Fujinon XF 50mm f/1 R WR: Big Lens with a Hefty Price

Conchita Fernandes tests the Fujinon XF 50mm f/1 R WR, the first ever f/1 lens for Fujifilm’s X-series mirrorless camera lineup.

Back in 2018, Fujifilm announced that it was working on developing a 33mm f/1 lens, but later scrapped the idea as the lens was turning out to be too big and heavy (1300g) while still in its development stage. Instead, the company announced that it would develop a 50mm f/1 lens for its X-mount cameras, which was then launched in the latter half of last year. According to Fujifilm, the XF 50mm f/1 R WR is the first ever f/1 mirrorless lens with autofocus with a 75mm equivalent field of view. Its large aperture allows users the most control over depth of field than any of the company’s X-mount lenses, and is perfect for night or indoor settings.

Features

The 50mm f/1 lens is made up of 12 elements in 9 groups and includes one aspherical and two ED elements. It has a 31.7° angle of view, 9 rounded diaphragm blades that ensure circular bokeh, a minimum focusing distance of 70cm, and a maximum magnification of 0.08x. The lens also has a weather resistant design that includes eleven seals.

Handling

The lens barrel features two rings—an aperture ring and a focus ring. The aperture ring is the narrower of the two with definite ridges on it. It has a distinct yet soft clicking sound when turned and offers aperture values ranging from f/1 to f/16 in 1/3rd of a stop increments. It also has an Auto mode where the aperture can be automatically or manually controlled via the camera body. While the aperture ring is smooth in its operation, I wish that it offered a little more resistance and locked when switching from one aperture to another. The focus ring is the broadest with a knurled exterior. It offers fly by wire control over manual focus and is also very smooth in operation.

The 50mm f/1 is a hefty lens weighing 845g, much heavier than the X-T3 (539g), the camera that I tested it with. The two together make for a heavy combination, but it is to be expected considering all the glass that has gone into creating the lens. However, the lens doesn’t feel unbalanced on the camera but may be an issue with Fujifilm’s smaller interchangeable cameras, although users are unlikely to purchase the lens for it.

With a little practice and patience, the 50mm f/1 lens creates a lovely, smooth blurred background. Exposure: 1/125 sec at f/1, ISO 400 Photograph/Conchita Fernandes

Performance

Autofocus in the lens is achieved using a DC motor that is not completely silent. When focusing, one can hear a slight sound, but nothing too jarring or pronounced. The AF performance of the lens is not particularly quick especially at f/1. It does take a little patience and practice to achieve the desired results, and requires the subject to be absolutely still. But this is to be expected by a lens with such a large aperture. Moreover, the very fact that the lens is able to consistently focus at such a large aperture is definitely noteworthy.

Central sharpness is generally great throughout the aperture range, achieving outstanding results between f/2.8 and f/5.6. The edges of the frame start off as good and arrives at its optimal best at f/5.6. With regards to vignetting, there is some of it at f/1, which then improves when you arrive at f/1.4 and completely disappears at f/5.6. The lens controls flare very well. Distortion is rarely a concern on short telephoto primes and this lens is no different. Horizontal and vertical lines are faithfully recorded with no signs of bowing. Perhaps the only feature that I was not a fan of was the lens’ minimum focusing distance. I would have liked to get closer to my subject to highlight facial features. But this was a trade off that I was willing to make considering the large aperture of the lens.

Conclusion

In Fujifilm’s current lineup of lenses, there are two lenses that compete with the XF 50mm f/1 R WR—the XF 50mm f/2 R WR and the XF 56mm f/1.2 R. The two factors that differentiates all three lenses is its aperture value and price (and that the 56mm f/1.2 is not weathersealed). The difference in price is considerable… The 50mm f/2 costs Rs. 38,249, the 56mm f/1.2 costs 67,149, and the 50mm f/1 costs Rs. 1,27,499. Also, both the 50mm f/2 and 56mm f/1.2 weigh considerably less than the 50mm f/1 (200g and 405g, respectively).

What it comes down to is how much depth of field you are aiming to achieve. If this is the case, then the 50mm f/1 is a great lens even though it takes a little practice to achieve focus in the right area. If this is not a criteria then the other two lenses are just as good and fast, and not to mention, easier on the pocket.

This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of Better Photography.