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Buying the Fujifilm X-T4? Here Are the Best Prime Lenses to Use with It

Brett Day
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04/23/2020
5 Mins read
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The Fujifilm X-T4 will be a superb camera when it finally hits the street, and these are the prime lenses you should pair with it to get the most out of it.

The Fujifilm X-T4 is one of the most highly anticipated cameras of 2020, and while it was already supposed to have been released, we will have to wait a bit longer to be graced by its presence. In the meantime, we can take a look at the best prime lenses to use with this powerful APS-C camera. The prime lens Gods have blessed Fujifilm users with stunning choices for every genre of photography out there, from street photography to portraiture and wildlife photography to macro; Fujfilm has you covered. Not only are Fujifilm primes rock solid when it comes to build quality, but they are stunning performers too. If you’re going to pick up the IBIS rocking Fujifilm X-T4 when it finally launches, these are the prime lenses to snap up.

Fujifilm X-T4

We were able to get our hands on the Fujifilm X-T4 just a bit earlier this year (read our first impressions post), and were impressed with the camera. The Fujifilm X-T4 retains its gorgeous looks and excellent build quality, and the larger battery goes a long way to making the camera a more viable option for pros in the field. Throw in the articulating screen, the tried and true X-Trans sensor, and IBIS, and you can understand why this camera is so exciting.

We know camera systems are only as good as their lenses. Fortunately, Fujifilm has done a stellar job with their lenses, especially their prime offerings. The Fujifilm primes we have listed below will not disappoint; they all have incredible optics, focus quickly Fujifilm’s newest cameras, render gorgeous colors, and the brand’s film simulations take them over the top! No matter what genres of photography you shoot, you can guarantee that there is a Fujifilm prime that will fit your needs. Before you pick up a Fujifilm X-T4 (or any Fujifilm camera), check out this prime lens guide. 

Landscape and Cityscape Photography – Fujifilm 16mm F1.4 R WR

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Very sharp wide open
  • Very sharp overall
  • Excellent metal build quality
  • The focusing ring allows for zone focusing
  • Pretty decent bokeh for a lens of this type, despite having nine aperture blades
  • Fast-focusing performance
  • Weather sealed construction
  • Keeps distortion down pretty well

Cons

  • Depth of field scale could have given us more focusing markers
  • More purple fringing than a modern lens should have despite it easily being removed in post-production
  • Autofocus is just a hair too slow for street photography.

Buy now: $999

Environmental Portraits – Fujifilm 23mm F2 R WR

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Good image quality
  • Seriously and surprisingly fast focus. This lens is officially Fujifilm’s fastest.
  • Fast focus on the X Pro 2, X-T2 and even the X Pro 1. The latter completely shocked me.
  • Nice colors
  • Compact size
  • Weather sealing
  • Turning the aperture ring feels nice and smooth until the clicks come in. It’s a tactile experience that’s just lovely.
  • Sharp images
  • Fairly nice bokeh
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Something about this lens just simply doesn’t have the magic the 23mm f1.4 R has

Buy now: $449

Documentary Photography – Fujifilm 23mm F1.4 R WR

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Superb image quality
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Lots of great sharpness with even a bit of what seems like micro-contrast
  • Well built
  • Snapback focusing ring

Cons

  • Expensive

Buy now: $899

Wedding Photography – The Fujifilm 35mm F1.4

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Exceptional image quality
  • Jaw-dropping sharpness
  • Focusing speed has improved with further firmware updates
  • The excellent metal build quality
  • The finish will make it look like an old lens over time

Cons

  • Still a bit too slow to focus in some situations, but when you have this kind of image quality, you really can’t complain

Buy now: $599

Fujifilm X-T4

Pro Tip: Lenses, no matter what you spend on them, need to be taken care of. We always talk about the importance of cleaning lenses, because if you don’t do it often, not only will your image quality suffer, but so will lens performance. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good quality lens cleaning kit. This one comes with everything you need. Keep it in your camera bag and clean as you go.

Street Photography – Fujifilm 35mm F2 R WR

fujifilm lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • It’s $449
  • Weather sealing
  • Fast autofocus performance on the newer cameras (sorry X Pro 1 users)
  • Sharp optics and image quality
  • Nice bokeh
  • Only gets sharper when you use a flash
  • Pretty compact
  • Nice build quality

Cons

  • Not much, honestly

Buy now: $399

Concert Photography – Fujifilm 56mm R F1.2

Fujifilm X-T4

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Super sharp wide open. In fact, this is the sharpest lens for Mirrorless cameras we’ve tested.
  • Excellent resolution and sharpness when studio lighting is used
  • Dreamy bokeh
  • Great feel in the hand
  • In good to fair lighting, its focusing abilities are about as fast as the company’s 35mm f1.4 offering
  • Almost no reason to stop it down, and you’ll be encouraged to shoot wide open

Cons

  • Even though it is an f1.2 lens, we wish the aperture were faster
  • Misfocusing happens a bit more than we’d like it to in low light situations
  • Fairly expensive
  • Color rendition from the 35mm f1.4 is a tad better

Buy now: $999

Macro Photography – Fujifilm 80mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Image Stabilization is good
  • Weather Resistant
  • Really Sharp
  • Convenient focal length for macro and portrait work
  • True 1:1 reproduction

Cons

  • The lens is loud (honestly sounds like a late 90’s mechanical hard drive at times)
  • It’s huge compared to most other XF lenses

Buy now: $1,199

Portrait Photography – The 90mm F2 R LM WR

Fujifilm X-T4

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Superb image quality
  • Weather sealing
  • Great bokeh
  • Very sharp image quality
  • Makes great use of Fujifilm’s Classic Chrome and Astia film renderings
  • Well balanced with both the X Pro 1 and the X-T1
  • Lightweight
  • Focusing ring feels really big and beefy
  • Surprisingly fast and accurate focusing
  • Pretty much no distortion
  • Perhaps the single best portrait lens Fujifilm has made for the X series camera system: even better than the 56mm f1.2

Cons

  • Fujifilm’s largest prime lens to date of publishing this review
  • No image stabilization

Buy now: $949

Pro Tip: When it comes to Fujifilm primes, you’ll find that a lot of them are weather-sealed, but there are a few that aren’t. If you want to go outside and shoot when the weather is not the best, and you want to make sure your lenses and cameras are protected, you should keep some weatherproof camera and lens covers in your camera bag. Slip one of these covers on your camera and lens, and you’ll be able to shoot in any weather you choose.

Sports and Wildlife Photography – 200mm F2 R LM OIS WR

Fujifilm X-T4

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • Crisp
  • Weather sealed
  • Fast autofocus
  • Image Stabilization means you can handhold this lens with the X-T3
  • Fairly compact
  • Focus switches
  • Amazingly lightweight and not at all difficult to carry around

Cons

  • Quite pricey

Buy now: $5,999