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Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Lenses

First Impressions: Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 (X Mount)

Chris Gampat
No Comments
05/20/2015
3 Mins read

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (7 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

Two years ago in a meeting with Fujifilm, I asked the Marketing Director for Fujifilm USA if anything like  24mm focal length at f1.4 would be coming our way. She very clearly stated “No.” Lo and behold though, Fujifilm announced the 16mm f1.4 lens earlier on and we foundnd it at our doorsteps. This is the company’s first weather sealed prime lens and with the 1.5x crop factor comes out to 24mm f2.1 when translating it into full frame depth of field and equivalency.

Like their other wide angle primes, Fujifilm gave this lens a snap back manual focus ring to make it more appealing to street photographers and candid shooters. We’ve had the chance to play with the new lens for a few days now, and so far it’s shaping up to be one of our favorites.

Tech Specs

Specs taken from the B&H Photo listing

Performance
Focal Length 16mm
Comparable 35mm Focal Length: 24 mm
Aperture Maximum: f/1.4
Minimum: f/16
Camera Mount Type Fujifilm X mount
Format Compatibility APS-C
Angle of View 83.2°
Minimum Focus Distance 5.91″ (15 cm)
Magnification 0.21x
Elements/Groups 13/11
Diaphragm Blades 9, Rounded
Features
Autofocus Yes
Physical
Filter Thread Front:67 mm
Dimensions (DxL) Approx. 2.89 x 2.87″ (73.4 x 73 mm)
Weight 13.23 oz (375 g)
Packaging Info
Package Weight 1.65 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) 7.0 x 6.1 x 5.4″

Ergonomics

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (2 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

The Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 follows the company’s formula of retro aesthetics with a modern touch; and nowhere is that more present than with this lens. Our ergonomic tour starts with the lens’s front–which is an area for a 67mm filter if you choose to use one.

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (1 of 7)ISO 4001-125 sec at f - 4.0

The body of the lens is characterized by two major rings: aperture and focusing. The aperture is adjustable in 1/3rd stops and can go to A mode for program or shutter priority.

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (5 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

For manual focusing, the lens has a focusing ring that snaps back and reveals a depth of field scale for zone focusing. It’s a wink and a nod to the old school lenses like this.

Build Quality

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (3 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

Considering that this is Fujifilm’s first weather sealed prime lens, you have to expect great build quality. Nothing about this lens seems cheap: from its metal body, metal focusing ring, the satisfying clicks of the aperture, and the smooth focusing–it’s all absolutely beautiful.

At the moment of publishing this piece, we haven’t taken it out in the rain yet, so we can’t have a fuller durability test until something like that happens.

Fujifilm, more so than any other autofocusing lens manufacturer, has the ergonomics game down perfectly with only Zeiss and Panasonic being close competition.

Ease of Use

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (6 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

For most folks, this lens will be a snap–pun totally intended. To manually focus the lens you can either turn the according switch on your Fujifilm camera body or snap the focusing ring back. For people who aren’t used to this, all you have to worry about is mounting it to the camera, focusing via the camera’s autofocus system, and enjoying your photos.

Most folks though also aren’t used to the aperture ring around the lens, but if you’re a veteran shooter then you won’t have an issue.

Autofocus

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions product photos (6 of 7)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

Focusing with the lens on the Fujifilm X-T1 is noticeably faster than with the Fujifilm X Pro 1–which says that the company has really taken a step forward in focusing. If we had to be precise, the X Pro 1 is around 1/4 of a second slower to focus–but we’re not sure how much that will matter on the streets when you can simply use the zone focusing system with this lens so easily.

In terms of how it stacks against Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Olympus: it’s not beating Panasonic or Olympus but it’s just about on par with Sony considering that the edge is given to Samsung after the Four Thirds system. In fact, we found this lens to be a bit slow on the streets.

Image Quality

Here are image samples that we’ve taken so far.

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (30 of 30)ISO 16001-40 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (19 of 30)ISO 2001-600 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (27 of 30)ISO 2001-1600 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (26 of 30)ISO 2001-60 sec at f - 2.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (25 of 30)ISO 2001-1700 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (23 of 30)ISO 2001-350 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (22 of 30)ISO 2001-1250 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (21 of 30)ISO 2001-30 sec at f - 5.6

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (20 of 30)ISO 2001-150 sec at f - 5.6
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (18 of 30)ISO 2001-950 sec at f - 4.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (17 of 30)ISO 2001-4000 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (16 of 30)ISO 4001-20 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (15 of 30)ISO 4001-25 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (14 of 30)ISO 2001-550 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (13 of 30)ISO 2001-1250 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (12 of 30)ISO 2001-280 sec at f - 5.6

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (11 of 30)ISO 2001-2900 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (10 of 30)ISO 2001-350 sec at f - 3.6

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (9 of 30)ISO 2001-420 sec at f - 4.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (8 of 30)ISO 2001-1400 sec at f - 3.6

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (7 of 30)ISO 2001-4000 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (6 of 30)ISO 2001-3500 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (5 of 30)ISO 2001-300 sec at f - 2.8

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (4 of 30)ISO 2001-300 sec at f - 4.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (3 of 30)ISO 2001-950 sec at f - 5.6

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (2 of 30)ISO 2001-1900 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (1 of 30)ISO 2001-750 sec at f - 5.0

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (29 of 30)ISO 64001-320 sec at f - 1.4

 

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (28 of 30)ISO 2001-1500 sec at f - 1.4

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 first impressions sample images (24 of 30)ISO 2001-160 sec at f - 2.8

First Impressions

From what we’ve done so with this lens, we’ve found it best used for architecture; though we’ve used it a bit on the streets and it seems to lag a bit. The image quality is exceptional though and there is little to nothing to complain about.

We’re going to have to do more testing with this lens until we can give our final verdict.

16mm f1.4 autofocus fujifilm image quality street photography x pro 1 x series x-t1
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Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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