From the samples it seems that Fuji created another little gem. And what about focusing speed? Fuji says:
“The lens uses an internal focusing system for high speed autofocus. The focusing lens group consists of three cemented lens elements and one aspheric lens element to keep weight down while the built-in high-torque DC coreless motor delivers ultra-fast AF performance.”
I’m looking forward to the first hands-on reviews!
As you know, first comes first. If you want it in your hands in mid October (release is 16 October), act fast and be high on the waiting list. Pre-order here:
USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline EUROPE: PCHstore
15 Responses
$850???? That price really seems a stretch. They’ll nick the early adopters, but this is a $500 lens.
Heisenberg, I’m not surprised. Their 14mm f/2.8 is price similar. I felt the cost is justifiable though due to the focus ring improvements and high IQ. It’s a great wide angle prime. Comparing the lens to a Canon 35mm f/1.4L, the price is a deal. I’m expecting the lens to match the quality of the Canon 35mm in terms of sharpness, color, and contrast, but not so much the shallowness of DoF (it will be there and be attractive, but it is still a crop sensor).
Fuji will knock 300 of a lens in the US with their body combo deals, so that gives some idea of how much Fuji is milking the market. Fuji knows good and well how many camera bodies are out there, and how much choice there is for these 14 and 23mm lenses on the X-System.
This precise behaviour is why I own only one Fuji lens, the 35mm, and will not bother with anymore.
Your point is valid. Canon also does that body+lens combo deal with the 24-105 f/4L (looking at amazon, $500 discount). They do that to help you get initially invested into the system. I didn’t see any prime lens + body deals though.
We’ll see what will happen in the future. They did drop that X-Pro1 a lot after it was in the market for a bit of time.
1) I want to know where you usually buy lenses.
2) even the 35mm and 18mm aren’t that cheap… what were you expecting for a better designed, new lens?
It is fatiguing, the way Japanese camera makers price their products, but at least it is also fairly predictable. Would be refreshing to have a different approach, stable price, but more likely that we end up with less Japanese camera makers.
Price aside, at least Fuji have not shot themselves in the foot with this one. I suspect it will be difficult to fault as far as 23mm f1.4 X-mount lenses go. As the Fuji blurb says:
“weighs 300g and measures just 63mm in length making it the most compact and lightweight lens of its class”
In a class of one … marketing blurbs must indeed be taken with a grain of salt, for Fuji the grain of salt needs to be sufficiently large for the desired effect.
Awesome lens!
Heinsberg — what other f1.4 prime lens does Fuji have that’s $500 new? This is just an arbitrary number you’re throwing out there. Do you manufacture prime lenses and sell them for $500? What brand would those be?
The link is at http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-XF-23mm-F1-4-Wide-Angle/dp/B00EZ8BEXK/ref=zg_bs_562261011_price.
I hope after Fuji release all the high end primes, they start releasing cheap f/1.8 or f/2 primes. All I have for my X-E1 is the XF18-55. Would love to buy a 23mm or 35mm but it’s out of my budget :/
I think they plan their XC lenses to be the budget ones but have only announced zooms for those. I wonder if they would really bother to design new primes for entry level since most (at least with canikon) entry level purchasers gravitate towards having a zoom.
What is your budget? I have a 35 I don’t use anymore …
tim, what’s your 35mm condition? My friend has a budget of 420-440 for it.
Start looking at local classifieds. Here you get used 35mm for $400-450 which is a good deal considering that you’ll be able to sell the lens later for the same price without any loses.
About time Fuji offered something to early adopters.
Re the pricing of the new lens (and much of the rest of the Fuji X product line), let me say this in as nice a way as I can.
Deal with it.
Would it be nice if Fuji had put the 23mm out at $500? Or if it offered registered X owners a 30% discount just to be nice guys?
Sure. I would have saved myself some real cash when I ordered mine at 3:35 AM on the day of product launch.
But that’s not the real world. Last time I checked, Mercedes was not selling its cars at Chevrolet prices or offering 30% discounts to existing owners. Their pricing strategy is right in line with the competition: BMW, Lexus, etc.
Easy answer: If you think the product is not worth the asking price, move on.
And for comparison, here are some products/price points from the Nikon USA website (I pick that competitor only because I have lots of Nikon gear; I assume Canon would be similar), none of these being exotic items:
Nikkor 35mm 1.4 $ 1,164.95
Nikkor 35mm 1.4G $ 2,160
Nikon D7100 (Body) $ 1,199.95
So, in fact, a decent argument could be made that the Fuji line is actually offered at bargain price points.