Fujifilm’s Most Complicated Lens Turns 10 This Year

“Something about this lens just simply doesn’t have the magic that the 23mm f1.4 R does,” is what I wrote in my Fujifilm 23mm f2 R WR lens review back in 2016 when I evaluated the optic. Many photographers have loved it for its small size, weather resistance, fast autofocus performance, and its image quality. Very recently, I gave away my original 23mm f1.4 to Reviews Editor Alberto Lima since I’ve own the 23mm f1.4 R WR for a while now. And until today (I’m writing this on June 10th, 2026), I didn’t really understand why I never truly adored this lens. But then I realized that it’s because of something that I’ve been saying for years.

When I look back at the images I made with the 23mm f2 R WR lens in the review, I can spot several reasons why I didn’t like it. In fact, I can see from the work that I’ve done and the pictures that I’ve made that I was really struggling to make photographs that I loved. Yet I gave it five out of five stars because I knew that for the photographers looking for something more manufactured, this could be one of Fujifilm’s most perfect lenses.

So why didn’t I like the lens? It critically lacked character. Every time that I sit back and think about iconic lenses from that time, a bunch come to my mind. And I’d know them all very well because until 2021, I was maintaining a guide to Fujifilm X mount lenses.

And there were tons of much better lenses that emphasized character over autofocus speed and a highly photoshopped and retouched look. I’m going to list a bunch of them out now with links back to the reviews on this site:

• Samyang 50mm f1.2
• Fuji 16mm f1.4 R WR
• 18mm f2 R
• The 23mm f1.4 R
• The 35mm f1.4 R
• 56mm f1.2 R
• 8-16mm f2.8

Beyond that, the lens really did feel weird because it became so large towards the mount but really thin in the front. I hadn’t seen many lenses like this perhaps ever. And for it to be part of the Fujifilm lineup was really super odd. With time away from this review, I realize now that they were preparing for a very long time to create something a whole lot more modern instead of leaning into the vibe and aesthetic that they’d made earlier. Sure, folks were asking for performance updates; but I can’t think of anyone who was asking for them to do it as the expense of the character.

I never ended up buying this lens. But if you own it, then that’s great. I wouldn’t buy it today and as it is, I’ve moved away from Fujifilm’s APS-C cameras. The GFX lineup I think is much more oriented to real photographers. And ultimately, I think that Fujifilm needs to return to its character optics that made us all fall in love with them in the first place.