisper-silent as its cheaper sibling, but it offers gorgeous image quality that is hard to match in the XF lineup.
This is the focal length I feel most at home with. It is my walkaround focal length and the one I will always have at any given job in one form or another. I have owned the f/2 version of this focal length and even the Mitakon f/0.95 option. However, I always come back to the XF 35mm f/1.4 for the beautiful images that come out of it when used wide open. This would be my desert island lens, for sure.
There is a cacophony of voices online that will complain about its “noisy” and “slow” autofocus along with its slightly softer image when compared to the f/2 version. Here is my take. In most situations, this lens will not be heard over ambient noise. If you’re in a silent wedding venue or on a film set, perhaps it’s not the lens for you. But, otherwise, it’s barely audible. In terms of autofocus, I am able to track running toddlers at my family sessions with a great hit-rate wide-open. For me, that’s where a lens is good enough. Would I appreciate having silent and fast linear motors in an updated version? Absolutely. Do I yearn for it every time I use this lens? Absolutely not.
