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Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
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Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Features

Small Primes: The 4 Best Lenses for the Fujifilm XH2

Chris Gampat
No Comments
01/17/2023
5 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm XH2 with Fujifilm 56mm f1.2 R WR product images 2.81-1000s1600

There are some great lenses for the Fujifilm XH2 that aren’t super large. Some are too small, we admit. Some are very well sized to the bigger grip and taller body style that’s supposed to mimic more traditional DSLR cameras. So if you’re looking for the best lenses for the Fujifilm XH2 that aren’t gigantic, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve tested so many of them.

How We Chose the Smallest of the Best Lenses for the Fujifilm XH2

Here’s some insight into how we chose the best lenses for the Fujifilm XH2 that are small.

  • Our Editorial features abide by special ethics. We only feature products we’ve reviewed. With that said, we’ve celebrated over 13 years of the photo industry’s trust, and we’ve tested most lenses in real-world reviews. When we say these are the best lenses for the Fujifilm XH2, we’ve done the work to prove it.
  • All the product and sample images in this roundup of the best lenses for the Fujifilm XH2 have been shot by our staff, further showing that we’ve tested these lenses.
  • We’re only selecting weather-resistant lenses in this case. Because the Fujifilm XH2 is a flagship camera and lacks the feature to protect the sensor when the camera is turned off, we strongly encourage you to go with these lenses.
  • Fujifilm typically recommends using newer lenses with the 40MP sensor at the heart of the Fujifilm XH2. But older lenses that aren’t “as sharp” will still resolve the sensor. It just won’t appear as spick and span as the newer lenses. Still, the images will look very nice.
  • The best lenses for the Fujifilm XH2 that we’ve chosen also benefit from focusing very quickly.
  • The 16mm f1.4 R WR and the 23mm f1.4 R WR are two of our very favorite lenses. Our Editor in Chief uses them regularly.

Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 R WR

PROS

  • Very sharp wide open
  • Very sharp overall
  • Excellent metal build quality
  • Focusing ring allows for zone focusing
  • Pretty decent bokeh for a lens of this type, despite having 9 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
  • There are so many other things that you can do for just under $1,000.
  • Autofocus is just a hair too slow for street photography.

What Our Review Said

In our review, we stated:

Then there’s the colors–Fujifilm’s color rendering has always been one of the company’s strong points due to how they render color to look like the films that produced. You’ll surely be content here even when it comes to skin tones.

Sample Images

concert photography

Where to buy It

Pick it up from Adorama or Amazon.

Fujifilm 23mm f2 R WR

lens deals fujifilm

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 that the 23mm f1.4 R does.

What Our Review Said

In our review, we stated:

The overall image quality from a lens like this is very good. However, there are just things about it that make me like the f1.4 more. The bokeh is overall the same but I feel that the f1.4 is slightly sharper–at least my copy is. For the money though, lots of photographers will love this lens.

Sample Images

Where to buy It

Pick it up from Adorama or Amazon.

Fujifilm 35mm f2 R WR

50mm prime lenses Fujifilm

Pros

  • Great sharpness
  • Nine aperture blades make the bokeh as good as it can be
  • Small size
  • Weather resistance
  • The fastest focusing lens that Fujifilm has offered as of the publication of this review.

Cons

  • Just F2…a refresh to the 35mm f1.4 actually would have been more appreciated and pushed the system ahead overall.

What Our Review Said

In our review, we stated:

Wide open, this lens exhibits very sharp results. But it starts to max out at around f5.6 partially due to the capabilities of the APS-C sensor behind it. Comparatively speaking, you can check out the test with this lens against the 35mm f1.4 that is linked to previously. It also isn’t Fujifilm’s sharpest lens. That award still probably goes to the 90mm f2.

Sample Images

Where to Buy It

Check it out on Adorama or Amazon.

Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 R WR

PROS

  • Fast-focusing
  • Sharp, even too sharp at times
  • Weather sealing
  • Even though it’s big, it’s still a small lens in the grand scheme of things.
  • Pretty good pricing at both Adorama and Amazon. Try it first at LensRentals.
  • Breathes new life into the X Pro 1 and makes the X Pro 3 shine even more.

CONS

  • It’s a bit large.
  • Some of us might not like how sharp it can be.

What Our Review Said

In our review, we stated:

The new Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 R WR LM is nearly everything a Fujifilm photographer could want. It boasts significantly faster autofocus and weather sealing. The lens is also a bit larger than the original. But, despite this, it’s going to be my new workhorse lens.

Sample Images

Where to buy It

Pick it up from Adorama or Amazon.

The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

16mm 16mm f1.4 23mm 23mm f1.4 23mm f2 35mm 35mm f2 best lenses for the fujifilm xh2 camera fujifilm fujifilm xh2 image quality review xh2
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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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