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23mm f1.4 Focus speed?

Naddan28

By Naddan28
in Fuji X Lenses

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Naddan28 Collaborator

Naddan28

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Hi

 

I was wondering whether any fellow X shooters have any observations on the 23mm f1.4 and its AF speed? I’ve got a fair amount of Fuji gear including an X100S, 16-55mm & 35MM f1.4. I really like the rendering of the 35mm but it’s AF is so painful (especially when compared to the newer 16-55mm) I rarely take it out of the bag and end up manual focusing half the time to avoid issues. Similarly whilst I love my X100S I find it slow to focus and pretty soft wide open.

 

I’ve been thinking of selling my 35mm and replacing it with the 23mm f1.4 but don’t know how it’s AF will fair? Is it close to the newer 16-55mm? I’m not particularly interested in the F2 lenses as with the X100S and a 16-55mm, I don’t think the difference would be worthwhile.

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merlin Mentor

merlin

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The 23/1.4 focuses plenty fast.  Maybe not as quick as the 90/2, but the difference is hardly noticeable.  And its IQ is superb!

 

I owned the X100S for 3 or so years, but that lens is not nearly as sharp as the 23/1.4, and is somewhat soft wide open, which the 1.4 is not.

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Phil Community Regular

Phil

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What camera do you have? I've got an X-T1 and X-E2, with maybe the newest firmware (if not it's pretty close to).

 

I've got the 23 1.4 and 35 1.4 and the 23mm is definitely faster and more consistent. The 35 is pretty close in decent light, but in bad light it's definitely worse.

 

Now that I think about it, have you done the firmware update for the 35 1.4? It had an update a year or two ago that made the AF noticeably better. That plus whatever body/firmware you're using could make a big difference. 

 

Like I said, the 35 is noticeably worse than the 23, but I wouldn't call it painful, so I'm wondering if there are other factors involved here.

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Nero Rising Star

Nero

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I've never had an issue with the focus speed on my 23mm f/1.4, but what constitutes "fast enough" is highly variable based on the subjects that you're shooting. I rarely shoot anything with people moving faster than a walking pace and much of my photography is landscape, abandoned industrial, or basic everyday street. Most of my photos have little movement or I'm shooting at a high enough aperture that almost any focal point it grabs onto works for me.

 

I will say that the 16mm is noticeably faster, which makes sense because it is relatively new by comparison, although not as new as the f/2 lenses. I do feel like the 23mm is a bit faster than the 35mm f/1.4, but of my most used primes, the 16mm definitely wins the speed contest.

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Naddan28 Collaborator

Naddan28

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The 23/1.4 focuses plenty fast.  Maybe not as quick as the 90/2, but the difference is hardly noticeable.  And its IQ is superb!

 

I owned the X100S for 3 or so years, but that lens is not nearly as sharp as the 23/1.4, and is somewhat soft wide open, which the 1.4 is not.

Hi Merlin, how does the XT1 & 23mm f1.4 compared to the X100S or 35mm f1.4 and XT1?

 

Thanks everyone for the responses. I currently use an XT1.

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merlin Mentor

merlin

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Hi Merlin, how does the XT1 & 23mm f1.4 compared to the X100S or 35mm f1.4 and XT1?

 

Thanks everyone for the responses. I currently use an XT1.

 

I have not used the 23/1.4 with the X-T1, although I would think it would not be measurably different from the X-T2.  I have never owned the 35/1.4.

 

My comments were based upon using the 23/1.4 with the X-T2.

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Phil Community Regular

Phil

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Hi Merlin, how does the XT1 & 23mm f1.4 compared to the X100S or 35mm f1.4 and XT1?

 

Thanks everyone for the responses. I currently use an XT1.

 

 

On an X-T1, the 23mm is definitely better. It's faster, but it's also more consistent - the 35mm is more likely to randomly rack focus or start hunting, especially in low light (i.e. 1.4, 1/125, 3200).

 

However, I don't think I'd call it night and day. Like I said, make sure the firmware for your 35mm and X-T1 are up to date before buying a new lens. Even though the 23mm is better, I don't find it that much better; I still make my decisions based on focal length, not AF performance (this is coming from shooting weddings and events, mostly indoor).

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