Wish y’all happy Easter, folks. Today I want to share some thoughts on another “oldie but goldie” Fuji lens, the unjustly unliked XF 18mm F/2 R. A somewhat difficult focal length (roughly comparing to a 28mm wide angle on full frame), but if you come to terms with it’s field of view you will be rewarded with amazing images displaying a wider natural perspective without distortion and that obvious (yawn) “wide angle” effect. Please take a look:
Look up & Go close! Looking up with X-Pro2 and XF 18mm F/2 R @F/16, 1/120 sec, ISO 200
The Fujinon XF 18mm F/2R lens is a compact “pancake” design & was the second of 3 original lenses Fuji launched back in March 2012 together with their first exchangeable-lens rangefinder-esque X-Pro1. Like the XF 35mm F/1.4 R it features an “old fashioned” All Lens Group (ALG) focussing system, meaning the lens barrel extends at closer focussing distances (see additional information here). Unjustly unliked? Search for this one on the net and it’s amazing how much hate & negativity this little lens gets. Completely unjustified IMO - maybe people don’t know how to use it properly and then blame their own incompetence on the lens … Whatever, with this lens you just need to adapt your approach to photography and then you will just love the results! Trick is to look for new, unusual viewpoints and … GO. CLOSER! Remember Robert Capa’s famous quote?: “If your images ain’t no good, you weren’t close enough!” Just check out the image above: had to look up nearly vertically & really suck up to that wall to get that dynamic perspective!
Compare this to a similar image on the right, shot with the slightly longer 23mm “normal wide angle” lens on my Fuji X100V (corresponds to a 35mm full frame equivalent field of view): I just don’t seem to like this image as much as the one above, what do you think? So, the XF 18mm is great if you want to do a bit more than “just” document something, but without making your images look distorted, or like they were taken just for the “wide angle effect”. Images from the XF 18mm (if used properly) have a distinct dynamic perspective to them!
X100V’s 23mm F/2 @F/8, 1/350 sec, ISO 320, -0.7 EV
Doorway in contre jour, captured on X-Pro2 with XF 18mm F/2 R @F/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 200
Now above image technically does not specifically require the slightly wider field of view of the XF 18mm. I could’ve just as well used my X100V on this but I would have had to take a few steps back to include the whole doorway and the wrought iron ornament into the frame. Again being able to come closer steeps up the perspective & creates a more dynamic image, but it’s only when you go even closer and tilt the camera upwards that you get a really interesting perspective, see below image! I tried the same with my X100V but its narrower field of view forced me to back up several steps, which meant the camera was less tilted upwards. At the end I didn’t take the shot on my X100V. coz it lacked the dynamics I was looking for! This perspective also better portrays the ornament and its shadow, creating several layers of diagonal lines, which I liked much more:
Doorway with wrought iron ornament, seen with X-Pro2 and XF 18mm F/2 R @F/8, 1/640 sec, ISO 200
So there you have it, if you want to create images with dynamic “pop” you might wanna give the XF 18mm a spin. I can highly recommend this little lens. Mind you, you’ll need to “learn” how to use this “prima donna” lens. But if you are persistent she will reward you with exciting images!
Hope y’all liked the post, please leave me your comments and any questions you may have in the comments section, or on. my “about” page. Wish youse a nice Easter weekend, take care & be safe
Yours,
Hendrik
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