I always look forward to reviewing Fujifilm GFX gear. It’s simple to use, the colors are excellent, and the images don’t require much editing. There aren’t a lot of lens options yet for the GFX system, so every new lens release is met with anticipation. Wide-angle lenses are fast becoming a personal favorite, so I’ve been anticipating working with the Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f4 WR lens.
The 20-35mm focal length is versatile for a variety of applications. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and has weather resistance that withstands fast-changing weather conditions. Is it worth $2,499? It absolutely is if you’re looking for a great wide-angle zoom or primary workhorse. Keep reading to find out why.
The Big Picture
The Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f4 WR lens is a lightweight, compact, wide-angle zoom lens. It’s an excellent choice for architecture, landscape, cityscape, travel, photojournalism, and street photography. These photographers will surely appreciate the ability to create fun distortion and angles for portraits with this lens.
The GF 20-35mm f4 WR has excellent weather resistance and is ready for your next adventure. It performs excellently in subzero temperatures, dusty winds, and moderate moisture. Autofocus is usually accurate, however not always swift, and it’s faster to switch to manual focus when isolating your subject from the background. The closer you get to a subject, the slower it focuses. It’s also a bit lethargic in backlit situations.
Images are robust with beautiful color, plenty of sharpness, and bountiful bokeh when you want it, and only minimal editing is required. There is a bit of barrel distortion at 20mm, but it’s easily corrected. Any other imperfections are subtle and easily fixed if you don’t like them.
We’re giving the Fujifilm 20-35mm f4 lens four out of five stars. Want one? You can pick it up for $2,499 or rent it from Lensrentals and take it for a test run.
Pros
- Versatile
- Lightweight weather-resistant
- Beautiful colors
- Decent bokeh
- Plenty of character
Cons
- Its slower pace probably will not entice 35mm users
- MF was often faster than AF when photographing subjects close up to maximize bokeh
- AF doesn’t keep up with slow-moving subjects
Gear Used
We received both the Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f4 lens and a GFX100s from the manufacturer on loan. It was also tested with my own Broncolor Siros L 800ws.
Innovations
The Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f4 WR lens follows a tried and true classic blueprint. It’s not very innovative or exciting. However, it operates very well in a relatively small form factor in terms of medium format. Fuji has included weather and dust resistance that handles exceptionally well in unpredictable weather. I also appreciate how light this lens is.
Ergonomics
Fujifilm’s 20-35mm f4 is lightweight and compact for a medium format lens. Weighing under two pounds, it fits comfortably in your hands. It’s easy to carry around all day.
Here is the view from the top. The first thing you’ll notice is the three texturized rings. The click-style aperture ring sits closest to the lens mount.
There is an A-mode setting if you prefer to control your settings from the camera. The aperture lock button is located on the left side of the aperture ring.
The next ring is the large zoom ring, and the focusing ring is at the end.
It features a massive 82mm filter thread.
Build Quality
The build quality of the 20-35mm f4 WR lens is what you’d expect from Fujifilm. It looks and feels solid. Its zoom and focus rings glide effortlessly, and the click-style aperture ring is smooth. The lens features weather resistance and easily handled dusty winds, subzero temperatures, and moderate moisture.
Focusing
Autofocus performs best when your subject is further away. The 20-35mm lens easily achieves focus when photographing landscapes and cityscapes. But, when working at the minimum focusing distance, it has a bad habit of focusing on the background instead. I wound up switching to manual focus for swifter results.
The stepping motor is noticeably slower to focus the closer you get to your subject. It was easy to miss focus when my cats were only leisurely moving. Faster shutter speeds and anticipating their movement resulted in fewer misses. I don’t suspect photographers will be looking to buy this lens based on its speed (or lack thereof). The lens is also slower to focus in backlit situations, but it gets there eventually.
Manual focus is easy to achieve whenever you employ it. It’s easy to see the image slide into focus in the viewfinder with magnification.
Ease Of Use
Experienced photographers will feel at home with the Fujifilm 20-35mm f4 lens. Its classic design makes it easy to make adjustments without having to look away from the viewfinder. Photographers less versed with Fujifilm will adapt quickly. They can also operate the settings through the camera body, but that defeats the beautiful experience of a rangefinder-style camera.
The Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f4 WR lens has a 15.8-27.65mm f3.187 full-frame equivalent. It doesn’t have image stabilization, but I didn’t miss it. When paired with the GFX100s, slower shutter speeds are attainable without a tripod. And it’s also comfortable enough to carry around all day.
There is a bit of barrel distortion that you can play up or play down, which is most noticeable at 20mm. I purposely tried to push its limit with the above image. As you can see, it wasn’t an issue. Correcting verticals is quickly achieved in post-production.
The versatile 20-35mm focal length is ideal for portraits, cityscapes, landscapes, street photography, photojournalism, and architecture. I enjoyed using this lens for some fun angles and close-up fashion portraits.
Image Quality
The Fujifilm 20-35mm f4 lens produces images with beautiful true-to-life hues, loads of sharpness, and decent bokeh. Distortion is minimal and efficiently corrected in post-production. If you’re a contrast aficionado like me, give your subjects a little extra to maximize results. Images require minimal editing. You can even get away with skipping it altogether if you prefer.
Bokeh
This lens produces pleasing bokeh when there’s adequate background separation. It’s lovely for portraits and close-up frames at f4. The bokeh isn’t perfectly spherical and can get geometrical at times, and I wouldn’t recommend stopping down further than f5.6 if bokeh is your jam.
Color Rendition
Color Rendition with Fujifilm cameras and lenses depend on the film simulation you’re using. With that said, we’re pretty sure photographers will be using the Velvia simulation or something else that goes well with wide angle subject matter. That’s to say that, overall, this lens can deliver good stuff.
Lens Character
The Fujifilm 20-35 f4 lens has minimal barrel distortion that is easily corrected. The distortion is most apparent at 20mm. It creates beautiful colors with pleasing contrast, and I appreciate the possibility of the deep blacks when there is ample contrast. You’ll notice a natural vignetting that’s easily remedied if you’re not a fan of it. It’s even possible to get sun stars and light stars with this lens. Any sun flare is subtle and can be embraced or edited out, depending on your taste.
Sharpness
At f4, the 20-35mm lens is sharp throughout most of the image. Corners and outermost edges are soft at that aperture, but simply stop down to f5.6 – f8 to extend the sharpness throughout the frame.
Extra Image Samples
From day one, The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can make a decision for yourself.
Unedited
Edited
Who Should Buy The Fujifilm 20-35mm f4 Lens?
Medium-format photographers looking for a versatile wide-zoom lens should consider buying this lens. I prefer prime lenses. However, I’d consider this lens if I were in the market.
The 20-35mm f4 lens is lightweight and comfortable. It’s built to go on an adventure (albeit a bit of a slow one at that). The autofocus isn’t the fastest; it slows down the closer you get to your subject. Sometimes it will even argue with you and try to focus on the background when you attempt to isolate your subject. Switch to manual focus for swifter results.
If you don’t mind the slower speed, it produces spectacular images with gorgeous colors, supple bokeh, and plenty of detail. Any distortion and imperfections are easily corrected.
The $2,499 wide zoom lens could be a primary workhorse if you’re new to the system, or an excellent addition to an existing one. Its versatility is ideal for portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, architecture, photojournalism, and street photography. And you can rent it from Lensrentals to try it before you purchase it.
Tech Specs
Tech specs are from the Lensrentals listing.
- Angle of View: 108° 76′
- Aperture Blades: 9, Rounded
- Autofocus: Autofocus
- Brand: Fuji
- Camera Type: Mirrorless
- Compatibility: Medium Format
- Filter Size: 82.0mm
- Focal Length: 20.0-35.0
- Hood Included: Yes
- Image Stabilization: No
- Item Type: Lens
- Max Aperture: 4.0
- Maximum Magnification: 0.14x
- Mfr. Model Number: 600023098
- Minimum Aperture: 22.0
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 1.2 feet
- Mount: Fuji GFX
- Groups/Elements: 10/14
- Extra-Low Dispersion Elements: 3
- Aspherical Extra-Low Dispersion Elements: 1
- Aspherical Elements: 3
- Dimensions (ø x L): 3.5 × 2.8″
- Weight: 1.6 lbs.
- Sensor Size: Medium Format
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