Fujifilm 50mm f2 Review
The 50mm f2 was my second Fuji prime I got back in 2019. It’s one of my favourite Fuji lenses given its size and image quality. In this blog I would like to share my thoughts on this lens having owned and used it since 2019. That’s actually a little misleading because I sold it in 2021 after purchasing the 90mm f2 however repurchased it in 2023 as I just missed the form factor.
Why 50mm?
50mm equates to 75mm in full frame terms and it’s a great companion for a wider lens such as the 23mm. The 50mm is great for traditional portraits, street photography and travel in general. It gives you a bit of that telephoto compression while also not being too tight and allowing you to get more into the frame. I personally use it for my detail and abstract shots as well as to get the compression look when shooting long straight roads. Finally for travel this lens allows you to reach places you’d otherwise struggle with something wider.
f2 or f1.2?
This is a common question and one I’m always debating too to this day. In short if 50% or more of your photography is done at night, then the f1.2 does have an advantage. If you simply love shooting wide open and having the most background blur, then there isn’t much to debate here. However for 95% of people, the f2 version of this lens is superior. Not only is it more affordable, but it’s way smaller too.
Build & Ergonomics
The build is high quality all metal with solid weather sealing. I’ve used this lens in total downpours, in freezing conditions, dirty conditions and in hot humid weather without any issues. I’ve never had it fail on me nor cause any unexpected behaviours. The body does scratch quite easily and over time will show wear marks however nothing too bad. I’m afraid I can’t show you in this blog because my current copy of this lens is new. As for ergonomics, this lens feels at home on the Fuji XT5. Having tried this lens with other bodies, none feel as comfortable as the XT5. The XH2 also feels good with this lens with that bigger grip. The focus and aperture dials are solid with no play.
Image Quality
The 50mm f2 is very sharp with an overall great image quality. I’m not a pixel peeper nor a technical lens specialist. I can’t go into nerd level details about edge sharpness, purple fringing or other technical jargon. What I can say is this lens produces amazing photos with great detail and colour rendering. One final word on image quality… if you look at an image and the first thing you comment on is that the edge sharpness is a little soft, then perhaps the image isn’t that interesting in the first place.
Autofocus
The autofocus on this lens will get a different review depending on what you are using the lens for. When it comes to photography, the autofocus is very good. Unless you’re shooting F1 or anything that requires super fast focusing, this system is good enough for 95% of cases. When it comes to video, it’s not as smooth as some of the more expensive lenses that use the linear motor systems. With that said if you’re using some of the newer cameras with the latest AF systems, then they do get better performance from this lens compared to something older.
Summary
To summarise this is an amazing little lens and the one I recommend to almost everyone. If you don’t need the best low light performance, the sharpest image for commercial work or the absolute best AF system for video, sports or wildlife then the 50mm f2 is a great choice. There are other competitors especially in the third party world, but I haven’t found anything I would rather have yet.
