Looking forward to the Fujinon 35mm f2 XC

Is it just me, or is anyone else excited by the 'new' Fujinon 35mm f2 XC lens?

Because I am. Very excited. And I'm thinking this may well be the next lens for my X-E2. For a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I am a fan of the 50mm (53mm on the Fuji to be exact) 'normal' focal length. I grew up, photographically speaking, with a 50mm f1.8 lens of some description attached to my film camera. And have carried that through to my digital photography. The 'nifty fifty' fast prime lens has always found a home in my gear bag - and why not? They are fast, light, sharp and affordable (more on that soon) prime lenses with excellent IQ and versatility.

When I was shooting weddings, the 50mm f1.8 (either Canon or Nikon depending on what system I was shooting at the time) was my 'go-to' bride-getting-ready lens, for its low-light performance and decent bokeh. Granted that was usually on APS-C sensor cameras (although I started with the Canon 5D full-frame), so the effective focal length was about 75mm. On APS-C sensors I often wished that it was slightly wider - something more like a standard 50mm focal length. I also appreciated the extra one to two stops of light that a 50mm f1.8 gave me over my standard zoom lens that usually started at around f3.5 or f4.

I recently invested a small amount into a 35mm film system, getting a Nikon F80 body and - you guessed it - a Nikkor 50mm f1.8D. And although I'm not really a 'prime' type of guy - preferring the greater versatility of a zoom lens - I know (and have experienced) the benefits of having a fast prime lens in the bag for those moments when you really need it.

But hold on a minute. Haven't we already got a 35mm f2 prime in the Fuji lineup? And indeed, we have. The excellent Fujinon XF35mm f2 WR (weather resistant). To confuse the issue further still, even Fuji are claiming that the optics in the XF and XC are identical! So what do we need another one for?

Well of course the answer lies in the XF vs XC monikers at the start of the lens names. The XC lens lineup is an all-plastic affair which makes them a lot lighter, less rugged and non-weather sealed. They also lack an aperture ring. The XF lens is the opposite - all metal, weather-sealed, and with an aperture ring on the lens mount for physical control. So chalk-and-cheese in terms of build quality. But.... IQ is a different story.

Because with both lenses it's the same story! In that they share the same exact optical design. IQ should be (and from initial reviews I've read it is) identical. So again, we ask ourselves - why the two 35mm f2 lenses? Ok, I've already outlined the differences in build quality. Which therefore leads us to the one last (major) difference - price. The XF35mm f2 retails here in NZ (as of July 2020) for $720.00NZ, whereas the XC35mm can be had for $395.00NZ. That's almost half the price of the XF lens!

Now I'll be honest and say that even $395.00NZ is a lot of money for me - especially when the 50mm f1.8 Nikkor I purchased recently only cost me $100.00NZ. Granted, that was second-hand. But you can get them for about $200.00NZ new - and that's with a metal lens mount.

Fuji make excellent glass - no doubt about it. But so do Nikon, Canon et al. I do think that Fuji's lenses are just a little (okay, maybe a lot) over-priced compared to other manufacturers - and I actually think that camera prices in general are too high - but that's another discussion for another time.

Getting back to the XC35mm - although $395.00 might be a decent amount for me to pay, it's still a lot better than $720.00 - and therin lies its USP (unique selling point). It's (relatively) cheap compared to the XF lens lineup. You sacrifice on build quality - but importantly (and kudos to Fujifilm), you don't sacrifice on image quality. And that's why I love the Fuji XC lens range.

I've already written about what an amazing lens I think the Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5/5.6 is here. I also own the XC50-230mm f4.5/6.7, which I plan on reviewing soon, and which is also outstandingly good value. I don't need weather-sealing (my X-E2 body isn't weather-sealed), and on such a small and light lens, a plastic lens mount won't be an issue. So yes, I'm happy to save $355NZ for an 'inferior' build quality - especially if I'm not sacrificing IQ.

I know that 'serious' photographers spurn the XC line of Fuji lenses - but that's ok with me. I applaud Fujifilm for offering us mere mortals a 'cheaper' XC lens range. Cheaper it may be - but in my real-world experience, the image quality you get from these XC Fujinon's is still outstandingly good. And that's why I'm excited by the new Fujinon XC35mm f2.

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