The Fujinon Super EBC XF 23mm f/2 R WR is a wide-angle prime lens for Fujifilm X cameras. Because of the APS-C crop factor, it has a full-frame equivalent focal length of about 35mm, which makes it an excellent all-purpose walk-around lens. How good is it? Should you buy it? I hope that this review will help to answer those questions.
The Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens has 10 elements in six groups, with nine rounded blades. The maximum aperture is f/2 and the minimum aperture is f/16, with intermediate stops at 1/3 increments. It’s mostly made of metal. The lens is about 2.3″ long and weighs about 0.4 pounds, which means it’s small and lightweight. It accepts 43mm filters and comes with a plastic hood. This lens is weather sealed, which is great if your camera is also weather sealed.
Auto-focus with this lens is super quick and nearly silent. It’s one of Fujifilm’s best auto-focus lenses, in my opinion. Manual focus is via an electronic system, and the focus ring is pretty good and smooth overall. The minimum focus distance is about nine inches.
The Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens is quite sharp (although not quite as sharp as the 35mm f/2). There’s some noticeable softness when wide open and focused close to the end of the lens, but otherwise it’s corner-to-corner crisp across the frame. Diffraction sets in at f/11 but doesn’t really become noticeable until f/16. Peak sharpness is around f/5.6. There’s a tiny amount of vignetting at f/2 that quickly goes away as you stop down, as well as some chromatic aberrations. There’s a moderate amount of pincushion distortion, which only matters if you shoot brick walls. Bokeh is creamy and quite nice. Lens flare is well controlled, and this lens can create good sunstars at small apertures. Image quality produced by the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens is overall very good.
The Fujifilm X100F has a built-in 23mm f/2 lens, and you might think that it’s the same lens as this one, but it’s not, although image quality is quite similar between the two. I think, if you were to study test charts, the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens would seem slightly superior to the lens on the X100F, but in practical use there’s just something magical about the lens on the X100F that makes it preferable in my opinion. If you can’t afford an X100F, attaching a Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens to your camera will give you the next best thing, and it’s almost like having an X100F.
Fujifilm also makes a 23mm f/1.4 lens, which I’ve never had the pleasure to own, but I’ve talked to some people who have used both lenses to get their opinions. The advantage of the f/1.4 version is the larger maximum aperture and marginally better image quality, while the advantage of the f/2 version is size, weight, quickness and price. Unless you just need the larger aperture, I would recommend this lens instead of the f/1.4 version, although you can’t go wrong with either.
The Fujinon Super EBC XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens retails for $450, making it one of the lesser expensive prime lenses for Fujifilm X cameras. If you can find it on sale, it’s an even better bargain! If you are looking for a quality walk-around lens, or a cheap alternative to buying an X100F, I’d recommend the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens, as it has a lot of pros and very few cons.
My affiliate links for the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens are here: B&H Amazon. If you make a purchase using my links I will be compensated a small amount for it.
Example photos captured using the Fujinon Super EBC XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens attached to a Fujifilm X-Pro2:
Starry Nites – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
National Drink – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Bike Flag – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Empty Carts – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Radius Lines – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Slow – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Button For Walking – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Historic Beer – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm f/2
Stair Vines – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Yellow Pots – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Yellow Door – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Yellow Circle Armor – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Monochrome Bench – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
Famous Monster – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Fujinon 23mm f/2
See also:
Fujifilm Gear
Fujinon 90mm f/2 Review
Fujinon 35mm f/2 Review
Help Fuji X Weekly
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
$5.00
Thanks for your recent review FUJI 23MM
what film formulas did you use on your sample photos .
Thanks Henry
You are welcome! Some are Classic Chrome. Some others are Dramatic Classic Chrome. And a couple are Acros Push-Process.
This 23mm f2 has become my new favourite lens. Great for travelling being so small! Great write up as always
Thank you for your kind words. It’s indeed a great lens for travel!
Thanks for the write up. I’m looking forward to getting this one in the spring.
You are welcome!
It’s super fast on the XT30, I bought this lens in 2018, but since buying the 16mm f2 it hardly gets used.
I like the 16mm focal length, it’s quite dramatic.
I have the 16mm so this one not on my radar. Love your shots with it though!
Do you have the Fujinon XF16mmF1.4 R WR or the the Fujinon XF16mmF2,8 R WR? Do you use it mostly for landscape or do you have other uses? I’m in an older demographic for whom a 16mm lens means landscape/cityscape photography. But I’ve seen many use this focal length as a very close portrait lens (for a distorted view).
I have the 16mm 1:2.8 R WR and it’s on my camera most of the time, I use it for landscapes and around town, not done close portraits with it yet, but have seen some great results from people who have.
I love all the f2 lenses, they are quick, small and good image quality. I have to say that the 35mm f2 is my favourite of the set though.
The 35mm and the 90mm are my favorites. I haven’t tried the 16mm f/2 yet.
One advantage of the Fujinon 23mmF2 R WR is that the f/2 lens is weather-resistant, but the Fujinon 23mmF1.2 is not. That could be important if one shoots in “damp” conditions (e.g. anywhere in the New England and Mid Atlantic states in fall, winter, and spring).
That’s a very good point! That matters especially if you have a weather sealed camera to go with it. Thank you for the input!
I bought my XF 23mm f2 lens early this year. i was surprised the early copies were made in Japan my copy was made in the Philippines. The lens is not quite as sharp as the 35mm f2 but I really like this lens ideal for City photos. I shoot street photography and architecture the 35mm version I find to tight especially for architecture. When I first got this lens it was never of my camera then the nightmare struck so I hope next year is going to be far more productive.
Thanks for the input! Hopefully the nightmare will end and next year will be much more productive.